Images of an illicit Chinese drug lab, courtesy of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

Over 63,600 Americans died after overdosing on drugs in 2016, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Of those, 42,249 people died from taking “opioids,” which is a deceptive catch-all word that includes both prescription pain killers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, as well as illicit drugs such as heroin and synthetic fentanyl. For some reason, the 21,351 people who died after overdosing on non-opioids like cocaine and methamphetamine are not in the conversation.

Of the 42,249 people who died from taking “opioids,” how many were from doctor prescriptions? How many were from people “doctor shopping” or otherwise abusing/misusing their own prescriptions? How many deaths were from drugs illegally pushed through the southern border?

Without the answers to those questions, how can Americans possibly know that the billions of dollars allocated to combat the opioid epidemic will be spent wisely? Continue reading →