How Bad Has the Opioid Epidemic Become?

To illuminate the nature of the increasing misuse of prescription and nonprescription narcotics, researchers examined data from two waves (2001–2002 and 2012–2013) of a nationally representative, household, interview survey involving 79,402 adults.

The prevalence of lifetime heroin use and heroin use disorder increased almost five- and threefold, respectively, with the greatest increases seen in whites and men. Among white heroin users, the number who reported nonmedical use of prescription opioids before starting heroin use significantly increased (2001–2002, 36%; 2012–2013, 53%); the percentage decreased in nonwhites.