Government Statistics: OxyContin Did Not Create Opioid Crisis U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Opioids: 1979-1996[1] Estimated Numbers of Persons Who First Misused Prescription Pain Relievers in the U.S.: 1965–1996[2] “The roots of the problem go back a long way. Since the 1980s, America’s drug-overdose death rates have increased at the terrifyingly steady clip of 7.6% … Continue reading Opioid Crisis