No one here in the States ought to be surprised if it turns out Prince did have a PRESCRIPTION drug abuse problem. See below stats from the CDC (US Center for Disease Control) 15,000 Nearly 15,000 people die every year of overdoses involving prescription painkillers. 1 in 20 In 2010, 1 in 20 people in the US (age 12 or older) reported using prescription painkillers for nonmedical reasons in the past year. 1 Month Enough prescription painkillers were prescribed in 2010 to medicate every American adult around-the-clock for a month. (reference website) CDC VitalSigns - Prescription Painkiller Overdoses in the US ********** This is something I noticed while attached to a Wounded Warrior unit at Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis McChord - JBLM). With all the injured returning from the wars, it seemed like the Army was quick to manage pain through RX drug usage, but slow to diagnose and treat the underlying issues related to the causation of the pain. I was left with the impression that it was cheaper for the military to dispense a drug and ignore everything else unless they had to. Heaven forbid they diagnosed an issue requiring medical treatment which then escalated to a medical discharge for injuries sustained while on mission duties. Cheaper to manage pain, give the Soldier an Honorable Discharge and kick them to the VA curb, right? I can't tell you how many times my military Nurse Case Manager said to me, "Let the VA take care of you." That's "code" language that passes the buck, something I refused to accept and fought through legal channels to correct. While not having access to unit data, I did notice a few Soldiers appearing to be taking quite a bit of pain-killers and thought back then this treatment protocol (and lack thereof) was going to set up or aggravate use/abuse/addiction issues in the future. Eli Lilly et al. must LOVE the Army for all the bucks they made off the backs of the broken.... So I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happened to Prince. These are powerful drugs that even the "best of the best" of people can get hooked on - and die from. V/R, nwlivewire
