Survey: 40 percent of Americans took opioids in 2015

Monday, July 31, 2017
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A sobering new report is out on the use - and abuse - of opioid painkillers in America.

In a national survey, nearly 40 percent of adults say they took a prescription opioid in 2015 - that's 92 million Americans.

And more than 11 million admitted misusing them, such as taking them without a prescription, or getting them from friends or relatives.

About 2 million said they had a drug use disorder, but some experts say those numbers may be even higher now.

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