Every day more than 40 people die in the United States from an overdose of prescription medication. While that statistic may not terrify you, the fact that it has increased almost 400% over the past five years should!

According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH 2010), prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing health problem in the US with about 7 million people regularly using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes (2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.)

People are not taking care of the underlying problem. If they have an ache or a pain, they want a pill to take care of it. And there are too many providers out there ready to write a prescription thinking they’re helping and they’re not, and it’s dangerous.

Pill sharing, doctor shopping and Pill Mills are all contributing to this prescription drug abuse epidemic. It is way too easy to get prescription drugs from a friend or family member’s medicine cabinet or shop doctors to get a fix and feed an addiction. And because these drugs are prescribed by a doctor, many get the false impression that prescriptions are safe.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported 1 in 20 people in the US ages 12 and older reported using prescription painkillers non-medically in 2010.

On top of this prescription drug epidemic, many young adults are using designer drugs such as Bath Salts, Dragonfly and Spice that are legal, and can be deadly.

What will stop this epidemic problem of people using illegal pills? Five percent of the population 12 and older taking illegal medications is ludicrous!

Who would of ever thought to snort or smoke bath salts? Drug addicts desperate to get high – that’s who!

Now in addition to drug testing for marijuana, cocaine, opiates and other drugs, you can add bath salts to the list of drugs you can be tested for.

Authorities said many people who abuse synthetic cannabinoids and “bath salts” do so because they believe they can get high and still pass drug tests mandated by their employers or arranged by families.

But local medical companies are adapting to the synthetic drug craze by offering tests that can detect common chemicals used to manufacture the substances.

Wisconsin Governor John Kasich signed legislation outlawing “bath salts” and synthetic cannabinoids, which are products that mimic the effects of stimulants and marijuana and are sold at local smoke shops, gas stations and convenience stores.

The court already has the capability to test for bath salts and K2, a synthetic marijuana.

A normal drug test costs $15, and if K2 and bath salts are also tested, the test costs about $45.

The new law takes effect on Oct. 17, but because the drugs are deemed mind-altering, it’s already a probation violation to be caught under the influence of bath salts or K2.

MedWork serves municipalities, counties, schools, industrial companies, trucking businesses and other “safety sensitive” employers. In jobs where mistakes can be deadly, employers are interested in ensuring their workers are drug-free and not concealing a substance-abuse problem by using synthetic products.

Is it me, or does it seem like drug use makes everything more expensive?