Prescription drug abuse exceeds heroin, cocaine and ecstasy combined

Prescription drug abuse exceeds heroin, cocaine and ecstasy combined: "Rates of prescription drug abuse worldwide are higher than those for the use of cocaine, ecstasy and heroin, combined, according to a new report by the United Nations' International Narcotics Control Boards (INCB).

'Abuse of such drugs has been spreading over the world in recent years,' said report co-author Hamid Ghodse of St. George's University in London. 'It needs to be tackled urgently.'

Ghodse said that prescription drug abuse is a 'hidden problem,' and it is difficult for authorities to get comprehensive data on the scale of the abuse. Recent high-profile celebrity deaths from prescription drug abuse, such as that of Michael Jackson, have brought more attention to the issue, however."

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