skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, May 3, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Michigan lawmakers target predatory loan companies; NY jury hears tape of Trump and Cohen Discussing Hush-Money Deal; flood-impacted VT households rebuild for climate resilience; film documents environmental battle with Colorado oil, gas industry.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Biden defends dissent but says "order must prevail" on campus, former President Trump won't commit to accepting the 2024 election results and Nebraska lawmakers circumvent a ballot measure repealing private school vouchers.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Bidding begins soon for Wyoming's elk antlers, Southeastern states gained population in the past year, small rural energy projects are losing out to bigger proposals, and a rural arts cooperative is filling the gap for schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Poll Hints at Uptick in Pain Medication Misuse in KY

play audio
Play

Wednesday, February 26, 2020   

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- More Kentuckians report knowing someone who is misusing prescription pain medication, according to a new poll.

Colleen Desmond, a researcher at Interact for Health, the group that conducted the survey, said the findings indicate prescription drug misuse continues to be a persistent problem statewide, despite the fact that overdose deaths have dropped.

"We saw a slight uptick this year," she said. "We saw about four in 10 Kentuckians who reported that they know someone who's had a problem as a result of using or abusing prescription pain relievers. ... That's up from 30% in 2018."

Nearly 10 million Americans age 12 and older have misused prescription pain relievers, according to federal data from 2018.

For help finding addiction treatment, visit findhelpnowky.org.

Desmond said the survey also found that 66% of adults in the Commonwealth believe addiction is a disease. Desmond added that out of those people, the majority said they believe it is both a mental and physical condition.

"The fact that we have about seven in 10 adults who think addiction is a disease is a good thing," she said, "and we want to keep tracking that."

She said increased public awareness of substance abuse might mean more residents are paying closer attention to patterns of pain medication use among family and friends.

"These findings are a little bit interesting because of the way we asked the question," she said. "We asked about knowledge of use, rather than use itself. We can't really separate out whether people are just more knowledgeable about use in the community vs. an uptick in use."

When asked whether they would know how to help someone with an addiction disorder find treatment, only half of Kentucky adults answered yes, according to the survey.

The poll is online at healthy-ky.org, Kentucky overdose-death data is at odcp.ky.gov, and 2018 federal data is at samhsa.gov.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument's new Molok Loyuk region provides habitat for tule elk, mountain lions, bears, bald eagles and golden eagles. (Hispanic Access Foundation)

Environment

play sound

Conservation groups, tribes and community organizers are praising President Joe Biden's decision Thursday to expand two national monuments in …


Social Issues

play sound

Pennsylvania is among the states where massive protests and tent encampments opposing the war in Gaza are growing. Elez Beresin-Scher, a sociology …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Studies show suicide is a serious public health problem, claiming more than 48,000 lives each year in the nation. A new initiative from the Zero …


An installation view of the exhibition Art Against the Odds, is shown at the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Kate Mothes)

Social Issues

play sound

By Kate Mothes for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collab…

Environment

play sound

A new film documents the 2018 battle between Colorado environmentalists and the oil and gas industry over proposed fracking regulations. The film …

Among adults in Arkansas, 32.6% report symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder, almost identical to the national average. (Halfpoint/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

As Children's Mental Health Awareness Week kicks off in Arkansas, an expert said parents can help their children have a healthy brain to thrive…

Environment

play sound

As part of an effort to restore the Mississippi River delta, an organization is collaborating with nature to address environmental challenges…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Toughing it out during spring allergy season is not in your best interest if you want to avoid asthma later in life. New Mexico has plenty of grass …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021