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Guns vs Drugs: Where's the Uproar?
Random & Fun / 11:55 AM - Saturday March 27, 2010

Guns vs Drugs: Where's the Uproar?

Prescription drug overdoses kill roughly 14K people per year in the USA. Handguns kill roughly 16K people per year in the USA. Stats are very close... so why is there such a clear uproar over Handguns but not over Prescription Drugs?

Is it because the Pills come from doctors whom are considerable reputable? Is it because Adults are addicted as much as Teens/Young Adults? Is that Parents have unintentionally modeled taking pills as if it's okay? I know a lot of people on pills for injuries of years ago or 'general' anxiety and such and for years they just take these pills as a given. Kids watch this and never form the idea that pills are dangerous or prescriptions can be misused.

A Gun dealer would be considered reckless if he sold a gun to someone with a criminal history of gun use, violence etc. So Background checks are required by Law before anyone can buy a gun which is about the only precaution one can take. Yet Doctors don't have to do background checks to see if a person has a Medical history of long term drug use or abuse or even a thorough check of the validity of whatever is wrong.

People target Gun Dealers, Manufacturers and Gun Laws. I rarely hear of any Group trying to stop a Doctor from practicing, going after Pfizer or rallying Congress to change the Laws. Sure you have the celeb Doc here or there being put in the spotlight but clearly that's not the norm.

Legal guns kill as many as illegal guns just as legal prescriptions kill as many as illegal drugs. Kids get a hold of guns as easily as they get a hold of prescription drugs.

What do you think the reasons are that Prescription Drug Dangers aren't getting the same attention as Gun Dangers?

**I am NOT advocating Gun ownership or villianizing all Prescription Drugs. I'm pointing out the similarities in the dangers of both and the disparity of attention**

Update: March 28, 2010.
Some of you have a black and white view on gun violence and a fuzzy one on the use of prescription drugs. Gun deaths stats are not always broken down so it's an assumption that they are all the result of some violent act of crime. Many are suicides. Many are self-defense. Many are accidental. So it's not that every time a trigger is pulled, someone is trying to kill just for the hell of it. As well people using legal drugs incorrectly is quite often on purpose. Pill poppers absolutely do commit crimes against innocent people to support their habit and addiction. In fact you may encounter a person in a dark alley loaded on pills or coming down from them but it doesn't mean you're just going to encounter someone that's 'high' and happy. No, you may encounter them whacked out of their noggin, using a gun to victimize you to get the money they want to buy more prescription pills. And just like drunk drivers, they get high, they drive, they kill innocent people on highways. They hurt themselves, their families, their lives. It's not like it just affects them no more than a gun death just affects the victim. Using the stats in my field office, of 10 people, 7 are on a prescription on a regular basis. Most are a "pain" or depression med. 2 of the 10 own guns. Even my own new doctor was surprised that I wasn't on anything when I had my annual...that's how common it is. If stats hold true, more than half of you that answered, take something long term for some reason. And to me, that's why it's not given proper attention. It's too common. People are still running marijuana commercials and the kids are laughing b/c that's so 'yesterday'...The medicine cabinet is their new dealer.

- Asked by thottienc, Female, 36-45, Who Cares?

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The Rx drug industry gives a LOT of money to politicians.
That's why the US allows direct-to-consumer tv advertising by Rx drug companies.

People have been conditioned to think that Rx drugs are the key to a magical life.

- Response by chessplayer, An Intellectual Guy, Male, 36-45, Administrative

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The great majority of the gun deaths are a direct result of drug prohibition. Nobody kills each other over tobacco which is more addictive (and kills hundred of thousands per year) because tobacco is legal.

The addictive prescription drugs they use today have become more deadly than the illegal drugs.

The whole thing is a total GOVERNMENT F'up.

If the government stopped creating all the death and destruction, and stuck to its Constitutional authority, most of those people would not be killed.

- Response by greenwind, An Intellectual Guy, Male, 56-65, Construction

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I think you should draw a Ven diagram showing the overlap of the two groups. Because the combination of the two may actually make up at least one third of the group. Or maybe more. Which would then lead one to consider whether the doctors and the gun license people should be talking to each other.

- Response by llafsroh, An Intellectual Guy, Male, 46-55, Boston, Science / Engineering

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If someone is abusing prescription drugs over here, like taking too many each month. That is picked up by the receptionist first, who passes the info onto the patients doctor. He then makes a decision to make the patient to see the doctor for their next repeat prescription.

If that doesn't work, the patient has to come in too see the doctor every time they need a prescription. If that doesn't work, the patient is only given 1 weeks supply. So now the patient is being monitored on a weekly basis.

The main reason people abuse prescription drugs is because they are addictive.

None of the above apply to guns. Just go to the shop, pay your money, then hope you don't kill someone by mistake.

...:)


- Response by bluegenel, A Mr. Nice Guy, Male, Who Cares?, Technical

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Actually there have been lots of new controls added to prescription drugs. For example, many elderly are lying in pain for 48 hours waiting for all the red tape to clear so they can get their pain med. However, the criminals will always find ways to traffic. This is why, IMO, it should just be legalized, and then all the drama can cease. Or at least lessen.

- Response by annandfam, Female, 36-45

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There's another double standard here-- half of all shooting deaths are suicides. How many drug deaths are also suicides?

- Response by chesterdad, An Intellectual Guy, Male, 56-65, San Francisco

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Because people don't use prescription drugs to intentionally kill OTHER PEOPLE.

People die from using them incorrectly, or from having adverse reactions to them. But they kill the person who took them, NOT some innocent schmuck minding his own business in line at the bank.

Guns kill when being *properly* used - killing another person is the INTENTION when you fire a gun.

If you can show that the number of prescription drugs used to commit a violent crime is close to the number of guns used to commit a violent crime, then I might buy this comparison.

I am NOT anti-gun ownership rights, I am just pointing out that I think you are comparing a kitty cat to a T-Rex.

- Response by justpassingthru, Female, 56-65, Financial / Banking

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You are going to doo doo all over yourself if you ever stumble onto the stats of how many people die after buying cars from car dealers.

- Response by etbass, An Intellectual Guy, Male, 36-45, Dallas, Executive

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