Tracking the Quantity of Painkiller Prescriptions in Every American County
In a startling revelation, data visualizations published by The Washington Post have shed light on the distribution of oxycodone and hydrocodone pills in the United States from 2006 to 2012. The data, based on information from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) ARCOS (Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System) database, includes over 380 million transactions, including the sale of pills to pharmacies.
The visualizations depict a belt of counties in West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky as having a high number of opioid pills distributed per capita. This trend is particularly concerning, as many of these same counties have reported more than 15 opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people a year. Moreover, it appears that many of these counties received more than 100 pills per person each year.
The correlation between high opioid-related deaths and high opioid pill distribution in these counties is evident in the data. The visualizations show a significant distribution of opioid pills in certain counties in West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky, which aligns with the high number of per-capita prescription opioid deaths in these areas.
The data used in these visualizations provides a stark reminder of the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States. It underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to address the issue, particularly in the affected counties in Appalachia.
The DEA is responsible for publishing the data on the number of Oxycodone and Hydrocodone tablets sold in each U.S. county, and this data can be found in the DEA's ARCOS database section on their official website. The visualizations, created by The Washington Post, provide a valuable tool for understanding the geographical distribution of the opioid crisis in the United States.
In conclusion, the data visualizations published by The Washington Post offer a compelling view of the opioid crisis in the United States, particularly in Appalachia. They serve as a call to action for policymakers, healthcare providers, and communities to address this pressing issue and work towards a future with fewer opioid-related deaths.
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