In its 2015 Report Overview, the Clinton Foundation calls prescription drug abuse (leading to overdose) an imminent public health threat that kills “more people than motor vehicle accidents.”
The CDC reports that, during 2014, a total of 47,055 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States. Indeed, that is a large number of tragic deaths.
Is There More to This Problem Than Prescription Drugs?
But a closer look at that statistic reveals that these deaths were caused by all drugs, not just prescription drugs, which is what those who relay statistics to the public often imply. Furthermore, the number also includes overdoses of illicit drugs along with over-the-counter medications.