One-third of Americans believe physicians who inappropriately prescribe painkillers are the primary cause of the national opioid abuse epidemic, second only to the individuals taking the drugs, according to a poll conducted by STAT and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
The poll interviewed about 1,000 American adults who spoke either English or Spanish. Additional findings include about 40 percent of survey respondents saying the government is not allocating enough funds for opioid addiction treatment programs and 73 percent saying that prescription painkillers should only be prescribed for chronic pain after patients try alternative therapies.