very powerful story: America's fatal addiction to prescription drugs

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jun/10/prescription-drug-abuse

Among the startling statistics, the United States now consumes 80% of the world's opioid pain medications and 99% of the world's hydrocodone (semi-synthetic opioid)The milligram per person use of prescription opioids in the United States increased from 74mg to 369mg, an increase of 402%, between 1997 and 2007.

Statistics suggest that the state of Florida dispenses more oxycodone than the entire rest of the country combined.