Drug Overdose Deaths Rise 296 Percent Since 2000

The number of drug-overdose deaths in Kentucky rose a staggering 296 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to a study by a research center at the University of Kentucky. A tidal wave of prescription-drug abuse drove the steep increase in overdose deaths. Of the 979 deaths in 2010, prescription drugs were involved in 522, or 53 percent, according to the study by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center.