Prescription opioid analgesic use in U.S. adults by ethnicity and gender 2007-2012
This statistic is based on a survey and describes the percentage of U.S. adults aged 20 years and over that used prescription opioid analgesics in the past 30 days between 2007 and 2012, by ethnicity and gender. During this period, 7.3 percent of non-Hispanic white male adults had used opioid analgesics within the last 30 days. These medications are used as pain treatments after surgery, injury, or certain health conditions such as cancer. Dependence and deaths related to this drug have become a problem in the country as sales and deaths increase.