美国政府正在处理阿片类药物使用泛滥。
Americans make up about 4.6 percent of the world's population, but consume 80 percent of the world's opioid supply. That information comes from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.
美国人大约占到了世界人口的4.6%，但却消耗了世界阿片类药物供应的80%。这一信息来自于美国介入性疼痛治疗医师协会
Opioids offer strong pain relief. But they are addictive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Taking too many or too much can be fatal.
根据美国疾病控制预中心所言，阿片类药物能强力缓解疼痛。但是他们会让人上瘾。过量服用这类药物可能会致命。
Forty Americans die every day from opioid prescription drug overdoses, said the CDC.
美国疾病控制预防中心表示，每天有40名美国人死于阿片类处方药物过量。
This week, the center released new guidelines for relieving pain.
本周，该中心发布了缓解疼痛的新准则。
It calls on family doctors to consider other pain relief options before prescribing opioids. Options should include high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen and aspirin, the CDC said.
它呼吁家庭医生在开阿片类处方时优先考虑其它缓解疼痛的方案。美国疾病控制预防中心表示，方案包括高剂量消炎药，例如布洛芬和阿司匹林。
When doctors believe severe pain requires opioids, they should prescribe the lowest possible dosage, the CDC said. And patients should be told to exercise and take other steps that could get them off opioids, the agency said.
美国疾病控制预防中心表示，当医生认为剧烈疼痛需要阿片类药物时，他们应该开具尽可能最低的剂量。而患者应被告知采取可以摆脱阿片类药物的其它步骤。
CDC Director Tom Friedman said: "Overprescribing opioids -- largely for chronic pain -- is a key driver of America's drug-overdose epidemic."
美国疾病控制预防中心主任弗里德曼表示，“过量开具阿片类药物是美国药物过量泛滥的一个主要驱动力，过量开具阿片类药物主要是针对慢性疼痛。”
The CDC is not acting alone. President Barack Obama in February proposed $1.1 billion to increase treatment options for people addicted to opioids.
美国疾病控制预防中心并非单独采取行动。奥巴马总统二月份提出用11亿美元增加对阿片类药物成瘾者的治疗方案。
And the U.S. Senate recently voted 94-1 to fund treatment programs.
而美国参议员最近以94票对1票通过该提案为治疗方案拨款。
The U.S. presidential candidates have been asked about the problem at town halls and debates. The issue often came up in the first primary state of New Hampshire. New Hampshire has one of the highest opioid addiction rates in the United States.
美国总统候选人在市政厅和辩论中已经被问到这个问题。这个问题在最早举行初选的新罕布什尔州经常被提上台面。新罕布什尔州是美国阿片类药物成瘾率最高的州之一。
"We can't be here in New Hampshire and not talk about the addiction problem," said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a town hall meeting. "Not talk about the fact that there have been more deaths by overdoses than car crashes in this state."
民主党总统候选人希拉里在一场市政厅会议上表示，“我们在新罕布什尔州不能不提到药物成瘾问题，不能不提到的事实是，在新罕布什尔州，药物过量造成的死亡已经超过了车祸。”
Republican candidate Donald Trump also spoke about opioid addiction during a New Hampshire rally. "We are going to try and help the young people, and the old people, and the middle-age people, and everybody that got addicted," he said.
共和党总统候选人川普在新罕布什尔州集会上也谈到了阿片类药物成瘾问题。他说，“我们正在试图帮助所有药物成瘾的男女老少。”
The data show the problem of opioid addiction is growing. This is from a 2016 report prepared by the American Society of Addiction Medicine:
数据显示药物成瘾问题越来越严重。以下来自美国成瘾医学协会2016年编写的一份报告：
- Four of every five heroin users start by misusing prescription painkillers.
80%的海洛因成瘾者始于滥用处方止痛药。 - 94 percent of people in treatment for opioid addiction said they turned to heroin because prescription opioids were "far more expensive and harder to obtain."
94%接受阿片类药物成瘾治疗的人们表示，他们转向海洛因是因为处方阿片类药物更贵更难获得。 - In 2012, doctors wrote 260 million opioid prescriptions – enough to give every U.S. adult a bottle full of pills.
2012年，医生开具了2.6亿份阿片类药物处方，足以给每个美国成年人一整瓶药片。
I'm Kathleen Struck.
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