Poll: Majority backs limits on prescribing pain meds

{mosads}Research!America used the poll results to encourage better research on chronic pain, which can create dependency on prescription opioids, and drug addiction.

“We need to better understand addiction,” said Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley in a statement. “We shouldn’t shy away from research on new pain treatments based on fears of abuse. The suffering is simply too great.”

The number of unintentional deaths from prescription painkillers has quadrupled since 1999, far outstripping deaths linked to heroin and cocaine, according to the group.

The poll of 1,016 respondents was conducted in March. It has a 3.1 percentage point margin of error.