Painkillers Kill More Americans Than Guns

Over-dosing and over-prescribing; more Americans are now dying from Prescription Pain Killers than from Guns.

from: http://wvgazette.com/New/Prescription+for_an_Epidemic/200711040016.

For the first time in modern American history, drug overdoses and other types of poisonings now kill more people than guns.

Such deaths more than doubled between 1994 and 2004, according to data obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics in a joint Sunday Gazette-Mail/West Virginia Public Broadcasting investigation.

The fastest-growing killers aren’t heroin and cocaine. They’re prescription painkillers.

Researchers were shocked when they saw the new numbers, said Lois Fingerhut, special assistant for injury epidemiology at NCHS.

“My God — Who would ever have thought that poisoning would have risen that quickly to surpass firearms?” she said.

West Virginians are more likely to die of drug overdoses than people from any other state. Poisonings — mostly overdoses — killed 20 times more West Virginians last year than they did in 1998 (see accompanying story).

Nationally, more than 30,000 people died from poisoning in 2004, the most recent year for which nationwide data is available.

When most people hear of poisoning, they don’t think of drug overdoses.

“What most people think of ... is a child getting into the Drano under the sink, but that’s the smallest part of poisoning deaths,” Fingerhut said.

“By far, the largest number of poisoning deaths are attributed to drugs. Nine out of 10 poisoning deaths in 2004 were drug-related.”

Prescription drugs are responsible for most of that increase in overdose deaths. Heroin deaths fell slightly between 1999 and 2004, while cocaine deaths rose 43 percent.

Drug Addiction is ruled by Neptune.

Rex Bills says that "Medicines" are ruled by Neptune, Saturn and Virgo.

"Pain" is ruled by Mars and Saturn. The opposite of Mars would be Venus. Perhaps this is a sign of a Peace Loving Nation? Mars has progressed into Libra which is ruled by Venus and it is Retrograde.

I looked up the Progressions for the Sibley Chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10pm, Philadelphia, PA. Wouldn't ya know? The U.S. Sun has progressed into Pisces, one of the signatures for Drugs and Addiction.

Progressed Sun is currently at 4 Pisces so it is still trying to get used to the Pisces vibe. P.Sun is also very significant in the Progressed Chart as it is in aspect to both of the planets that Bills gives to rulership of Pain. It is trining Saturn at 4 Scorpio and inconjunct to Mars 19 Libra Rx.

This is maybe telling us to take a look at the natal Mars-Saturn trine in the U.S. Chart. Progressed Mars is echoing the progressed Sun's aspect as it is moving back into a conjunction with n. Saturn and is trining n. Mars. I read this as meaning that we really don't know how to use Force right now and we are reexaminig what Strength really is (hopefully). That's why we're acting like Bam-Bam over in Iraq!

Confused? Bring in the CandyMan. Neptune, ruler of Drugs and Addiction is in Virgo, sign of Medicines. It has been Retrograde since about 1952. That timing seems to match up with the time in America when all the Household Moms starting turning to booze and tranquilizers. (Allopathic Medicine is so brilliant for treating Crises and Emergencies, but so bad at treating most chronic illnesses, ruled by 12th House & Neptune.)

Prog. Mercury is also Retrograde right now as well so our brains ain't working too good. Mercury is Retrograde in both the natal chart and the progressed Chart and they are in an inconjunct aspect right now. Inconjuncts are said to be related to health problems, so it makes sense that we are more mentally ill now than during most times. It's in Aquarius so this should give us extra opportunities to innovate new technologies to fix the world -- as long as we just keep attending the 12 step meetings, that is.

On a different note, it's interesting that in the Sibley Chart the Progressed Moon is so strong in the Progressed Chart. It is conjunct the Progressed Ascendant, both at 28 Leo. The natal Moon is at 28 Aquarius right on the Descendant. I suppose I would assume that Hillary Clinton would win the Presidency due to Moon's relationship with Women. Perhaps this isn't the correct chart after all.