US Army concerns on troop drug abuse

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:01:09 GMT

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=124580&sectionid=3510203

The US army has expressed concerns on the "over-medication" of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, amid growing reports of drug abuse among its troops.

"We're very concerned about the panoply and the number of drugs that are being used," the army's top medical officer, Lieutenant General Eric Schoomaker, said.

The general surgeon added that the military is closely monitoring which drugs -- and how many -- are being prescribed to soldiers returning from combat duty.

Since the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan, psychiatric and medical prescriptions for troops have climbed dramatically.

According to a Military Times report in March, one in every six US servicemen is on some form of psychiatric drug.

A Pentagon survey has also said that some 15% of active duty soldiers abuse prescription drugs.

This is while some medications, such as anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, or sleeping pills, are being prescribed right on the front lines.

Lawmakers have urged the military to examine a possible link between record high suicides among troops and the abuse of prescription drugs.

The latest suicide rate figures in the US military are the highest since the closing days of the Vietnam War in the mid 1970s.