The U.S. already consumes 99% of the hydrocodone used in the world.

 

In 2010, Vicodin was the most prescribed medication in the U.S. with 131 million filled prescriptions. That same year, more than 16,000 people died of overdoses from narcotic painkillers, up from about 4,000 in 1999.

via FDA and Opioids: What’s Going On Here?.