Presidential Opioid Commission Warns of 'National Emergency'

One in three Americans take prescription painkillers, a new survey showed Monday – a startling statistic unveiled the same day a presidential opioid commission called for the declaration of a "national emergency."

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 91.8 million Americans used drugs like OxyContin or Vicodin in 2015, NBC News reported – and nearly 5 percent of adults said they took the drugs without their doctor's permission.

"The most commonly reported sources were friends and relatives for free," the study reported. "Or a physician."

The findings were reported the same day the opioid commission, chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, released its first report and recommendations for tackling a plague that claimed more than 15,000 lives in 2015.

The study urged President Donald Trump to "declare a national emergency" and noted "America is enduring a death toll equal to Sept. 11 every three weeks."

Criminal justice professor Brian Levin told NBC News, however, there are fears the commission is mere "window dressing."

"Like many initiatives coming out of the administration, it is hampered by the chaos around management," Levin, of the California State University San Bernardino, told NBC News. "Moreover, there seems to be a concentration on rhetoric and law enforcement responses at a time when resources from health and addiction are on the chopping block."

"The research indicates that enforcement alone, absent a systematic medical and counseling response, is due to fail," Levin added.

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