Surgeon general report calls for major shift on treating addiction
America has an addiction problem.
Communities battle against heroin addiction
The drug epidemic knows no state boundaries and has no age limits. Don Dahler reports on how it is impacting comminutues across the nation.
And on Thursday, in the first report of its kind, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for a major shift in the way addiction is treated.
His report said nearly 21 million suffer from substance abuse. It affects more Americans than cancer. Yet, 90 percent are not getting treatment.
The economic impact of addiction is more than $440 billion.
CBS News medical contributor Dr. Tara Narula joined CBS News with more on the epidemic, and to answer some key questions, including: Does society really understand what addiction is?
To see Narula’s answer on this question and more, watch the video above.