I think it's a big issue in the US because of how easy it is to obtain. Anecdotally, I have talked with people in foreign countries (I'm from the US) who say it's much harder to obtain Vicodin even with prescription. I know one who had to steal Vicodin from the doctor's office where they did clerical work because they had insomnia that had not responded to any medication they were prescribed. If they were easier to obtain abroad, I imagine other countries could have as big an issue with painkillers as the US does, and as the article says one of the main reasons painkillers were so easy to obtain in the US is the push within the medical and pharmaceutical industries to treat pain.