Codeine Persuasive Speech

Last year there were over 64,000 reported opioid-related deaths in the United States – making it the leading cause of accidental death in people under the age of 50 in this country (Katz). Opioids, also referred to as painkillers, have become a growing problem over the past two decades particularly in rural communities all across the country where the death rates are higher per capita compared to the death rate in cities (“America’s Opioid Epidemic is Worsening”). These narcotics, such as codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone are extremely addictive and, as a result, this silent killer has quadrupled the overdose death toll since 1999

With access to prescription drugs, people are able to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses. These drugs help deal with pain, inability to sleep, depression, and much more. Every day we are increasingly living in a world where there is better living through chemicals. However, what most do not seem to see is the rising tide of pain, illness, and ultimately death being caused by the pills people take every day. Most keep drugs in a special place in their minds, where they see them as harmless. Sadly, this is not the case, and in some cases our prescription drugs can be just as harmful as illegal drugs (King 68).

Opioids are a class of drugs used to help an individual’s pain perception. They include prescriptive and nonprescriptive medications: morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and fentanyl. Heroin is also an opioid, but it is a classified Schedule 1 illegal drug.

The rate of death due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. According to the Congressional Quarterly Transcription’s article "Rep. Joe Pitt Holds a Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse," opioid prescription drugs were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2010, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of heroin and cocaine. Prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes "condemn a patient to lifelong addiction," according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This problem not only affects the lives of those who overdose but it affects the communities as well due to the convenience of being able to find these items in drug stores and such.

The United States currently faces an unprecedented epidemic of opioid addiction. This includes painkillers, heroin, and other drugs made from the same base chemical. In the couple of years, approximately one out of twenty Americans reported misuse or abuse of prescriptions painkillers. Heroin abuse and overdoses are on the rise and are the leading cause of injury deaths, surpassing car accidents and gun shots. The current problem differs from the opioid addiction outbreaks of the past in that it is also predominant in the middle and affluent classes. Ultimately, anyone can be fighting a battle with addiction and it is important for family members and loved ones to know the signs. The cause for this epidemic is that the current spike of opioid abuse can be traced to two decades of increased prescription rates for painkillers by well-meaning physicians.

Almost one hundred years ago, prescription drugs like morphine were available at almost any general store. Women carried bottles of very addictive potent opiate based pain killers in their purse. Many individuals like Edgar Allen Poe died from such addictions. Since that time through various federal, state and local laws, drugs like morphine are now prescription drugs; however, this has not stopped the addiction to opiate based pain killers. Today’s society combats an ever increasing number of very deadly addictive drugs from designer drugs to narcotics to the less potent but equally destructive alcohol and marijuana. With all of these new and old drugs going in and out of vogue with addicts, it appears that the increase of misuse and

Mike Alstott knows first-hand how opioids, when used correctly, can play an important role in managing pain and helping people to function, but he is also keenly aware of the growing crisis of opioid misuse and overdose. More American adults are dying from misusing prescription narcotics than ever before. An estimated 35 people die every day in the U.S. from accidental prescription painkiller overdoses resulting from things like not taking a medication as directed or not understanding how multiple

In fact, there was thought to be more of a need for them. Before the last two decades, opioids were used for cancer related or acute pain. However, in the 1990s chronic non cancer patients got attention because people nationally felt there was a shortage in patients receiving opioids, thus making them deprived of adequate pain management. Because of this, clinicians were encouraged to treat chronic non-cancer pain and patients in hospice care more often than they were used to. It was also encouraged to use high doses of opioids for long periods of time (Cheatle). The idea that providers seemed overly cautious about these medications caused a large increase in opioid prescriptions from health care providers. Threat of tort and litigation for some doctors that were deemed for not prescribing enough to alleviate pain of patients was also a concern for doctors This quickly turned a shortage of prescription opioids into a national prescription opioid abuse epidemic in under twenty years. From 1999 to 2010, the amount of prescription opioids sold to hospitals, pharmacies, and doctors offices quadrupled, and three times the number of people overdosed on painkillers in this time (Garcia). While some patients have benefitted from the increased sales and loose guidelines of prescription opioid analgesics, the increasing in opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose is truly daunting. As a nation, we need to back track, and

The over use of opioid has been one of the major public health problem in the United States (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2018). Opioids include prescription medications that are used to treat pain symptoms which includes codeine, morphine, methadone, hydrocodone, and etc., as well as illegal drugs such as heroin and illicit potent on opioids such as fentanyl analogs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2018). The opioid overdose could happen due to many factors such as when a patient deliberately misuses a prescription, or misuse heroin (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2018). Opioid overdose could happen due to the prescriber miscalculated the opioid dose or when

These efforts are focusing little attention on the source of the medications themselves, the access point -- the medical practitioner with a pen. In the current environment, a doctor, dentist, or nurse practitioner can write a prescription to anyone without accountability for the aftermath. In March the CDC convened to put forth guidelines for prescribing opioid medications in cases of chronic pain (Dowell, Haegerich, & Chou, 2016, pp. 1633-1641). The published guideline is a passive 12 point recommendation for prescribing practices without accountability, solutions, or intention to enforce better practice. To date, the national response to the crisis can be described as impotent at best, and the body count rises. “Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., with 52,404 lethal drug overdoses in 2015. Opioid addiction is driving this epidemic, with 20,101 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers, and 12,990 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2015.” (ASAM,

An epidemic is on the rise and is hitting closer to home than one may expect. From the hospitals to the pharmacies and the medicine cabinets of many Americans, the damage prescription opioids are causing have been detrimental. Prescription opioids being medication that is meant to alleviate extreme pain, has induced more damage into the users life with its controversial side effects, and death in an abundant amount of cases. The issue revolving around prescription opioids does not just stay within the parameters of the dangerous medicine itself, but in addition the expansion of loose laws and corruption within the medical industry. This rise in the prescription opioid epidemic has been created by a contribution of physicians, pharmaceutical industry and a misconception of the medicine in the eye of the public. Even with all these factors in play, there is still hope to bring an end to the prescription opioid drug ring, with the combination of current laws and hopeful laws and restrictions in the future. The epidemic of prescription opioids has gone on for far too long and has caused an obscene amount of critical damage to the lives of many for the issue to be ignored any longer. Usage of prescription opioids must be reduced to ensure the safety of patients and to stop further abuse and death.

Nova-cracy is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It exist only to serve us, not to rule use. They don't give us our rights. Our rights are ours. Anyone who would take away our freedoms and liberties is violating the Constitution and is an enemy of the people and an enemy of our country.

In the hectic pill-popping world we live in today, around 6.5 million people in the U.S. currently abuse prescription medication and out of those 6.5 million, 4.5 of those people abuse pain relievers according to Nova Science Publishers (Greer). Codeine, oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax just to name a few of the favorites among abusers (Fahey and Miller). These medications can end up on the streets and in the hands of party-goers looking for a “good time”. Dangerous pills such as those listed above can be quite useful by people with authentic medical conditions such as anxiety and ADHD, but also have the power to be abused by teenage party goers that crave a

Prescription painkillers go by many names, opiates, opioids, and narcotics. There are also types of opiates; some legal and some not. Some types of legal opiates include: codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, and methadone (MSU). Each one of these have different potencies and side effects, but they are all equally as dangerous as the next one. There are too many of these dangerous drugs, therefore, people believe they are safe. The problem is that they are not safe; these drugs need to be banned immediately.

These combination codeine medicines, which is a type of opioid, are produced to provide pain relief for headache, back pain, dental pain and post-surgical pain and for management of cold and flu symptoms. When taken in large dosages above the recommended amount, these drugs can affect the brain similarly to illegal drugs and hence produce relaxation and euphoria (National Institute on Drug abuse 2014). Therefore, there are now growing concerns over abuse and dependency due to increased access and availability of these drugs (Shaheed, Maher & McLachlan