Melissa Scott. Professor Duncan Jr.. Pos 2112. 9 February

There have been several news coverages on TV and social network about drug overdose of different cases recently and they have risen people’s concern about the problems of drug abuse national-wide. The drug abuse and opioid epidemic is not a new problem to the American society, actually it has been a serious problem for many years. So what is the situation of drug epidemic now, and how can we find effective ways to deal with this problem? A few writers who ponder this question are Nora D. Volkow, Dan Nolan and Chris Amico.

As a result on this alarming phenomenon, deaths related to drug overdose saw a material spike upwards as recently as 2013. The number of deaths (13.2 for every 100,000 residents) earned the state the dubious honor of being ranked #19 in the nation for said deaths. In order to keep these numbers from getting worse, residents and their representatives need to start working together to develop prevention programs while making sure those who are suffering from an addiction have reasonable access to treatment and

Additionally, opioid medications are the primary cause for overdose deaths in the United States. According to the Weekly Standard, “In 2014, the most recent year for which we have measurements, 47,055 Americans died from drug-induced deaths, with almost 29,000 dying from opioids…” (2), a figure that includes illicit synthetics, heroin, and prescriptions. From 2015 to 2016 in Maryland, fentanyl deaths rose by 268 percent and heroin deaths by sixty eight percent. Fentanyl has contributed to this dramatic increase in OD deaths because of its potency and lethality. It only takes two milligrams of fentanyl to kill a human. In fact, a single kilogram of fentanyl is capable of killing 500,000 people (Murray, Blake, and Walters 2). More than 30,000 opioid deaths occurred for the first time ever in 2015, which is 5,000 more than in 2014. Since the 1990s, heroin deaths had not surpassed prescription opioids (oxycodone and hydrocodone) until now. In 2007, gun homicides outnumbered heroin deaths at a rate of five to one, however at the height of the epidemic, now heroin OD deaths outnumber gun homicides (Ingraham 2). It is obvious that these unprecedented levels of drug deaths are derived from the opioid epidemic and need immediate attention.

There is an opioid abuse epidemic occurring throughout the state of Arizona. In recent years, Arizona has remained above the national average for opioid abuse and the number of individuals abusing opioids continues to rise (SAMHSA 2013). As a result, the number of opioid related deaths has increased. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, there were 494 recorded deaths due to prescription opioid abuse in 2014. This death rate has increased 16 percent compared to previous years (AZDHS 2014). Many citizens of Arizona believe that the opioid epidemic will not profoundly affect them. However, the opioid epidemic may generate more costs for the state of Arizona thus affecting all individuals in the state of Arizona.

Around the States there has been a major concern for the growing number of deaths concerning prescription painkillers. Families and Friends are highly livid due to the lack of support from the government on implementing an action to restrict the number of painkillers distributed specifically in a medical center where Doctors have the absolute control of distributing these painkillers to patients. Sacramento being known as one of the most historic cities in the United States is facing an alarming percentage rate of overdosing. According to CNN news Health and law enforcement officials believe that Counterfeit pain pills are the source of a spike in overdose deaths in the Sacramento, California, area. Forty-two people have been treated for overdoses and 10 have died since March 23, 2010 according to the DEA’s San Francisco division. “The overdoses are occurring at an alarming rate,” the DEA said. The agency thinks contaminated drugs are responsible. There are a plethora of drugs that are used as painkillers such as Oxycodone,

In 2015, more than 400 people in New Hampshire died because of drug overdose (Nilsen 2016). The drug overdose numbers have increased 33% in the past five years (Casey 2016). The drug crisis in New Hampshire is a really big issue. New Hampshire has one of the highest rates of opioid related deaths. There is always something on the news about drugs, whether it be a drug bust, an overdose, or death. Something needs to be done on a state level and a national level to help educate and rehabilitate.

Since the drug problem appears to be affecting communities and including the children of immigrants. The Obama Administration’s inaugural National Drug Control Strategy, published in 2001, charted a new course in in efforts to reduce illicit drug use and its consequences in the United States-an approach that rejects the false choice between an enforcement-centric “war on drugs” and drug legalization (The White House , 2014). Part of the policy includes to prevent drug abuse through education, to reform the criminal justice system, and to open rehabilitative programs for drug abusers. Furthermore, the Federal Government has spent more than $31 million on drug control (The White House , 2014). These amount has benefited those who have been drug abused and prevented drug traffickers from crossing the border.

Mexico has known about the drug issues for over half a century. However, due to the foreign policy between Mexico and the U.S there has been little to no effort to come to terms to stop the murders in Mexico. Dr. Leopoldo Salazar Vinegra challenged the government suggesting the only way Mexico could contain the drug trade is create a government regulated system of drug distribution or implement a public health campaign to educate people about drugs and expand the drug treatment system. Due to the strict policy against drugs in Mexico Dr.Vinegra was dismissed Dr. Leopoldo Salazar Vinegra challenged the government suggesting the only way Mexico could contain the drug trade is create a government regulated system of drug distribution or implement a public health campaign to educate people about drugs and expand the drug treatment system. Dr. Vinegra preformed a

In the 1960’s when the United States began its war on drugs by shutting down trade with the coast guard through the Caribbean to inland Florida, Columbian cartels—the world’s major manufacturer of cocaine at the time sought out Mexican drug traffickers’ routes for easy access into America’s illicit drug marketplace. As the US and Columbian government set out to dismantling major Columbian drug cartels, Mexico’s cartels began taking up the production of cocaine and to this day, Mexico remains as the major distributor and producer of illicit drugs for the United States. A consistent demand for illicit drugs over the past decades spawning mainly from the United States has created numerous multidimensional consequences from health and physical implications (e.g. addiction, anxiety, depression) to environmental and health system instabilities (e.g. frequent deforestation and corruption) Mexico and the United States are both suffering from this insistent war on

As stated throughout this essay, Mexico has taken a hit with the outstanding homicide cases due to this drug war.

The demand for illegal drugs in the U.S. is high and many people are concerned about the opioid epidemic in the U.S. In recent discussions, people have argued why not approaching the war on drugs in México and the opioid crisis through legalization (Thomson, 2016). The U.S. has legalized marijuana in several states, however, removing the criminal penalties for possession would not eliminate many of the issues, like the high level of violence in México, which the U.S. and México have been attempting to fix. Scholars have identified two main challenges for drug control: (1) those related to violence and (2) those related to governance and corruption, which are interrelated (Almeida, 2016). In terms of the opioid epidemic in the U.S., the government and the public should support evidence-based harm reduction approaches (Krupanski, 2017; Gaviria, 2016). The first approach

There are over 11 million adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12-25 that abuse and use drugs in the U.S. 90 % of these need treatment and are unable to get the help they need. Drug use is highest among individuals in their late teens. In the U.S, there are approximately 60.6% of youths that are dependent, or abuse drugs.In the U.S. alone, the related public health, social services, public safety, and lost of productivity cost society $465 billion a year (NSDUA, 2009). The damage that addiction inflicts on adolescents, compels the schools, the family, and the nation to try and save our teens. Drug abuse can be defines as the use of any chemical substance that causes physical, mental, emotional, or social harm to an individual or to those close to him.

Every year, 200 million individuals around the globe use illegal drugs. Individuals that use these illegal drugs make up around a “quarter of a million deaths per year.” (livescience.com) These individuals who are participating in drug use are not just adults however. They are also teenagers that walk the streets around us all day. According to teens.drugabuse.gov, “in 2006, 8% of youth in the United States between the ages of 12 & 17 met diagnostic criteria for abuse or dependence on illicit drugs.” This means that “more that 2 million” teens are hooked on drugs and could be the next victims of death. (teens.drugabuse.gov) However, if we compare the present to the past, it has been noted that “teens are taking better care of themselves

“Addiction doesn’t kill the addict. It kills the family, kids, and people who try to help” (Abhishek Tiwari). Drug addiction in Mississippi and Nationwide is constantly increasing, everyday more and more individuals take a part in drug activity. Drug addiction is rapidly becoming a major social issue. “Drug abuse also plays a role in many major social problems, such as drugged driving, violence, stress, and child abuse” (Magnitude). There is many ways drug addiction can be considered a social issue, the quote above explains a few ways. Drug rates are rising daily, with more and more drug bust happening every day. Methamphetamine is the easiest drug to start and the hardest drug to quit; methamphetamine is becoming the main drug in the drug world.

Heroin…Cocaine…Marijuana. All these drugs are commonly associated with the infamous drug cartels of Mexico, Central, and South America. For historical context in the 1980s into the early 1990s, the crack-cocaine epidemic and the crime arising from drug use and drug-related violence became the cornerstone of a political era's national dialogue. The War on Drugs – the title. Tough on crime – the agenda. Now, the U.S. has faced the biggest drug addiction crisis in its history, the opioid epidemic, and it is not because of El Chapo but as a result of the rise in addictive prescription drugs flowing into hundreds of communities across the country. The opioid crisis is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans every year. The epidemic should be tackled by a common-sense solution: increased funding for treatment centers.