Opioid Crisis

In America, the use of opioids is at an all time high, it has became such an issue nationwide, that it has became an epidemic. Because of the opioid epidemic, America is tearing apart, children all across the country are dying everyday, these children are dying from overdoses due to poisoning. The opioid problem is not just because of a person's decision to pick up a needle or a pill bottle, but it is because in the 1990’s doctors gave up on trying to treat patients for their overwhelming pain and discomfort, causing opioids to become over prescribed. Due to the carelessness of America, opioids are being distributed more and more everyday, causing the skyrocketing number of deaths.

Opioids are taking over the United States with its addictive composition, once patients are take opioids there is no escaping. The drug directed from opium which is obtained from a plant (Katz). Opioids are most commonly found in prescription pill from making underground sales more common. Since opioids are derived from a plant this makes the reality of home grown drugs more of an issue. American citizens overdosing on opioids is what is sparking the crisis because opioid “overdoses killed more people last year than guns or car accidents” (Katz). Opioids are extremely addictive and that is why so many citizens overdose on these types of drugs. After patients become hooked on opioids their body constantly is needing more and more opium to escape they pain they think they are enduring. The overdosing of Americans is not a small percentage of the population either, it is estimated that “over two million people in America have problem with opioids” proving this growing issue is an ongoing crisis (Katz). The United States government needs to take action immediately to the opioid crisis because doctors are overprescribing patients because they seemingly overreact to pain, and opioids are one of the most addictive drug types in the world.

Opioid drugs are some of the most widespread pain medications that we have in this country; indeed, the fact is that opioid analgesic prescriptions have increased by over 300% from 1999 to 2010 (Mitch 989). Consequently, the number of deaths from overdose increased from 4000 to 16,600 a year in the same time frame (Mitch 989). This fact becomes even more frightening when you think about today; the annual number of fatal drug overdoses in the Unites States now surpasses that of motor vehicle deaths (Alexander 1865). Even worse, overdose deaths caused by opioids specifically exceed those attributed to both cocaine and heroin combined (Alexander 1865).

In Nolan and Amico’s article, “How Bad is the Opioid Epidemic?” they argue the opioid epidemic has become the worst drug crisis in American history. Heroin and other opioids overdose kill more than 47,055 people a year. Deaths caused from drug overdose has outnumber as much as 40 percent compared to the death caused from car crashes in 2014 (Nolan and Amico 3). Furthermore, in 1999 there were only 15000 people died from drug overdose. This number has tripled in 15 years. Also, in his article, “America’s Addiction to Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse” Volkow also presents the fact that “with an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012 and an estimated 467,000 addicted to heroin. The consequences of this abuse have been devastating and are on the rise. For example, the number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain relievers has

The United States of America has had a war against drugs since the 37th president, Richard Nixon, declared more crimination on drug abuse in June 1971. From mid-1990s to today, a crisis challenges the health department and government on opioid regulation, as millions of Americans die due overdoses of painkillers. Opioids are substances used as painkillers, and they range from prescription medications to the illegal drug, heroin. Abusing these substances can cause a dependency or addiction, which can lead to overdoses, physical damages, emotional trauma, and death. To ease the crisis, physicians are asked to depend on alternatives to pain management. Law enforcement cracks down on profiting drug-dealers and heroin abusers. People are warned against misusing opioids. The controversy begins for those who suffer from chronic pain, because they depend on opioids. There’s so a correlation to the 1980s cocaine epidemic, and people are upset over racial discrimination. Nonetheless, the best way to avoid this crisis is to recover the people at risk, reduce inappropriate opioid description, and have a proper response.

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.

Since 1999 to 2015 more than 183,000 people have died in the United States from overdose involving prescription opioids (www.CDC.gov). The number of deaths in the US, involving prescription opioids, has nearly quadrupled. The number of opioids overdose nearly equaled the number of deaths involved in a car accident and, surpassed gunshot homicides (www.CDC.gov). Death ages range from 45-years of age to 64-year-olds, and is highest among non-Hispanic whites, American Indian and non-Hispanic blacks. Kentucky was dealing with at least 50 overdose cases per day. At the National level, there are several states that had the highest unintentional deaths due to opioids and are predominantly rural states, such as West Virginia, New Mexico, Utah, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nevada, Kentucky and Tennessee (http://hhs.gov). Canada has become the second largest consumer of prescription opioids to the United States. Since 2007, 47,000 per year are due to drug overdose, and the numbers continue to grow. In 2015 has been a record high, in opioid overdose. Many doctors liberally

As we all have researched and found out the devastating numbers to the opioid epidemic “the abuse of prescription and non-prescription opioids is one of the greatest threats facing public health in the United States today. It is estimated that as many as 2.5 million people in the US are suffering from opioid addiction related to prescriptions, and an additional 467,000 are addicted to heroin”(2017).

In the United States, there has been upward swing of opioid abuse over the past decade. Overdose deaths involving opioids – both prescription pain relievers and heroin – almost quadrupled between 1999 and 2014. Well-intentioned efforts to curb prescription opioid abuse have yielded new policies with unfortunate, unforeseen consequences for the 15% of the US population that suffer from chronic pain – nearly 45 million people.

America is in the midst of yet another drug-related epidemic only this time it is the worst opioid overdose epidemic the world has seen since the late 1990’s. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2016), “since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids has quadrupled.” Opioids (including prescription opioids and heroin) killed more than 33,000 people in 2015, more than any year on record. (Rudd, Seth, David, School, 2015). With overdoses from heroin, prescription drugs, and opioid pain relievers surpassing car accidents as the leading cause of injury-related death in America, it became clear that swift and comprehensive legislation was needed for treatment, recovery support and prevention education in communities

The source describes the opioid overdose epidemic across the U.S. as a significant issue possibly deriving from economic stress, social isolation, and over-prescribing pain relievers. Action must be taken to help and prevent dependency on opioids in order to stop this rapid rate of overdose throughout America. Proper education is vital for younger and elder generations to know how to prevent opioid dependency.

The rate of poisonings associated with drug overdoses has been on the rise, especially concerning those involving opioids (Paulozzie, Budnitz, & Xi, 2006). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not mince words regarding the status of opioid utilization in the United States: ?The United States is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic? (CDC, 2016). Opioids are now the most common cause of prescription drug use deaths (Rudd et al., 2016). Even as overdoses associated with the more historic killers such as heroin and cocaine increased, opioid overdoses rose the fastest between 1990 and 2002 (Paulozzi, Budnitz, and Xi, 2006). The prescription opioid epidemic contradicts traditional assumptions of drug use being a problem with illicit drugs: a majority of those who overdosed had a prescription for their cause of death (Kolondy et al., 2015). As asserted by Paulozzi et al., ?licit drugs have therefore recently replaced illicit drugs as the most common cause of fatal poisonings in the US? (2006, p 624). Further, it is important to note that these numbers represent just a fraction of the problem of prescription opioid abuse. Other adverse impacts associated with the epidemic of prescription opioid abuse include non-fatal hospitalizations and infants born addicted to opioids (Kolondy et al., 2015).

*In today’s world people are selling opioids as if though they were selling pizza if you call they will deliver.

Prescription drug crisis has jumped since 1999 and continues to grow. According to “Los Angeles Times”, “There are two quite different stories about why there is a prescription drug crisis in the United States, and why opiate-related deaths have quadrupled since 1999.” “LA Times” also states, “ In fact only 1 in 130 prescriptions for opiate such as Oxycontin or Percocet in the United States results in addiction, according to the

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2016), substance abuse refers to “the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs.” The term substance abuse may congregate images of drugs, such as cocaine, alcohol, and tobacco. However, the current drug afflicting the United States are opioids. Opioids are a category of illegal drugs, which includes heroin and opium, and can be found in pain medications (National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIH], 2014). Since 2000, opioid abuse has increased 200% with more than 47,055 deaths from drug overdose in 2014 (Rudd, Aleshire, Zebell, & Gladden, 2016). Therefore, many of the national bills being introduced this legislation pertain to opioid abuse. Meanwhile