Persuasive Essay On Naloxone

The opioid crisis is not just now becoming an issue, but recent numbers of overdoses are raising even more concern and attention. The issue is with how citizens deal with the crisis because opioids are finding their way into the wrong hands. The crisis is so severe that “everyday more than 90 people die overdosing on opioids” (“Opioids”). That number will only grow if nothing is done to stop people from overdosing. The entire opioid crisis started from patients misusing opioid medicines. In the year 2015 alone “33,000 Americans died from opioid overdose” (“Opioid”). So many Americans fall victim to opioids and they can become extremely addicting. Once a patient's body is exposed to opium, the body will then adjust to needin opium by the larger quantity and patients will soon take more and more causing an overdose. Unfortunately, synthetic drugs are on the rise (Katz). Fentanyl is a prime example of a synthetic drug that is taking over America by storm. It can be mass produced in a

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

The overdose count has been increasing over the years at an alarming rate. Statistics show that overdose is now more fatal than it was anticipated. In a news conference during September, Secretary Tom Price, brings up the topic of opioid abuse and he mentions that not only were there more than 50,000 deaths due to opioids, but it also made it by far the highest numbered gathered between 2002 and 2013(Price). It is a major deal that many people have lost their lives, and many more will continue losing their lives if the government doesn’t find a way to control this outbreak. Now there is starting to be a noticeable difference in overdoses since as stated in the LA Times “Death from opioid

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.

I question are we saving lives with Naloxone or just prolonging it enough until they get a stronger version of heroin or one laced with fentanyl or carfentanyl. Thus, far the effectiveness that Naloxone have on the amount of opioid related overdoses has shown ineffective. The amount of lives saved from Naloxone has increased, however the number of overdoses and deaths have increased in the state of Maryland, since Naloxone has increased on the streets. My audience is for those who set the guidelines for the administration for Naloxone in the State of Maryland. Currently, in Maryland a person does not have to be trained to administer Naloxone. Anyone can go to their local pharmacy to get Naloxone at no cost. There should be more stringent guidelines on how Naloxone is distributed to the community. There should be an increase of education and not a decrease. This is important because educating the community has proven to be an effective intervention for drug use. Administering Naloxone without treatment is keeping people temporarily alive and addicted with the increase of overdoses and deaths in the long-term. Naloxone is reactive and without treatment have been proven ineffective. Naloxone is a short-term solution to

Once more, the lives of Canadians are being claimed by addiction and overdose of a new drug in the streets. For those of you who don’t know what fentanyl is, it’s a powerful opioid, 100 times stronger than morphine, that is often prescribed to help patients manage moderate to severe pain. As a highly addictive substance, many are now dependent on it, and it is one of the most frequent causes of drug overdose. Readily available for purchase online are quantities of pure fentanyl from China, but when improperly diluted in clandestine labs, it can lead to an immediate overdose. Recently, an antidote for opioid overdose called naloxone has become available without prescription, so that anyone can use it. Fentanyl has become a severe problem in the past few years, and while we yet to find a way to eliminate dependence on this drug, we must keep those who use it safe.

To help with the quick admission, intranasal administration is a convenience to those who have to administer Naloxone because intranasal Naloxone has a preset dosage. While intranasal Naloxone is easier to administer, intravenous and intramuscular Naloxone administrators have a choice on the dose to give. Advanced EMTs have enough knowledge to choose the dose of Naloxone to give the patient to keep the patient alive. Intranasal was not approved until November of 2015 when the FDA approved a highly concentrated spray form of Naloxone (Strang et al. 576). Intranasal administration only allows one dose to be given compared to Intravenous administration which allows a more adjusted dosage of Naloxone to be given. According to Ott, an

The systematic scheduling of drugs in the United States is arbitrary which leads to a discriminative social injustice. Some psychedelic substances such as Psilocybin are schedule 1 drugs, while alcohol and nicotine are legal. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) both alcohol and nicotine are proven to be harmful and addictive (2017). Conversely, Psychedelic substances have not been proven to be addictive. This equates to a social injustice that discriminates over someone who may prefer the effects of psilocybin to nicotine, even under the science that has shown nicotine and alcohol have a higher potential for abuse. Unfortunately, many political factors come into play regarding the legal status of drugs and industries such as the pharmaceutical, tobacco and alcohol industries, who harbor the most money and have an influence in the legality of drugs whether they are safe or not. While legalizing psychedelic substances would most likely cut into profits for these large industries they would bring about economic benefits as well.

Opioid analgesics are the widely prescribed medications for both non-cancer and cancer-related pain. Opioid dugs provide significant benefit for patients, when they used for their approved indications. However, opioids are also carries the risk of abuse, misuse and death. In 2009, more than 15,500 people died in the United States due to overdose of narcotic pain relievers. In order to combat the opioid misuse, abuse, and addiction, FDA has taken many steps to address this problem over the last few decades. The task force’s multi- pronged approach targets, drug development, opioid labeling, prescriber education, patient education, exploring innovative packaging and storage to prevent abuse, encouraging the development of products that treat abuse and overdose and role of other agencies.

Dana Farinick, a 22 year old young woman, had her entire life ahead of her. However, she suffered from drug addiction and went to several rehabilitation centers, therapists, and more. Despite all the programs she was enrolled in, Dana still suffered from relapses, and eventually met her death due to an overdose. Her parents found her dead on the kitchen floor of their home (Farinick). This is the result of drug abuse, the untimely death of individuals young and old. The opioid crisis is a disastrous pandemic that caused 250,000 deaths between 2000 and 2014 (“Opioid Crisis”). The opioid crisis is the abuse of prescription, legal, and illegal drugs, causing death among youth and adults. There are many underlying issues in regards to the opioid crisis, one of which is marijuana use. By reducing marijuana abuse the opioid crisis can be lowered, this can be achieved through schools no longer using D.A.R.E., recovery schools being made, and increasing the legal age for recreational marijuana consumption.

“In 2002, 404,000 people used heroin in the United States. By 2016, there were 948,000 people. This is a 135% increases in the past 14 years” (Kounang). I decided to research about heroin, because I want to know what heroin is and which celebrities have done it and survived or died. I knew it was an addictive drug that many people overdose on. There was a lot of misconceptions that I had about heroin. Originally I thought heroin users become addicted instantly. I still have some questions about heroin. Why is heroin so popular? Who has done it? Even though some people think heroin is not bad, people should not take heroin because it's a highly effective drug and tons of people are dying from overdosing.

In the United States of America, there is prescription drug abuse epidemic that continues to be a growing concern. Prescription drugs cause a large amount of overdoses and result in an abundant amount of deaths each year. A government study conducted shows this epidemic is scarily on the rise, “A recent government study found a 400% increase in prescription drug abuse between 1998 and 2008” (Schreiner 531). The excessive use of prescription drug abuse is leading to nonmedical use of the drugs, and creating addiction. Furthermore society is paying an extreme amount of money in this battle. With this drug abuse on the rise, legislators must create a law preventing doctors and pharmacists from over prescribing prescription medications as well a law to require they both participate in drug monitoring programs to prevent drug abuse. Now is the time that doctors and the pharmaceutical industry must be held accountable for their role in causing one of America’s worst addictions. The over medication of prescription drugs in the United States must be brought to an end by legislators creating laws to stop

Even though people need their prescriptions, the abuse of them is getting out of control and we need to find a way to regulate it better,because it can destroy a family, cause some to become addicted, or even kill them. Prescription drugs are no joke, they can be worse than illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and even heroin. The only difference is a doctor can prescribe these types of drugs. The problem we run into with prescription drugs is there is not enough being done to keep the person from becoming addicted or them selling to others. In 2007 2.5 million Americans abused just painkillers (Drug free world). That is not even including the other two types. Now it is starting to affect teens, one out of every ten teenagers admit to abusing a prescribed drug(Drug-free world).

In a home without parents, you’re drug addicted and dropped out of high school freshman year. How could God possibly use you for anything good? For 16 years you give others what they need to stay addicted. But it supports your unhealthy habits. You don’t want to be a drug dealer and all you want is to be clean and a good father but you just can’t do it. You ask yourself how can I stop? The situation I just described sounds like something from a movie or something you see on the news but this was the reality for Mr. Heath Duncan.

Laws that prohibit the possession and use of street drugs are important as their aim is to protect the user, those around them, and society in general from undue harm. There has been a great push during the last 10 years to legalize marijuana and decriminalize other drugs such as cocaine and heroin on the basis that the recreational user, and even the hard-core addict, may not be causing significant harm to anyone, beyond their own personal health. In this sense, drug use is viewed as a personal choice and drug laws trample on personal freedoms without sufficient reason. Additionally, minorities are found to be arrested and convicted of drug crimes at disproportionate rates when compared to the demographics of those who use illegal drugs, which some see these type of laws as a tool of legal oppression, instead of a valid punitive function. Still, there remains sufficient reasons to maintain laws against the possession and use of controlled substances, such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin; though there is a compelling argument for the lessening of the amount punishment of the majority of users that are caught with small amounts of street drugs. This paper seeks to put forward valid reasons for the continued prohibition of drugs, while also making a case for the softening of incarceration policies.