The growing opioid crisis is one of the United States most pressing public health problems today. Opioid overdose deaths have become a severe health issue epidemic affecting individuals and communities across the country. In recent years, fatalities involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl produced illegally have skyrocketed. According to Azadfard, Huecker and Leaming (2021), 16 million people suffer from opioid use disorder globally, including three million U.S. residents (OUD). In the U.S., heroin independence alone affects more than 500,000 people. The opioid crisis can be attributed to the widespread availability of prescription opioids and illegal opioids such as heroin. In the 1990s, healthcare providers prescribed more opioids due to the “pain as fifth vital sign” campaign. Subsequently, there was a downplay of opioids’ risk for abuse, and there was aggressive marketing of medications like Oxycontin and Opana.
The opioid epidemic is a public health issue for several reasons. First and foremost, the use of opioids, such as heroin, prescription opioids, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl, has significantly increased the number of overdose deaths in the United States. The year 2020 saw 91,799 drug overdose deaths, 75% of which were opioid-related (CDC, 2021). The data indicates approximately a five-fold increase since 1999. Secondly, an opioid user forms an addiction or physical dependence. It leads to compulsive drug-seeking behaviour and the use of dangerous amounts of the drug, even when the user is aware of the harm it may cause. Criminal activities such as theft sprout from these addictions. Compulsions associated with addiction can be so strong that people engage in risky and illegal activities to feed their habit. Also, chronic use of opioids can lead to serious health problems, including respiratory depression, liver damage, and brain damage. Finally, the opioid epidemic has far-reaching social and economic consequences, including loss of employment, strained relationships with friends and family, cost of healthcare, lost productivity, and law enforcement and criminal justice
costs. A multidimensional approach is needed at the local, state, and federal levels to improve access to substance abuse treatment and lower the number of opioid prescriptions written. Health departments, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations are cooperating locally.
Additionally, to assist in tracking the distribution and use of opioids and other restricted substances, some localities have endorsed prescription drug monitoring systems (PDMPs). Individual states are acting to reduce the number of opioid prescriptions written and to provide access to drug abuse treatment. Additionally, some states have passed laws to improve prescription drug monitoring programs, increase access to the chemical naloxone, which is used to reverse opioid overdoses and regulate the amount of medication pharmacists are allowed to give (Holton et al., 2018). The U.S. federal government has taken various measures to tackle the opioid epidemic. While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has widened access to drug misuse treatment, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) has funded initiatives to prevent and treat opioid overdoses.
In addition, the U.S. government has increased enforcement against prescription drug trafficking and cracked down on the unlawful distribution of opioids in order to address the supply side of the opioid epidemic. The U.S. Department of Justice has been pursuing cases against people and entities implicated in the unlawful distribution of opioids. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been attempting to uncover and dismantle illegal drug trafficking enterprises. The U.S. government is also striving to increase access to drug abuse treatment, particularly medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for those battling opioid addiction. MAT uses drugs like methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone to assist people in recovering from opioid addiction and lower their chance of relapsing.
Many health laws and regulations are in place at the federal and state levels to address the opioid epidemic in the United States. The 21st Century Cures Act represents a significant step towards addressing the opioid epidemic in the United States. It exemplifies the federal government’s commitment to addressing this complex public health issue. This law, passed in 2016, increases access to opioid addiction treatment while funding research on addiction and suffering. As mentioned, policies like CARA or the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act are crucial to ending the opioid epidemic. This legislation, approved by Congress in 2016, increases access to naloxone and strengthens prescription drug monitoring programs while financing evidence-based treatment and recovery programs (Holton et al., 2018). Finally, several states have passed new laws and policies to limit the overprescription of opioids and improve access to treatment for opioid addiction. Such includes mandatory use of PDMPs.
In conclusion, the opioid crisis in the U.S. is a serious and expanding public health problem that impacts millions of people and families. A multifaceted strategy that targets the epidemic’s underlying causes, increases access to research-proven therapies, and offers support to those suffering from opioid addiction is required to combat the opioid epidemic. Collaboration between healthcare professionals, public health organizations, community organizations, and individuals will be necessary to combat the opioid crisis and ensure that those who need appropriate treatments and support services can access them.
Reference
Azadfard, M., Huecker, M. R., & Leaming, J. M. (2021). Opioid Addiction. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448203/#:~:text=Three%20million%20US%20citizens%20and
CDC. (2021, June 17). Understanding the Epidemic | CDC’s Response to the Opioid Overdose Epidemic | CDC. Www.cdc.gov; CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/epidemic.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, March 17). Understanding the epidemic. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html
Holton, D., White, E., & McCarty, D. (2018). Public Health Policy Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 103(6), 959–962. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpt.992
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