The opioid epidemic remains one of America’s prevalent topics. According to the Center for Disease Control (commonly referred to by the acronym CDC), provisional data shows that there were about 87.000 drug overdose deaths from October 2023 to September 2024 in America. While this data represents a decrease from around 114,000 deaths from the previous year, it is no consolation to the families that have to deal with the aftermath of losing their loved ones.
Unlike recreational drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and crack, people take opioids mostly to deal with chronic pain. Many of these opioids can be obtained with a doctor’s prescription. Opioids create the release of endorphins, which are neuropeptides produced by the body designed to treat chronic pain. Endorphins also produce a sense of well-being and joy, This can be considered a catalyst for some users’ desire to eliminate their pain and maintain a continued state of well-being and joy. This is where the abuse of opioids comes in, because by definition, taking too many opioids in a small amount of time becomes drug abuse.
Ironically, the stigma for opioid abuse isn’t as strong as abuse of the aforementioned marijuana, cocaine, and crack. While marijuana is legal in many states, it isn’t considered good social practice to admit avid marijuana use in settings like most workplaces, your local retail store, or even out and about in other public places (unless maybe you’re at a concert or other outing that encourages such usage). As for cocaine and crack usage…..it’s commonly looked down upon altogether, with many abusers of those drugs garnering scorn and ridicule (the character of “Felicia” portrayed by actress Angela Means in the 1995 film Friday comes to mind).
Trying to obtain more than the necessary allotment of opioids constitutes drug abuse that could be punishable by a lengthy prison sentence. However, the mantra that’s been given to the American public is that incarceration at higher rates isn’t the answer. Never mind that incarcerating doctors who overprescribe opioids to patients willing to do anything to get them sounds reasonable. After all, the main objective is to help opioid addicts kick their habit in case treatment centers prove ineffective. In addition, lengthy prison sentences are supposed to act as a deterrent for illegal drug possession and abuse. Any effective prison would deny opioid abusers the chance to get more opioids, thus providing them the tough love they need to kick the habit. But this isn’t happening at nearly the rate it needs to.
And there’s the difference. The enabling of opioid abuse brings about the result no one wants to experience: death because of opioid abuse. Yes, deaths are down as mentioned earlier. But they can decrease even more with the tough love approach that cocaine and crack abusers received long ago. America, the ball is in your court.
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