Opioid Epidemic in Florida Research Paper
The ‘Plague of the XXI century’ in the United States has not been AIDS or Ebola, but an epidemic of opioid addiction. The gruesome crisis began in the mid-1990s when doctors faced a vast amount of patients complaining of chronic pain. Being exhausted due to the growing number of people, healthcare officials began to prescribe opioid to alleviate the suffering quicker and easier. Thus, prescription drugs of the opioid group have been vigorously widespread in the United States. Travis Rieder (2017), a TED speaker-bioethicist, talked personally about the often-hidden struggle of opioid withdrawal and how doctors are quick to prescribe any opioid medications for severe pains. After Travis almost lost a foot in a horrible motor accident, he had to take 115 mm of oxycodone, which gradually because of an acute addiction to him. The bioethicist carried on telling how the trap of opioid addiction could be nothing but easy and unpleasant. Opioid Epidemic in Florida Research Paper
The majority of people die from the opioid overdose in Florida making the state takes the first places in the rank among the most ‘addictive’ states across the USA. Therefore, there has been a plethora of prevention services to reduce the high risk of being overdosed. However, these actions are not enough since many Florida locals still dramatically pass away. Both state and federal policies should embrace any possibility of using opioid drugs among people because newly updated and launched approaches and preventions would significantly help Florida citizens to fight with their addictions or avoid their chances due to their chronic pains.
In-Depth Discussion
Tens of thousands of people die from overdoses annually in North America, primarily in Florida and Virginia. According to a preliminary estimate in 2016, between 59 and 65 thousand people became overdose victims; this is even more than annually die in car accidents. Indeed, there are legitimate reasons for taking opioids: they are considered to relieve pain among cancer patients, as well as patients recovering from surgeries. Codeine and morphine are opioids, but if one takes them in large quantities, then the significant matter instantly ensues, and the USA, undoubtedly, has a problem. For instance, in Florida, there is the upsurge in the opioid prescriptions for acute pain, which is likely to lead to addiction. Trevis Rieder (2017) contrasted opioid medications use to the dark world since all his life was gradually changing. He said that the actual problem is the enormous desire to consume the drugs. Sooner or later, any doctor realizes that the patient goes to him/her, not for the pain medicine, but the drug, and stops prescribing the medication or refuses to increase the dosage. As a result, a patient seeks for other ways to use opioids, whether it is legally or illegally. Opioid Epidemic in Florida Research Paper
Admittedly, Florida shows one of the worst outcomes on mortality from opioid overdoses. According to 2015 study, “the 3,228 opioid-related deaths that occurred in Florida in 2015, which represented a 23% increase from 2014, work out to an average of almost nine opioid-related deaths every day” (NTBH 4). Simply put, the death toll from opioid overdoses has steadily increased in all states over the past 15 years, and lots of approaches and policies should be issued to stop this rate. The danger of the current situation is that drug addicts are often completely healthy people suffering from the incompetence of doctors or transactions of medical institutions with manufacturers of various opioid drugs. Due to a sudden upsurge of death in Florida, both state and federal states decided to sort out this problem by all means. Hence, they filed some laws and launched some prevention methods:
1. Enhanced State Surveillance of Opioid-Involved Morbidity and Mortality Program (ESOOS). It aims at seeking to enable states with the biggest rate of opioid overdose to develop and maintain surveillance systems, “including a specific focus on heroin and synthetic opioids such as illicitly manufactured fentanyl, by providing more timely and comprehensive data on fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses and risk factors associated with fatal overdoses” (Fl Health 1).
2. Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). It is the law focusing on fighting against opioid misuse and abuse. In other words, PDMP is the initiative to encourage safe and sound prescribing of controlled substances and to lower drug abuse/diversion in the state of Florida. Even though it succeeded at the beginning, later a set of statistics showed the growing rate of opioid overdoes once again.Opioid Epidemic in Florida Research Paper
3. Pill Mill Law on Opioid Prescribing and Utilization. It has been one of the best approached so far. Estimated reductions in deaths grew over the intervention period, with rates per 100 000 population that were 0.6 lower in 2010, 1.8 lower in 2011, and 3.0 lower in 2012 (Kennedy-Hendricks 291).
4. House Bill 249. Since opioid substance fentanyl has been rapidly increasing in the state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives passed the bill to control fentanyl (it is much heavier drug than morphine by 100 times) by all means. Moreover, “possession of more than four grams of fentanyl would become a first-degree felony, which would significantly increase jail time and fines for individuals who are caught with this extremely powerful opioid” (NTBH 22).
According to experts, such strategies will not fundamentally solve the problem, but can only help to reduce the number of people becoming drug addicts due to prescription opioids.
Solution
Based on Travis Rieder opioid addiction’s story (2017), the problem sparks a lot of questions and possible solutions. Though many people dislike Donald Trump administration and rulings, he can be a great aid in the current situation. POTUS once told that “getting opioid medicaments are cheaper than buying a candy bar” and it is nothing but shattering statement (Zezima 2). Notably, strong and reliable prevention methods should be the leading point in the potential solution for Florida and all other states, primarily those who show higher mortality results. Currently, an opioid emergency is introduced in four states: Arizona, Florida, Maryland, and Virginia. Over the next decade, the opioid plague is bound to kill 500,000 Americans, but nobody wants it. Accordingly, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should provide these four states with more money if possible. These funds should be used solely to strengthen preventive measures and improve the tracking of overdose cases associated with opioid intake. The increase in funding for programs to combat the opioid crisis may be possible with the help of the initiative of the Administration of Donald Trump. It should be an essential part of states in coping with opioid addiction disaster and opioid overdose. Opioid Epidemic in Florida Research Paper
Indeed, a lot of people might find this solution somewhat complicated and impossible, but on the same breath, if the President helps CDC with broader financing, the plan will substantially enhance the situation in Florida and others states prone to high risk of opioid overdose and mortality. These funds are to be used by states to expand the activity and control over opioid misuse and addiction, which should include monitoring of various programs regarding prescriptions, prevention of using illegal opioids alongside improving prevention efforts. In other words, this strategy should also include the following components: rigorous prevention, treatment, and recovery services for the availability and distribution of drugs.
Moreover, a person can try to cope with the addiction on one’s own. For instance, Travis Rieder wanted to save himself, and if he did not choose life over addiction, he would not be alive now. His brain was going crazy over such a sudden change, and he thought he would die due to the strong urge to come back to opioid medication. Notwithstanding, Travis has survived and passed a heartfelt message concerning opioid crisis (2017):
“America’s epidemic is far bigger than that, but when medication is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths a year, reckless management of that medication is indefensible. Helping opioid therapy patients to get off the medication that they were prescribed may not be a complete solution to our epidemic, but it would clearly constitute progress” (00:13:33).
Everybody should make up own plans for the potential solution because if no one stops it, the situation will embrace every human being without mercy. The government and all prevention services preventions organizations should meet up altogether and finally put an end to the opioid epidemic. Opioid Epidemic in Florida Research Paper
Conclusion
Though in the past few years, because the press and drug treatment specialists have been able to draw attention to the epidemic of opiate addiction and fewer painkillers have been prescribed in the United States, the number of deaths from overdose is still increasing. It is a vague estimation and is still unknown what Donald Trump is mapping out to do. The State of Florida is deemed to be in the worst situation than any other area in the USA, and thus the government should end the enormous mortality rate down the road. If state and federal approaches will not take place in the case of the opioid crisis, Florida and other subjected states will severely suffer from death every minute. The solution should be underway as soon as possible so that people can eventually get rid of gruesome opioid misuse and abuse.Opioid Epidemic in Florida Research Paper