Rising Abuse of Drugs

I’m a strong believer that one of America’s biggest and dangerous problems is the high amount of drug abuse that has swept this country. As someone whose comes from a state that has been recently riddled with heroin overdoses I can personally say without a doubt that this is a devastating problem. In 2015 drug overdose was the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United Sates with over 52,404 lethal drug overdoses, over 20,101 of those overdoses was caused by prescription painkillers, and 12,990 were caused by heroin overdose. These deaths are completely avoidable.

One of the main contributions to this epidemic is the use of prescription opioids, four out of five new heroin users start out by misusing prescription painkillers. A survey in 2010 found that prescription drug addicts turn to heroin because it easier and cheaper to get a hold of then prescription drugs. These people that get addicted aren't bad people with history of drug use, they’re everyday people who while recovering from injuries got addicted to the drug that was meant to help them deal with their pain. With the American people becoming more about instant gratification I can understand how this happens to people. Instead of finding alternative solutions for pain management (which most places don’t even have access to) the people using painkillers will take more than the recommended dose to help relive the pain once they feel it coming back. 

I believe because of this we need to make stricter laws on prescribing but then to also lessen the punishment towards addicts that are in possession of such drugs. This way we control the amount of opioids being sold but also help addicts with rehab instead of prison time. We also need to start alternative pain management programs so people don’t have to rely on painkillers for their pain. A new study has found that marijuana use has greatly helped heroin addicts recover from their addiction and help manage the pain they feel.

If we start taking these steps into action then we can help bring down this epidemic. It won’t be easy and it will take some time put I believe we need to start now.