JONESBORO – In light of the recent political election, some states like Arkansas have voted to allow medicinal marijuana to take the place of some medical prescriptions such as opioids. With political opinions more heated than ever, the opioid crisis is agreed upon by both parties as an epidemic that needs to be stopped.
The death rate due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. Opioid prescription drugs alone were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2015, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of meth and cocaine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even agrees that prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes can lead a patient to lifelong addiction. This is a huge problem in the U.S. because these drugs are so easy to obtain causing an effect on everyone who abuses them, their families, and their community. …show more content…
Not only are they easy to obtain from doctors, but they are relatively cheap for those with and without insurance. The long term effects of using the prescriptions though can lead to a dependence that leads to other health issues including brain and liver damage, a built up tolerance and a change in character that can influence a person’s life. It can have long term effects on personal relationships with friends and families causing divorce and child custody battles. It can affect the career of someone by not being able to pass a drug test and not being able to keep a steady job. The use of prescription medications are also used as a gateway drug that can lead to much harder and more expensive illegal drugs. The abuse of substances can also lead to criminal acts. Whether it’s driving under the influence, or stealing to obtain more money to buy the drugs, it can cause people to make poor decisions that can ultimately ruin their