Identification of the Problem:
Opioid Epidemic in the United States: A Public Health Problem The opioid epidemic occurring in the United States is one of the most widespread public health problems facing the nation today. The use of prescription opioids, a pain reliever, has increased fourfold since 1991, equating to an additional 140 million opioid prescriptions being prescribed in 2013 than in 1991 [1, 5]. Furthermore, the sale of prescription opioids in hospitals, pharmacies, and doctor’s offices has risen 300% since 1999 [7, 13]. This has led to a windfall for pharmaceuticals, as OxyContin, an opioid led to 3.1 billion dollars in sales in 2010 [28]. Thus is due to the fact that the United States alone consumes 80% of the worlds opioid …show more content…
Thus has resulted in opioids being the second most common initiated drug below marijuana, and leading the CDC to identify it as “worst drug epidemic in US history and becoming listed as one of their top five public health challenges” [21,22].
Why Should we be Concerned? This huge increase in opioid prescriptions and misuse over the last two decades is concerning. It has been shown that the increase in opioid prescriptions leads to increased treatment and overdoses from opioids, for instance, the amount of opioids sold per capita in a state is correlated with the number of drug related overdose deaths in that same state [14]. Thus major concern …show more content…
The opioid epidemic has often been touted as not being discriminatory, as people from all ages, races and walks of life can be effected [19]. However, there are certain populations that have higher incidence of opioid abuse and overdose and thus are at higher risk than others.
One major population is white males, specifically those between the ages of 18-24, whose life expectancy has begun to decrease due to increase in opioid overdoses [10]. For instance, whites have a three times higher rate of overdose deaths than any other race from opioids, and have highest rates of hospitalization [26, 2]. The reason for white males increase in opioid abuse and deaths stems from system and policy level decisions and practices spurred by racial inequality. Thus white men were more likely have insurance and even compared to those with insurance would more likely to be prescribed prescription opioids then blacks and Hispanics [10]. Furthermore, the criminalization of opioids as opposed to heroin, led black and Hispanics to be 5 times more likely incarcerated than whites [10]. This was seen as arrests for opioids were ¼ of that of heroin or cocaine, even though opioids misuse is higher [10]. However, as whites are beginning to switch over to heroin use policy makers are looking to reduce sentencing and increasing treatment options as solutions, whereas for blacks and Hispanics the typical solution was incarceration [10]. Therefore, the same racial biases used by policymakers