ipl-logo

Argumentative Essay On Prescription Drug Abuse

570 Words3 Pages

Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Michael Jackson, and Prince Rogers Nelson are names you probably recognize , but do you know what they all have in common? Aside being famous, they died from prescription drug overdoses. In 2014, nearly 2 million Americans abused or were dependent on prescription drugs(CDC, 2016), one could imagine how many abused prescription drugs worldwide. This is a grand epidemic that is taking over the nation, and the numbers are growing exponentially. Many states have created different legislations to reduce prescription drug abuse, overdose, and misuse(NCSL, 2016); but are these laws targeting the right people? Can we really blame the fault on the innocent patients? Not all doctors are malicious, however, there are doctors who commit negligence and malpractice. Unfortunately doctors are human and accidentally cause harm, or unintentional tort, to the patient. In other cases, doctors take advantage of their patient’s lack of knowledge and make profit off of the prescriptions. Cases such as these have been happening for years and …show more content…

A common drug that is prescribed to patients with ADHD, called adderall, is used illegally as a stimulant due to the mood altering effects. The patients are placed in danger due to the doctor’s decision of prescribing the drugs. The patients are not aware of the dangers associated with misuse and abuse(Kirkpatrick, et al., 2012). Everyone knows of the Bayer Aspirin, but what people do not know is that in 1898, the Bayer company massed produced heroin and was given to patients for pain and cough; the doctors and media back then were able to convince many people that there were no side effects at all from taking heroin and that is was beneficial(Heroin, 2016). People were clueless about drugs and we have improved since then, but the greed has not .The US finally banned heroin

Show More
Related
1557 Words | 7 Pages

Quinones states, “As the opiate epidemic mangled the middle class, these kids doped up and dropped out. Earlier generations of opiate addicts became self-employed construction workers or painters, because that was all they could manage with heroin, and often jail, in their lives” (274), which is a major problem America faces when trying to solve the opiate epidemic. If we educate the states about the addiction rates and potential danger of opiates, public opinion could shift, creating alternate solutions to solving the heroin epidemic in America. In order to lower the amount of opiate addicts the stigma that used to be associated with opiate use needs to return. The fear that used to surround opiate use was one of the only reasons opiates were not used as medication.

Read More
418 Words | 2 Pages

The use of drugs has become a major problem in our society, leading to serious health and social issues. The Rockefeller Drug Act of 1914 was a landmark piece of legislation that sought to curb the sale and use of narcotics in the United States. It was proposed by John D. Rockefeller Jr., who had become increasingly concerned about the effects of drug addiction on society. The act made it illegal for anyone to possess, sell, or transport narcotics without a prescription from a licensed physician. It also imposed stiff penalties for violations of the law and allowed for federal prosecution of those found guilty.

Read More
935 Words | 4 Pages

I. Importance: As American deaths from drug overdoses continue to rise in the United States, the nation is faced with a public health crisis so profound that in October 2017, President Trump declared the opioid epidemic to be a national public health emergency (Merica). President Trump’s declaration came after numerous studies indicating the danger opioid addiction posed; for example, a 2016 study entitled “Increases in Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths—United States, 2010-2015” claimed that drug overdose deaths “nearly tripled during 1999-2014,” reaching a startling high 52,404 deaths in 2015 (Rudd, et al). These statistics are more than just disturbing revelations regarding the opioid crisis; they are evidence of a serious problem that is rapidly affecting the lives of more and more Americans every year. Death by overdose is not the only public policy concern, however, as millions of Americans are also addicted to prescription opioids.

Read More
927 Words | 4 Pages

“Patent medicines” were sold to people containing ingredients that included ingredients like alcohol, morphine, cocaine, and marijuana were sold in the US from the 1890 to 1906 (Levinthal 54). Drug use in various forms was somewhat common in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Concerns of drug dependence in the early 20th century began to increase and led to the creation of drug regulations for the first time in the US such as the Pure food and drug act of 1906 followed by the Harrison act of 1914. Those two acts of 1906 and 1914 were the first acts to begin the regulation of drugs. Through the years drug regulations have been modified to prohibit the use, distribution, and harsher penalties for those who engaged in drug defined and drug related crime.

Read More
863 Words | 4 Pages

Many different types of drugs have been around for hundreds of years and they each have had a roller coaster of popularity and use in America. With decades of research about drugs and their influence we have been able to develop a better understanding and knowledge of them. With the growing popularity of drugs it goes without saying that sooner or later the public will get their hands on them, luckily the popularity of particular drugs have been documented over time. For example, amphetamines grew in popularity in the 1920’s because of its use in the medicinal community.

Read More
1801 Words | 8 Pages

Additionally, more Americans die every year from opioid overdoses than from car accidents or guns (The New York Times). Although these statistics are terrifying, high levels of action have not yet been taken. A reason for the lack of action on this issue could be the fact that so many individuals focus on the good feelings that opioids or other drugs provide them that they do not recognize the fact that drugs serve as more of a problem to society rather than a solution to their problems when feeling down. When individuals fall under the influence of drugs, they cannot fully recognize what is wrong with both their actions, or inactions, as well as the actions of their society as a whole. The government recognizes the problem and does not try to hide it, unlike in Brave New World.

Read More
1479 Words | 6 Pages

Coming from a different country to the United States has made me look at some divergences from a critical point of view, specifically the use of drugs, both as medication and substance. The policies of using drugs in the United States are way too diverse considering various states' laws. From my own perspective, drugs have become an imperative element of the American culture. The love affair

Read More
423 Words | 2 Pages

Additionally, “Over the last two decades….as prescription for opioids began to soar, rates of addiction and overdose deaths increased in parallel.” (The Opioid Epidemic). The escalation in opioid prescription is fueled by a campaign by pharmaceutical companies. The campaign minimized opioid risks and exaggerated the benefits of using opioids. Many have filed lawsuits against manufacturers for their role in causing the opioid addiction epidemic by misleading the medical community.

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

For example, the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 70% of people who abuse prescription drugs obtain the medications from friends or family members. Another 5% acquire their prescription drugs from illicit street dealers and surreptitious online pharmacies. Focusing the blame on doctors will only delay the inevitable focus on our own human nature, but this is typical of our impulsive society; and impulsivity is the sign of

Read More
463 Words | 2 Pages

The media, being the messenger to the masses, has a responsibility to communicate the exhibited prowess of a society. However, as history has shown, the realization and refinement of a flaw is the true hallmark of an exceptional nation. So, with the seemingly ubiquitous gobbledygook the current media spits out to society continuing on, more important issues are being wildly disregarded. One crucial concern unbeknownst to the public is the extreme increase in prescription drug overdoses. Prescription drug abuse has skyrocketed in the past twenty years.

Read More
1523 Words | 7 Pages

Heroin (Schedule I) and Fentanyl (Schedule II) are two opiates that are widely abused, but not medically prescribed. Those who began their addiction to opiates from painkillers often transition to using heroin or fentanyl after their prescription runs out; around 80% of heroin users first abused prescribed opioids (National, 2017). This just goes to show the toxic after-effects of using opioids, even if they’re given for medical reasons. Further perpetuating the abuse of opioids in the U.S. today is the importation of heroin and fentanyl from Mexico and South America. According to the Council on Foreign Relation’s article on the epidemic, most of the U.S.’s supply of heroin comes from eight main drug cartels in Mexico and is smuggled across the southern border, while fentanyl is manufactured in China and is also smuggled over the Mexican

Read More
1036 Words | 5 Pages

Across the world abusing prescription drugs causes more deaths than street drugs do combined (“International Statistics”). Prescription drugs are so easy to get ahold of and so easy to get addicted to. The misuse of prescription drugs have gotten out of hand. These drugs can cause unintentional overdoses easily. The misuse of prescription drugs can lead to addiction, affect the health of users in a dramatic way, and even cause death.

Read More
970 Words | 4 Pages

These pills, such as xanax and oxycodone allow people for short periods of time to withdraw from the harsh reality faced today. “Between 1997 and 2002, sales of oxycodone and methadone nearly quadrupled” (Okie). Around 15 years later and the prescription pill problem is continuing to skyrocket. Since prescription pills are dispersed out to anyone by doctors, many people do not realize that it is as much of an illicit drug as cocaine and heroin is. “Misinformation about the addictive properties of prescription opioids and the perception that prescription drugs are less harmful than illicit drugs are other possible contributors to the problem” (NIDA).

Read More
865 Words | 4 Pages

The U.S. leads all nations in opioid usage. Another 8 million use cocaine in the U.S. this number is 3rd overall across all nations. These statistics have lead me and many others to believe the war on drugs is anything besides a success. Opposing views claim, that the war on drugs has been rather successful.

Read More
1423 Words | 6 Pages

The War on Drugs that the government has been fighting for almost two centuries has been a failure. The War on Drugs has made criminal organizations, violence around the world, and drugs themselves worse. The War on Drugs has negatively affected the lives of millions of people around the world as it has led to massive incarceration in the United States; corruption, political destabilization, and violence in Latin America, Asia, and Africa; to systemic human rights abuses across the world. Prohibition of certain drugs has actually led to higher rate of violence and murders all around the world. Which drugs are legal and illegal is not really based on any specific scientific assessment of the relative risk of the drugs, but it has everything

Read More

More about Argumentative Essay On Prescription Drug Abuse

Related Topics

Open Document