The people of Great Britain were taken by shock in summer of 2017. When the popular TV presenter and actor, Ant Mcpartlin admitted that he was addicted to tramadol, a prescription drug that caused him to go into rehabilitation. The first half of the famous TV duo, Ant and Dec revealed that he was hiding a crippling drug addiction (that nearly resulted in his own death) from viewers for years. In 2014, the BBC news reported that 50% of women and 43% of men in England regularly take prescription drugs. With prescription drug abuse being at its highest rate now than it has ever been, brings up the question, why were people shocked to hear that a celebrity had abused prescription drugs when addiction has become so common? And more importantly are …show more content…
The cause of his death being ‘accidental overdose’ of prescription drugs. The Associated Press reported that in 2007, Beverly Hills pharmacy filed a lawsuit claiming that Jackson owed more than $100,000 for prescription drugs over a two-year period. It is possible that Jackson was "heavily addicted" to the painkiller Oxycontin and was injected daily with that medication, along with Demerol, a synthetic opioid pain medication. Brian Oxman, Jackson's family spokesman and lawyer, told reporters, “I do not want to point fingers at anyone because I want to hear what the toxicology report says and the coroner says. But the plain fact of the matter is that Michael Jackson had prescription drugs at his disposal at all times." Eventually the King of Pop’s controversial death was officially ruled a homicide when his personal physician was said to have administered Jackson with prescription which led to his overdose. In this case Jackson’s physician, Dr Conrad Murray was convicted of ‘involuntary manslaughter’ and served two years of his four years sentence behind bars before being released on parole in …show more content…
Are doctors too heavy on the prescription pad? Are big pharmaceutical companies holding the pen? Or, are we too established into a culture of quick fixes? In reality, everyone plays a role in this complex issue. Doctors and other healthcare professionals understand the scope of the problem. At a Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) forum; doctors said they feel caught between trying to help patients in pain and attempting to restrain abuse at the same time. On the one hand, there are the addicts who need rehabilitation, but on the other hand, there are the patients suffering with debilitating chronic pain who need opiate ‘drugs’ in order to function. Adding to the confusion is the fact that withdrawal from opiates can be extremely painful. One ER doctor from Maryland stated, “It’s difficult to tell the difference between a patient in pain from a medical condition, and a patient in pain from opiate withdrawal.” It is easily said that doctors are not entirely to blame for prescription drug abuse. 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