Persuasive Essay On Opioids

Introduction Opioids are a set of drugs that are classified by their effect on the opioid receptors and their ability to provide pain relief. Opioids include legal prescription pain relievers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and morphine and the illegal drugs , fentanyl and heroin. Out of the three types of opioids, prescription pain relievers have become the most abused among various demographics. In fact, the U.S is the world’s leader for prescribing pain killing opioids. With the promotion of the prescription opioids as safe by pharmacutical companies in the 1990s, medical professionals began to prescribe them as higher rates. At the time it was believed that prescription pain relievers were nonaddictive, because they were marketed as such,

According to the CDC, the highest overdose rates are among people between 24 and 54 ,but there has also been an increase in the misuse of prescription opioids by teens.The situation has gotten so severe that it has been deemed “the deadliest drug overdose epidemic in U.S history” by NPR and our current President, Donald Trump, “declared it a

Many on the patients who receive prescription opioids are mental health patients as well, and they typically have mental health problems because they are stressed in the environment they are in. Since many of these communities that have an abundance of mental health problems are poor, states should also fund money into preventative programs for these communities, so that they can teach stress relief. Classes such as meditation, budgeting, yoga, etc. should be offered and promoted at community centers as ways to prevent mental illness. In addition, for people who already suffer from chronic pain , other options should be discussed and should be covered by both independent health insurance and Medicaid , if the patient decides to choose these options instead . These include procedures such as acupuncture, massage, chiropractic realignment,