The Opioid Crisis is an epidemic that has been grasping Americans by the throat. Opioids are used for medicinal purposes, but are widely abused across the nation. Many opioids are used for people with severe pain. Although opioids have side effects, such as addiction and death, they are wonderful asset to those in agonizing pain. They help those who are injured, recovering, have just been through surgery, and intractable pain. The problems is once they start using them, it is very difficult to stop. Opioids are highly addictive and can be fatal. For instance, opioid overdoses have increased from 8,048 deaths in 1999 to roughly 47,600 deaths in 2017. Opioids can be very helpful to the people who need it, but a major burden and issue for those who don’t. Should prescription opioids continue to be legal in the United States, or is the death toll too much?
23 Comments
Blazen
5/16/2021 10:32:02 am
Opioids should continue to be legal. Opioids are a drug that help those who feel misery. If we have a drug that can help those in dying pain, why wouldn’t we use it? Nonetheless if opioids get into the wrong hands it can be disastrous. This is why the deaths are becoming a problem. Opioids aren’t necessarily something that’s really hard to get ahold of and that’s a problem. More and more people are overdosing. Is this something that’s necessarily a issue? There’s so many people in the world. This creates even bigger problems, such as world hunger. Is it really a bad thing that so many people are dying because of an opioid overdose? After all it is their choice to do so. Survival of the fittest. With all this in consideration, Opioids should continue to be legal, and people have to be smarter with their decisions.
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Dillon
5/16/2021 06:00:17 pm
People do need to be smarter with their decisions. The people prescribing opioids also need to be careful with their decisions.
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Caden
5/16/2021 06:52:23 pm
It’s not always the person who is taking the pain medication’s fault when they become addicted. If the doctor over prescribes and gives the patient too much they become dependent without a willingly decision to get to that point.
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Eli
5/16/2021 07:32:18 pm
Do people not know they are overdosing on drugs? And if they don’t know then how can we say sorry it’s “survival of the fittest” so we aren’t going to do anything about the fact that people are dying?
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Johnathon Simmons
5/16/2021 07:32:33 pm
Including the fact that doctors need to make routine check-ups, enforce rules of usage, and trying to find a working alternative is great. Opioids do allow so many people to be free of so much pain.
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Eli
5/16/2021 04:52:40 pm
For the first time in a long while the opioid abuse is decreasing slightly. This glorifies the work of doctors, keeping better track of opioid distribution and using it less, it also glorifies the work of the communities showing what can happen when people use. Many people think that since it is on a decrease that it is no longer a concern and therefore, there is in need to have opioids become illegal. Just because the number is down from 70,237 deaths doesn't mean that there is no problem. If we have other alternatives that are not addictive and can lead to death why wouldn't we make opioids illegal?
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Dillon
5/16/2021 06:02:01 pm
If we could find a safer alternative that would be great. Their would be no use for the current drugs.
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Caden
5/16/2021 06:49:55 pm
It’s great that doctors are keeping better record of the distribution of opioids but we still have a long ways to go to avoid any chance of addiction.
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Blazen
5/16/2021 07:34:33 pm
Agreed, opioids are a good thing even if they cause so many deaths. They show what can happen when you abuse a substance.
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Caden Caywood
5/16/2021 06:48:13 pm
Prescription opioids must remain legal but be properly monitored when they are given out. Right now many strong pain meds are given out like candy and people are given the opportunity to become addicted. If doctors only gave them out when necessary and only gave them the correct dosage amounts then pain could be lessened and addiction could be minimized.
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Johnathon Simmons
5/16/2021 07:28:50 pm
Because opioids are so difficult to resist, how often should one receive them. It’s common for an opioid overdose to occur so would users have to have a daily pickup in order to cut back on overdoses and deaths?
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Eli
5/16/2021 07:33:35 pm
I think it’s good how you came up with a solution to regulate the amount of opioid dosage a patient is getting. However will that really solve the problem?
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Blazen
5/16/2021 07:36:08 pm
Facts. If we just monitor distribution better there isn’t that much wrong with them. Until then opioids should be approached with caution.
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Will
5/16/2021 07:59:37 pm
Tightening the restrictions on the distribution of opium is a good start to the solution, however there is a lot of corruption and money hungry individuals that can ruin this progression.
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Johnathon Simmons
5/16/2021 07:26:15 pm
With the death toll climbing as it is, is "should opioids be illegal" even a question? The nation can't turn a blind eye while tens of thousands are overdosing on one drug. According to drugabuse.gov, overdoses don't just happen, but "are common". This can not be allowed to happen anymore. Our bodies recognize dopamine as the "feel-good chemical" and if something releases it, we can experience addiction toward that thing. Opioids bind to pain receptors and then release large amounts of dopamine, making it almost beyond our will power to resist. "About 45% of drug users experience nonfatal overdose" according to a World Health Organization Article. With opioids being as addictive as they are, it's no surprise that there are so many overdoses. If one can't be expected to always resist the temptation, how can one be expected to not overdose? The numbers are just too high for the use of opioids to be justified. Lives have more value than money.
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Will
5/16/2021 07:58:11 pm
Yes, I agree the industry has turned towards money rather than the idea of saving lives. This has caused for opium to become overly justified, and more importantly overly distributed to innocent humans.
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Sam
5/16/2021 08:22:17 pm
As people have taken more to responding to these urges to overuse, this has begun to outweigh the positives of this prescription.
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Will Garrett
5/16/2021 07:56:00 pm
The opioid crisis is a major issue an I feel that with modern day drugs we can avoid the use, and often times overuse, of opium. This highly addictive drug have had a history of being over prescribed by doctors, as their potency is highly desired for recreational use. This has caused America to become overly attached to this damaging drug. With the implication of less addictive drugs, I feel that as a nation we can slowly taper off and resolve our addiction towards opium. However, this road will require extensive research, and as an entire nation we will have to come together and agree upon the discontinuation of opium related drugs.
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Sam
5/16/2021 08:18:05 pm
With the medical advancements and technology that we have today, finding alternatives to opioids should be something we continue to work but as you said this takes the agreement of an entire nation effected by the negatives of this drug before progressive change can be made.
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Aidan
5/24/2021 08:56:16 am
Yeah opiates are just way too addictiv.
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Sam
5/16/2021 08:12:50 pm
The number of deaths associated with prescription opioid misuse should not be overlooked. This is an obvious issue but also the ability to use this drug to combat chronic or life threatening conditions could be enough of a benefit to outweigh the chances of addiction and overdose. Since there is such a benefit to opioid medication we should keep it legal but find ways to teach about the dangers if used incorrectly or improve research to find a less addictive form of the drug that can be just as useful.
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Aidan
5/24/2021 08:20:36 am
Big pharma is making far too much money to consider stopping anytime soon. All those people addicted to the opioids would have to turn to illegal opiates, heroin or fentanyl, to soothe their cravings. This will destroy a ginormous population of people since fentanyl is so powerful and a while lot cheaper and more dangerous than heroin.
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Mackay Williams
5/24/2021 10:25:02 am
There is a constant stumbling block as doctors prescribe drugs for medical purposes. When these medications are misused, or abused it can lead to addiction and even death. As Jake expresses “Opioids can be very helpful to the people who need it, but a major burden and issue for those who don’t.” When prescribed, many people are blinded by the effects opioids are having on them. Yet, simply talking about the tragic effects opioids are causing, is not going to be the solution to this problem. There needs to be public and professional tools to help people understand how to manage prescribed drugs. These tools would be open to everyone, everywhere. Helping prevent the number of peopling misusing and dying from opioids. With the right sources, as well as action being taken upon this problem opioids can continued to be a great advantage for medical purposes. I do believe opioids can continue to be legal for medical purposes, but it is necessary that an action is to be taken, to prevent the death rate caused by opioids.
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