The Growing Heroin Epidemic

The heroin epidemic is a rapid widening of the use of heroin in United State. The continued usage of cheap opioid painkiller encouraged the use of heroin. The heroin epidemic crisis has increased because of easy accessibility of opioid drug since the 2000s. These strong painkillers include oxycodone, hydrocodone, and other strong painkillers. Since 1972 the substances were popular for formal medical treatment and recreational drug. The painkillers have a sedative effect on the part of the brain that regulates breathing, and its overdose may cause respiratory depression and deaths according to (Frontline).

According to Drug Enforcement Administration overuse of heroin and opioid drugs have reached an epidemic level in the United States. Since 1999 to 2008 the sales, overdose death rates and abuse of substance treatment have rapidly increased among the youths. Drug abuse crisis has changed the social, moral and cultural resistance of street drugs such heroin. In 1800s opioid painkillers was used for pain relief and cough relief. At the beginning of 1920 addictiveness was discovered and the doctors were reluctant to prescribe opiates to the patient. Heroin addiction made the headline in the 1970s when a star like Janis Joplin overused the drug. Drug abuse has grown from the rich families to the middle-class people in America

Why Is This Considered An “Epidemic”?

The epidemic is increasingly widespread of the use of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs that lead to an overdose death. The rate at which the sales and overdose death rate are increasing is alarming in the United States is a disaster.

What Are The Biggest Challenges In Fighting Heroin?

Safe injection sites center were started to reduce the amount of heroin in the environment. But the lawmakers were against it since it endorses an environment for drug abuse. The prescription of heroin I supposed to help in reducing addiction but it viewed as a way of encouraging the use of illegal drugs rather methadone clinic is preferred. Medication treatment centers were challenged that the government-sponsored addiction usually moves addict from the use of one drug to another.This makes the patient addicted to another drug instead of recovering from heroin addiction. Naloxone used to treat addiction I expensive for the addict it cost has increased from 20$ to 40 % per dose last year.

Work sited

Frontline. “Chasing Heroin.” 2016, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/chasing-heroin/.