The opioid epidemic in the United States is continuing at an exponential rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 28,000 people died from an opioid overdose in 2014. In 2015, that number jumped to more than 33,000, then more than doubled to over 64,000 deaths in 2016. At the current rate, more than 145 people die per day from opioid overdoses, with the majority of those affected living in rural, White America.
The beginning of the opioid epidemic started in the late 1990s. During this period, pharmaceutical companies began marketing new opioid pain relievers, promising the medical community that opioids prescribed for pain relief were not addictive. With such reassurance, medical providers began prescribing opioids at higher rates than the staple pain relievers of the time, Motrin and Tylenol. The increased amount of prescription opioids in circulation lead to the widespread misuse and abuse of prescription opioids, as well as an increased use of heroin.
In response to the opioid epidemic, America has funneled millions of federal funding to combat the crisis, with some of the funds directed towards law enforcement programs that assist those battling addiction and facing prison time. The passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was one of the first measures to combat the opioid crisis. The ACA required coverage of substance abuse treatment with all marketplace plans. In late 2016, Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which created $1 billion in Opioid State Targeted Response (STR) grants to enhance states’ response to the epidemic. In 2017, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency and rolled out HHS’s 5-Point Strategy to combat the epidemic. A Traveling Opioid Memorial was also created to educate the masses on the effects of opioid addiction.
I can’t help but wonder where were all these resources and sympathy during the crack cocaine epidemic of the inner cities in the mid-1980s and early-1990s when the majority of faces affected were black and brown? Instead of allocating funds to prevention and recovery of crack cocaine addictions, America used billions to fund the ‘War on Drugs.’ Congress enacted mandatory sentencing via the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, with harsher sentences given to offenders of crack cocaine as opposed to powder cocaine at a rate of 100-to-1.
Just recently, Demi Lovato was hospitalized for an apparent drug overdose. There has been an outpouring of support. Fans have even created a hashtag #HowDemiHasHelpedMe to showcase how Demi helped fans with their own struggles. Demi and those battling addiction now are offered rehab and protection from jail, while those who battled crack cocaine addictions were shuttled off to jail by the thousands. I am all for shifting sentiment as we evolve as a society, but I can’t help but wish that Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse had similar support during their battles with addiction.
The effects of criminalization and mass incarceration of crack cocaine addiction, rather than treating it as a disease, are still felt to this day. Before the ‘War on Drugs,’ the number of people in the US imprisoned for non-violent drug offenses was well under 50,000. By the year 2000, this number increased more than 6-fold, with the majority of those imprisoned being Black men, according to the Bureau of Justice statistics. Due to this high incarceration rate, there were more Black men in prison than there were in all of higher education across America. It wasn’t until 2010 when the Fair Sentencing Act was passed did the discrepancy between crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses reduce from 100:1 to 18:1; however, due to mandatory sentencing, many offenders are still locked up. The economic setbacks caused by a lack of family unit and poor education will continue to impact the Black community for years to come as they struggle to catch up to their White counterparts.
In the end, I wish Demi Lovato well. As a healthcare professional, I’ve understood for years that addiction is a disease with constant battles and many setbacks no matter how strong-willed a person is. I’m certified to administer and carry naloxone, the drug used to temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, and I do my part to ensure opioids are only prescribed for legitimate reasons. The battle to conquer the opioid epidemic is far from over. In order to resolve this crisis, America needs to do a lot of self-reflection and figure out why are so many Americans self-medicating.
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(Feature image description: Len Bias, drafted by the Boston Celtics with the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. Ironically, Len never got a chance to wear a Celtics uniform. He unfortunately died from a cocaine overdose 2 days after the Draft. Artwork by TruArtist83. Visit his Website or Instagram for more conscious art.)