By: Enina Obayuwana
Prescription drug abuse continues to be a steadily growing public health concern in the United States and in Los Angeles County. The abuse of prescription drugs such as Heroin, Vicodin, and Oxycodone has tragic consequences on our society. Prescription drug abuse is a severe public health concern which has increased over time resulting in increased mortality rates in the county of L.A. When national statistics were compared to those of Los Angeles County, the impact of this health concern was deemed serious enough to demand immediate community attention. It was then that the Department of Justice announced the allocation of $1.4 million in federal funding to combat the opioid crisis, just part of the budget of over $300 million awarded nationwide.
President Donald Trump has vowed to bring the opioid crisis to a halt under his administration; however, methods of accomplishment are not as clearly indicated. The LAC budget grants and supports partnerships between first responders and other related agencies, therefore recommendations that incorporate these relationships should be identified to the public to develop and support the best possible solutions.
Patterns distinguished on a national scale have been observed within Los Angeles County and are indicative that the burden on health is increasing. The impact of prescription drug abuse has been recognized, however, existing efforts are open to recommendation as they may be lacking in considerations of additional contributing factors to the opioid abuse crisis, specifically in Los Angeles County. It is imperative that the issue is tracked and handled with additional goals in mind. Doing so would ensure the protection of the health of the public but requires the well-coordinated collaborative efforts of necessary public and private organizations and other public health systems. The impact of prescription drug abuse is serious enough that it rightfully requires community attention immediately.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported over 72,000 prescription and illegal opioid-related deaths. The CDC further cites an eight percent increase from the previous year. A new federally funded program titled Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge was discussed and its goal of deadly synthetic opioid reduction has been developed to combat abuse by doctors and pharmacies. The current administration initially communicated plans for funding to be used towards treatment and prevention efforts in brief. However, a more detailed plan of action indicated the assignment of hundreds of federal prosecutors and members of the DEA task force to bring criminal charges against traffickers of heroin, fentanyl or prescription drugs.
Argument
Recommended calls to action rely heavily on preventive prescription drug abuse measures. The recommended intervention for implementation in Los Angeles County is community-based and is a result of collaborative work and support between CA Department of Public Health, non/for-profit organizations, additional government agencies, health care suppliers, and other community associates. These agencies must collaborate in order to achieve a reduction in prescription drug abuse. Government action and public policy initiatives are pivotal. These initiatives are necessary to adequately address the issue but largely depend on local, state, and federal level coordinated efforts. Efforts to combat prescription drug abuse should not focus on criminality alone as the Trump administration suggests but instead give consideration to the social determinants of health and other individual factors which are factors to the opioid addiction crisis.
Call to Action
Recommended actions include the implementation of public knowledge and awareness by way of media campaigns designed to target an audience of young adults who may be at risk for abuse of prescription drugs. At the local level, The Antelope Valley Partners for Health was awarded over $700,000 to further develop programs for children victimized as a result of the opioid crisis. I propose a similar community-based campaign such as that of Red Ribbon Week, where students, parents, school officials and community members are encouraged to wear a red ribbon to promote drug-free lifestyles. These recommendations are not infallible and are also open for criticism and areas of limitation. Barriers to successful implementation include conflicts resulting from poverty or lack of resources. To be most effective, the campaign could include educational information useful to families, however educational messages should be tailored towards specific age groups and challenging geographic areas so that messages are understood properly. The administration’s budget should communicate details pertaining to the support of school-based prevention efforts. Increased training and continued education for educators and health care providers on preventive measures to recognize prescription drug misuse.
Conclusion
A successful course of action to combat prescription drug and opioid abuse should be all-encompassing. With adequate education and training, many more individuals can be made aware of the social as well as criminal consequences of abuse such as addiction or death. Therefore efforts to address these issues should be reflective of the importance of education. Educational professionals, healthcare workers, parents, and youth can be influenced to make changes at a population level. The reduction in opioid-related injuries and fatalities should not be addressed through the criminal justice system alone. Education plays a vital role in the diversion of prescription drug abuse and addiction. Providing education to drug prescribers and their patients will make them better equipped to address the various factors that contribute to prescription medication abuse.
About the author: Enina Obayuwana is a third term graduate student at the Milken School of Public Health at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
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DrugsWonTheWar BecauseOfThisCrap says
Sure, opiate abuse is a serious issue here at home and all over the country. But demonizing the prescribing doctors and chronic pain patients who rely on these medications to live their life is frankly cruel.
Patients who have cancer, herniated discs. People who’s lives were forever changed by traumatic accidents. There are so many people who rely on an opioid to get them through the day.
People who, without adequate pain relief turn to extreme measures, such as suicide. Maybe if they were denied adequate help by their doctors because the docs are terrified of getting their license taken away for prescribing a drug the DEA deems dangerous, the pain patient may, as a last resort, turn to getting the meds off the street. Let’s be real. The real issue here is the dangerous fentanyl that is prevalent in street drugs. THAT is what’s killing people.
The majority of people who take opioids for relief of their chronic daily pain take the meds safely as directed. Taking them as directed is not life threatening. But cutting them off from the only thing that keeps their daily pain just manageable enough to work, take care of their children, etc will cause several problems. They could revert to buying the dangerous street drugs and ODing. They could decide the pain is too much and end their lives. Or they go on with their life of pain, unable to live anything close to a full and rewarding life.
I believe the doctor has plenty of ways to tell if his patients are abusing their drugs. They do random drug tests to make sure the drugs are in their system, otherwise it would indicate they are selling their pills. Random pill counts to make sure the patient isn’t using too much too fast.
Let the doctor use his training and years of wisdom to figure out what is best for the patient.
Let people who live with debilitating pain get the treatment they deserve.
Focus on the fentanyl being brought into this country and take it off the streets. Only then will we begin to combat this crisis.
Pain patients aren’t junkies.
Doctors aren’t drug dealers.
Stop taking away doctor’s ability to treat their patients.
Bringing the war on drugs to legitimate medical practitioners and pain patients is not the answer. Sure, it’s easier and you get results and pat yourselves on the backs for inhibiting a doctors ability to treat his patients, but you are fighting the wrong war and only hurting innocent people in the long run. Let’s stop with the propaganda that people just want the pain meds to get high. Read up on current studies that show the majority of pain patients on opioids do not feel any euphoria from the drug. They just feel enough pain relief to bring it from a 10 to a manageable 4.
Once we stop demonizing the pain patient and the doctors who treat them, we can focus on the real issue: the illegal fentanyl flooding the streets of our neighborhoods.