A Wave of Addiction: Today's Opiate Problem Compared to the Crack Epidemic of the 1980s

The issue that I want to focus on is nationwide opiate addiction in America today and how it compares to the widespread crack addiction of the 1980s. Over the last decade, it has become obvious that our country has a serious problem with addiction to opiates such as hydrocodone, Vicodin, oxycodone, ect. In fact, as published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 28,647 deaths resulting from opioid consumption in 2014 (Rudd et. al).

What has our reaction to the problem been? We have attempted to come together to collectively find a solution. Today, no American wants to see a fellow citizen suffer from addiction. A lot of action has stemmed from legislative efforts. According to The New York Times, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued national regulatory measures for prescription painkillers for the first time on March 15^th (Tavernise). The idea behind these regulations is to make it harder for patients to get prescriptions for opiates. While this may have negative effects on patients who really need the painkillers, it is a necessary change to address the current addiction problem. Laws are also being proposed regarding doctors and the number of addicted patients that they may see. As written in The Huffington Post, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is working on legislative measure to increase the number of patients that can be seen by a doctor who is permitted to prescribe opioid addiction medication. Currently, there is a limit to the number of patients that a doctor can prescribe the medication to per year, and this law would nearly double the numbers of patients able to receive the help that they need (Cherkis). Medical advances are also playing a role in the war against opiate addiction. According to NPR, a new way to treat victims of opioid abuse is being developed by Braeburn Pharmaceuticals and by Titan Pharmaceuticals. The treatment is “a matchstick-like insert designed to slip under the skin and release a drug over a period of months” (Chen). Needless to say, America has come together passionately to fight the addiction and is serious about creating positive change.

But how does the current war against prescription drugs compare to the crack epidemic of the 1980s? Ekow Yankah, a law professor at Yeshiva University, claims that there was no attempt to fight the crack problem in the ‘80s. So what is different now? Yankah’s answer is simple: Race. As he puts it, “Back then, when addiction was a black problem, there was no wave of national compassion […] television brought us endless images of thin, black, ravaged bodies, always with desperate, dried lips. We learned the words crack baby” (Yankah). He adds that in the ‘80s, there was a belief that crack and crime came together, and that those who were addicted were bad people. Rather than trying to offer these people help, the response was to brutally arrest them and throw them in jail. In his words: “When the faces of addiction had dark skin, the police didn’t see sons and daughters, sister and brothers. They saw brothas, young thugs to be locked up, not people with a purpose in life” (Yankah). He describes the fact that there is so much passion in America to fix the drug problem today as “bittersweet” and “embitter[ing]” because there was hardly a collective effort to help the people in need just three decades ago. I think that these statements are very valid, and that we must not neglect or forget about our mistakes from the past, even as we try to move forward positively, as we are today.

 References

Chen, Angus. "New Medications For Treating Opioid Addiction Are On The Horizon." NPR, January 15, 2016. Accessed April 24, 2016. NPR.

Cherkis, Jason. "Obama Administration Offers Desperately Needed Help For People Addicted To Opioids." The Huffington Post, March 29, 2016. Accessed April 24, 2016.

Park, Haeyoun, and Matthew Bloch. "How the Epidemic of Drug Overdose Deaths Ripples Across America." The New York Times, January 19, 2016. Accessed April 24, 2016.

Rudd, Rose A., Noah Aleshire, Jon E. Zibbell, and R. Matthew Gladden. "Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths — United States, 2000–2014." MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 64, no. 50-51 (2016): 1378-382. Accessed April 24, 2016

Steinhauer, Jennifer. "Senate Passes Broad Bill to Combat Drug Abuse." The New York Times, March 10, 2016. Accessed April 24, 2016.

Tavernise, Sabrina. "C.D.C. Painkiller Guidelines Aim to Reduce Addiction Risk." The New York Times, March 15, 2016. March 15, 2016. Accessed April 24, 2016.

Yankah, Ekow. "There Was No Wave of Compassion When Addicts Were Hooked on Crack." PBS Newshour. March 29, 2016. Accessed April 24, 2016.