Here’s some good news for the new year. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is cutting the production of opioids, a class of drugs also known as opiates. Opioids/opiates are powerful drugs that are related to opium, hence their name. Most opioids are medications that you can only obtain with a doctor’s prescription, such as oxycodone or codeine, but this class of drugs also includes heroin.
It is very easy to become addicted to opiates/opioids. An opiate or opioid only eases pain for only so long, and then people develop a tolerance to the drug. The users’ bodies become so accustomed to these drugs that they need more (and more) in order for them to relieve pain again. This creates a vicious cycle, where the body wants and needs more opioids just in order to function normally, let alone relieve any pain.
In 2014 alone, doctors dispensed more than 240 million opiate/opioid prescriptions, although in later years, doctors prescribed fewer opioids than they had in the past. Cutting the production of opioids means that doctors will have fewer opioids to prescribe. It also means that there are fewer drugs available for people to abuse.
Drug misuse is a real problem. Many people steal other people’s opioid prescriptions. Medical professionals sometimes have a problem with opioids and other drugs.They say that the stress of their jobs and the ready availability of drugs in their line of work both contribute to their drug abuse.
Still others sell opioids to others, bypassing the usual prescription process. Drug dealers sometimes sell prescription medications along with illicit (illegal) drugs such as heroin.
All sorts of drugs pose real problems for all sorts of people. It’s encouraging that the U.S. government is acknowledging this and taking action. It also recently pledged to spend more than $1 billion to treat substance use disorder issues. Drug addiction is an illness, but many are looking for a cure.
