The nations’s grave opioid epidemic has demanded a closer look into what’s really causing the problem, and the state of Michigan has been no exception. Over 15 years, from 1999 to 2014, Michigan’s number of overdoses from opioid use has increased from 99 to 1,001—which is a 911 percent increase.

Many blame the popularity of painkiller medications in the 90s and 00s, a time when opioids were marketed to physicians and patients alike as a wonder drug that would allow a patient to live a ‘normal,’ pain-free life. What these physicians were less aware of was the addictive nature of the medication. And when patients run out of opioids, they can turn to heroin—the cheapest substitute available.

The vast majority of heroin users were at one point prescription drug users—a whopping 80 percent were given an initial prescription by a doctor. Too many people have been diagnosed with opioids for pain, and we’re now trying to do something about it. In order to become less free with painkiller medications, Michigan has introduced new legislation regarding combating the opioid epidemic. Patients will now be registered under a new computer system that will allow doctors and other medical professionals to easily access any patient’s medical history, and the prescriptions they take. It is believed that this system will allow for professionals to determine whether a patient is at risk for addiction, and accordingly, prescribe appropriate, non-addictive substances. Doctors have already become a little bit more stringent in doling out these medications, in order to prevent the risk of addiction. In addition to this, programs in Michigan have been implemented to educate medical professionals about the seriousness of painkiller prescriptions, and warning against over-prescribing. The world of painkillers is far different from the reality of several decades ago.