The Impact Of Opioid Addiction On Public Health

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I feel the biggest public health problem that is having the greatest impact on lives everywhere is opiate addiction. According to the substance abuse and mental health services administration (SAMHSA, 2016) in 2014, 28,647 of drug overdose deaths involved some type of opioid, including heroin . Overdoses are becoming prevalent in every community. The initiation of most addictions are brought on by the prescribed analgesics like oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and methadone (SAMHSA, 2016). Drug addiction in general is a problem, but opiates are on the increase and are destroying many families.

I feel like the United States has not really addressed this problem as much as they should. There are plans in place, like the Opioid Overdose Prevention

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