Citation

Yamatani H, Byrdsong TR. HSOA Addict. Addict. Disord. 2019; 6(2): e26.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Herald Scholarly Open Access)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article reviews the historical trend of substance abuse in USA and how it has lead to current public health crisis and offers example of potential future solution. The national drug policy was unable to implement safeguards to the drug manufacturers, marketers, and protect potential and current drug-using population. Although recently popular expansions of the accessibility of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone are quite useful, the additional answers are also needed based on further research on genetics, molecular biology, neuropharmacology, and brain imaging.

The "War on Drugs," which began in the 1970s as a major national drug policy, has had practically no intended influence on drug manufacturers, marketers, and the drug-using population. Because drug choices are being driven by a host of complex social psychological factors, the policy, which predominantly focused on suppressive methods by overvalued domestic law enforcement, has had negative and unintended effect on overall drug-use abstinence and prevention of related liabilities. According to Jaffe, accidental drug overdose fatality tripled in the past decade-making it the nation's second leading cause of accidental death. More than 115 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids each day. The abuse of and addiction to opioids (including prescription pain reducers, heroin, and synthetic opioids) is a serious American crisis that threatens public health and social and economic welfare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total "economic burden" of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement...

Language: en