"Year after year, America’s drug overdose crisis is worsening.In the 12-month period ending in June 2021, the most recent period for which there is reliable data, more than 101,000 people died from drug overdose in the U.S., – an increase of more than 20% from the previous year.2021 was also an important year for analysis of the overdose crisis, with numerous books and articles shedding light on both the causes and potential solutions to the crisis.Not all analysis is in agreement, however. As a bioethicist who has spent much of the past several years researching the ethical and policy issues related to drug use, I’ve become particularly interested in an evolving tension between commentators on the drug crisis.While many blame today’s crisis on an increase in drug supply over the past 25 years, others suggest that increasing drug supply can actually be a solution. So who is right? And what would ethical policy around drug supply look like?"
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Many years ago after orthopedic surgery I was prescribed a large amount of Oxycontin which I only needed for a few days. Years later when I had knee replacement I was given just a few days supply of that drug. The message was different, use only what you really need and get to over the counter pain meds ASAP.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons listed for “increasing drug supply potentially being a solution” is “reducing access to pharmaceutical products directly contributes to exposure to higher risk illicit substances, which has put many people at risk of overdose.”
ReplyDeleteWhich raises the question, Is this an issue of limiting the amount of prescribed drugs? Or is it a matter of the high risk illicit substances available?
The article doubles down stating safer drugs should be distributed because users will find more dangerous drugs like fentanyl on the street.
The side that says supply is at blame uses the statistics that “OxyContin (released in 1996) distribution was more than 50% lower in “triplicate states”. Although triplicate states had higher rates of overdose deaths prior to 1996, this relationship flipped shortly after the launch and triplicate states saw substantially slower growth in overdose deaths, continuing even 20 years after OxyContin's introduction.”
Ethical policy around drug supply will have a hard time being black and white.
Great post, Maria!
ReplyDeleteLast semester in Gen Phys, I learned that our bodies were never meant to take on substances like opioids. It made me wonder, if we knew the effects then, would we have ever prescribed them?