General Opinion on All Drugs
The drug era has been a devastating chapter in people’s lives all over the world. The statistics show that addiction and abuse have been rising through the years, showing that 3.5 to 7% of the age between 15 and 64 have been obsessive (Lauren Madden, 2022). It is speaking about drugs only, without considering such harmful habits as smoking or alcohol. My opinion, considering all the types of narcotics and their spread, is radically negative because it ruins the social, private, and financial state of every involved family.
The global population suffers; however, many countries have successfully battled the problem by applying different practices. The U.S. must follow these aspects as it is one of the leading states in this problem. For instance, the Netherlands introduced heavy measures towards dealers and users of cannabis (Malinowska, 2013).
Norway applied the UN recommendations and launched the decriminalization of drug use in small portions, which motivated many people to reduce their narcotic consumption (Ummelas, 2021). Another country that successfully battled this issue is Portugal, where heroin addiction was high, and NGO harm-reduction practices were introduced (Bajekal, 2018). Conclusively, I am a supporter of similar programs as society is drowning in the flow of drug abuse.
Specific Opinion on Opioids and Fentanyl
When it comes to specific substances such as opioids and fentanyl, it should be stated that they are synthetic narcotics. These are even more dangerous than other types because they can be used in legal mass consumption through pharmaceutics. An example is Zohydro painkiller, which contains opioids and which impacts consumers’ addiction decrease (Al Jazeera America, 2016). I consider such a tendency to be very dangerous for society because it ensures a rising abuse epidemic.
One of the most disappointing aspects is the FDA’s drug policy prioritizes pharmacological marketing interests over public health concerns (Al Jazeera America, 2016). Opioids and fentanyl are new players that are masked as people’s “friends,” which creates a critically high risk for addiction level growth (Lauren Madden, 2022). This kind of corruption should be eliminated as the death rate will remain high due to the constant spread of these synthetic drugs.
References
Al Jazeera America (2016). Opioid wars – fault lines [Video]. Youtube. Web.
Bajekal, N. (2018). Want to win the war on drugs? Portugal might have the answer. Time. Web.
Lauren Madden (2022). Socio 2 drug use modern social problems [Video]. Youtube. Web.
Malinowska, K. (2013). For safe and effective drug policy, look to the Dutch. Open Society Foundations. Web.
Ummelas, O. (2021). Norway to decriminalize personal drug use in ‘historic’ shift. Bloomberg. Web.