Assessing the Opioid Crisis in the United States. Health, Medicine

ASSESSING THE OPIOID CRISIS IN THE U.S.
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The United States’ opioid crisis has caused morbidity and pathology outside the level of both individual and collective health. Towards the 2000s, pharmaceutical organizations gave assurance to the entire medical society that opioid pain relievers won’t be addictive to patients (Manchikanti, L., et al 2012) Therefore, providers of healthcare began prescription of opioids in large quantities hence leading to extensive misuse of opioids with prescription and without prescription. It was later discovered that the drugs were really compulsive. This crisis has become a public health crisis leading to overdoses and increased cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome as a result of overdoses during pregnancy (Kertesz, S. G., et al 2019). 
The national statistics reveal that between 21 and 29 per cent of persons prescribed with opioid pain relievers abuse them (Hoots, B. E., et al 2018). For those who misuse them, roughly 8 to 12 per cent end up developing a disorder. Between 4 to 6 per cent of those who overdose opioid shifts to use heroin. It is estimated that 80 per cent of individuals who’re currently using heroin started by overdoing opioid prescriptions. Between 2017 and 2018, seventeen out of thirty-eight states saw a reduction in cases and did not experience any alarming increase (Hoots, B. E., et al 2018).
The United States Centre for Disease Control(CDC) reports in 2018 indicates six states that were hardest hit by the epidemic. The statistics were based on the age distribution. The states comprise Delaware (43.8 for every 100,000), West Virginia (51.5 for every 100,000); Pennsylvania (36.1 for every 100,000), Maryland (37.2 for every 100,000); Ohio (35.9 for every 100,000) and New Hampshire State (35.8 for every 100,000) (Bohnert, A. S., et al 2018). In West Virginia, 702 opioid victims died. The reasons for the increased incidences were due to a mixture of socio-cultural factors, lack of education, low economy, and high prescription and dispensation of opioids. 355 deaths were reported in Delaware State. This was an increase as compared to previous years and it is attributed to the use of heroin among the residents, the use of potent synthetic fentanyl, and the use of Xanax. A total of 2087 opioid deaths were reported in Maryland. Opioid case...