PA599 Final report. Drug Abuse in the United States.

Drug Abuse in the United States
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Drug Abuse in the United States
Introduction
The drug abuse issue is a national problem that has affected many Americans and poses a threat to public health. This issue has been declared as an epidemic, especially in relation to opioid overdose, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is because of the consequences of drug abuse, which have not only affected the healthcare system, but also the legal/justice system and the economy in general. For instance, the CDC (2018a) reveals that more than 630,000 Americans have died as a result of a drug overdose between 1999 and 2016. That means that about 37, 000 Americans have died each year, on average, from a drug overdose. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2020a), over 67,300 Americans died in 2018 alone from a drug-abuse related overdose. Over the years, drug abuse among Americans has been increasing at an alarming rate, which is why the issue is a public health concern. Since this issue also falls under the public administration purview, it is necessary for public administrators to identify policies and programs that will address the issue effectively. There are many negative consequences associated with drug abuse, which will be discussed in this paper. This paper aims to identify ways in which the government, especially at the federal level, can curb the drug abuse problem from a public policy perspective. To achieve this, research on the various policies on drug abuse adopted by the state governments will be done. Also, current policy position papers or recommendations by specialty organizations concerned with public health will be examined. The paper will then propose a policy tool that will best address the issue using the information collected from the research. However, before addressing the issue of drug abuse and the policy on drug abuse, it is important to examine the role of public administrators in the development of a national drug abuse policy.
Role of Public Administrators in Curbing the Drug Abuse Issue
Public administration is a complex area that requires a balance between accountability to the public and the maintenance of authority that has been given to public administrators by the public (Deutscher, Walker, & Phillips, 2019). Public administrators work in the interest of the public. A good example is of this challenge in balancing the two is the issue of opioids in relation to pain management and drug abuse. On one hand, a physician, who works in the interest of a patient, has to make a decision on whether to use opioids to treat patients with chronic pain (Deutscher, Walker, & Phillips, 2019). In doing so, they will be helping the patient, which is their responsibility. On the other hand, the doctor has to consider the effects of opioids which are; possible drug addiction and overdose deaths. The physician, who also handles these patients who come in with drug addiction problems or drug poisoning, has to make a difficult choice and whatever decision they make, the safety of those patients is in their hands.
Also, public administrators have the responsibility of enhancing public safety (Deutscher, Walker, & Phillips, 2019)...