Policy Brief: Opioid Crisis

Policy Brief: Opioid Crisis
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Policy Brief: Opioid Crisis
Opioid abuse and addiction have dramatically increased, causing a major public health concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid use globally has multiplied over the last two and half decades. The sale of these drugs has also augmented tremendously. The rapid demand and supply of opioids are partly attributed to the easy accessibility of the drug due to its use in pain treatment. The prescription of opioids in pain treatment has exposed many people to addiction triggered by overprescribing. Surgeons have a responsibility to reduce their patients’ pain after the operation. It is also their responsibility to avoid overprescribing. Unfortunately, some providers have failed to honor this role. Currently, opioid overdose and addiction are increasing alarmingly, leading to high rates of opioid-involved deaths. The ongoing opioid epidemic necessitates robust efforts to combat the problem. Addressing this crisis requires crucial, evidence-based approaches focusing on clinical, policy, and educational aspects.
Problem Statement
The opioid crisis is one of the twenty-first century's most devastating public health concerns, with opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose augmenting over the last two and a half decades. Worldwide, over 275 million people aged 15-64, representing about 5.5% of the global population, used drugs at least once in 2019 (World Health Organization, 2021). Among them, approximately 62 million people use opioids, and the number is growing (WHO, 2021). Most opioid dependencies are attributed to illicitly cultivated and manufactured heroin. The alarming rise in opioid misuse has led to a public health problem with a dramatic increase in opioid-related deaths (Jalali et al., 2020). According to the WHO (2021), over 70% of drug-related deaths are linked to opioids, with overdose accounting for more than 30% of those deaths. The WHO (2021) estimated that at least 115,000 individuals died of opioid overdose in 2017.
Recently, several countries have witnessed an increase in opioid overdoses due to the increased use of opioids in chronic pain management and the continuous availability of highly potent opioids on the illicit drug market. In the United States alone, opioid-related overdoses have claimed more than 564,000 lives since 2000. In 2020, about 91,799 drug overdose deaths occurred in the U.S. for an age-adjusted rate of 28.3 per 100,000 standard population (CDC, 2022). Almost 75% of those deaths involved opioids (CDC, 2022). From 2019 to 2020, opioid-involved death rates significantly changed.
Opioid-related death rates increased by 38%, and prescription opioid-involved mortality rates rose by around 17% (CDC, 2022). Deaths related to synthetic opioids, excluding methadone, increased by 56% (CDC, 2022). These deaths contributed to a life expectancy decline that the U.S. has experienced since 2014. Opioid use can lead to death because it affects the part of the brain that regulates breathing. An overdose occurs when opioids excessively stimulate the brain stem, leading to respiratory depression and death.
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