Dear Future President,

“In 2014, there was 28,647 drug-poisoning deaths involving prescription opioids”(Scholastic). People in the United States do not know about the problem with opiate pain medication. Opiate pain medication help’s out a lot of people but because of how many people are addicted and dying, the government should control the distribution more to lower that number. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with not just put off to the side. People are dying everyday from this, families affected, even my own. So with your help we could save families from grieving, by having more control over opiate pain medication.

“The remarks of the American sociologist Bernard Barber a poignant in this regard: Not only can nearly everything be called a “drug”, but things so called turn out to have an enormous variety of physiological and social functions.”(Drug Use). These “drugs” Bernard talks about is also talking about opiate pain medication as well. What people say they”see or understand” how much of an impact it really is in the U.S or how it’s being manage. But do they really understand? “In 1912 the Hague Convention about the first investigation of the opium problem, while the ratification was in 1913 and 1914.”(Drug Use). Through the years more people realized what was going on and more acts were passed. “Like the Opium Poppy Control act of 1942, and Drug Enforcement Administration or the DEA in 1973. While in 1988 the Anti-Drug Abuse act led to the creation of the Office of National Drug Control Policy(ONDCP).”(Drug Use). The ONDCP helped create acts or policies that would help control the opium problem in the U.S.

Another good reason would be warnings that are giving on every product but they’re ignored by society. The FDA (Federal Drug Administration) is an organization that wants to help and control addictions or overdoses cause by “drugs”. “The new FDA warnings will emphasize that immediate-release opioids should be a last resort for severe pain when other painkillers don’t work or can’t be tolerated by patients.”(Washington Post). So instead of taking too much of a painkiller that isn’t working; you could go to your doctor and get prescribed the right opioid pain medication, but only as a last resort. This is why there are warnings to make sure you know what you’re taking before you do, but so many people don’t even give it a thought to check them. “The warnings will apply to more than 200 short-acting opioid products including widely prescribed medications, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and others.”(Washington Post). Hopefully these warnings will do some good and make people think about what they’re putting into their body and not just taking medications. Using the medications for the correct purpose as well.

Lastly, what people don’t realize is what opiate pain medication can do to your body or how it can affect your life. “The brain remembers the “high” and over time, with repeated abuse, develops on altered dopamine response. The brain beginning to crave the extra intensity only an opioid drug can deliver, which can lead to addiction.”(Scholastic). By using it more often you need more and more each time which could have bad side effects, or even what causes these feelings. “Opioid receptors in the brain and brainstem also regulate breathing, in proper doses, opioids slow breathing and create a feeling of relaxation. But if a person takes to much, he or she can stop breathing entirely.”(Scholastic). Why would would someone take something that makes you feel good but could kill you by suffocation. Tell me this is, is your life really that bad that you need to take this to feel good or happy in life? “28,647 drug-poisoning deaths happened with prescription opioids in 2014 alone and the number has tripled since 2002.”(Scholastic). So what does that tell you about the problem is it getting better or worse?

From addiction to your brain stopping you from being able to breath, this is the problem the United States should be trying to fix. So from everything i’ve said what have you taken away, what stood out to you and what changes need to happen. Opiate pain medication is a problem to the U.S and could be fixed if people started to care more about its effects. Future President you have the power to change and enforce more regulations of this medication. So I ask you what are you prepared to do?

Sincerly,

Sloan C.

Work Cited

http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/110090 - Drug Use

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/MagazinesDetailsPage/MagazinesDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=false&displayGroupName=Magazines&currPage=&scanId=&query=&source=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=&u=lom_accessmich&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CA450998511&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary= - Scholastic

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/NewsDetailsPage/NewsDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=false&displayGroupName=News&currPage=&scanId=&query=&source=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=&u=lom_accessmich&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CA447111153&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=

Washington Post