31 Oct 2018 What Is To Be Done About The Opioid Crisis?

What Is To Be Done About The Opioid Crisis?

I have to admit, I have not been impacted by the opioid crisis.  There is not an immediate family member I know of whose life is controlled by it. I have seen heroin destroy a couple of people.  Just because I don’t see it right in front of me does not mean it is not out there. 

I read the statistics of how many people die each year from addiction.   I also read how Congress and other organizations call it a crisis.  So how do we if not solve it at least start towards a solution? Will money be the answer?  It is always part of the solution but not the only solution. Where do you put the money, in treatment? In enforcement? I don’t know.  How successful are the treatment programs?  If they help even 25% get their lives back is it worth the investment? How about if it is only 10% successful? Do school educational programs help? Again, if it stops even 10% of students from trying opioids then it may be a good investment.  

How much are parents responsible for their children? I don’t think you can use that as a measuring stick.  There are good parents with bad kids and bad parents with good kids.  The parents of the Columbine massacre were good parents by any measurement, but they had really bad kids. 

We have tried to stop the supply of illegal drugs with very little success. The challenge with opioids is that they are prescription drugs.  Drugs that make a lot of money for companies.  Drugs that help with pain management.   

I don’t have an easy answer.  I am not sure anyone does.  Congress may throw billions of dollars but have no metric for success. If you stop the manufacture from regular companies, they would just show up on the streets by cartels.  Do nothing? That is not a smart option, but also just trying anything and everything is not the answer either.  We get the best people we can around the table to discuss it with all options available. It can’t be political.  It can’t be religious based. It can’t be with an unlimited budget.  But is has to be something. Too many are dying to not continue to find a solution.