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How did this happen?
The opioid epidemic can be traced back to the 1990s. As pharmaceutical companies tried to find new painkillers to promote, they began to push opioids to doctors. These companies would assure the medical community that opioid pain relievers were non-addictive and had no dangerous side effects. Naturally, doctors began pushing these drugs. Opioids are commonly prescribed for pain management following an injury or for chronic pain. Many patients do not realize the addictive nature of these drugs until their prescriptions are over. By that time, users have already become so dependent on opioids that they must either endure painful withdrawal symptoms or look for another means of getting their high. Legal opioid prescriptions have caused more harm than good, due to lies from pharmaceutical companies.
Did you know:
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80% of people suffering from an addiction to heroin started with a prescription for an opioid pain reliever
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Roughly 21 to 29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them
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The number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids and illegal opioids like heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl) has increased 6 times from 1999 to 2017.
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Nearly 80% of people in federal prison and almost 60% of people in state prison for drug offenses are black or Latino.
Marijuana
Marijuana is considered a controlled substance by federal law, yet it has already been legalized in 11 states. The criminalization of marijuana supports mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system. It has disproportionately harmed lower-income communities and communities of color. Marijuana should be legalized at a federal level and the government must invest in the communities most harmed by the war on drugs.
