Prescription drug abuse is a rapidly growing epidemic that spreads worldwide. Various national and international health organizations research this field and report about the elevated levels of the identified health issue within the last decades, which is primarily caused by the medication prescription (Paulozzi, Kilbourne, & Desai, 2011). Although the specified health concern is characteristic of many countries, the rates of prescription drug abuse are most alarming in the US.
Prescription opioids are available to people in the US as per a doctor’s script, which leads to all-consuming addictions. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), out of 33,000 deaths, almost 15,000 were caused by prescription drug abuse in 2015 (“Understanding the epidemic, “2017). The rate of drug abuse and overdose in America is rather startling since approximately 1 out of 10 person’s encounters the mentioned problem. Even though the US accounts for 4 percent of the world’s population, almost 30 percent of global prescription drug abuse deaths occur in this country (“Opioid overdose crisis,” 2018). In addition, the specified epidemic is deteriorated by the fact that many patients experiencing pain and prescribed opioid medication tend to misuse it. As reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH), 21 to 29 percent of Americans do not follow their doctors’ prescriptions regarding drugs (“Opioid overdose crisis,” 2018). Such issues as limited access to healthcare services, unawareness of the epidemic, and inadequate pain management seem to aggravate the current state of affairs.
Comparing prescription drug abuse in the US with that of other countries, one may discover the global seizure regarding pharmaceutical opioids. If North America is marked by the growing abuse of fentanyl as well as its analogs, then tramadol remains the key cause of the epidemic in Asia and Africa (“World drug report,” 2018). The World Drug Report 2018 prepared by the United Nations Office on Drug Abuse and Crime (UNODC) demonstrates that Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Latin America act as the countries with the highest opioid provenance regions, which composes the basis for prescription drug abuse in the world (“World drug report,” 2018). At the same time, the recreational cannabis regulations also affect the opioid use prescribed in medical terms. For example, 480 grams of cannabis are annually available to any person in Uruguay, while eight states in the US also allowed its use (“World drug report,” 2018). As a result, in both of the mentioned countries, there is an increased number of emergency visits to hospitals and traffic deaths related to drug abuse.
Examining the given health issue in terms of health rankings, one may resort to data provided by World Life Expectancy with the aim of stimulating global research. According to the abovementioned source, the US (10.21), Russia (12.33), Estonia (11.71), Norway (6.67), Finland (5.76), Nigeria (6.44), and Cameroon (5.05) are among those with the highest ranks (per 100,000 persons) on drug use deaths (“Drug use,” 2017). On the contrary, the most part of South America (Brazil with 0.78 and Chile with 0.64) and Europe (1 on average) have relatively low mortality rates associated with prescription drug abuse (“Drug use,” 2017). This statistics proves that the US leads the global epidemic in overdose deaths.
To conclude, the national and international problem of prescription drug abuse is critical. While the sources of abuse vary across countries, mortality rates remain increasing, especially in the US areas with recreational cannabis and other opioid medication utilization. The analysis of the given health problem makes it evident that urgent and systematic strategies are required to prevent further epidemic development and assist those who are currently in need of professional help.
References
Drug use. (2017).
Opioid overdose crisis. (2018).
Paulozzi, L. J., Kilbourne, E. M., & Desai, H. A. (2011). Prescription drug monitoring programs and death rates from drug overdose. Pain Medicine, 12(5), 747-754.
Understanding the epidemic. (2017).
World drug report: Executive summary conclusions and policy implications. (2018).