The world’s rapid progress not always represents positive changes but is also responsible for creating dangerous substances like novel psychoactive substances (NPS). NPS is a new type of psychotropic narcotics, matters of abuse, that pose a significant public health threat due to wide availability (Khaled et al., 2016). The primary danger of these drugs is that any Narcotics conventions do not control them; therefore, they are not in the power of the United States government.
Fentanyl is one of many NPS that formulates a high threat to the health of a person. The narcotic is defined as a powerful synthetic opioid, which is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine (“Fentanyl,” 2020). The drug is sold in various forms, from powder to pills, and emerges as a deadly threat to drug abusers. The narcotic is marketed and manufactured mostly illegally, which defines the recent 10% increase in the death rates from fentanyl (“Fentanyl,” 2020). Such alarming statistics indicate the growing problem of large-scale drug abuse, including NPS narcotics.
The widespread issue of increased drug exploitation on the United States premises calls for nationwide concern. The 2018 statistic indicated the death of 128 people daily from opioid overdose, which was later defined as an opioid crisis, due to such a concerning nature (“Opioid overdose crisis,” 2020). The situation is explained by the risen influence of opioid misuse on the economy, public health, and social welfare, which is fundamental for the country’s overall well-being.
Undoubtedly, all drug categories declare an imminent threat to a person’s health condition and affect their surroundings. However, based on the studied literature, one particular drug category may be outlined as the most critical – opioids. These narcotics may be prescribed to treat the pain; they are highly addictive and often misused or illegally distributed (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018). This drug classification is associated with the most severe health impairments, causing brain damages, coma, and death. The opioid crisis is the most crucial indicator of the severity of the issue, due to the high overdosing and illegal circulation rates of these stupefacients. Therefore, opioid drugs have the most detrimental impact on people’s health and welfare, calling for urgent resolution.
References
Fentanyl. (2020). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Khaled, S. M., Hughes, E., Bressington, D., Zolezzi, M., Radwan, A., Badnapurkar, A., & Gray, R. (2016). The prevalence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) use in non-clinical populations: A systematic review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 5, 195.
Opioid overdose crisis. (2020). National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Van Wormer, K., & Davis, D. R. (2018). Addiction treatment: A strengths perspective (4th ed.). Cengage.