Kasey Merritt

HLTH1050
Global Opioid Crisis

We understand there is a crisis on drugs around the world, that could include alcohol,
tobacco, opioids, and more illegal and even still legal drugs. But I want to focus more on the
opioid crisis and the one opioid that has taken a massive hit worldwide, Heroin. It started
recently and is still ongoing and growing to this day. Not only is this crisis in the United States
but it many other countries as well, such as Canada and England. It’s also important to
understand more about this drug and what it can do to the body, and why it is so addictive. Or
where it comes from. Most importantly what are the affected countries doing to fight this crisis.

The Opioid Overdoes Crisis began in 1990. It was stated by the Article Opioid Overdose
Crisis on drugabuse.gov That doctors were notified the opioids were not addictive and that their
patients won’t get addicted from prescribed opioid pain relievers. However, this was wrong. It
didn’t take long before the healthcare providers understood that, they were in fact very addictive.
And their patients started to become dependent on the drug. By the time they noticed it was too
late the Opioid crisis took off.

This crisis eventually took the lives of 47,000 American’s in 2017, and still today take the
lives of about 100 American’s every day from overdoses. The patients understood that heroin is
considered an opiate. The one thing they’re craving, because the doctors won’t prescribe the
medication. They went to the streets to get what they’ve been wanting. Which started a massive
wave of heroin use. Approximately 80% of heroin users were addicted to opioid pain relievers
prior. (Opioid Overdose Crisis) So, why is it so addictive? What makes an opioid such a high
demand?

There are many different forms of opiates. Opiates is a generic pharmacology term
meaning opium, coming from the plant. In this sap like substance it contains psychoactive
compounds; morphine, codeine, and thebein. The first, morphine, which is also the strongest
drug found in the plant, can be split into two well-known forms today. Heroin, and hydrocodone.
These drugs are used in prepping patients before surgery (mainly morphine), as well as to relieve
pain. The way these drug works is described in “What Are the Mental and Physical Effects of a
Morphine High?” analgesia (the inability to feel pain) and euphoria (an intensive state of
excitement or happiness); m 2-receptors, causing drowsiness and mental clouding; k-receptors,
causing dysphoria (a state of dissatisfaction with life or unease) and mild respiratory depression;
and d-receptors, causing delusions and hallucinations.
Once it’s taken and introduced to the body, it can be great pain reliever, and a medicine.
But, when it is abused that’s when the problems surface. One reason why users get so addicted to
heroin is because of the feelings they get from it as explained earlier. However, the hidden
underlying issue is the flu like symptoms that come with the problem as well. These symptoms
include; headaches, nausea, sweating, pain, vomiting, etc. which can last about 3-4 weeks. So,
instead of suffering the pain, they take another hit of the drug, and their worries all disappear,
receiving instantly that gratitude they’re trying to get rid of.
 Understanding know what the drug does to the body, it’s no surprise to see how it has
caused a massive crisis so early on. With it being so addictive the patients now became users.
Looking for that next high. They reached out to drug dealers for heroin to receive what their
body has been craving. With this course of action the illegal opioid business took off. Drug
providers started producing more and more of it to meet the demand. The majority of today’s
heroin come from Afghanistan, and next would be Mexico. In Afghanistan, the demand was so
high, and the rate in which they were able to produce at took nearly 90% of the global use in
heroin. There still today they accommodate for the majority of opium. And they produce their
product to nearly every country, besides South America. (Opioid Overdose Crisis).
Eventually drug dealers even got the idea to add Fentanyl another opioid to
heroin. The difference is that fentanyl is s synthetic drug. Meaning it doesn’t necessarily
come directly from Opium but it has opiate like affects. This drug is already addictive; however,
the difference is that it’s about 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. When the users first
experienced the use of fentanyl. They would experience an extreme high and the euphoric feeling
that is desired so much. Yet, another difference is with it being so concentrated people started to
fall like fly’s, all because of an overdose.
The users though aren’t all young as some would expect. In 2016 there was
approximately 275 million users from ages 15 to 64 that used heroin at least once that year. The
generation of the baby boomers is also part of this crisis. In fact, from ages 40 and up the usage
rate is increasing faster than younger generations, all stated in “Cocaine and heroin supplies hit
'record highs' globally”.

Which raised awareness about the drug and what needed to be done about it. Through
time safe havens started to arise. Here the user could take the batch of heroin to the location, get
it tested for fentanyl, and then use it right there on the spot. Doing this helped reduce overdosing
so the users knew just how much to use. Where this drug is considered a depressant. It affects the
Central Nervous System. Dropping the heart rate and respiratory system to not existent.

This Opioid crisis wasn’t only in the United States. It was also a big hit in many other
countries including Canada, England, China, Mexico, Russia, and more. Every one of these
countries had their own crisis. With the overdoses taking the lives of so many.

In England and Wales heroin took the lives of 3,744 sourced from “Fentanyl Adds Deadly
Kick to Opioid Woes in Britain”. This may be a small number in comparisons to the United
states, where heroin is taking the lives of nearly a 100 a day. The percentage rate however, favors
England in this case.
Other Countries Such as China are making changes in their government to accommodate
for the explosive increase. China and the United States came together to find away that’ll help
both parties. In this agreement, the United States illegal black market for heroin will take a hit
decreasing the amount that could get exported in. And for China they plan on “controlling the
substance”. In this case they plan on giving the maximum penalty under law to any fentanyl
dealer (U.S.-China fentanyl pact is not expected to produce immediate results).
Russia is another country that is facing a massive epidemic. Almost to the extent of the
United States. However, their methods for overcoming heroin is completely different. In the
States, they have decided to have rehabilitation centers and provide methadone as a replacement.
Russia is going “cold turkey”. They won’t be providing any substance to curb the addiction.
 They are aware of how this may affect their succession rate. But they would rather have their
citizens be completely free, instead of partly free still relying on a substance. (Russian answer to
opioid epidemic: 'Cold turkey')
Canada as well is on verge of trying to overcome their own national crisis for Opioids.
From 2016 to 2018 nearly 10,300 Canadians have died. This number is high and very concerning
for the country. Just like any other country they want to do what is best for their people. At first,
they tried providing Safe havens as well. But this never halted the number of users. Yes, it saved
lives, but it wasn’t enough for a great impact. So, they stopped supporting them in 2018. As
stated by () No safe injections sites for users will die. Some believe this is a massive set back in
the progression to overcoming the crisis. But they have a different solution. They plan on using
public awareness. By teaching parents what to watch out for, putting warning labels on
medications, and even set up a plan incase opioid addiction becomes real for that patient.
In all of these countries we can notice that it has taken a massive hit on the public health
and has the government worried for their people. Each country is trying to do what works best
for them. But all of the would agree that this is a modern-day crisis they are trying to fight.

It’s now easy to understand why heroin, fentanyl, and other forms of opioids are so
addictive. Yet also understanding this crisis on the opioids isn’t only in the united states but is a
global issue. Countries that understand this crisis have taken action because they have seen the
damage that heroin, fentanyl and opioids have done to their public health. This crisis is deadly
and dangerous, staying aware of this crisis is our best line of self-defense.

Resources:

Inderveer Mahal Family physician and Global Journalism Fellow. (2019, May 22). Without safe

injection sites, more opioid users will die. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/without-

safe-injection-sites-more-opioid-users-will-die-115979

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2019, January 22). Opioid Overdose Crisis. Retrieved from

https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis

Russian answer to opioid epidemic: 'Cold turkey'. (2017, November 28). Retrieved from

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2017/1128/Russian-answer-to-opioid-epidemic-Cold-

turkey

Smith, R. (2018, June 26). Cocaine and heroin supplies hit 'record highs' globally. Retrieved from

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/26/health/heroin-cocaine-unodc-drug-report-2018-intl/index.html
Staff, R. B. (n.d.). What Are the Mental and Physical Effects of a Morphine High? Retrieved from

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/morphine-treatment/mental-and-physical-effects

Yeginsu, C. (2018, February 04). Fentanyl Adds Deadly Kick to Opioid Woes in Britain. Retrieved

from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/04/world/europe/uk-fentanyl-opioid-addiction.html

Bernstein, L., & Zezima, K. (2018, December 03). U.S.-China fentanyl pact is not expected to

produce immediate results. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-

science/us-china-fentanyl-pact-is-not-expected-to-produce-immediate-

results/2018/12/03/530550a8-f722-11e8-8c9a-860ce2a8148f_story.html?

noredirect=on&utm_term=.6e6f3d3d1796