The American drug society

The U.S. is a country with many problems such as high crime rate, homelessness, poor education, gun violence, race issues, immigration, affordability, extreme inequality, but the worst element might be drugs. There are drugs everywhere and it is getting worse.  The cost of drug abuse in the US is estimated to nearly $820 billion per year, taking into account crime, healthcare needs, lost work productivity, and other impacts on society. $193 billion was incurred in overall costs for illegal drugs in addition to $78.5 billion for prescription opioids. Annually, about 600,000 hospitalizations occurred due to nonfatal drug poisonings or overdoses, including cases that were unintentional, of undetermined intent, or intentional self-harm. Between 70,000 and 100,000 dies of drug overdoses each year. The Trump administration is increasing funds to support international drug control and interdiction, reduce fentanyl and synthetic drug production and trafficking, and combat violent crime.

When it comes to taking opioids, the U.S. is leading the world. For every one million Americans, almost 50,000 doses of opioids are taken every day. There are often good reasons for taking opioids. Cancer patients use them for pain relief, as do patients recovering from surgery, codeine and morphine are opioids, for example. Nationally, opioids killed tens of thousands every year in addition to regular drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. How come there are drugs everywhere in the U.S.? Unlike most European countries, the U.S. does not have universal healthcare paid for by taxes. Instead, Americans must get their own insurance, usually via an employer or the government. Say you have a patient that is 45 years old. They have lower back pain, you examine them, they have a muscle spasm. Really the best thing is physical therapy, but no one will pay for that. So, doctors get ready to pull out the prescription pad. Even if the insurance covers physical therapy, you probably need prior authorization from the insurer, which is a lot of time and paperwork. The U.S. and New Zealand are the only countries that allow prescription drugs to be advertised on television. According to the research firm Kantar, spending on advertising by pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. reached $6.4 billion.

In the U.S., it is common for drug companies to court doctors, in an effort to promote their products. In the end of the day, it is about making money more than taking care of patients, which is an indication of the American society in general. There is a culture of medication which is dangerous and unfortunate. There are some recent trends that are concerning. Synthetic opioids, specifically fentanyl, are involved in 75.6% of drug overdose deaths, marijuana legalization with 24 states that have legalized recreational marijuana, and about 22% of Americans 12 or older use it. So, people are starting with drugs at an early age and it is accepted, even more than smoking cigarettes. Also, xylazine, a veterinary sedative known as tranq has emerged as a dangerous additive to illicit drugs, becoming a major cause of overdose in recent years.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Trump administration is weighing reclassifying marijuana as less dangerous drug. This is a significant shift that could make it easier to buy and sell pot and reward investors in the multibillion-dollar cannabis business. The drug has been classified as a Schedule I drug since 1970, which does not really seem correct as there or drugs like LSD and heroin in the same category, so a downgrade to Schedule III seems appropriate, but after all it is still a drug, often used by really young people and triggering later use of heavier drugs. The drug is particularly dangerous for teens. Even low-level use is linked to increased risk of developing psychiatric disorder and doing poorly in school. There are already to many poorly educated people in this country, often leading to crimes, prisons and misery. In order to make more money, the cannabis industry is increasingly marketing the products for a range of health issues, including anxiety, depression, pain and sleep problems. Today, more people in the U.S. use cannabis than alcohol daily. Among people who use marijuana daily, about 20%-30% will develop cannabis use disorder and in effect become drug addicts. When it comes to marijuana, doctors and scientists tend to worry most about its impact on developing brain. Research has found that adolescent cannabis use increases the risk of developing psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety disorder. Regularly using cannabis during the teen yeas also is associated with disruption in memory and learning.

It is difficult to see why the U.S. government would promote this development. A reclassification might be in order, but the U.S. should make it harder to get drugs, prohibit advertising of drugs and encourage people not to use drugs. Instead, they are doing the opposite and a country already filled of unaware and uneducated people seems to be heading down the wrong path. The U.S. truly is a society full of drugs.