1 in 5 deaths in young adults is opioid related

 A few statistics from a new study of opioid deaths in the US (see link)

According to a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open by researchers from St Michaels Hospital in Toronto, Canada, the opioid problem in the United States has been getting far worse in the last 3 years. The percentage of all opiate deaths — that accounts for heroin, painkillers, and more — has increased 292%. 
1.68 million people died in 2016 alone, according to the research, with most deaths happening between the ages of 24 and 35. 

• For the 24 to 35 age bracket, 1 in 5 (20%) deaths were due to opioid use, up from just 4% in 2001. 
• 1,681,359 years of life were lost (the average age of American life is 78.4 years, as per the 2012 census)
• Perhaps most shocking of all, opioids accounted for 12.5% of the deaths between ages 15 to 24. 
• 67.5% of opioid deaths were men, with the median age of 40 years old. 

How truly awful it is.....

Alternative methods can help stem nation's opioid crisis

The New York State Psychological Association's Division on Addictions has written a paper that provides a road map for helping the millions of Americans who are addicted to opioids and preventing new individuals from emerging into the misery of opioid addiction. Here are seven ideas from the paper that would have a profound impact on the opioid epidemic.

1. Require prescriber and patient education about the risks of opioid-based pain medications.

2. Require health-care providers to provide referrals to substance use treatment for opioid-overdose survivors and patients coming out of emergency department visits, rehabilitation centers and detoxification facilities.

3. Offer referrals for evidence-based interventions for pain management that do not involve opioids.

4. Provide evidence-based training and education about substance misuse for medical and mental health professionals and students.

5. Integrate medical, psychological and social interventions.

6. Address opioid use in individuals who are in and transitioning out of the criminal justice system.

7. Respect the importance of a harm reduction framework for the entire continuum of care.

https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Alternative-methods-can-help-stem-nation-s-opioid-12967395.php

Which piece of advice above you may find most helpful to fight with the opioid epidemic?

Do you agree with "a solution to the opioid epidemic is attainable, but it will only be realized when policymakers and caregivers in government, health care, education, law enforcement and other arenas work together to create a comprehensive approach that reduces the frequency of opioid overdose and death"?

Voters Demanding Solutions

As we approach the 2018 midterm elections an increasing issue for voters is solutions to the opioid crisis. This article in Reuters outlines how the the citizens of Binghampton, NY are pressing candidates to offer solutions to the crisis. Many even say the Democratic candidate can flip the previously red county if they offer the best solutions to the opioid crisis.

With what we have learned in class what do you think the voters want to hear in order for them to change their party allegiance in the midterm elections to address the opioid crisis?

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-opioids/voters-in-opioid-plagued-districts-demand-solutions-from-candidates-idUSKCN1J11BE

As Opioid Crisis Grows, Medical Schools Bolster Addiction Training

UCSF's School of Medicine started the program of addiction training last year, partially in response to the growing need to treat opioid addiction in California and beyond. The program is designed to give doctors extensive training in addiction medicine at the beginning of their careers. It is part of a broader shift by medical schools around the country to adapt to the opioid crisis by better incorporating addiction medicine — historically a field within psychiatry — into overall medical training.

Read story of Snyder: https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/As-opioid-crisis-grows-medical-schools-bolster-12963095.php

Do you think this program is helpful? Do you think such program should be implemented by other medical schools?

The Possibilities of Medical Marijuana being able to combat the Opioid Crisis

As we discussed in prior weeks, medical marijuana can potentially be a large scale substitute for opioid prescription. This article examines Illinois potentially looking at the option of increasing medical marijuana in the state as a means for combating the opioid epidemic.

Do you think medical marijuana is a solution for minimizing opioid use? Do you think in the current political climate that government officials would legalize medical marijuana if it means reducing opioid deaths?

http://www.sj-r.com/news/20180603/can-medical-marijuana-help-combat-illinois-opioid-crisis

Who caused the opium war?

As introduced in the early post, between 1839 and 1842 British forces a war on behalf of drug traffickers, which opened up the lucrative China trade to British merchants. This post may answer the question, W.

Chinese-made silk, tea, porcelain were very popular in the European market. The British people hoped that China can open up trade. However, Qing emperors were sensitive to their outsider status. The British exports of wool, cashmere and other industrial products were not popular in China. The Qian long emperor even believed that China was a vast country with abundant resources, and there is no need to trade with the UK.  

On the other hand, the foreign merchants chafed against high port taxes (at 20%), pay-offs to innumerable official. 

Besides, in the 18th century, the UK implemented the gold standard monetary policy, while the Qing Dynasty used silver as the currency. Sold by silver but bought by gold made British merchants benefit from the impaired. 

Therefore, British merchants therefore smuggled opium to China to balance their interests.

Suggested reading: http://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2097701/who-caused-opium-war-british-merchants-canton-argues-new-book

Do you now think Britain used opiates as a weapon to defeat China?

Opiates in golden triangle

Golden triangle in southeast Asia, including Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, was responsible for producing over half of the world's opium as recently as the 1990s. The opiate problems in Laos, for example, are severe:

1. Although the government has proved its ability to locate and destroy poppy fields, but its dedication to disbursing aid—such as might motivate the erstwhile growers to pursue other livelihoods—is more questionable. UNODC believes that less than 10% of the villages declared opium-free have received funds promised for growing alternative crops. The effects of this failure were exacerbated by the global financial crisis. Weaker demand led to a fall in farm-gate prices for legal crops, while higher input costs raised prices for household goods. As standards of living declined, the reasons to return to poppies grew stronger.

2.  Methamphetamine, known in Thai or Lao as yaba, is rising sharply. 

The ease and speed with which yaba factories can be assembled and relocated, combined with Laos' porous borders, makes it a cinch to evade the police. Unlike poppy plots, meth labs are not easily spotted by helicopter surveillance. So it is difficult to determine whether police are making inroads or whether factories are simply scaling up production. Nor is it possible to tell if seized pills originated in Laos or only indicted midway along their journey to markets in Europe, America and elsewhere in Asia.

Read Article: https://www.economist.com/banyan/2011/07/19/a-second-wind-from-the-golden-triangle?zid=293&ah=e50f636873b42369614615ba3c16df4a

Do you have any suggested policies to Laos government to solve the opiate problems?  Do you think if it is possible for Laos to implement "decriminalization"?