Although there are global health problems such as that caused by Covid-19, there are also others that affect certain countries. In the case of the United States, opioid overdose has shown a worrying increase over the last two decades. While during the last 18 months it has accelerated to the highest point in its history. That is why specialists point out that it is time to change the strategy to adopt one that does generate favorable results.
To gauge the problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the United States consumes 85 percent of all opioids on the planet. With this, the current panorama can be better understood. While achieving control still looks complicated by a number of factors.
In 2018, a study was published that indicated that up to 70 percent of opioids were obtained thanks to medical prescriptions. Although some are falsified others are issued by doctors, so it is a problem in which there are several protagonists.
Similarly, it should be remembered that in 2019 Johnson & Johnson lost a lawsuit and was ordered to pay a fine of 572 million dollars. The reason is because he was accused of promoting the use of unnecessary painkillers and being responsible for the current crisis in the United States.
However, opioid overdoses reached a record number last year and it is expected that this figure will be exceeded in 2021. Therefore, it is a problem that seems to have no end and the clearest example can be seen with the following graph.
The year with the most deaths from opioid use
Based on statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2000 this problem was responsible for 17,415 deaths in the United States. While for 2019 the historical record of 72,151 fatalities was reached. While according to the current predictions It is estimated that by this 2021 the 100,000 deaths will be exceeded.
Although there are many synthetic opioids, the most dangerous is fentanyl. It is a drug that is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin. It has medical functions for certain types of patients but its consumption should be limited for hospital environments. Otherwise it is highly deadly.
But although the opioid overdose problem is almost exclusively in the United States, due to its proximity it could spread to Mexico. That is why it is necessary not only to know the consequences but to fight to combat this unfortunate situation.