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America has a long history with use and regulation of dangerous drugs in the opioid family. Early patent medicines and remedies used laudlum and even cocaine. In the modern ear of medicine the consensus that drugs such as morphine should be handled with great care. However, in the last decade a series of medications were introduced that made opioids available again. Despite the assertions that they would be a safe addition to pain management, an epidemic was born. This epidemic is the largest
health crisis in the history of drugs. More people have died from overdose than from car accidents in the past few years.
This Frontline documentary is stark look at the scope and complexity of this epidemic.
Consider the following questions:
- Is addiction a health problem or a legal problem
- How does the history of the drug war and early drug policies affect our approach today?
- What other underlying issues can be connected to this problem such as unemployment, government intervention, and education.
Despite the obvious problem with the drug addiction this epidemic has revealed several other changing and troubling trends for the aging American population. Look at this LINK to an article about demographic concentration of addiction (be sure to look closely at the map)
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