What Should We Be Doing About the Opioid Crisis?

1. Prevention

- Expand access to addiction prevention programs and services, including education and treatment for substance abuse.

- Raise awareness about the dangers of opioids and the importance of safe prescription practices.

- Improve prescription drug monitoring programs to prevent over-prescription of opioids.

2. Treatment

- Expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder, including methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.

- Increase the number of addiction treatment facilities, including residential and outpatient programs.

- Provide funding for addiction research to develop new and effective treatments for opioid use disorder.

3. Harm Reduction

- Distribute naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug, to people at risk of overdose.

- Implement syringe exchange programs to prevent the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases.

- Provide housing and other supportive services to people with opioid use disorder.

4. Enforcement

- Increase law enforcement efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking, including the production, distribution, and sale of opioids.

- Prosecute drug dealers who knowingly distribute opioids to people with addiction.

- Impose strict penalties for opioid-related crimes, such as trafficking, possession, and manufacturing.

5. Education and Awareness

- Provide education and awareness about opioid misuse to healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.

- Develop and implement public health campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of opioids.

- Encourage doctors to be aware of signs of opioid misuse and addiction, and to provide addiction treatment resources to patients who need them.

6. Support for People in Recovery

- Provide long-term support for people in recovery from opioid use disorder, including counseling, job training, and housing assistance.

- Establish and support recovery communities, where individuals in recovery can connect with each other and access resources.

- Address the stigma associated with opioid use disorder to reduce barriers to seeking help.

By addressing the opioid crisis from multiple angles, including prevention, treatment, harm reduction, enforcement, education, and support for people in recovery, we can help to save lives and reduce the devastating impact of this crisis on individuals, families, and communities.