Public Health
By Josh Powell
The United States is in the grip of an unprecedented public health crisis. Each day, approximately 136 Americans die from an opioid overdose, amounting to nearly 50,000 deaths annually. This epidemic, which has claimed over half a million lives since 1999, represents one of the most devastating public health emergencies in modern American history. What began as a crisis fueled by prescription painkillers has evolved into a complex, multifaceted epidemic that touches every corner of American society, transcending geographical, socioeconomic, and racial boundaries.
Opioids encompass a broad category of drugs that interact with opioid receptors in the body, producing pain-relieving and euphoric effects. This category includes natural derivatives from poppy seeds, semisynthetic drugs like heroin and oxycodone, and fully synthetic compounds such as methadone and fentanyl. The latter deserves particular attention as it is 50–100 times more potent than morphine, con…
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