What factors contributed to the current opioid overdose crisis?

130 individuals in the United States overdose by abusing opioids quotidianly. This lead up
to more than 47,600 deaths in the year 2017, according to the US Department of Health and
Human Services. Opioid overdose refers to the misuse of drugs such as fentanyl, morphine,
methadone, oxycodone, percocet and many more which are prescribed as painkillers, but
have an addictive quality which initiate people to overdose. Opioid use disorder has several
factors which inaugurate individuals to keep abusing them with no thought; these factors
include: having trouble with withdrawal, dependence on them to numb their pain, and
chemicals the drugs contain which initiate addiction. Drug abuse, which overtime, results in
death from overdose is dictating the lives of the public.

“Opioid Crisis Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Oct. 2019,
https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/health/opioid-crisis-fast-facts/index.html.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Opioid Overdose Crisis.” NIDA, 22 Jan. 2019,
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis.

“Information Sheet on Opioid Overdose.” World Health Organization, World Health

Organization, 21 Aug. 2018, https://www.who.int/substance_abuse/information-
sheet/en/.

“The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment.” What Drugs Are
Opioids?, https://www.naabt.org/faq_answers.cfm?ID=4.