PREVENTING OPIOID ABUSE

AMONGST ADOLESCENTS: A
POLICY BRIEF

By: Savanah Lemon

HHE 378-050   
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THE ISSUE
In the United States, 670 adolescents are victim to prescription opioid misuse.

(CALIHAN, J. B., ALINSKY, R. H., & MATSON, P. A. 2021) Opioid abuse has had a significant

influence on individuals, families, and communities. The effects of

opioid abuse are cumulative, significantly contributing to costly

social, physical, mental, and public health problems. Opioid abuse is

an issue because it has negative repercussions on people based on

social determinants of health. The 2019 National Survey states, 16% of

adolescents ages 12- 17 years old have used opioids and 2.3% are reported to have misused a

substance. The great issue is accidental and purposeful overdose of opioids. During the years

1999 and 2016 opioids poisonings have gone up 268% (CALIHAN, J. B., ALINSKY, R. H., &

MATSON, P. A. 2021).

Opioid misuse is challenging to regulate because they are prescribed for pain.

Adolescents should know the hazards of medication to prevent misuse. Home environment

plays a major role in adolescents opioid misuse. It all depends on access, financial circumstance,

and health status. This epidemic portrays the deadliest in history with the thoughts that the

numbers will only rise unless there is action taken (Neville, K., & Foley, M. 2020). To depict the

severity of opioid misuse within the United States amongst adolescents, the chart below

expresses the number of deaths per year.

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According to “Adolescents' Perspectives on Prescription Opioid Misuse and Medication

Safety”, Adolescents had some knowledge pertaining to prescription opioids, but they had

misconceptions related to safety. Students were conscious of saftey risks and destructive impacts

of misuse. In a recent study, adolescents attained medication data gathered from many sources,

including health care professionals, family and peers, and online sources. The implementation of

educational efforts that teach adolescents can provide a substantial amount of opportunities for

tackling the myths about safe and responsible use of opioids. (Abraham, O., Szela, L., Thakur,

T., Brasel, K., & Brown, R. (2021).

Proposed Policy
Policy makers of the United States should advocate for integrating programs in school that

education the next generation on the dangers of opioid misuse. Just as other drug substances

are discussed in school settings, so should the impacts of opioid misuse. Supportive school

environments can make grave difference (Probst, C., Elton-Marshall, T., Imtiaz, S., Patte, K. A.,

Rehm, J., Sornpaisarn, B., & Leatherdale S. T. 2021). Secondly, an additional way of reaching

adolescents is through physicians. Finally, using social media and other entertainment

platforms to help spread the awareness of opioid misuse.

References

by Unknown Author is licensed under

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CALIHAN, J. B., ALINSKY, R. H., & MATSON, P. A. (2021). The adolescent and the

medicine cabinet. Contemporary Pediatrics, 38(4), 22–23.

Abraham, O., Szela, L., Thakur, T., Brasel, K., & Brown, R. (2021). Adolescents’ Perspectives

on Prescription Opioid Misuse and Medication Safety. Journal of Pediatric

Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 26(2), 133–143.

Arora, N. S., Marcotte, K. M., & Hopper, J. A. (2018). Reducing opioid misuse among

adolescents through physician education. Substance Abuse, 39(1), 6–8. https://doi-

org.libdata.lib.ua.edu/10.1080/08897077.2017.1356788

Probst, C., Elton-Marshall, T., Imtiaz, S., Patte, K. A., Rehm, J., Sornpaisarn, B., & Leatherdale,

S. T. (2021). A supportive school environment may reduce the risk of non-medical

prescription opioid use due to impaired mental health among students. European Child &

Adolescent Psychiatry, 30(2), 293–301. https://doi-org.libdata.lib.ua.edu/10.1007/s00787-

020-01518-3

Neville, K., & Foley, M. (2020). The Economic Impact of the Opioid Use Disorder Epidemic in

America: Nurses’ Call to Action. Nursing Economic$, 38(1), 7–51.