Heroin Abuse in Massachusetts - Research Paper Example

Heroin abuse in Massachusetts affiliation Abuse of drugs has been a global issue for years. Regardless of the awareness created on the issue, the number of cases reported on drug abuse has significantly increased. The modern day society has an increased level of tendency to abuse drugs. The situation is made worse by that the average age of drug abusers of drugs has decreased. Children at an early age can easily access drugs. This happens even after numerous mechanisms have been put in place to curb the rising cases of drug abuse. Apart from drug abuse cases, the number of deaths and addiction cases in hospitals has also increased. The statistics depicts the level that the society is inclined to drug abuse. In addition, this depicts the fruitless efforts put in place by stakeholder to eradicate the vice in the society. Regardless of the responsibility of the required stakeholders, the people have a responsibility of eradicating drug abuse. Stakeholder may put in place mechanisms but may not change the perception of the people on the issue. In addition, it becomes a personal responsibility to ensure that there are safe from harm or practices that may be harmful to their health. This is based on that people are informed and educated on drug abuse but fail to adhere to the recommendations presented to eradicate the vice. Heroin abuse in Massachusetts Introduction Similar to many countries across the globe, the United States faces massive task of minimizing drug abuse cases. Over the years, the tendency of people to abuse drugs has steadily increased. The trend has increased the participation of both the state and non-governmental bodies to come up with strategies that minimize drug and substance abuse. However, this has not been achieved. The United States continues to record numerous cases on drug abuse. In addition, the number addiction cases have also increased. This could be justified by the rise in number of people in rehabilitation centers. Deaths related to drug abuse have also been reported. Across the United States, commonly abused drugs are marijuana, cocaine and heroin. In recent years, heroin abuse cases have increased massively. This could be attributed to the affordable versions of the drug available to the market. The nature of the drug, however, has created concern to the government and health bodies. The situation described above depicts the nature of drug abuse in Massachusetts. The state has reported increased cases on heroin abuse in recent years. The drug has become easily available and accessible to the people. This has increased abuse level. Massachusetts governor has declared that heroin has created a state of public health emergency (Wong, 2014). This is because the number of overdose and addiction cases in the state has significantly increased. In addition, the governor cited that the state is exposed to a painkiller drug that has opium content. In an argument by Rowe(2006) the continued consumption of heroin creates a rising demand on its consumers. This creates addictions which consequently lead to increased overdose cases. Method The study will present information and knowledge that would help determine the level of heroin abuse in Massachusetts. The information will not be limited to any group as the entire community would be analyzed. However, the study would determine the most affected social groups. In addition, factors that influence drug abuse would also be determined. The information provided will include probabilities that would enable forecast the extent of heroin abuse in the state of Massachusetts. Additionally, the performance of state bodies will be analyzed and their impact on the issue. The role and significance of health institution would also be determined. Information and date collected was done from internet sources. In recent years, the state has published reports that depict the extent of heron abuse. In addition, medical institutions have also reported cases of heroin abuse that have led to death and other medical complications. Date analyzed in the research study will also include discussions from medical journal that depict the influence of heroin on human health. The research will also depict the ease at which heroin can be accessed and purchased in Massachusetts. In addition, this will include new trends used by vendors to attract consumers. Consequently, does the state understand these trends? How much efforts have been placed to curb the developed techniques? The general impact of heroin abuse will be also provided. This will include the effects on people, the society as well as the involved institutions. In addition, the mechanism put in place to minimize the effects of the impact will also be analyzed. Results In Massachusetts, 185 deaths have been reported between November 2013 and February 2014 (Associated Press, 2014). This data is provided by the Massachusetts state police. Regardless of the massive figure, the data does not include results from Worcester, Boston and Springfield. This data is an increase from the years 2012 where at least 120 people had died between 2000 and 2012 (Wong, 2014). In a statement by the governor, the number of unintentional addicts is on the increase. Between 2000 and 2012, this number has increased by 90%. Since, 2007 health institutions in Massachusetts have successfully stopped 2000 cases of overdose (Associated Press, 2014).In regards to expenditure, the state has dedicated $20 million to eradicate heroin and deal with the impacts of its abuse (Wong, 2014). The main problem that has led to the growth of heroin abusers in the state is the availability of a cheaper drug. (Tietjen, 2014) points out that, Massachusetts police announced that heroin is laced in a painkiller known as fentanyl. This has also increased the number of unintentional addicts. This can be justified from the argument that 23% of heroin users are dependent to the drug (Tietjen, 2014). The state has, however, put in place mechanism aimed at reducing the selling of heroin in the area. For instance, the sale of fentanyl has been stopped to minimize accessibility of the drug. In addition, the allocation of $20 million would be of great impact in the heroin abuse and its effects (Associated Press, 2014). Medical institutions have developed way to curb cases of heroin overdose to avoid cases of death. This has been a success. However, the number of patients in need of help and rehabilitation care continue to rise. The most affected population is the young adults. Tietjen (2014) cites that the average age of heroin abusers is 22.9 years. The white population is the most affected as it makes up of 90% of the abusers. As at 2010, female users was above the male as it recorded 52% to 48% to that of men (Tietjen, 2014). 74% of opium users are in suburbs and rural areas (Tietjen, 2014). In addition, 75% of opium abused is prescribed. From a general American perspective, the trends seen in Massachusetts have been emulated. The annual increase of heroin users in the country is massive. In the year 2012, there were 669,000 reported cases of heroin abuse. This was an increase from 404,000 the previous years (Tietjen, 2014). The same growth density is witnessed in Massachusetts. In addition, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health point out that 4.2 million Americans above the age of 12 have used heroin at one point in their lives (Tietjen, 2014). This depicts 1.6 percent of the entire American population (Tietjen, 2014). The data provided by the body may justify the data collected in the state of Massachusetts. Additionally, the intensity of issue in the state depicts the level at which health bodies and the state has failed to protect people from accessing the drug. Discussion From the results presented, one may point out that heroin abuse in Massachusetts depicts the level of abuse in the whole country. However, intensity of the issue in the state is critical. The state of health emergency announced by the governor depicts the seriousness of the issue. In an argument by Rowe (2006) the growth of substance abuse has been rampant to an extent that the efforts put in place to eradicate the issue has been insignificant. The author further points out that Massachusetts has recorded the most numbers of death, addicts, and overdose (Rowe, 2006). This creates an assumption that the state has failed to secure its communities from accessing the drug. The same argument is presented by Cosgrove (2010) who is of the assumption that much effort and measures put in place by urban states may be functional in less developed states. This may create an assumption that the state administration and health bodies in the state are not functional enough. In understanding the rampant use of the heroin, the availability of the drug in the fentanyl painkiller has eased is accessibility for the intentional users. In addition, the painkiller could be prescribed upon request by a person. This can justify the date that depicts that 75% of abuse cases are as a result of prescriptions (Rowe, 2006). The laced form of heroin also minimizes its detection by the police. In addition, the painkiller may be hailed for its medicinal value at the expense of the users. The painkiller has also increased the number of unintentional users. Considering that heroin is a highly addictive drug, its continuous consumption whether intentional or unintentional may addiction (McCabe, Boyd & Teter, 2009). For an unintentional user, fentanyl may just be an effective painkiller. Its suitability may not directly explain its opium content. For this reason, a person may continuously take the drug for its medical purposes. However, their continuous consumption leads to addiction. This creates the need to adapt a routine consumption of the drug. It depicts the point of addiction. In an argument by the PDMP Center of Excellence (2012) an unintentional user of heroin is likely to overdose since they do not understand the effects of the drug they are consuming. In addition, their body tends to create resistance to small quantities of the drug thus creating a need to increase dosage. From the results obtained, rural and suburbs record the highest number of heroin abusers. This can be explained by understand this particular society. For instance, issues such as unemployment can be attributed to the growth of heroin abuse in Massachusetts. PDMP Center of Excellence (2012) is of the assumption that, development of rural states and suburbs may minimize the need and want to abuse drugs. The author further points out that this could be done by increasing the value of the society and its activities (PDMP Center of Excellence, 2012). Conclusion From the arguments presented, it is an obvious assumption that Massachusetts is significantly affected by heroin abuse. The state has recorded massive data on deaths, addictions and overdose related to heroin. This trend has attracted the intervention of the state leadership. However, one may also point that the issue of drug abuse is created by the lack of proper administration of the state. References Associated Press. (2014). Massachusetts: 4 months and 185 heroin deaths. Retrieved from http://www.wcvb.com/health/massachusetts-4-months-and-185-heroin-deaths/25342776#!bxG38C Cosgrove, K. P. (2010). Imaging receptor changes in human drug abusers. Curr Top BehavNeurosci,3: 199-217. McCabe, S., Boyd, J. & Teter, J. (2009).Subtypes of nonmedical prescription drug misuse. Drug Alcohol Depend,102 (1–3): 63–70. PDMP Center of Excellence. (2012). Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: An Assessment of the Evidence for Best Practices. Waltham: Brandeis University. Rowe, T. (2006).Federal Narcotics Laws and the War on Drugs: Money Down a Rat Hole. New York: Haworn Press. Tietjen, D. (2014). The new heroin user: White, Young, Suburban. Jun 3 2014. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/health/2014/06/03/the-new-heroin-user-white-young-suburban/QrGftEAw7DPl5TDiog1eaI/story.html Wong, A. (2014). Massachusetts declares public health emergency over heroin overdoses and opioids addiction. Retrieved from http://rt.com/usa/massachusetts-declares-health-emergency-heroin-929/ Read More