Opioid Crisis in Los Angeles and the United States

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Degree of the Crisis and the National Statistics
The States and Populations Most Affected
Comparing the National Data to Los Angeles Data
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Medication abuse is one of the most common negative issues in the healthcare system. Unfortunately, the number of individuals suffering and dying from drug overdose is growing every year. In particular, the statistics in the US are alarming, which urges the government to take serious measures to prevent the spread of the crisis. The present paper aims to introduce the degree of the opioid crisis at the national level and in Los Angeles and to establish the most affected states and populations.

The Degree of the Crisis and the National Statistics

The opioid epidemic has reached a very high degree in the US. According to statistics, over two million citizens abuse their prescriptions (“Opioid crisis fast facts,” 2018). Recent data indicate that 6,2 billion hydrocodone pills were allocated at the national level in 2016. In the same year, over 63,600 cases of overdose deaths were recorded in the US (“Opioid crisis fast facts,” 2018). Out of these, 66.4% (42,249) of deaths are attributed to opioids. On average, 115 people in the country die every day (“Opioid crisis fast facts,” 2018). The situation is aggravated by the fact that physicians prescribe opioids at a high rate. Although the number of prescriptions has decreased since the 2012 peak of 282 million, it is still significant (“Opioid crisis fast facts,” 2018). Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the degree of the opioid crisis is dangerously high, and the strict supervision of prescriptions is necessary in order to alleviate the problem.

The States and Populations Most Affected

Not all of the US states are impacted by the opioid crisis equally. According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, several states had the highest death rate of opioid overdose in 2016:

West Virginia (52.0 deaths per 100,000);
Ohio (39.1 per 100,000);
New Hampshire (39.0 per 100,000);
Pennsylvania (37.9 per 100,000);
Kentucky (33.5 per 100,000) (“Drug overdose death data,” 2017, para. 2).

Among the rest of the states, there are some in which death levels induced by drug overdose grow at a dangerous pace. Statistics indicate a significant rise in 26 states. Among them, there are New York, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana, Florida, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, Delaware, New Jersey, and Illinois (“Drug overdose death data,” 2017). Thus, currently, there are five states most influenced by the opioid crisis. However, there is a risk of other states reaching dangerous death rates.

Irrespective of the state they live in, people may be affected by the opioid crisis depending on some personal characteristics. According to Kneebone and Allard (2017), the most vulnerable group is represented by non-Hispanic whites and older but still working-age adults. Research also indicates that economically distressed populations are influenced more than financially stable ones (Kneebone & Allard, 2017). The reasons for the rise of the crisis are associated with the lack of effective opioid abuse programs or sufficient prescription restrictions.

Comparing the National Data to Los Angeles Data

Compared to the national statistics, Los Angeles data are less dramatic. Whereas the 2016 country death rate of an opioid overdose was 13.3 per 100,000 Americans, in Los Angeles, the rate was 3.2 per 100,000 (Faust, 2018). Experts consider the city’s ethnic diversity and racial heterogeneity to be the reason for such a statistical gap (Faust, 2018). Also, cultural diversity is believed to play an important role.

Conclusion

The opioid crisis poses a great threat to US society. The problem impacts some states and populations more severely than others, but there is no confidence that it will not reach out to more victims in currently low-rated regions. It is necessary to develop initiatives and implement interventions that would increase people’s awareness of the seriousness of the problem and encourage them not to engage in risky behaviors.

References

Drug overdose death data. (2017). Web.

Faust, M. (2018). The opioid epidemic isn’t hitting LA as hard as the rest of the country. Ethnic diversity might explain why. Southern California Public Radio. Web.

Kneebone, E., & Allard, S. W. (2017). A nation in overdose peril: Pinpointing the most impacted communities and the local gaps in care. Brookings. Web.

Opioid crisis fast facts. (2018). CNN. Web.

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Opioid Crisis in Los Angeles and the United States

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