The Opioid Crisis: Averting the Damage of Opioids in Canada

 Prescription drugs are given daily to patients around the world, but some can come with a deathly cost. The ongoing opioid epidemic has been spurring around for decades, causing overdose form illegal and prescribed drug misuse. Opioids can come in many forms, most often used in painkillers, such as oxycodone, codeine, morphine, fentanyl, and also found in the illicit drug of heroin. The peak of the opioid crisis came in the year 2015, where drug overdose became the leading cause of death in America, recording over fifty-thousand deaths, thirty-three-thousand being due to opioids. As the crisis had been continuously silenced, it had been a very late response when President Donald Trump had finally pronounced the crisis as a national health emergency. In the New Yorker magazine, Margaret Talbot draws attention to the issue, laying out the facts of the crisis, including the damage and harm it has done for the nation during the past two years of its peak. Throughout the essay, the writer puts in context how extreme the opioid crisis has grown and how close it is to society today. With the matter of the crisis being drawn to attention by many people in the media, the opioid epidemic is gaining overall awareness and the public is now further investigating how to decrease the results.
From the facts, it is obvious that the opioid epidemic is a matter of fact that has to be addressed to everyone, but with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the crisis has not become listed as a national emergency. Though Trudeau has put effort to converse about the issue, it has not officially become a national health emergency, which has drawn controversial reactions fromthe public. As numbers increase in drug overdose, more Canadians are pushing the Prime Minister to take action and find solutions to the epidemic. In the eyes of a Canadian, the opioid epidemic is so largely impacting and should be handled immediately. Unfortunately, higher levels of authority and health generals are not doing much to eliminate the misuse of opioids in our nation. As we begin to gain further awareness on the issue, there are hopes that Prime Minister Trudeau and the health officials will work together seriously in a way to avoid and prevent drug overdoses. Canada can take many actions to respond to the negative effects of opioids, spreading education on the topic, learning about substitutes, and increasing the control of opioids can easily decrease the numbers of drug-related deaths today.
In response to the complex opioid epidemic in Canada, one solution can come straight from the source. The beginning of an extension of education on drug addiction will help alter the way doctors and citizens handle addiction situations. As most doctors are not formally trained in addiction medicine, the facts of addiction are usually held in the hands of the psychiatrists. With this unfortunate fact, most doctors do not do proper diagnoses and result in animproper prescription for opioids. With improving the education of addiction medicine to doctors and health employees, there could definitely be a decrease in the misusage of opioids in Canada. As more doctors become educated on addiction and drug misuse, the information can easily pass on to patients and result in fewer opioids being prescribed for the wrong reasons. We should not limit education to the doctors and other health employees but also increase education towards the people within the nation. Drugs are not usually incorporated into today’s education system and are rather seen as a “side-note” in Canadian high schools with periodical presentations. Improving the education of drug misuse and overdose to the youth of the community would reinforce the prevention of overdose deaths in the long run. Starting with the youth would create a more educated future generation and can result in a drop of drug-related deaths. Also surrounding the general public with information on drug use could potentially decrease the number of people who are intrigued by opioids and decrease recreational use. 
Providing information on how to use opioids properly and safely can easily be educated from thedoctor’s office at the time you are prescribed the drug. Given prior information before choosing options would also decrease the negative effects of opioids. Overall, giving the public education about drug abuse and misuse would help aid in the prevention of opioid use, and therefore decrease opioid addiction and overdoses. Though prescribed drugs have been a deathly cause of drug overdoses, illegal opioids also majorly effect the number of deaths in today’s nation. The safety of the public is at risk when purchasing illicit drugs from untrusted sources. In the illicit drug of heroin, it is very hard to spot when it has been tampered with, and could potentially lead to the immediate death ofa person who has consumed the drug. Citizens who deal with heroin addiction find ways to obtain the illicit substance illegally, causing the risk of mixed drugs or laced drugs, which puts an overall risk. The prohibition of illegal drugs can have a direct impact on accidental overdoses.Not only will the drug only contain handled substances, it will also be controlled behind the counter and given to those who truly need it. If illicit drugs were made as prescription drugs, the control of the users would be a lot more secure. As more users contain prescribed opioids, the risk of overdose from laced drugs would decrease, and users who truly need the illicit opioid would get a safe benefit.
Though prescribed drugs have been a deathly cause of drug overdoses, illegal opioids also majorly effect the number of deaths in today’s nation. The safety of the public is at risk when purchasing illicit drugs from untrusted sources. In the illicit drug of heroin, it is very hard to spot when it has been tampered with, and could potentially lead to the immediate death ofa person who has consumed the drug. Citizens who deal with heroin addiction find ways to obtain the illicit substance illegally, causing the risk of mixed drugs or laced drugs, which puts an overall risk. The prohibition of illegal drugs can have a direct impact on accidental overdoses.Not only will the drug only contain handled substances, it will also be controlled behind the counter and given to those who truly need it. If illicit drugs were made as prescription drugs, the control of the users would be a lot more secure. 
As more users contain prescribed opioids, the risk of overdose from laced drugs would decrease, and users who truly need the illicit opioid would get a safe benefit. In a more direct response to decreasing the number of opioid drugs used in Canada, substitute prescription drugs can be used. For example, the legalization of marijuana hasbeen effective in being a direct substitute for opioid painkillers without the overall risks.