All About Opiates
Whether misused as prescribed or bought on the black market, opioids are addicting and killing Americans at record rates.
The Centers for Disease control reports:
- In 2015, more than 15,000 Americans died from overdoses involving prescription opioids.
- In 2014, almost 2 million Americans abused or were dependent on prescription opioids.
- Approximately 1 in 4 people who receive prescription opioids long term for noncancer pain in primary care settings struggles with addiction.
- Every day, more than 1,000 people are treated in emergency departments for not using prescription opioids as directed.
It’s also important for parents to understand that youth who use alcohol, tobacco and marijuana are at significantly higher risk of using other drugs, including opiates such as heroin.
Opioid deaths
In 2015 more than 52,000 people died from a drug overdose. Of those, 33,091 — 63.1 percent — involved a prescription or illicit opioid.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Latest news
Treating the youth Fentanyl epidemic with MAT
Medication-Assisted Treatment, or MAT, is an increasingly important tool for addressing addiction to opiates, including powerfully potent Fentanyl, the chief driver of a significant spike in drug-overdose deaths in the United States in recent years. Consider the...
Is marijuana the answer to the opioid epidemic?
What we know for sure is that the United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic that is killing tens of thousands of Americans each year. In 2016, 42,000 Americans died from heroin or opiate overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and...
White House addresses national ‘crisis of drug use, addiction and drug deaths’
The United States' rates of drug use, abuse and addiction have become a "national public health emergency" that the country can overcome with the combined efforts of more Americans who are determined to prevent and end the scourge, President Donald J. Trump...
NIDA: ‘Insufficient evidence’ that marijuana lessens opiate use, death
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that there is insufficient evidence to support claims that marijuana use will reduce opioid use and overdose deaths. The federal agency wrote: Some preliminary studies have suggested that medical marijuana...
Marijuana-opiate study raises questions
An article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association claims states with medical marijuana laws are associated with significantly lower rates of opioid mortality. There are significant limitations to this research making it irresponsible...
Resources for families
Recommended reading
- Clearing the Haze: Helping Families Face Teen Addiction
- Reefer Sanity: 7 Great Myths About Marijuana
- Marijuana Debunked: A Handbook for Parents, Pundits and Politicians Who Want to Know the Case Against Legalization
- A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction
Advocacy Groups
Addiction Treatment for Adolescents
These links are not program endorsements. However, these programs may be a helpful start for your search.
Colorado
- Substance Abuse Treatment, Education and Prevention – Denver Health
- ARTS – University of Colorado
- The Cornerstone Program