Opioid Addiction Is Running Rampant in Iowa
The State Needs to Take Action
Iowa’s current opioid epidemic has been on the rise for the past 10 years, with no signs of slowing down. An opioid addiction can cause people to do whatever it takes to get more. Unfortunately, in order to overcome the addiction, professional help is needed, but in Iowa, there are so few treatment facilities available.
In 2016, 67 people lost their lives to an opioid overdose in Iowa. These lives could have been saved if they would have had access to the proper treatment that they needed. The state needs to take immediate action and make local resources easier for addicts to access.
More treatment facilities need to be opened within the state especially in large cities like Des Moines where there is such a high concentration of people in the area; the more people in the area, the larger the problem. Places like Des Moines are doing what they can to provide any and all local resources for anyone going through an addiction, but more help is needed.
How the Community Can Help
The truth of the matter is that Iowans can start making changes on their own, without the need for the government.
For example, fundraisers can be conducted to help addicts afford to pay for the treatment that they need. Rehab can be expensive and while some facilities offer discounted rates for those who are low income or have no job at all, not all do. The cost of treatment can be very high and getting help to pay for it could save someone’s life.
Churches are often a staple of the community, with many helping out those who need help. Many churches and religious organizations start programs to help those who are newly clean from drugs to get back on their feet and avoid a relapse. Other programs by different religious organizations can also do the same, offering help for anyone that is currently in recovery.
Tougher Prescribing Guidelines
Within the last ten years, Iowa’s prescribing guidelines were under scrutiny because of how quickly the epidemic is taking over the state. One of the most common places for an addict to receive opioids is through prescriptions from multiple doctors through a practice commonly known as doctor shopping.
Because of this, Iowa Governor, Kim Reynolds signed into law stricter guidelines for opioid painkillers. Included is a provision where doctors are now required to register with the state prescription drug program. Likewise, opioid prescriptions will no longer be written by hand, beginning in 2020.
Laws can only do so much though: doctors need to offer patients other forms of treatment for pain before writing a prescription. Acupuncture, chiropractic care, and even physical therapy are all forms of pain treatment that could help to decrease the pain that someone feels without requiring them to take any addictive medication.
Stricter Penalties for Trafficking and Selling Opioids
Many people choose to traffic opioids because the penalty for getting caught isn’t as severe as it is with other drugs. Politicians need to consider creating harsher penalties for those who are caught trafficking opioids to make it riskier for traffickers and possibly decrease the number of opioids that are trafficked into the state.
There are some people who make a lot of money by selling opioids they’re prescribed by their doctors. They tell the doctor whatever they have to tell him or her to get a prescription and then sell the medicine they get for a lot of money on the streets, often doctor shopping to get more.
They should be held accountable for the crime and not simply get a slap on the wrist. Many Iowans would rather someone go to jail for a few months than having to bury yet another addict who overdoses from them.
Proper Education is Essential
Proper Disposal Practices Need to be in Place
There are some people who are prescribed opioids after an accident or surgery and end up not needing to use all the pills they were prescribed. It’s important for the community to establish proper disposal practices so that the drugs can be disposed of before they get into the hands of an addict.
Pharmacies could have medicine drop off points where people could bring their leftover medications, so they can be disposed of or the police departments could hold medicine turn over events where people could bring their left-over opioids.
Although the disposal shouldn’t just be put on the hospitals themselves. One way to safely dispose of opioids and other drugs is by mixing the drugs with an inedible substance, like cat litter, without crushing the substances, putting it in a plastic bag and then throwing it away.
Nevertheless, unfortunately, the opioid epidemic in Iowa hasn’t reached its peak yet. That means that more people are going to die from addiction in the near future if changes aren’t made right away. Acting sooner rather than later could mean the difference between life and death for an addict who simply needs access to local resources to overcome their battle with opioid addiction.
