Study ways to address heroin addiction: #tellusatoday

In 2013, about 517,000 people reported heroin abuse or dependence — up nearly 150% since 2007 — a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found. Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

More research about addiction should become a government priority. Substance abuse costs the nation billions of dollars each year.

— Alaine Williams

Many heroin users take the drug to treat anxiety, worries and/or stress.

I also think that mental health issues, such as depression and bipolar disorder, contribute to the increase of generalized pain in our population.

It sounds as if we, as a nation, need to figure out how to manage stress and treat anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. Allowing Big Pharma to hand out pills like it is trick-or-treat season isn't working.

— Daisy Stine Gray

Could it be that heroin use is rising because there has been such a huge push to get people off prescription painkillers?

Living with chronic pain is an awful experience. Yes, perhaps doctors shouldn't be prescribing painkillers so much. But there are patients out there who need pain drugs, not to get high but to relieve their pain.

— Josh Weinstein

Letter to the editor:

If a medication will allow an opiate addict to regain his or her life and independence while contributing to society, I'm not sure I understand the backlash. Some argue it only substitutes one form of dependence with another ("Advocates push to expand use of medications to treat addiction").

These medications provide a considerable savings vs. the cost of repeated in-patient treatments and/or incarceration. Although not an opiate addict myself, I'm sure many of us have been affected by the pain pill/heroin epidemic in one way or another.

If medication-assisted treatment reduces the overall risk of death of an opiate addict by half, what would what would you pick for your child or loved one? It seems to be a no-brainer.

Carol Patterson; Plymouth, Minn.

Pain medications lead to addiction

We asked our followers what can be done to address the surge of heroin use in the United States. Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

Tell doctors to stop handing out medication like candy. Doctors are pushers, and patients become addicted.

— @eugenia203d

Stop the barbarous drug wars and actually help these sick people out!

— @gpbabay

Remove the stigma of drug addiction.

— @Jim_Merritt

Have honest conversations about prescription drugs, which is how this addiction often starts.

— @CHB5111

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion and #tellusatoday on Twitter.