Education, more options can address drug abuse: #tellusatoday

The Obama administration is launching a campaign to educate people on the dangers of prescription drugs and heroin. Letter to the editor:

Prescription monitoring databases have the potential to backfire. A federal crackdown on prescription drug abuses is fueling the use of illicit heroin. More drug war is not the answer (“How presidential candidates can address drug abuse: Our view”).

The overdose risk increases when users switch from standardized pharmaceuticals to street heroin of unknown purity. Switzerland provides pharmaceutical-grade heroin to chronic addicts in a clinical setting. The end result is a reduction in disease, overdose death and crime among chronic users.

U.S. presidential candidates won’t make legalizing heroin part of their platforms anytime soon. Growing public support for drug policy reform nonetheless enables candidates to finally show real leadership and make the case for alternatives to incarceration, increased access to the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, and respect for states’ rights.

This last point is critical. A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of American Medical Association found that states with medical marijuana access had a 25% lower average annual opioid overdose death rate compared with states without legal access.

Robert Sharpe, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy; Washington, D.C.

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Comments from Facebook and Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

The best way to prevent drug addiction is to start early. Instruct children at a very young age about the evils of drug abuse. Show them the devastating effects of drug addiction using graphic images. In other words, scare the living daylights out of them. Those kids will remember those chilling images when they are teens and adults. They will think twice before getting stoned on pot, shooting up heroin, snorting cocaine or overdosing on meth.

— Barry VanTrees

I’ve never taken illegal drugs in my life. That is a big reason why I will never overdose on illegal drugs. If you never start, you don’t have to worry about quitting.

— John Spencer 

While President Obama speaking about drug abuse isn’t a magical fix, it has started conversations and forced people to discuss a difficult issue.

— @Jess_Chambers

Big Pharma is the worst thing to have happened to Western medicine. #OverMedication #DrugAbuse

— @Rebel_Buddha

And what brings about this drug abuse? Lack of opportunity, employment, available education.

— @zephyrwon2001

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.