Heroin Epidemic Analysis

Improved Essays
There is a heroin epidemic sweeping across the country; how can one believe this will impact on the United States! The heroin epidemic is affecting people's everyday lives. It will continue to affect them throughout the future. In the articles “Safe heroin injection sites get OK from King County health board”, by Seattle Times; also in the article, “Issue Overview: Heroin Addiction” by Lauren Etter, Bloomberg; finally in the article, “Soaring overdose deaths cut U.S. life expectancy for 2nd year” by Mike Stobbe, Associated Press. Heroin is a dangerous substance to use and it will affect the future; with heroin injection sites, overdose (OD), and life expediency. Also, there favorable and defective topics about heroin injection sites.
Heroin injection sites can be disastrous or further advance U.S. society. In the article “Safe heroin injections sites…,” it states, “Supporters say the
…show more content…
(Seattle Times, paragraph 11) With there being safe heroin injection sites, the people that control them can monitor and limit the heroin injected; this will benefit the future of the country, by having less death rates. Also, as proclaimed in the article, “ Safe heroin injection sites…,” by Seattle Times, paragraph eleven, sentence one, it states, “...meaning fewer used needles littering sidewalks.” Limited needles on sidewalks, leads to less diseases and harm to come to one's body; therefore, in the future there might less wounds brought about by needle puncture. In conclusion, heroin injection sites could become an everyday normally concept. Moreover, overdosing (OD) is a major therome that will have an impact on the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Esquimalt Case Study

    • 1259 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The highest prevalence of injecting drug use in North America occurs in British Columbia, with the majority of those living in Vancouver and Victoria (Kerr and Wood, 2007). The most used injectable drugs are crack, cocaine, heroin, crystal meth and prescription opioids (University of Victoria, 2014a). In 2011, three hundred and seventy-one people died of drug overdoses in British Columbia, Twenty-nine of those deaths occurred in the Greater Victoria area (BC Vital Statistics). Even though twenty-nine deaths contributes to 8% of the total deaths in BC, a safe injection site would provide this population a place to safely administer drugs Moreover, according to the University of Victoria’s Centre for Addictions Research of BC (n.d), 62% of drug user’s report of an overdose event and on average a person will experience three overdoses in their lifetime These grim statistics further emphasizes the needed for IDU population to have access to safe injection…

    • 1259 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In summary, safe injection programs benefit the government by helping to reduce healthcare cost. The sites serve as a connection to detox and treatment. Offering a clean safe, non-judgmental environment encourages users to connect with other services, whether that be treatment for a drug related or health care. (Andrew, 2016), Safe injection sites serve the purpose of preventing death. If people share needles they can spread infectious diseases and leave needles on streets for others to find and spread.…

    • 197 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Opioid Crisis Case Study

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This would be achieved through raising awareness opioid drugs to prevent addiction, installing safe injection sites in Cambridge’s core areas, and encouraging the use of rehabilitation centers. This solution ensures numerous advantages, and is in the best interest of majority of the stakeholders, as it covers the topics of unclean injection, accessibility to the injection sites, littered syringes, preventing addiction, and recovery of those who are already addicted. Moreover, this solution is very feasible, as some its components are already being implemented by the city, an example being, educating students of the effects of drugs, and the existing rehabilitation centers. As for the safe injection sites, it is evidently a feasible aspect of the plan, since the city of Cambridge is already willing to establish them, and are simply unsure of their…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Heroin houses have been a very controversial topic recently in the United States. The United States compared to other countries are behind on this issue. A lot of other countries started supervised injection facilities before the United States and are now more advanced with their facilities. The United States questions the integrity of heroin house. Some people in the United States think it's a great idea, others do not.…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    With 47,000 deaths annually as a result of drug addiction, there is no denying the desperate need for communities across Canada to take action. The implementation Insite, where a key aspect of the facility is the presence of emergency response in the event of an overdose.has proven to be effective means of preventing fatal overdose, Despite the fact that there have been total of 2395 overdoses since the facility opened, it is noteworthy that there have been no fatalities. Indeed, this would suggest with no fatalities. (_______INTRO SENTENCE__________) Furthermore, More consistent use of a SIF is associated with positive changes in injecting practices that contribute to harm reduction.…

    • 204 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Safe Injection Sites Essay

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages

    There are several very aggressive infections that are spread through the re-use of needles, including but not limited to Hepatitis C, and Human Immune-deficiency Virus, or more commonly known as HIV, as well as other medical concerns such as abscesses, and other wounds. In the article by Kondro, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Executive Director Ralf Jürgens said, “Some 34% of an estimated 4190 new HIV infections in 1999, and 60% of the 4000 hepatitis C infections diagnosed annually, are attributable to drug use” (1415). Under the supervision of the staff at safe injection sites they have access to clean needles, and are taught safer injection methods, creating an ultimately safer process which many can take with them, should they decide against using safe injection sites in the future, and furthermore teach to those around…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This is not something new to me, I know that any kind of drug, whether it’s the legal or illegal drug, if is being overdose it can kill you. I also understand that drug like Heroin, Opioid and marijuana is addicted, but it can be used to treat and release a symptom that none of the other drug can. Which I can understand why it’s so hard to regulated or remove it because the drug is not at false, it’s the user and the people who tried to convince other to engage in this act. Although the video mention New Hampshire or New England, I’m sure that the same thing is happening here in Minnesota. In Minnesota, especial in Little Earth believe to dispatch Heroin to people and many emergency call for Heroin overuse is around that region.…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Approximately 29 Americans die from heroin overdoses everyday, according to the CDC. Heroin overdose rates increased 26% from 2013-2014. According to the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry, 90% of first time heroin users are 20 year white young men and women living in the suburbs and rural areas. 23% of first time users become addicted to heroin, where most of the addiction leads to a lifelong disease, according to Dr. Charles O'Brien of the University of Pennsylvania. Heroin attacks the brain, and is a powerful narcotic that stimulates the brain’s natural opioid receptors that regulate pain, reward and pleasure and highjacks their pathways.…

    • 102 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It has become a popular go to drug that has resulted in many overdoes and deaths. Heroin overdoses are affecting many communities and one of them being my own. By becoming a part of Skills USA my team and I work together to address the growing heroin overdose issue in the community. In order to tackle the growing epidemic background information and connections had to be made.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Serious Heroin Problem in Camden County, New Jersey First, heroin abuse has significantly increased in the past decade in New Jersey, and the rate is still rising these years. Stephen Stirling published a drug abuse summary on NJ.com which states that “At least 781 people died of heroin-related overdoses in New Jersey in 2014, marking the fourth straight year the total has increased” (Stirling, “Herointown, N.J.”). Second, the heroin death-rate in Camden County per 100,000 is 20.3%, not only exceeds that in New Jersey, which is 8.3%, but is almost ten times than the national average which is 2.6% (Stirling, “Herointown, N.J.”). Since 2004, among all heroin-related deaths (5217) recorded in New Jersey, there are 591 happened in Camden…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Heroin and the War On Drugs The 1960’s was a time when violence in the cities began to form expeditiously due to the great amount of heroin addicts that stormed these cities in search for money to waste on these drugs. Politicians were searching for new ways to stop these addicts from obtaining the heroin and stopping the violence in which they brought to the cities. The laws that were sent out were not meant to aid these addicts, but rather as an act of “punishment, and deterrence”(New York Times). Heroin use has done nothing but defaced the human population because the use of heroin is causing “more deaths than car crashes and violent crimes”(New York Times); although, heroin cases did go down for significant amount of time, the use and…

    • 164 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Furthermore, in places where safe needle exchange programs have been initiated, high-risk use has actually decreased (Lurie, et al., 1993). And, as mentioned above in the Vancouver example, going that one step further and providing safe locations to inject decreases visibility of drug use and gives users direct contact with healthcare professionals, thereby providing access to safe cessation options (City of Vancouver,…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Heroin Epidemic Theory

    • 1622 Words
    • 7 Pages

    There are articles that talk about heroin and its history, books that talk about heroin and other opioid addictions, journals about overdoses, and many court cases about anything and everything involving heroin. This year, overdoses have been shown all over the media. As mentioned before, I lost my father to an overdose this year. I chose this topic not only to raise awareness of this crisis, but to hopefully find some closure in losing my best…

    • 1622 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Harm Reduction Essay

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that heroin use has soared in recent years, from 373,000 yearly users in 2007 to 669,000 in 2012". Addicts are more likely to use the same needle with every injection until the needle is unusable.("Your First Step") Addicts in active addiction are also more likely to receive treatment due to these needle exchange programs. However, there is controversy because some people think these programs give addicts the mindset that it 's alright to inject illegal drugs. (McCarton, "Pros and Cons")“We don’t have any study from anywhere showing there is any increase in injectable drug use or drug use in general associated with providing syringes to people,” (Dr. Sharon Stancliff, "We Heart WV"; "Heroin Gains Popularity as Cheap Doses Flood the…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 669,000 Americans in 2012 reported using heroin in the past year. This number has steadily grown. America treats heroin addiction like a disease when it should be treated as a mental health or social issue. Many heroin addicts begin by taking opiate based drugs. In the Appalachian region of America (Virginia and Kentucky have the highest rate of heroin usage in the country), there is not medical options to the the degree that they exist in the rest of the country.…

    • 1642 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays