The Stakeholders
1. Doctors
Image of Dr. Marcus from Austin Regional Clinic
Dr. Thomas kosten
Dr. Kosten, a psychiatrist at Baylor University, also agrees with Marcus that opioids can be helpful to patients who actually need them. In this scholarly article, Kosten explains ways to prevent overdoses as well treat patients who are misusing. His suggestions include stricter prescribing practices, anti-overdose drugs and psychosocial treatment for those who have misused opioids at some point. Kosten stresses that more effort needs to be made to help those struggling with addiction, as it is an incredibly long and difficult journey to overcome it, so he is a huge supporter of drug treatment and monitoring programs.
DR. Howard Marcus
Dr. Howard Marcus, an acclaimed doctor from Texas, believes that opioids can be helpful if prescribed safely and correctly in order to treat chronic pain, considering over 60% of people ages 65 and up have persistent pain, amongst countless others. In his article, "Prescribing Opioids Safely", he explains the cautions doctors should take before prescribing opioids in order to ensure the well being of their patients. Dr. Marcus also references this twelve-step guideline from "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." which can be a helpful tool for doctors in the future to undergo safer prescribing practices.
Image of Dr. Thomas Kosten from Baylor College of Medicine
2. Patients
Kanye west
Kanye West, one of the most famous recording artists of the century, was also one of the thousands of Americans suffering from opioid addiction. After a liposuction surgery, Kanye was prescribed opioids and became heavily addicted. Kanye is just another example of how opioids are often overprescribed. He referenced this by saying "these pills that they want me to take three of a day, I take one a week maybe, two a week. Ya’ll had me scared of myself, of my vision, so I took some pills so I wouldn’t go the hospital and prove everyone right. We are drugged out." In an interview with "The Breakfast Club" host Charlagmagne the God, Kanye said after his surgery, mental breakdown and exhaustion, he thought he was going to die.
Image of Kanye West from Billboard
Lisa carter
Ever since Lisa Carter, a woman from Cleveland, Ohio, got hit by a drunk driver in 1999, she has lived in chronic pain ever since. She tried dozens of different strategies to end her pain, but nothing worked. Finally, after checking into a drug treatment program called Cleveland Clinic's Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program (CPRP), she has finally been able to recover. Dr. Xavier Jimenez, the program's medical director, credits the conjunction of psychosocial, physical and medical treatment that makes the program so successful, which is an attribute in a drug treatment program that is critical, agreed upon by Dr. Thomas Kosten.
Image of Lisa Carter from The Cleveland Clinic
3. Politicians
Donald trump
After the 2016 Presidential Election, Donald Trump declared a national state of emergency on the opioid crisis. In the past few months, President Trump has made efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. He signed several major provisions including lifting treatment restrictions, expanding recovery centers, freeing new painkiller research, and more. Very recently, Donald Trump met with Xi, a prominent leader of China, at the G20 to try and handle the amount of fentanyl coming into America.
Image of Donald Trump taken by Pablo Martinez Monsivais at the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Larry hogan
Governor Larry Hogan has consistently promised to take on the opioid epidemic in Maryland, but has struggled greatly to make strides in combatting the problem. In fact, more people were dying than before from opioids in the state. "“The task force came up with 33 recommendations. They implemented virtually all 33,” Stamp, the governor's advisor on the epidemic, said. “The 33 didn’t seem to work.” The opioid situation in Maryland is a good example of how difficult this issue has been to solve in America, despite major efforts to do so. Hogan is still attempting to combat the issue, signing two major legislative provisions. The Overdose Data Reporting Act allows data of overdoses to be tracked and help allocate resources like anti-overdose drugs. The Controlled Dangerous Substances Act - Volume's Data Act goal is to limit the dangerous drugs being illegally sold and seek harsher penalties for drug traffickers.
Image of Governor Larry Hogan from Fox5DC