Ladies and Gentlemen, today I am a happy citizen knowing that we finally have an act that will regulate the availability of opioids to the general public. The Opioid Crisis Accountability Bill aims at regulating the nature of distribution of opioid drugs. I am impressed by the nature of this act in that its target is the source of the problem, the pharmaceutical companies. In my opinion, the legislation will create sanity in the whole drug industry because pharmaceutical companies will have the duty of ensuring that they only deliver opioid drugs to people who have a true indication for their use. One may argue that pharmaceutical companies should only produce the drugs and let other players such as pharmacists to control consumer use. However, I see it from a point of supply and demand. If pharmaceutical companies can produce only the quantity needed for true indications, the excesses that land in the hands of the other part of the population can be reduced. Further, reducing the advertisement of opioid drugs ensures that patients who are dire need are the only ones that get the opioids (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2019) .
The legislation comes at a time when our nation is experiencing an opioid epidemic. It is estimated that there are about 130 or more deaths each day as a result of opioid overdose. I can attest to this because I have witnessed an opioid related death. This was during the usual college parties when one of our peers collapsed and was later pronounced death upon reaching hospital. It is at a later date that we came to know that the cause of death was an overdose of opioids. In 2016, 42,000 deaths in the United States were related to opioid overdose (Health Resources & Services Administration, 2019) . It is saddening to note that about 40% of these deaths were prescription related. In order to strengthen the act, I would recommend an amendment that also puts some responsibility to the final retailer. The retailer should also hold some responsibility of ensuring that only those who need the drugs have access to it. They should ensure that patients have authentic prescriptions. This, I believe will go a long way in averting the opioid crisis in our nation.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
References
Health Resources & Services Administration. (2019, June). Opioid Crisis . Retrieved from Health Resources & Services Administration: https://www.hrsa.gov/opioids
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2019, September 4). What is the U.S. Opioid Epidemic? Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html
