The BBC article Hotten (2019) seems like a relatively straightforward news article, but a close reading thereof reveals a lot about the current opioid crisis in the USA. On a casual perusal, the article is about a trail in the state of Oklahoma that ended in a multi-million dollar verdict against a global pharmaceutical company. However, a careful evaluation of the article reveals a comprehensive overview of the overall social problem of opioid addiction. First, the article indicates the vast nature of the problem. Secondly, the article also addresses the economic and pecuniary perspective of the crisis (Hotten 2019). The article also addresses the complexities of the opioid crisis, due to its association with pain management. Finally, the article touches on why the opioid crisis is a community problem as it affects the entire community at large, not just those who abuse opioids. Whereas the article Hotten (2019) regards a legal suit against a prescription opioid manufacturer, the writer can expand the scope of the article to provide comprehensive insights into the opioid crisis.
The Johnson and Johnson Case
The primary focus on the article is the ruling in care where the state of Oklahoma had used drug manufacturer Johnson and Johnson for its role in exacerbating the opioid crisis. The Johnson and Johnson case was only one among a barrage of cases by the state of Oklahoma against drug manufacturers over the crisis. For example, the article indicates that Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceutical had settled their cases for millions of dollars (Hotten 2019). Available research shows that pharmaceutical manufactures aggressively marketed opioid-based painkillers over the years (Hadland et al., 2019). This aggressive marketing played a role in the exacerbation of the opioid crisis. In some cases, drug marketers provided physicians with incentives to prescribe opioids to patients.
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The Economic and Pecuniary Perspective
The article also captures the economic and pecuniary issues about the opioid crisis. On the one part, the state of Oklahoma sued drug companies due to the cost it incurs in treating individuals adversely affected by the opioid crisis. Whereas there is no universal primary healthcare in the USA, hospitals have an obligation to treat all critical patients at the expense of the taxpayer (Zimlichman et al., 2013). Conversely, the article also touches on the issue of the stock market, as most major manufacturers are public companies. For example, the article indicates that after the $572 million verdict against Johnson and Johnson, its shares rose considerably as the market had anticipated a larger verdict of up to two billion dollars. The article Time Report. (2020) reflects how hard-working and productive Americans got into opioid abuse and ended up poor, homeless, and societal burdens. These individuals used to be taxpayers but have ended up relying on welfare, which amounts to a double adverse effect on the economy. Therefore, the economic impact of the opioid crisis has a multifaceted effect on the populace.
Opioids and Pain Management
An issue I find critical and is also addressed by the article involves the legal prescription of opioid-based drugs as a bearing factor on the opioid crisis. As per the article, doctors would over-prescribe opioids to patients due to pressure from marketers such as Johnson and Johnson (Hotten 2019). This issue shows why the opioid crisis has been difficult to solve. After all, opioids provide vital pain management for tens of millions of Americans. Many of the opioid abusers commenced as bona fide patients using the drug due to legal prescriptions for the management of pain. The legal use of opioids complicates the process of alleviating the crisis, since taking away opioids from the market would expose a large cross-section of the population to unbearable chronic or acute pain. Opioids lead to tens of thousands of death a year, but they aid more Americans than they harm.
The Opioid Crisis as a Community Problem
Finally, the article also touches on the issue of opioids as a community problem, not just as a problem for the millions currently abusing opioid-based substances. According to the article, two of the state attorneys handling the case have recently lost loved ones to opioid overdoses (Hotten 2019). This perspective joins issues with the words of Cheryl Schmidtchen in the article Time Report. (2020) “ After Michaela died, I saw it clear as day. They’re not only destroying themselves, they’re destroying us .” Schmidtchen had just lost her granddaughter to an opioid overdose. For every individual suffering directly due to the opioid crisis, there are tens of others in agony due to the plight of a loved one. Because of the opioid crisis, parents have had to bury their children and vice versa. Due to the crisis, some individuals can no longer fend for themselves and their families. Others have had their futures ruined as they are unable to proceed with their formal education. The social issue of opioid abuse is also a major community problem.
Conclusion
Based on the review and research-based reaction above, the article Hotten (2019) addresses the issue of opioid abuse comprehensively. As the writer addresses a recently concluded case in Oklahoma, he also delves into other important issues relating to the opioid crisis. The issues addressed expose how the opioid crisis is not only a major social issue affecting the community at large but also a community problem affecting America and Americans singularly and severally. However, it is my informed opinion that opioids are a valuable and cost-effective mode of pain management. I believe that pain management is a fundamental right, a fact that complicates the opioid crisis and its potential solutions.
References
Hadland, S. E., Rivera-Aguirre, A., Marshall, B. D., & Cerdá, M. (2019). Association of pharmaceutical industry marketing of opioid products with mortality from opioid-related overdoses. JAMA network open , 2 (1), e186007-e186007.
Hotten, R. (2019, August 27). Opioid crisis: Johnson & Johnson hit by landmark ruling. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49452373
Time Report. (2020). See Inside the Worst Opioid Addiction Crisis in U.S. History. Retrieved from https://time.com/james-nachtwey-opioid-addiction-america/
Zimlichman, E., Henderson, D., Tamir, O., Franz, C., Song, P., Yamin, C. K., ... & Bates, D. W. (2013). Health care–associated infections: a meta-analysis of costs and financial impact on the US health care system. JAMA internal medicine , 173 (22), 2039-2046.
