The opioid crisis in America is one of the biggest challenges that we as a country face, President Trump acknowledged this issue many times during his campaign but so far has not taken any significant action aimed at fixing it. While he recently took a step in the right direction it is not enough, Trump recently declared a 90-day public health emergency with regard to the epidemic, but would not commit to anything more permanent, such as an expansion in treatment of insurance coverage for Americans who struggle with opioids. Trump and Congress must do more than call for a temporary health emergency to resolve this issue.
For the individualistic liberal a decision first must be made on whether or not this is a public or private issue, and while Dewey is quoted as saying “the great enemy of individual liberty was thought to be government because of its tendency to encroach upon the innate liberties of individuals” (5). After looking over the national geographic article below, it can be seen that the opioid epidemic is clearly a public issue. “In 2012 nearly 22,000 babies were born drug dependent, one every 25 minutes”, “In 2012 the neonatal intensive care unit became so overwhelmed by drug-dependent babies that it had to turn away newborns with other medical needs” when an issue, such as the opioid problem is causing sick infants to have to be turned down by the institutions created to save them, we must acknowledge that it has become a public issue and people’s opioid issues are harming other families. Now that we have determined the crisis to be a public issue, the next step is to find the right balance in legislation between protecting individual liberty while also taking into account the new world of industrialism and the social planning that is now necessary in our society.
Governor Charlie Baker is on the right track, without overstepping and proposing something like the removal of these painkillers from the market, he has found a balance in a proposal that would increase the requirements necessary for the sale of opioids. He also suggests a switch to more secure electronic prescriptions to combat fraudulent slips and higher penalties for prescribers who break the law. Finally, he argues in favor of the creation of educational and intervention programs that help help identify students who may be at risk, these programs “builds on the state’s existing framework by identifying populations at-risk of developing a substance use disorder, particularly children and young adults, and empowers schools with the tools they need to integrate education about these harmful drugs into their everyday curriculum.”
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-opioids-20171026-story.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/09/science-of-addiction-babies-opioids/