addiction

People of color are disproportionately burdened by the effects of substance-use disorders (SUD) in the U.S. Rather than addressing the problem as a public health issue, the U.S. for decades tried to solve drug use through criminal policies.

Meth (methamphetamine) is a synthetic stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system. The opioid crisis in the U.S. has received much attention, but some public health experts feel that this epidemic has overshadowed alarming trends in methamphetamine use.

Opioids are a group of chemicals that include natural opiates derived from the poppy (morphine and codeine) and synthetic opioids made in labs, such as oxycodone and fentanyl. By 2010, enough opioids were prescribed in America to medicate every man, woman and child around the clock for a full month every year.

Opioid addiction has increased at alarming rates for both men and women in the United States. Opioids include both illicit drugs, such as heroin and street fentanyl, and prescription medications such as oxycodone, codeine and morphine. 

In the throes of addiction, people may engage in illegal acts that result in incarceration. At least a quarter of people in US prisons and jails have an addiction to opioids, compared to 1% in the general US population. 

Naloxone (often known by the brand name, Narcan) is a safe, easy-to-use and effective way to reverse an opioid overdose. Though traditionally administered by emergency response personnel, naloxone can be administered by minimally trained laypeople.