Topic: Regulation of Prescription Medications

Introduction: In August 2016, the West Virginia Bureau for public health reported 20 opioid
overdoses in a fifty-three-hour period; 17 of those were within a five-hour period. The
government has always been involved with regulating all different types of medications but
since the United States is in an opioid crisis, regulations are getting stricter.

Topic 1: The growing misuse and abuse of opioids is getting worse in the United States. It is
reported that on average 78 Americans die every day due to the use of opioids. This epidemic
has caused the government to wake up and see that the current regulatory system they have is
not working.

Topic 2: A number of things have led to the cause of this epidemic. Opioids are being obtained
legally and illegally across the United States. These drugs are being shipped or brought into the
United States illegally to be sold on the streets. Another reason is for years, primary care
physicians have been writing prescriptions freely for any ache or pain. Also, Emergency Room
doctors would give opioid prescriptions with large quantities.

Topic 3: There are many groups that help in the regulation of prescription medications, they
include the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the
Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Topic 4: The government started regulating these opioid medications by classifying them by
how addictive they are and their potential to be misused. They regulate the cost of these
medications and also the ration of opioids. The government now controls who can administer
these medications, who can prescribe them, who can dispense them and also who can posses
them.

Topic 5: Americans who are in chronic pain and need these opioids are worried how the new
regulations will affect them. Some of the chronic pain patients who take these opioid pain
medications don’t believe they would be able to live without them; they are scared that the
new regulations will make it so that they can’t get their medication.

Conclusion: Due to the overwhelming number of opioid deaths and abuse, regulations of
prescription medications by the government is needed. These regulations are very complex and
are currently in the process of being updated to help stop this epidemic.