The world is still dealing with Coronavirus pandemic but it is not the only health concern at hand. There are some other epidemics that the world is fighting and the drug epidemic seems to be one of the biggest ones.
In a shocking display of scale the drug epidemic seems to have completely taken over the USA. It is observed that the drug overdose related deaths are spiking. Such deaths can be seen across the globe.
The problem at hand is that of cheap heroin and fentanyl addiction, a synthetic opioid. That means that the drug is easy to produce and very potent, making it much more dangerous than other opioids. It also means that it’s much cheaper, leading more people to become addicted and overdose. The consumption of these types of drugs has seen a sharp rise in recent times. During Covid prescriptions, painkillers given by doctors are extremely high in comparison to pre-covid times.
This has led to a drug dependency. There are foreign drug cartels that are taking advantage of the situation. This situation is not only risky for the citizens but also for National security at large.
The US government is approaching the situation differently. Avoiding punitive measures towards the drug abusers is one of the novel ways to cater to the problem. In the new approach the government is trying counseling over punishment. Several other countries such as Canada and Australia too have resorted to a change in tactics. The route of these drugs is mostly via Mexico into the USA.
The opioids sold in America are mostly made from the opium cultivated in Mexico. The USA government has spent over $3 Billion in aiding Mexico to fight this issue. DEA is also working at busting drugs more and more. It is keeping an eye on China that was the primary source of Fentanyl in the 2010s.
The border patrolling agents have been increased by 20,000 which shows the government’s stance on the problem.
