Issue Analysis: First Draft

Title Your Name Subject and Section Professor’s Name Date Situation Analysis Summary Opioid dependency is one of the most critical public health concerns in the modern world, especially in the United Kingdom and has progressively worsened within the last 25 years. One research shows that nearly 12 million people in America participated in opioid abuse in 2017, and about 47,000 died. This escalation has been attributed to the use of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which has been cited as the key driver of the rise in opioid deaths (Jalali et al., 2020; Congressional Research Service, 2022). The epidemic’s timeline is first identified from the proactive advertisement campaigns and over-prescription of opioids in the 1990s that contributed to their usage and misuse. Another phase of the crisis emerged in the 2010s as the misuse progressed with the availability of even more synthetic opioids. During this time, social, psychological, and biological mechanisms have been postulated to underlie the initiation and continuation of opioid use. Some of them include income, employment, psychiatric disorders, and personal endomorphic propensities to substance dependence (Jalal et al., 2020). These findings suggest that the opioid crisis is multifaceted and is shaped by the dynamics and interactions of various medical disciplines, social settings, and regulatory addresses. This epidemic must be fought holistically to minimize the adverse effects on people's health, considering all the above dimensions discussed in this paper. Comparison to Existing Developmental Goals The ultimate conclusions derived from the analysis of the opioid epidemic indicate strong correspondence with the current priorities of the government, which are set in line with Healthy People 2030 and the sustainable developmental goals (SDGs). Healthy People 2030 is strategy aims to decrease drug abuse and its effects (Health.gov, 2020). However, opioid misuse and its effects on various aspects of human life have become a matter of the biggest concern as the rates of mortality have grown (Congressional Research Service, 2022; Jalali et al., 2020; National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2023). Likewise, for well-being, the SDGs seek to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages by reducing the mortality rates from non-communicable diseases, which comprise 74% of all total deaths annually (World Health Organization, 2023). The opioid crisis is another issue close to the goals of the project, as it has severe effects on health and mental health. Some of the key findings highlighted as comprising part of the data include the ...