Drug Abuse Among Military Personnel

When one begins to think of substance abuse, the first that may come to mind is teenagers, older people, or just civilians in general. However, what one might not think about is the abuse of drugs among active duty soldiers, reserve soldiers, or veterans. This may not be a very highlighted topic because statistics do show rates of such activities are higher among civilians than military personnel. Though this is not seen as a very major problem, it is a problem nonetheless.

As stated above and according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse or NIH, drug use is found to be much lower among military veterans than civilians. However, “heavy alcohol and tobacco use, and especially prescription drug abuse, are much more prevalent and are on the rise.” What then should naturally come to mind next is the question of “why” these rates are much higher. Surprising to be, this actually comes with a quite simple answer. The NHIDA states that “The stresses of deployment during wartime and the unique culture of the military account for some of these differences…. Those with multiple deployments and combat exposure are at greatest risk of developing substance use problems. They are more apt to engage in new-onset heavy weekly drinking and binge drinking, to suffer alcohol- and other drug-related problems, and to have greater prescribed use of behavioral health medications. They are also more likely to start smoking or relapse to smoking.” However, this reasoning mainly applies to active soldiers as well as reserve troops.

The next ones to dive into with drug abuse as well as other abuses are military veterans. There is a given reason to this which is broken down into two main parts. The first part of the reasoning which revolves around tobacco, alcohol, and some drugs, is to the lack of treatment as well as the continuation of effects and habits which was listed above. The second part of this comes from the National Veterans Foundation or NVF. In such, NVF state that “Combat today is vastly different than it was even 40-50 years ago, and the new war on terror has increased the trauma and emotional toll combat has had on our service members. Prescription drug abuse is on the rise among veterans because many are treated with powerful narcotic pain medications for injuries. Over time, veterans can become dependent on these drugs and eventually an addiction can develop.” Between the reasons for active and veteran military soldiers, conclusions can be drawn that with there being similar issues, a solution should be possible.

However, before diving into the solutions the above reasons and issues, I would like to dive into the statistics of Drug use among current and past military members. The first of which will be covered revolves around veterans. In regard to that, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA “There are an estimated 23.4 million veterans in the United States and Between 2004 and 2006, 7.1% of U.S. veterans met the criteria for a substance use disorder.” Unfortunately, more recent data could not be located on such a topic.

For those non-veterans, according to Global Security, for the United States the Personal End Strength-end, FY2017 (Military Personnel) totals to about 2,875,500 personnel with 1,296,900 being active duty, 448,700 being national guard, 364,500 being selected reserve, and 764,400 being civilian. Though these numbers are for the year 2017, in 2008, according to NIH, “11 percent of service members reported misusing prescription drugs, up from 2 percent in 2002 and 4 percent in 2005. Most of the prescription drugs misused by service members are opioid pain medications.”

With veterans and current personnel, between the two, prescription drugs are what seem to be the main issue. This would make since because in Colton Nutbrown’s blog Prescription Problems  “In a 15 year span between 1999 and 2014 the sale of prescription opioids has quadrupled, similarly the rate of overdose has quadrupled in the same time.” With both aspects in mind, a correlation could be drawn between the rise in sales of opioids as well as the rise of abuse among veterans and current serving military personnel. Though, after covering the reasoning and statistics, the last thing I would like to cover is how to fix or combat this problem.

In my humble opinion this is a serious issue that I believe should be treaded lightly. This is because what these soldiers have endured is why they are choosing this destructive past. I believe that it first should start with the family’s and addressing the early stages of such behavior. Once noticing the symptoms, they should then take advantage of the medical care the military provides, such as mental health care and prevention. For those that doubt, many of the programs are based off programs issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee for Prevention of Mental Disorders. Lastly, even with this institution backing the programs, each branch has its own respective prevention program. In conclusion, I believe that even though this is not covered much, this is a serious issue and should be addressed as such.

-Samuel Good lll

 

References

Topic Image: https://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih=662&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=military+soldiers+&oq=military+soldiers+&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l4.61594.61803.0.62779.2.2.0.0.0.0.158.287.0j2.2.0….0…1.1.64.psy-ab..0.2.283…0i8i30k1.0.ZFA2VHgdXr8#imgrc=y6jK30VEWtcf5M:

NIH:  National Institute on Drug Abuse (2013, March 01). Substance Abuse in the Military. Retrieved October 05, 2017, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/substance-abuse-in-military

NVF:  National Veterans Foundation (2016, March 30). Veteran Substance Abuse – What do the Statistics Tell Us. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://nvf.org/veteran-substance-abuse-statistics/

SAMHSA:  Veterans and Military Families. (2017, September 15). Retrieved October 05, 2017, from https://www.samhsa.gov/veterans-military-families

Global Security:  Pike, John (2017, September 4). Military. Retrieved October 05, 2017, from https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/end-strength.htm

Prescription Problems:  Cnutbrown. (2017, September 30). Prescription Problems. Retrieved October 05, 2017, from https://drugsjust3342017.wordpress.com/2017/09/30/prescription-problems/

 

Prescription Problems

The American Society of Addiction Medicine released a facts sheet of opioid abuse and the statistics are startling. Opiate abuse is the leading cause of accidental drug overdoses in America. In 2015 52,000 Americans died from drug overdoses. Of those 52,000 deaths a combined 33,000 were caused by opiates.  Within that 33,000 more than 20,000 overdoses were caused by prescription pain relievers and 12,000 were caused by heroin. With 20,000 Americans dying because of  pain relievers deemed legal, there is an injustice being hidden.

Marijuana has always been labeled a gateway drug by people in places of authority like officers or teachers. What is often far too overlooked when discussing gateways to hard drugs is the negative path that can be followed when one is prescribed opiates. In a 15 year span between 1999 and 2014 the sale of prescription opioids has quadrupled, similarly the rate of overdose has quadrupled in the same time. (Center for Disease Control, 2017)

A startling statistic from a 2008 study on urban users of injectable drugs found that 86% of heroin users surveyed had previously used prescription opioids. (DrugAbuse.Gov) When the prescription stats to run out, or the insurance stops covering the medication, users are forced to switch to the  less expensive form of prescription pills. CNN special medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta  discusses in a report the financial aspect behind the switch to illegal heroin. An opiate pain medication will cost an uninsured individual on average $1 per milligram. For example one needing a 60 milligram pill would spend $60 or they could achieve the same results with about $6 worth of heroin.  Opiates produce a sense of euphoria and reduce the perception of pain. When the ability to replicate that feeling can no longer be achieved because of a prescription running out or lack of insurance individuals have been known to switch to the street drug. 94% of respondents in a 2014 survey answered they choose to use heroin over prescription pills because latter is far harder to obtain and more expensive. (ASAM)

Not all opiate addicts users are affected equally. Certain demographics are more likely to be susceptible to opiate addiction than others. Women are more likely to become addicted to their pain prescription. The reasoning behind this is because women are more likely to be given higher doses of pain medicine, suffer from chronic pain, and use them for longer time periods than men.  The prescription opiate overdose rate among women has increased 400% from 1999-2010 compared to 273% among men. (ASAM)

Another special population  affected by the boom in prescription rates and access to heroin is adolescents aged twelve to seventeen. From 1994-2007 the amount of adolescents prescribed opiate pain medication more than doubled. With that rate came a rise in heroin usage among adolescents. In 2015 an estimated 21,000 adolescents had used heroin in the past year, in 2015 it was also reported that 276,000 adolescents misused prescription pills while 122,000 reported having an addiction to non medical usage of prescription opiates. Those numbers are alarming with the knowledge that most adolescents are introduced to prescription pills by family members or friends. (ASAM)

 

Prescription opioids are an issue all across the United States, however even within the nation there are geographic abnormalities that affect certain populations. The deep south and parts of what can be defined as Appalachia are misrepresented by opioid prescriptions. Opioid pain pills have even been described as hillbilly heroin. As you can see in the above map, the states in purple are those with the most prescriptions per 100 people. These states range from 96-143 prescriptions. The states highlighted are Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North and South Carolina Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia. (CDC)

The United States is a consumer of 80% of the world’s pain pills but only makes up 5% of the world’s population. (CNN) When consumed legally pain medication helps individuals with chronic pain feel less suffering, however with the ability to be abused it can also lead to usage of heroin and potential overdose. What can be done to help minimize the risk?

The answer is not a fix-all however it is a start, it begins with greater regulation at a state and federal level. Virginia, whose opioid addiction problem was described as a public health emergency in November 2016 is starting the process to regulate. Patients are now required to be given a full analysis of their background by the provider and also supplied with naloxene an overdose reversal drug. The new regulations also determine the amount of prescription that may be given and stress the usage of alternative forms of pain treatment before opioids are prescribed. Guidelines like the ones now in effect in Virginia are a start to helping combat the prescription drug crisis in America. (WHSV)

Sources

https://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/opioid-addiction-disease-facts-figures.pdf

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/29/health/gupta-unintended-consequences/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing.html

 

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/relationship-between-prescription-drug-heroin-abuse/prescription-opioid-use-risk-factor-heroin-use

http://www.whsv.com/content/news/Virginia-board-creates-new-opioid-prescription-guidelines–414388153.html

“Drug Trafficking”

Drug Trafficking is the most violent crime In America and over 50,000 people died from the overdose of illegal drugs in 2015. That is a lot more than the American’s who died from Muslim extremist attacks in the past 20 years. Nobody uses drugs to become addicted to and individuals that use drugs are hooked to them and it takes over their life but they don’t want to die. A lot of these people start using these drugs when they see a family member or close friend use them.

Drug Smuggling started back in the 1800’s and drugs that were brought in and sold were opium, marijuana, and cocaine. In California Opioids were promoted by manufacturers in an irresponsible way and then doctors started prescribing it. In California, there were immigrants from China who showed the American people about smoking opium. Opium was traded, sold and distributed across the area. The places to purchase and sell was in Opium dens and the drug began to appear in cities in California and then New York and other areas that were Urban. Soon there were some who started exploring other opiates like Morphine. Morphine was used a lot as a pain killer in the Civil war and it caused a lot of soldiers to become addicted. The Harrison Act of 1914 banned opium if it wasn’t used for a medical reason but use of other illegal drugs continued.

Mafia groups in the 1950’s smuggled and sold illegal drugs as well as gambling and other activities. There were drug cartels that sold drugs for money.  The Mafia’s drug exchange was called the “French Connection” and Traffickers in New York would take hold of shipments of Opium from Turkey that came from Paris France.  In the 1970’s Pablo Escobar started a group called the Medellin Cartel where there were drug smugglers that supplied drugs in Columbia. The Medellin Cartel made $60 million dollars every day from drug sales.

According to UNDOC there are 200,000 people who die from abusing drugs every year and it takes $250 billion dollars to treat cases of drug misuse. The economy is highly affected from drug smuggling. A lot of countries are poor and the money from drugs doesn’t not do anything to make the economy better. Drug traffickers in criminal groups who have a lot of money can use that money to protect themselves from governments that try to close their drug activity. There are countries who deal with many health problems from the drugs which is costly. The cost of Health care in the United states for treating drug problems is billions of dollars. It is also expensive to track down and prosecute a drug dealer. The police force and crime also affects how the economy works in most countries

Drug Trafficking is a serious hazard to health. Drug addiction can ruin lives of families and it leads to people being without a home and can cause death. If drug trafficking continues, then there will be a supply of drugs that are available to anybody who wants to use them. Addiction influences children’s health and the way they are loved by society and the way they end up growing up.  Drug trafficking spreads both HIV and hepatitis C. “According to the United Nations on Drugs and Crime, there are about 13.3 percent of drug users that inject in the world that have HIV, and most of them consumed Hepatitis C by the sharing of needles.”(Rehab Center Rankings) Many people have died and it will continue if huge amounts of drugs are continued to get smuggled into different countries.

There are solutions to the drug trafficking problem and how to stop it.  Limiting the prescription of opioids can decrease the abuse issues and there. There are many other pain relievers that can be used instead of opioids that can help with severe pain. Adding more law enforcement police officers can reduce drug smuggling. It will also restrict the number of people in the drug trade. If officers are doing different tasks in the day and you add more law enforcement it can give the public the help that they need. Some other helpful resources are educating, giving counseling and services to people that are facing addiction. The only downside with seeking good therapies and services is that cost can be too high. This correlates with how much a person makes with how much he/she will be addicted to illegal substances through drug trafficking. The poor can’t get the insurance and they can’t pay the fees. People could recover if they changed this in the future.  

According to a report from the white house President Donald Trump’s budget plan attempts to fight the epidemic of drugs “by providing 175 million dollars for battling drug trafficking and opioid abuse. He will give 500 million dollars to individuals addicted to opioids treatment services and stop them from falling into addiction.” (McHugh, 2017)

 

http://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2017/09/21/stopping_the_drug_epidemic_110362.html

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/17/trump-budget-spends-675-million-combat-drug-trafficking-opioid-epidemic/

http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-drug-trafficking

http://www.rehabcenterrankings.com/can-drug-trafficking-be-stopped/

Drug Test For Government Assistance

When it comes to the vast world of drugs, there are a plentiful of issues that come to mind. However there is one I feel does not get a lot of coverage or is discussed that I wish to bring to light. This topic is drug testing recipients on welfare and other public assistance program. One of the few reasons to which I relate to this topic is because for one it arises a many of time at the dinner table and I see how people abuse it in the area I am from.

Now before people think that I am a cold hearted S.O.B, I don’t believe that there is anything wrong with helping those in need, nor do I have a problem with welfare and other public assistance programs. What I do have a problem is seeing people with my own eyes sit around their butt doing drugs or drinking alcohol, not attempting to find a job or anything while there are people out there who are actually need it and are trying to get back on their feet.

The point that I am trying to bring across here is that I would like to see the amount of my tax dollars which contribute to welfare and other such public programs be put to better use. To put this in perspective, information from http://www.heritage.org/taxes/commentary/where-do-your-tax-dollars-go  says, “According to the latest Congressional Budget Office report on the distribution of federal taxes, Washington collects about $20,000 from the average household.” (1). In this collection, a part of it is known as income security, which includes welfare and takes almost 18% out this amount. To put into perspective that is an average of $3600.00 of your money that could potentially be going to people who are misusing it.

However, maybe this is not something that one has seen in their neighborhoods, or maybe have not even brought to mind that this is something that is happening around them or in the nation. Though data from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125387528 which was reported by Alan Greenblatt states that “ according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration…, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that 9.6 percent of people living in households that receive government assistance used illicit drugs in the previous month, compared with a 6.8 percent rate among families who receive no assistance.”

On one note the above data was from 2010 and I could not find any more recent data. Though from this, that is almost 10% of the people who are “reported” to be on drugs wasting your money. However I myself do not agree with this number. This is mainly because this involves only a selected few reported over which was probably through a random selection. I feel as though, even though it would not be economically possible, that if everyone was tested, we would see a much higher percentage of people on illicit drugs and government assistance programs such as welfare.

This idea of people on welfare and other public assistance programs is not a new idea or some type of regulation that has just popped up recently. Actually, according to NCLS at http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/drug-testing-and-public-assistance.aspx  “The 1996 welfare law bars states from providing TANF assistance to persons convicted of a felony for possession, use, or distribution of illegal drugs. However, it allows states to opt out of the ban or modify the period for which the ban applies. At least four states modified the ban to require those convicted of drug felony charges to comply with drug testing requirements as a condition of receiving benefits, including Maine, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.”

Including the statement above, in the year 2009, over twenty states had proposed legislation requiring drug testing when applying for assistance programs. Back in 2016 there were seventeen that still had proposals. Then during this year, Arkansas passed legislation making their drug testing program permanent.

So even recently states are striving towards making this testing to have benefits a thing. I completely agree with this and am okay with my money going towards more testing if it means that people who actually need these welfare and benefits and or other assistance programs are getting them instead of those who continue to abuse the program and illicit drugs.

-Samuel Good lll

References

Greenblatt, Alan. (2010, March 31). Should Welfare Recipients Get Drug Testing? Retrieved September 21, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125387528

Michel, Adam, & Bogie, Justin (2017, April 17). Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go? Retrieved September 21, 2017, from http://www.heritage.org/taxes/commentary/where-do-your-tax-dollars-go

Finzel, Rochelle. (2017, March 24). DRUG TESTING FOR WELFARE RECIPIENTS AND PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. Retrieved September 21, 2017, from http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/drug-testing-and-public-assistance.aspx

Drug Epidemic Affects New Area, Small Businesses

Drug usage is no longer an issue that can be ignored by families in suburbia. It never should have been a topic left to the poor or inner city to figure out, but frankly in the past drug problems were not discussed in the suburbs and seen as only a problem for minorities in the city. The drug epidemic is truly that, an epidemic, in Pennsylvania drug overdoses accounted for more deaths in 2015 than cars and gun violence combined. (Baker 2016, 1) Drug usage  today transcends the line of race or class and is a burden equally shared by all.

 

In the past decade 90% of new heroin users were white. (NBC News, 2014 ) Drug addiction is now everywhere, those suffering with addiction are our classmates, peers and especially coworkers.  I have personally experienced a co-worker with a hidden drug addiction. I was not aware of the personal struggle she had but when she went off the grid for a week and stopped showing up to work we were forced to figure out a new plan of action. What is the right answer to that dilemma? Luckily I was not in the position to have to make a decision.

 

Americans are reminded daily by advertisements, politicians, and their peers the effect drug usage has. Drug addicts are portrayed in the media as hurting their family and hurting their personal relationships by becoming addicted. We see the negative health consequences of the opiate crisis, the devastating effects of long term alcohol abuse. What is rarely focused on is the effect of drug addiction on the business world.

 

Are we reminded of how our job performance can be hurt by drug dependence? Yes, but are we aware of the effects it has on small business? I would argue we are not cognizant.  An article by Joyce M. Rosenberg drew my attention to this issue. I always figured it was a cut and dry topic, if an employee fails a drug test the normal route is to fire them but it is not that simple. Much of our class will most likely go on to work in law enforcement or justice but those looking to start a company must be aware of their employees pasts and personal lives.

 

In the article “Small Businesses forced to deal with drug epidemic”, Rosenberg discussed with a small business owner the effects rarely brought to the forefront. How are business owners supposed to deal with cases of overdose, or drug usage on the job? With 20 million Americans reporting a substance abuse problem how does this affect the work force? Philip Cohen an employer looking to help those with past addiction problems with a job worries. In the past he has had employees overdose, employees fail drug tests, the same people he hires to run table saws and operate machinery for his architectural/ woodworking company. (Rosenberg, 2017)

 

Now what does this have to do with justice?

 

With the increase of drug users there is a need for legal action by small business owners. According to a survey by the National Safety Council 70% of companies with 50 or more employees report a prescription drug problem. 80% of companies do not a have a comprehensive drug policy. This means 80% of business owners are left vulnerable to lacking drug policies in their company. When an employee shows up to work hungover, or high it is important for business owners to be protected in their contracts. Philip Cohen decided after an employee overdosed he needed to hire a lawyer to design a contract specifying the need for random drug testing of his employees. (Rosenberg, 2017)

 

Drug addiction is growing and unfortunately I do not see a near future without it. Drug addiction affects all people, all races, all ages, in all types of occupation. In order for justice to happen a future with drug addiction must be met with new standards. Small business owners are being left vulnerable and must become aware of the need for legal safety and concerns when drug addiction becomes an issue at their company.  It is important for business owners to have a written policy and to really care about their employees.

Sources

Baker, M. (2016). The Worst Drug Epidemic in U.S History. The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice, 1-11. Retrieved September 21, 2017, from http://www.globaldrugpolicy.org/Issues/Vol%2011%20Issue%201/Commentary/The%20Worst%20Drug%20Epidemic%20in%20US%20History.pdf

New Face of Heroin Is Young, White and Suburban, Study Finds. (2014, May 28). Retrieved September 21, 2017, from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/new-face-heroin-young-white-suburban-study-finds-n115671

Rosenberg, J. M. (2017, September 20). Small businesses forced to deal with drug epidemic. Retrieved September 21, 2017, from http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/epidemic-work-businesses-forced-deal-drug-abuse-49980135