A new study indicates that a growing number of millennials are facing pressure from the secondary effects of the opioid crisis through personal relationships with friends or relatives who have fallen victim to addiction to painkillers.
According to new research from Penn State University Lehigh Valley, approximately one-in-five college students reported knowing someone who was addicted to opioids, and roughly one-third of college students surveyed said that they knew someone who had overdosed on pain medication.
According to the researchers, many people only consider the impact of opioid epidemic on addicts themselves, often forgetting about the secondary effects experienced by family members or friends of a loved one who has become addicted to painkillers.
[Also read: FDA wants to boost development of drugs to treat opioid addiction]
“Since the beginning of the opioid epidemic, public debate and prevention strategies have focused on the primary victims, misusers themselves, while surprisingly little attention has been paid to the burdens felt and experienced by those who are intimately or socially tied to them,” said lead researcher Jennifer Parker, who is an associate professor of sociology at PSU Lehigh Valley.
Studies like these underscore the need for growing public awareness about the reality of drug addiction and efforts to combat it, efforts that have recently become a large priority for the Trump administration.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has undertaken numerous efforts designed to curb the flow of illicit opioids into society, including efforts to curb the import of powerful narcotics such as fentanyl from foreign countries, as well as efforts to create new standards for safer prescribing of opioid drugs by healthcare providers.
In March, as part of the White House “Generation Next” forum that focused on issues for millennials, the president hosted a panel discussion on opioid addiction that featured Kellyanne Conway, Department of Justice Director of Public Affairs Sarah Isgur Flores, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar. During the discussion, Conway was quite candid about the dangers of opioids, telling the attendees to worry about street drugs instead of things like having an extra dessert.
“If you remember anything about the entire conversation on drugs I would commend to you one major point and it’s called fentanyl,” Conway said. “My short advice is, as somebody double your age, eat the ice cream, have the french fry, don’t buy the street drug. Believe me, it all works out.”
John Patrick (@john_pat_rick) is a graduate of Canisius College and Georgia Southern University. He interned for Red Alert Politics during the summer of 2012 and has continued to contribute regularly.
