Although this is the end of my Civic Issues blog, this is not the end for the problematic drug policies that the United States continues to implement and enforce today. In 2021, about 61.2 million Americans ages 12 and older used an illicit drug in the past year, and over 9.2 million people of that same demographic misused opioids. While I very evidently have a certain view of drug policy in the United States, the statistics talk for themselves.

Drug policy is such a broad and interesting topic. Not only that, but it is also extremely infuriating. Oftentimes, drug policy is a topic I gravitate towards, and it is one that I always learn more about. Personally, I started learning about the opioid epidemic a few years ago, but I had not come across the Sackler family until maybe a few months ago. I try to keep up to date on drug policy, and it was shocking to me that that was a detail that I was completely ignorant to up until late 2022. I also realized that many others are probably also ignorant to not only the Sackler family, but much of the background of today’s drug use problems in general.

It is important to learn about these problems because it often gives people a newfound sympathy for drug addicts. I can talk about how bad American drug policy is all I want, but the real goal is to help these people. Yes, drug use is often a choice. Drug addiction, though, is not. No one uses drugs with the goal to be so dependent on it that they will be sick if they don’t use it. No one uses drugs with the goal to eventually hate using it, but having to anyways just to feel normal. No one uses drugs with the goal of developing a problem. While many say its not their job to help these people because they chose to do the drug, that is just an utter lack of humanity. It’s really upsetting because drug addicts are people just like you and me. Education often spawns humanity, and it can decrease this sort of thinking.

That being said, if you want to learn more about the effect of drugs on people, I have some great resources. Dopesick Nation is a great program put out by VICE that is free to watch on YouTube; it follows to recovering addicts, Allie and Frankie, as they help pull other addicts out of their addiction. It is really interesting, but often gets heavy, so watch at your own discretion. It deals with overdose, prostitution, and more, and it is a great show to watch to see the realities of addiction.

I encourage everyone to learn a bit more on the topic because it is extremely relevant in our society today. Things need to change, but they won’t until more people realize what’s wrong.