Dear Future President of the United States,

What if people didn’t take more than the amount of tablets they need, a world where drugs won’t have bad side effects on the people that take drugs, a place where people don't drink alcohol with their drugs. Your policies should focus on how to prevent drug abuse, how people could get help if they want to become clean, how people could find jobs after finishing addiction programs.

Some people are taking more than the amount of drugs they need. There has been an influx of people dying from taking illegal drugs. “A 54-year-old man, overweight at 389 pounds, collapsed getting out of bed. His wife found him on the floor in a T-shirt. He was on multiple prescription medications at the time. The death was later ruled a suicide – from acute toxicity of pain pills, alcohol mixed with other drug.”(Six prescription) People take more drugs then they need to because they are depressed, they have pain, or because others are doing it. Another 18 year- old boy died of multiple medical prescriptions plus mixing them with cold medicine over the counter.

Drug abuse can be prescription medicine. Patient's journey could start with a car accident, and have to see a doctor for pain treatment. Time after time, they become addicted to the pain prescription that they have. There have been some law change to control how doctor can write for pain prescriptions, there are new agency formed to audit and enforce the pain prescriptions users. However, not enough has been done to curb down the prescription drug overdose. People die daily from drug overdose! “The conditions of those who overdosed Friday are unclear. The incidents come a day after four people died from overdoses Thursday in Akron, bringing the total number of overdose deaths in the city this year to 112, authorities told the affiliate.” (21 heroin)

Government should have been established some funding for rehab facilities. Social workers could work with the drug addicts, but there must be some resources to help during the rehab program and after. “The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates that in 2014, about 15 million people in the United States older than 12 were non-medical users of pain relievers. On the agency's website, it offers a behavioral health treatment services locator where individuals can type in their ZIP code and get directions to treatment centers in their community.” (Prescription drug)

In conclusion, Mr or Madam President, Opioid overdose is becoming a very serious problem. People die daily. If the issue is not getting high priority on your agenda of 2017, then you should reconsider it. Opioid abuse is on high alert across our nation. Your regards to this issue will be crucial and appreciated.

Works cited

Olsen, Lise. HOUSTON CHRONICLE 7:14 P.m Saturday, April 25, 2015 News, "Six Prescription Drug-related Deaths in 48 Hours in Houston." Statesman. N.p., 25 Apr. 2015. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Vaughan, Ashley N. "Prescription Drug Abuse: There Is Help." CNN. Cable News Network, 11 May 2016. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Karimi, Faith. "Heroin Overdoses Reported in Ohio as State Battles Epidemic." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Sept. 2016. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.