Accessibility, Quality & Service Delivery
Opioid drugs are easily accessible across the United States, partly explaining why many adolescents abuse them. The number of opioid prescriptions increased from 174 million in 2000 to 238 million in 2011. Accessible opioid has been characterized by increased abuse, addiction, and fatalities among the users. Seemingly, there are weak policies to regulate opioid use, which has become a national crisis. The drugs are accessed freely or through theft from friends and families members (American Psychiatric Association, n.d). Users also abuse these opioids by filling prescriptions in different pharmacies to avoid being identified (American Psychiatric Association, n.d). The uncontrolled access to opioids among the target population increases exposure to other mental disorders such as addiction, which leads to higher doses that slow down breathing and heart rate, leading to death.
