The opioid epidemic across the United States is no secret, with thousands of deaths every year from overdoses. In 2019 alone, the U.S. government granted $1.8 billion to states to fight the epidemic as it continued.
Florida, in particular, has been fighting the opioid epidemic for the past two decades. From “pill mills,” overprescribing drugs, leading to the gateway to heroin and fentanyl—the opioid crisis in Florida is alive and impacting individuals across the board.
Why has this happened? We will take an inside look into the opioid crisis in Florida, assessing the leading causes of the epidemic. Also, how to get help if you are suffering from opioid addiction in Florida.
How the Opioid Crisis in Florida Began
Florida followed the same pattern as the rest of the country in terms of the opioid epidemic—beginning with pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers creating opiates, assuring the public and healthcare providers they were not addictive.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states misuse and overprescribing of these drugs began to occur after pharmaceutical companies claimed their prescription opioid pain relievers would not be addictive. After 20 years, companies like Purdue Pharma, the creator of Oxycontin (containing oxycodone), and many others are being sued billions for their role in escalating the opioid crisis.
According to the LA Times, the flood of oxycodone made Florida a breathing ground, notably Broward County, with “pill mills.” People from across the country would come to Florida to receive prescription drugs, with no regulation or monitoring, and pay in cash. The peak of pill mills in 2010 led to 90 of the top 100 opioid prescribers to be in Florida, where 85% of the nation’s oxycodone was prescribed in the state. Over 500 million pills were sold in Florida in 2010 alone, with 4,282 opioid prescription-related deaths. NIDA reports during the opioid crisis in Florida, in 2010 alone, the prescription rate was 87.6 per 100 persons, the highest between 2006 to 2017.
The Washington Post did an investigation and curated data from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ARCOS database, which shows how much prescription pills were distributed throughout each state between 2006 to 2012. In Florida, roughly 5,556,553,071 prescription pain killers were supplied to Florida. During this time period, Walgreens distributed the most pain killers, Actavis Pharma Inc manufactured the most pills, and a Walgreens in Orlando was the top pharmacy distributing painkillers.
Source: Washington Post via DEA ARCOS Database
Increase in Drug Overdose Deaths
In 2011, prescription drug monitoring programs were enforced across many states, including Florida. Since then, the prescription rate has decreased each year.
Source: NIDA
However, the opioid epidemic only seemed to get worse, with a new opioid making its presence more known: heroin. While heroin has been around for a long time, it is an illegal substance that saw a boom after prescription drug rates began to decrease. It became apparent that street drugs were sought after when prescription drugs were not available, or people could not feed their addiction enough. This resulted in an increase in overdose deaths, as heroin is more potent than prescription drugs.
As if the opioid crisis in Florida wasn’t bad enough, fentanyl came onto the scene right after heroin and made its presence known. Fentanyl is more potent than heroin, with the slightest dosage causing fatal consequences, such as death. Both heroin and fentanyl increased in supply due to illegal activity.
Currently, there is still an opioid crisis in Florida, as people lace illicit drugs with heroin, fentanyl, and other substances, causing mental instability, destroying lives, and overdose deaths. Florida still continues to fight, and have introduced the Opioid Task Force in 2019.
How to Get Help for Opioid Addiction in Florida
The opioid epidemic in Florida and across the United States has claimed thousands of lives.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states 400,000 people have died between 1999 to 2017 from an opioid-related overdose. Don’t become a statistic, and get the help you deserve as it is possible to quit opioid addiction.
If you or someone you know is suffering from opioid addiction, seek professional help now. On Call Treatment FL is available to contact 24/7 by calling 1-855-492-1515.