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A Background Of The Opioid Epidemic And Its Relationship To The Medicaid Expansion, Er Yearn Jang

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

This paper provides a background to the opioid epidemic in the United States. The opioid epidemic, a public health crisis, is perceived by the public to be caused by issues in the medical field. By providing a historical background to the epidemic, this study demonstrates that the beginnings of the opioid crisis were not only rooted in past issues within the healthcare field but in previous social misconceptions about opioids. This historical backdrop is proceeded by an examination of opioid pharmacology, which discusses what opioids are, what is currently known about opioid addiction and reviews the presently used treatments for …