Review of The United States of Opioids
-
Laurie Bridgens
- Posts: 19
- Joined: 17 Aug 2021, 07:40
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 23
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-laurie-bridgens.html
- Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
Review of The United States of Opioids
[Following is a volunteer review of "The United States of Opioids" by Harry Nelson.]
The United States of Opioids by Harry Nelson is an article detailing the opioid crisis that is in existence in the United States, from the beginning right through to the present. The article approaches the crisis through four main fronts, these are namely the law, the physician’s, the pharmaceutical companies, and the treatment options. The article is factual in nature and describes in great detail how each of the above-mentioned factors have contributed to create the perfect storm for an opioid crisis. The intricacies of the American state and law system are highlighted as being one of the massive roadblocks due to each state having their own laws surrounding the prescription and dispensation of opioids, and often how the state laws are in direct conflict with the federal laws. This has led to mass confusion leading to confusion on the part of physician’s, with some overprescribing and others under prescribing, both in fear of the ever-changing laws surrounding opioids. The pharmaceutical companies play a massive role in this crisis by pushing addictive drugs in order to make fast profits, these drugs are often falsely advertised as being safe and non-addictive and are not properly tested before being put on the market. The last factor revolves around treatment options for those with substance abuse disorders, the stigma surrounding it, and the issue that most American health care schemes do not cover addiction treatment and recovery, leaving thousands of addicts with little to no assistance and no option than to turn to the illegal drug market once their supply from physician’s has been cut off.
The positive aspects of this book are that it is very informative and provides sufficiently and referenced research that is backed up by both facts and examples. It is simple to read despite it’s scientific nature and really highlights how so many different components of the United States are involved in aggravating the crisis. The article really impresses on the reader how a crisis as huge as the opioid crisis is fuelled by no single factor, but rather by a multitude of clashing systems, all with different laws, methods, and opinions. One thing I particularly enjoyed about reading this article was the knowledge about the contribution of the pharmaceutical companies in the opioid crisis, the sheer lack of conscience and drive to make quick profits at the expense of the patients they are supposed to be protecting is both horrifying and fascinating to read.
The negative aspects of this article were that I found it to be fairly repetitive, each chapter revisiting the facts of the chapter previous, although this was helpful in reminding the reader of the terminology utilized, it did create a rather dull read, especially towards the end of the book, where chapters one and two were still being referenced. One other negative aspect of this article was that, although written by a lawyer and professionally presented and referenced, it contained far too many grammatical errors, that did on occasion affect the reading of the book, as the reader had to sometimes read a sentence multiple times in order to find out why it sounded so wrong or which word was missing entirely from the sentence.
I would rate this book as a 2 out of 4 stars due to the fact that it was very informative, which I enjoyed, and it was simple enough to read without difficulty for those without any knowledge about the American law and medical systems. The reason I did not rate this book higher is due to the fact that I found it to be somewhat repetitive and the number of grammatical errors did have an impact on the enjoyment of the reading of the article.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in opioids and the crisis in America, particularly I would recommend this book to those Americans who know a loved one or family friend who is struggling with an addiction as the article is actually very helpful with regards to providing tips and suggestions for those indirectly affected by the opioid crisis. I would recommend this book to a mostly American audience simply due to the fact that it is very specific to the American systems of law, so is not applicable to any other country, this is not to say that a non-American would not enjoy reading this, it is just to say that, from a perspective of helpfulness rather than interest, this article would best suit an American audience.
******
The United States of Opioids
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The United States of Opioids by Harry Nelson is an article detailing the opioid crisis that is in existence in the United States, from the beginning right through to the present. The article approaches the crisis through four main fronts, these are namely the law, the physician’s, the pharmaceutical companies, and the treatment options. The article is factual in nature and describes in great detail how each of the above-mentioned factors have contributed to create the perfect storm for an opioid crisis. The intricacies of the American state and law system are highlighted as being one of the massive roadblocks due to each state having their own laws surrounding the prescription and dispensation of opioids, and often how the state laws are in direct conflict with the federal laws. This has led to mass confusion leading to confusion on the part of physician’s, with some overprescribing and others under prescribing, both in fear of the ever-changing laws surrounding opioids. The pharmaceutical companies play a massive role in this crisis by pushing addictive drugs in order to make fast profits, these drugs are often falsely advertised as being safe and non-addictive and are not properly tested before being put on the market. The last factor revolves around treatment options for those with substance abuse disorders, the stigma surrounding it, and the issue that most American health care schemes do not cover addiction treatment and recovery, leaving thousands of addicts with little to no assistance and no option than to turn to the illegal drug market once their supply from physician’s has been cut off.
The positive aspects of this book are that it is very informative and provides sufficiently and referenced research that is backed up by both facts and examples. It is simple to read despite it’s scientific nature and really highlights how so many different components of the United States are involved in aggravating the crisis. The article really impresses on the reader how a crisis as huge as the opioid crisis is fuelled by no single factor, but rather by a multitude of clashing systems, all with different laws, methods, and opinions. One thing I particularly enjoyed about reading this article was the knowledge about the contribution of the pharmaceutical companies in the opioid crisis, the sheer lack of conscience and drive to make quick profits at the expense of the patients they are supposed to be protecting is both horrifying and fascinating to read.
The negative aspects of this article were that I found it to be fairly repetitive, each chapter revisiting the facts of the chapter previous, although this was helpful in reminding the reader of the terminology utilized, it did create a rather dull read, especially towards the end of the book, where chapters one and two were still being referenced. One other negative aspect of this article was that, although written by a lawyer and professionally presented and referenced, it contained far too many grammatical errors, that did on occasion affect the reading of the book, as the reader had to sometimes read a sentence multiple times in order to find out why it sounded so wrong or which word was missing entirely from the sentence.
I would rate this book as a 2 out of 4 stars due to the fact that it was very informative, which I enjoyed, and it was simple enough to read without difficulty for those without any knowledge about the American law and medical systems. The reason I did not rate this book higher is due to the fact that I found it to be somewhat repetitive and the number of grammatical errors did have an impact on the enjoyment of the reading of the article.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in opioids and the crisis in America, particularly I would recommend this book to those Americans who know a loved one or family friend who is struggling with an addiction as the article is actually very helpful with regards to providing tips and suggestions for those indirectly affected by the opioid crisis. I would recommend this book to a mostly American audience simply due to the fact that it is very specific to the American systems of law, so is not applicable to any other country, this is not to say that a non-American would not enjoy reading this, it is just to say that, from a perspective of helpfulness rather than interest, this article would best suit an American audience.
******
The United States of Opioids
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
