The opioid epidemic in this country has claimed the lives of enough people already. Now it is time to put a stop to the frequent abuse of perscription painkillers.

Due to the unfortunate opioid crisis throughout the country, New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo has decided to put an emphasis on the dangers of the drug fentanyl by raising awareness. This effort involves adding $3 million more to an already $1.3 million anti-opioid public education campaign.

The money being used for the campaign, known as “Hidden Fentanyl Kills,” will go toward advertisements and information cards that can be seen everywhere from social media to buses. The point of the ads is to stress the danger of the drug, prevention tips and guidance on how to respond to an overdose.

One thing that people are unsure of is how much of an impact this will actually have on the prevention of fentanyl abuse. It is a lot of money to spend spreading a message many are already aware of. It is known that fentanyl and all opioid-based drugs are very dangerous.

This is almost reminiscent of cigarette packs containing a warning label that says smoking can cause cancer. The campaign can certainly have a huge impact on raising awareness of the dangers of the drug, but it will not necessarily stop people from using opioids, especially since the way many are introduced to these harmful substances in the first place is by being prescribed them by their doctors.

An action the state should consider is a replacement of opioid-based prescription medicines with substances that are providing positive results elsewhere.

According to an article in The Washington Post, a study done by the American Journal of Public Health has shown that the legalization of marijuana has resulted in a decrease in opioid overdose deaths. Another study done by the National Academies of Science, Medicine and Engineering has concluded that marijuana is very effective in treating chronic pain in adults. Another benefit of marijuana in contrast to opioids: it is not nearly as addicting, although it can be habit forming. There also is no known lethal dose, meaning an individual could not consume a large enough quantity of marijuana fast enough for an overdose to be possible.

The bottom line is Cuomo and the state of New York should reconsider how that aforementioned $3 million should be used to approach its opioid crisis. While it is not a terrible idea, putting more emphasis on spreading a message many are already aware of may not be the best way to go. Taking into consideration the facts found in the studies of marijuana, it seems it would be safer to use the drug that not only shows positive results and does not cause addictions or overdoses rather than one that does.

Photo: The United States Marine Corps via Wikimedia Commons