Thesis:
The Opioid crisis in the
US has lead many states to implement programs that distribute Narcan a
controversial overdose antidote.
Counterargument:
This
form of harm reduction strategy has some critics, who claim that this
medication only encourages drug use; giving the addicts a way to reveres the
overdose. Narcan enables opioid addiction; addicts may view Narcan as a safety
net it doesn’t encourage recovery.
Response to the
counterargument:
One may argue that Narcan doesn’t give the addict a safety net; this
medication increased the addict’s ability to go into recovery by giving the
addict another chance to live an opportunity to go into rehab. This opportunity
would not even be a choice if Narcan were not available. Narcan doesn’t enable
use, when Narcan is administered to an overdose victim it can send them into a
rapid and painful withdrawal (Wing, 2015). Which makes it unlikely to enable
the opioid user. Why would an addict get high to immediately sober up? Opioid
withdrawal isn’t something an addict peruses, opioid addicts use to not
experience the withdrawal, its not about the high anymore, its about not being
sick, a sickness that entails; muscle pains, anxiety, diarrhea, nausea and
vomiting. That’s sounds like something that we would all avoid.