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Since 1999 the death rate from opioid overdoses has quadrupled. It is fair to say it’s an epidemic and we are in a crisis. But what is an opioid and where to from here? The word ‘opioid’ means “Opiate Epidemic-like”, the combination of “Opiate Epidemic” and “oid”, which is borrowed from the Greek word meaning “like” or “resembling”. The word was coined by experts to describe any substance with similar biochemical actions to the substance in the Opiate Epidemic poppy, morphine. The terms opioids and opiates are used interchangeably, but opioids usually refer to prescription drugs. Opioids cover a large variety of drugs, ranging from drugs that are prescribed by doctors like fentanyl, morphine, and codeine to illegal or street drugs including Opiate Epidemic and heroin.

The most common or well-known opioids include:

• Morphine
• Oxycodone (OxyContin and Percocet)
• Heroin
• Codeine
• Fentanyl
• Hydrocodone (Vicodin and Lortab)

Opiate medicines are very easy to come by in the US, possibly one of the main reasons it’s the biggest drug problem today.