Description should include

legal in the U.S. in 1775
increase in popularity to treat soldiers during the American Civil War (1861-1865)
a 1970s-era rise in the stigma around opioid use; many Vietnam veterans returned addicted to opioids

the shift in attitudes in the 1990s toward pain management and medical use of opioids, including the role of pharmaceutical marketing
in the 2000s, a changing view of addiction from a moral failing to a chronic, relapsing disease

the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 represented the first restrictions on commercial use of opioids
the Controlled Substance Act of 1970
the role of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

the relationship between opioid prescribing and illicit opioid use related to overall opioid overdose deaths
an awareness of co-occurring mental health disorders
statistics, trends, and demographics surrounding opioid use
population health and other public health aspects of the opioid crisis, including its effects on family and neonates, as well as overall health costs
concepts related to the history of confidentiality and insurance related to opioid use in healthcare.

Teacher Resources:

Process/Skill Questions:

How are opioids created?
How does society stereotype individuals with a history of drug addiction?
What were the trends that contributed to the nationwide opioid crisis?
How has the opioid epidemic affected emergency rooms and the first responder system?
What were the initial uses of opioids in early medicines?
How did pharmaceutical marketing influence the opioid epidemic?
What laws and regulations combat opioid use in the United States?