Is There an Opioid Crisis in California?
Who is Responsible?
Jackie Phillips
Criminology, Post University
SOC217 Alcohol and Drugs
Unit 1 Assignment How the Government & Media Worked Together
to Create an Epidemic
AJ Roy
Due Date: 11:59 pm EST on Sunday of Unit 1
For this assignment, you will investigate how the government and media created a social drug epidemic. For this assignment you will write a 1-2 page paper discussing how the government used the media and the media used the government to create a social drug epidemic. How were the drug claims broadcasted? How legitimate were the claims? Please provide specific examples highlighting the reciprocating interactions of the government and media. Provide examples by utilizing your textbook, media article, and or other credible sources.
There appears to be a wide variety of sources and groups who are allowing drugs and addiction to grow by a variety of groups. There appears to be large corporations and small dealers who are making a lot of money from opioid products and the hopes of addiction. What is fentanyl and what is it doing to people without them knowing?
“Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, up to 50 times stronger than heroin and a whopping 100 times more potent than morphine. Did you know that a speck of fentanyl, an amount smaller than a raindrop or a few grains of salt, could literally kill you? Fentanyl is sneaky: you can’t see, taste, or smell it. Remember, fentanyl is an opioid. Many pills or powders sold as illicit drugs* may contain fentanyl – even if they’re sold as something else. Fentanyl makes illicit drugs more dangerous than they’ve ever been. We’ve seen it in so-called “party drugs” like MDMA and cocaine, “study drugs” like fake Adderall, and everything in between – yup, even counterfeit pills that look like legitimate prescription drugs, including Xanax and oxy.” (No author given, 2025)
California has been hard at work to fight the massive opioid crisis across the country, including the Governer Gavin Newsom.
“SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Newsom is launching a new tool to continue California’s efforts in fighting the ongoing opioid crisis – a comprehensive website with resources for Californians: Opioids.CA.GOV. This website serves as a reliable source of information on prevention, data, treatment, and support where Californians can also access information related to the state’s use of opioid settlement funds and efforts to hold drug-traffickers accountable.” (No author given, 2025)
There seems to be another root cause of the epidemic surrounding the increased use of strong pain medications like fentanyl is from the various doctors and drug treatment groups relying on these drugs since they are easy to access from national chains and local dealers.
“The third phase began in late 2013 and continues today. Increasingly efficient global supply chains and a sharp intensification in interdiction efforts created the conditions for the emergence of potent and less bulky products, for example, illicitly manufactured fentanyl and its analogs, which are increasingly present in counterfeit pills and heroin. Between 2013 and 2016, deaths attributed to fentanyl analogs spiked by a shocking 540% nationally, with pronounced regional increases. The rapid acceleration of the crisis has led to its designation as a national public health emergency. Contradicting the singular blame on health care as the gateway to addiction, individuals entering drug treatment are now more likely to report having started opioid use with heroin, not a specific prescription analgesic.” (Dasgupta, N., Beletsky, L., Cirrarone, D., 2018)
There appears to be a statewide belief that opioids are not the only problem. State law makers are seeing increases in mental health issues of people between the ages of 18 to 24, and they are seeing increases in uses of cannabis and crack cocaine in these ages.
“Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced nearly $481 million in grants announced to help overhaul California’s youth mental health system, noting that in the Golden State, “the rates of serious mental illness and substance use disorders are highest for individuals ages 18 to 25, and rates of children and youth experiencing behavioral health conditions, youth emergency department visits for mental health concerns, and youth suicides continue to rise.” (Hoeven, E., 2022)
Just this past January, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a massive settlement and the closure of Purdue Pharma, who actively created a country wide market of opioids products.
“Purdue, under the Sacklers’ leadership, invented, manufactured, and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling waves of addiction and overdose deaths across the country. The settlement ends the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and their ability to sell opioids in the United States. Further, it will deliver funding directly to communities across the country over the next 15 years to support opioid addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs. The $7.4 billion settlement in principle, the nation’s largest settlement to date with individuals responsible for contributing to the opioid crisis, comes after the United States Supreme Court overturned a prior multistate settlement with the Sacklers and Purdue in June 2024.” (Paxton, K., 2025)
There appears to be a country wide problem with the growing use and abuse of opioid drugs and the use of them as both recreational drugs and as prescriptions by doctors and treatment centers. Both problems need to be addressed and taken seriously in order for the problems to be tackled and controlled.
References
Dasgupta, N., Beletsky, L., Cirrarone, D., 2018, National Library of Medicine, Opioid Crisis: No Easy Fix to Its Social and Economic Determinants, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5846593/#:~:text=While%20increased%20opioid%20prescribing%20for,are%20root%20causes%20of%20the
Hoeven, E., 2022, Cal Matters, How will California handle the youth fentanyl overdose crisis, https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/12/california-fentanyl-youth-overdose-crisis/
No author given, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom, California Adds Resources to Fight the Opioid Crisis, https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/12/14/california-launches-opioids-ca-gov
No author given, 2025, California Department of Public Health, The Facts on Fentanyl, https://www.factsfightfentanyl.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA5pq-BhBuEiwAvkzVZeMPaBJr17B-_3Ynm_j9uBuRELvmUJZyO3Xsp8uzSDFTyiIFSAwEIBoCAowQAvD_BwE
Paxton, K., 2025, Texas Attorney General, Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures $7.4 Billion Settlement With Purdue Pharma and Sackler Family for Role in Opioid Epidemic, https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-74-billion-settlement-purdue-pharma-and-sackler-family-role#:~:text=(%E2%80%9CPurdue%E2%80%9D)%20for%20their,overdose%20deaths%20across%20the%20country.
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