Write a paper examining the status of the opioid problem in the United States, how it has been defined as social problem and solutions to address the problem.

Opioid overdoses have caused many people harm—not just those who have died, but their family and friends who have suffered an emotional loss as well. It’s clear from an objective standpoint that there is a rising number of overdose deaths and that it has been getting worse. But what makes us define something as a social problem?
Sociologists who study the construction of social problems are interested in more than just the nature of an issue and the harm that it may cause. A social constructionist approach goes beyond the question of “is this a problem?”
A social constructionist encourages us to think critically about what comes to our attention as a social problem, as well as why some issues are not defined as social problems despite their causing harm—sometimes even more harm than those that we think of as social problems.
Students will write a paper examining the status of the opioid problem in the United States, how it has been defined as social problem and solutions to address the problem.
Paper Outline
Use the following format for the paper:
– organize paper with the bolded sections
• Introduction
• Social Problem-Opioid Addiction
• Solutions -Opioid Addiction
– answer the questions in your writing – do NOT list the questions

Introduction (3 pages)
 What is the scope of the opioid epidemic?
 How did the United States get into this situation?
• What is the history?
• Who contributed to this epidemic?
o Pharmaceutical companies?
o Physicians?
o Health Insurance?
o Patients?

Social Problem – Opioid Addiction (3-4 pages)
 Who has defined this issue as a social problem?
 When did people start paying attention to this issue?
• What put it on a public agenda?
• Has this issue been ignored until recently?
 Who do we most associate with this issue and problem?
 What is the intersectionality of opioid addiction, race and class?
• How does race and class intersect?
 Good place to start – read this link below and then look for other sociological scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles.
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Solutions – Opioid Addiction (3 pages)
 What are the prevention strategies?
• Federal and State levels
 How are the proposed solutions defined – what would success look like?
 What are prevention strategies that could be used with social workers being involved?
• Any current practices that are successful?