MY TURN: Help combat Idaho opioid crisis

For centuries, opioids have played a role in medicine: healers relied on them to ease suffering, yet they've always been dangerously addictive. For example, morphine, an early 19th-century discovery, offered incredible relief for pain, battlefield wounds and other ailments.

The landscape shifted dramatically for opioids in the 1980s and 1990s when opioids like Vicodin started to be used in post-surgical and cancer treatment scenarios, prompting more widespread usage. Before the 1980s, opioids were not as commonly used and were reserved for the most extreme medical situations.

Unfortunately, the widespread use of opioids has become an ongoing, critical issue.

The grip of opioid use disorder knows no bounds and affects individuals across all demographics, neighborhoods, cities, towns and rural areas. You might have a friend or family member who has become dependent on opioids long after they were prescribed and into physiological or psychological addiction.

Alarmingly, recent studies have shed light on the impact of opioids on your youngest population, finding that opioids were responsible for the most poisoning deaths in children ages 5 and younger. The same study in Pediatrics found that over-the-counter medications have posed a significant risk, with 74% of poison-related fatalities for children under 2 years old being from cold and allergy medications and other common over-the-counter medications. 

Fortunately, Idaho has made progress in curbing the unnecessary use of opioids. Between 2006-2016, pharmacy and hospital distribution of oxycodone increased 83% in Idaho. But since 2016, Idaho has seen retail distribution fall by 38%, with 64 opioid prescriptions per 100 residents in 2022. 

Together, we can prevent opioid and over-the-counter medication abuse and misuse in Idaho. This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Blue Cross of Idaho is proud to partner with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and Panhandle Health District to host Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, held at 1812 N. Lakewood Drive in Coeur d’Alene.  

This week, please take a few minutes to clean out your medicine cabinet and utilize our safe disposal event Saturday. Illegal substances and needles are prohibited from disposal at Take-Back Day. If you cannot make it this weekend, you can always locate the nearest permanent drop box at odp.idaho.gov. 

All of us — law enforcement, providers, pharmacists and insurers play a role in combating the scourge of opioids.

If you or a family member needs help with opioid addiction, please call the Substance Abuse and Mental Help Services Administration at 800-622-HELP or the 2-1-1 Idaho CareLine. Both are free, confidential treatment and referral information services.

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Steve Olson is the vice president of Pharmacy for Blue Cross of Idaho. He received his bachelor of science in pharmacy and Ph.D. in pharmacy from the University of Minnesota.