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Civic Action Assessment of Issue

I believe that as a citizen of this country, it does not take much to help society run smoothly. As long as we can stay away from crime and drugs, we are helping society run smoothly 

I have learned that it is very easy to participate actively in local government through volunteer work. 

I do not think it is the average persons civic duty to assist in stopping the opioid criss, however, people should try their best to find volunteer work when they have extra time to give back to the community. 

Unfortunately due to our football season making a deep run into the playoffs, I was unable to volunteer after school at a food bank or opioid crisis related activity. 

Hopefully in the future I will be able to find time to volunteer and help victims at the opioid crisis. When i can find the time, I am going to go to a local foodbank and volunteer to complete my civic action. 

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Executive Action Assessment of Issue

President Trump's Stance

President Trump seems to be taking a strong steps towards solving the opioid crisis. The president acknowledges that the opioid crisis is hurting American families, as well as taking copious amounts of taxpayer money. Trump states that while the crisis is not over, his administration is doing everything in their power to stop prescription drug overdoses and save lives. He finishes explaining his stance on the issue by stating that, although his administration has made strides towards solving the epidemic, we are far from finding a 100% effective solution.  

I definitely agree with the position trump is taking on the opioid crisis. HE has definitely passed a significant amount of legislation regarding opioid abuse in America, and I appreciate how he recognized that the crisis is far from over, stating that more needs to be done. 

Department Heads Stance (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

“It is the mission of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans. We fulfill that mission by providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services” (Dep. of Health and Human Services). The mission statement relates to the opioid crisis because it mentions public health. The opioid crisis is a public health issue, therefore it is the Department of Health and Human services job to pass legislation that pertains to the opioid epidemic. 

The head of the department is Alax Axar. Azar does not have any previous experience heading law departments, and seems to be more qualified as a businessman. Because the department head is nothing more than a political appointment, it is likely that it is difficult to pass effectively written legislation.  

The public health and safety section of the Department of health website has a subsection for drug safety and awareness. Under this tab, there is a link to an FDA website on drug regulation and the dangers of overprescribing opioids. While it is not on the front page of their website, it is good to see that you can at least get information on the opioid crisis from the department of health and human services website. 

I think for the most part, the executive branch is doing a good job passing legislation that will solve the opioid epidemic. While the department of health and human services webpage is slightly disappointing, and the department heads background is questionable, looking at the executive branch's actions on the issue as a whole is still encouraging. Trump has made it clear that he has no intentions to cut finding to Opioid related programs, and he has clearly determined that the issue is very important on his agenda. 

SACAPS (my twitter account got deleted so I had to find an article online)

The article focuses on the opioid crisis and what the predicted effects it will have on Trump's presidency

The author is Anna Edney

The article was written in March of 2016 

The Washington post has the reputation of leaning to the left, a bias you can definitely see in the article. 

The article shows how people in 2016 believed Trump's solutions to the opioid crisis would be ineffective. It demonstrates how members of the democratic party do not believe in president Trump and his ability to solve national issues.  

Because we can now look back at the article now, we know that Trump's policy was actually able to cut down on opioid victims. In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from opioid overdoses, by the end of 2018, that number was down to 68,000. While the improvement might not seem massive, it definitely shows Trump has passed effective legislation, and hopefully deaths can continue to increase through the remainder of 2019.

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State and Legislative Action

1. 

a. Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer Khan, as well as state senator Steve                Glazer  have no listed state on the opioid epidemic. This is most likely                because The opioid crisis is not an issue that affects the majority of                    California residence. While there are definitely cases of opioid abuse in                California, the majority of deaths attributed to the opioid crisis are happening      in midwestern and eastern states. Another reason California lawmakers are        not tackling the opioid crisis is because an effective solution is much more          likely to be found by the national government because ay laws they create          can be applied to all the states affected by the opioid epidemic.

b. Because neither lawmaker has a position on the issue, I can neither agree          nor disagree with their opinion 

c. Neither lawmaker has passed legislation in 2019 that deals with the opioid          crisis.

2.

a. AB 888

b. February 20th, 2019

c. The bill was recently passed with zero committee members voting no

d. I definitely support Assembly Bill 888. The bill proposes that doctors prescribing opioids be required to disclose the risks of the medication they are prescribing to their patients, while also listing a number of other options the patient has in seeking pain relief without opioids. The bill would hopefully decrease the number of people that become addicted to opioids after receiving a valid prescription from a doctor. This ‘overprescribing’ has fueled the opioid epidemic across the nation and needs to be stopped if we ever want to solve the opioid epidemic.

3. 

a. In the federal government there is definitely more of an interest expressed in the opioid epidemic. Congressman Mark Desaulner has made a contribution to solving the opioid epidemic by  introducing the Empowering Pharmacists in the Fight Against Opioid Abuse Act in an attempt to teach pharmacies how to identify phony prescriptions. Senator Feinstein has passed numerous pieces of legislation tackling domestic drug abuse, including the Opioid Diversion Act, forcing manufacturers of opioids to report suspicious orders. Senator Feinstein has not yet listen her stance on the opioid epidemic, however this could be because she in no new to the federal government. 

b. Both Mark Desauner and Senator Feinstein have passed legislation pertaining to the opioid crisis. As mentioned in the paragraph above, the most notable pieces of legislation they have passed have been the Empowering Pharmacists in the Fight Against Opioid Abuse Act for Mark Desauner, and the Opioid Diversion Act for senator Feninstein. 

c. Because senator harris did not have her opinion about the opioid epidemic listed on her website, I will contact her via email asking for her opinion. 

4. 

a. Yes there are three bills that directly relate to my issue

b. Senate bill S. 2476

c. The bill proposes that drug companies should not be allowed to get tax breaks for their prescription drug ads

d. Hopefully, this piece of legislation could cut down on the revenue that some pharmaceutical companies are making from over prescribing drugs. It would also give the federal government more money to fight the opioid crisis, without raising taxes. 

e. I would vote yes for this bill. While it is not a large enough change to make a massive difference in the opioid crisis, it is definitely a step in the right direction 

f. The bill originated in the senate from the committee of finance. It has not made it passed the house, or been voted on by the Senate, nor has it been signed by the president.

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Political Interest Groups and PAC Assessment

Identify one national interest group that represents your issue. 

1. The National Association for Addiction Professionals 

2. The NAACP is a national interest group focused on helping those affected by addiction. They have trained and certified over 100,000 addiction specialists that help families and individuals addicted to substances such as opioids get their lives back on track.  

3. Main Ideas

     I. They have 10,500 members nationwide

     II. They work closely with members of our government to ensure new                     legislation is passed that helps Americans overcome addiction.  

     III. They have Issued credentials to 21,000 Addiction professionals                            nationwide

     VI. Each Certified Addiction professional is committed to helping families                and individuals deal with and overcome drug addiction

     V. They have a 47 state territory with a strong concentration of members                  and certified professionals 

4. The NAACP is committed to not repeal the affordable care act until, “there is a substantive replacement that meets the needs of those with substance use and co-occurring disorders and that insurance parity for substance use and co-occurring disorders are fairly and effectively implemented and monitored” (NAACP Website).  

5. The NAACP seems to operate mostly out of the Central and Eastern US, most likely because these are the areas most affected by major issues like the Opioid crisis. While there are almost no events occurring on the pacific side of the United States, I was able to find an event in Walnut Creek on November First called, the Art Therapy Interventions for Anxiety, Chronic Pain and Addictions. 

6. The NAACP does not offer many volunteer opportunities as they are mainly focused on certifying addiction professionals, rather than common volunteer activities like food banks.

Identify one state interest group that represents your issue. 

1. Drugsense

2. Drug sense is focused on ‘drug policy reform’ that mainly means ending the war on drugs

3. Main Ideas

    I. They have a counter on the front page of their website that displays the               amount of money we have sent of the war on drugs 

    II. They have been committed to influencing drug reform since 1995

   III. They have a plethora of news stories and letters related to drug reform                and policy, as well as responses to the opinion displayed in the articles

   VI. At the bottom of their homepage they have a list of tweets from celebrities          and members supporting Drugsense and their message. 

   V. They have an active blog on their homepage where members can discuss           current issues regarding drug policies 

4. They do not support the war on drugs started by Richard Nixon in 1971

5. They do not have any local meetings. The only way to participate would be to donate and become a member, granting access to their blog where members can introduce their ideas on current issues and drug policy. 

6. They do not have any volunteer opportunities 

Compare the two interest groups. 

I. I definitely believe the superior group is the NAACP. They are more focused on directly helping individuals influenced by the Opioid crisis. I definitely believe their ideas can help people struggling with addiction, and their website is very well organized and professional. Drugsense seems to have a poorly organized and almost sketchy website, and their message of ‘ending the war on drugs’ is very vague. They do not have any actual position on current issues, and their only goal seems to be legalization of all drugs, an initiative that could spell disaster for America. 

Choose one PAC or Super PAC that pertains to your civic action issue.  

1. National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers

2. The NAATP works to end alcohol and prescription drug addiction through donating to politicians that will pass legislation that helps those affected by addiction.

3. In 2018 they raised $29,700, spending $18,200 on donations to political candidates. They currently have $68,000 on hand to spend on whatever they want. 

4. They have spent 100% of their money on Republican candidates. 

5. Most of their donors seems to be addiction centers of doctors, reflecting the main goals of the PAC.

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Political Party Action

Republican Party:

Political Stance: Republicans  acknowledge that the opioid crisis is a massive issue that needs to get better in the future. Their website seems to list examples of how they are helping, mainly focusing on how the leadership of President Trump and Mitch McConnell has lead to progress, citing laws like the CAREER Act and the Protecting Moms and Infants Act. 

Do I Agree: I mostly agree with the stance the Republican party takes when talking about the opioid crisis. They could be doing more to help victims and prevent more overdoses, however the republican party has definitely made progress in the last few years with president Trump and his administration. 

Democratic Party:

Political Stance: The democrats do not mention the opioid crisis in any of their major issues displayed on the front page of their website. This gives off the impression that democrats are not considering the Opioid crisis when thinking about some of the biggest issues that face America today. While they might not think to opioid crisis is the most pressing issue, politicians of the past that have run with the democratic party have made improvements to the opioid crisis, telling us the party does want the issue to get better.

Do I Agree: I would like the democratic party to take a stronger stand on the issue and possibly list the suggestions for fixing the issue on their website.

The Green Party:

Political Stance: The Green Party seems to believe the opioid crisis is a major issue, as it has an article listed on its home website about how serious the opioid crisis has become. 

Do I Agree: While the green party definitely recognizes the problem, I believe they are more focused on environmental issues than the opioid crisis, as they only have one article regarding the subject. This is not surprising as the party’s main philosophy is centered around fixing environmental issues, and one article is definitely better than nothing. 

The Libertarian Party:

Political Stance: While the Libertarian party chose to not mention any specific details about the Opioid crisis on its home page, they do address the issue in their 2018 state of the union, claiming the war on drugs has exacerbated the issue of the opioid crisis. 

Do I Agree: I definitely somewhat agree with the party’s claim that the war on drugs has made the issue worse in some ways, however, it is definitely important for the government to take action and fight the drug epidemic. Perhaps it would be more effective to go after major pharmaceutical companies that overprescribe drugs, rather than addicted junkies that have had their lives ruined by addiction.

Californias Feminist Socialist Party:

Political Stance: Their main website does not feature any articles or suggestions regarding the opioid crisis. It is much more likely that this party is hyper focused on civil action and major government reform than major problems like the opioid crisis. 

Do I Agree: I Definitely think that this party should focus on a much broader spectrum of issues if they want to gain any major political support. I could not find anything on the opioid crisis and I definitely believe the issue is big enough to be featured on every major political party’s website.

Final Conclusion: I definitely feel like the republican party illustrates the seriousness of the opioid criss the best. They have lead the way in pushing for change in one of Americas biggest issues and continue to pass legislation that is aimed to help solve the crisis. I definitely think I would vote for one of their candidates, despite the fact that all of my views might not line up exactly with the party. 

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Constitutional Issues

Due to the opioid crisis being a recent event, there have been no supreme court rulings dealing with opioid use, sale, or production. Recently thought there has been speculation that Johnson & Johnson could challenge the recent ruling made by the state of Arizona, possibly sending the case to the supreme court. This would give the supreme court a chance to set a president, forcing district courts to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the death and destruction their dangerous drugs bring.       

SACCAPS: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/01/us/dea-opioid-crisis.html?auth=link-dismiss-google1tap&smid=nytcore-ios-share

Subject: This article focuses on the DEA and its possible negligence regarding the early stages of the opioid crisis. 

Author: The article was written by Jacy Fortin and published by the New York Times. 

Context: The article was released on October 1st, 2019, placing it square in the eyes of the American people just months after an Arizona state court found Johnson & Johnson guilty of contributing to the opioid epidemic.

Bias and Perspective of The Author: The author definitely takes a stand against the DEA in her article. She introduces facts and statistics that demonstrate why the DEA is being called out for misconduct and makes gives argument or explanation for why the DEA did what it did. 

Intended Audience: The intended audience is the American people, mainly those being seriously effected by the opioid epidemic. 

Significance: This recent article is significant because it demonstrates an uptick in awareness for the opioid crisis, beginning with the landmark court case against Johnson & Johnson. Since that big decision early this year, articles like this have kept the public informed about the opioid crisis, while keeping the spotlight on the issue, forcing lawmakers to begin holding people and organizations responsible for the deaths they have caused. 

Do I Agree: For the most part I agree with the stance this article takes; however, while it is good to begin holding organizations accountable, i believe major pharmaceutical companies should carry much more of the blame for the current opioid epidemic. 

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Media Assessment of Opioid Crisis

27Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/18/health/opioid-crisis-fast-facts/index.html

author: CNN Library

Context: Published August 28, 2019, before the recent Oklahoma trials 

Intended Audience: CNN usually writes articles for middle to upper class democrats, usually presenting a strong left leaning bias

Bias From Author: Author is most likely left leaning, however, you cannot tell from reading the article

Significance: The CNN article introduces alot of interesting stats that the American public needs to see. Stats such as 11.4 million Americans misusing opioid prescriptions help the reader understand how widespread the issue of opioid abuse is.

Do I Agree: I Agree with alot of the facts stated in the article, mostly because it does not state a clear opinion, it even goes as far as to recognize some of the attempts made by Trump to fix the issue at the end of the article. 

Article: https://www.foxnews.com/health/pills-gained-strength-as-opioid-crisis-grew-analysis

Author: Frank Miles, Fox News

Context: Published July 24th, 2019

Intended Audience: Fox usually writes articles for upper to middle class republicans, often demonstrating a strong right leaning bias. 

Bias from Author: The Fox article is slightly more bias than the CNN article, clearly demonstrating a right leaning bias when talking about the presidents policies, and how successful Trump has been in controlling the Opioid crisis. 

Significance: The Fox article, much like the CNN article introduces various statistics deigned to grab the readers attention. Facts such as opioid deaths jumping to 23,000 per year scare the reader and help bring attention to the issue. 

Do I agree: For the most part, I agree with the stand the article takes, however it has some inherent flaws. The article does a good job conveying the danger of the opioid crisis, warning the American public that if something is not done the issue is going to get worse. The article falters when it says the president is doing alot to combat the problem. The government has not been nearly involved enough in the crisis and is one of the reasons the issue has become so large. While president Trump has recently shown some in bringing attention to the issue, for the most part the presidents attention has been on other things.

Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/were-finally-getting-some-accountability-for-the-opioid-crisis--long-after-victims-are-dead/2019/09/02/9dfa1428-c9b7-11e9-a1fe-ca46e8d573c0_story.html?noredirect=on

Author: Unknown

Context: Published September 2nd, 2019, just days after a landmark supreme court decision in Oklahoma 

Intended audience: The Washington Post usually caters to a more neutral, possible slightly left leaning audience. For the most part they try their best to stay in the middle so they can cater to a wider audience.

Bias From the Author: The Washington post is a mostly unbiased source, therefore there is not much bias in the article.

Significance: This article was published days after the landmark court decision to charge pharmaceutical company Johnson & Jonhson $527 million as compensation for the victims of their prescription opioids. The article mentions this case as a massive step being taken to help victims of the crisis, as well as citing the case as progress towards holding pharmaceutical company’s accountable for mistakes they've made. 

Do I Agree: For the most part, I agree with the stance the article is taking. The author is clearly siding with the courts, using the legal charges brought agains pharmaceutical as evidence of progress towards fixing the opioid crisis. 

                                                       Article Analysis

Similarities: All three articles share various aspects, despite all being from drastically different sources. The articles all focus on shocking statistics of the opioid crisis, aiming to bring attention to the number of people being affected. All of the articles also had some focus on what is being done to fix the problem, frequently citing court cases and presidential orders attempting to deal with the issue.  

Differences: While the three articles where all from varying political viewpoints, there were little differences in viewpoints and opinions in the articles. The only differences I could find is how information was delivered, with Fox and CNN using statistics to scare the reader. 

What Source do I Identify With: I think all of the sources did a good job describing the dangers of the opioid crisis, without bringing political opinion into the picture. If I had to choose a source that I enjoyed reading most i would probably pick the Washington Post article because it focuses more on how we can fix the problem without trying to scare the reader cause them to loose hope.  

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Conceptualizing The Issues And Assessing Types Of Action

1. I chose the Opioid Crisis as my current issue because a number of my other classes are touching on the issue and I think it would be interesting to learn about. 

2. The American Opioid crisis is an issue because the effects are being felt by almost every community in America. While some communities are hit much harder than others by prescription drug abuse, the growing popularity of opioids in the last ten years has become an alarming problem facing the American people.  

3. While the effects of the opioid crisis are for the most part incredibly obvious, a single solution for the problem seems almost imposible. If we are going to make serious progress in fixing the issue, our government needs to shield itself from corruption found in corporations in areas such as the pharmaceutical industry and value the good of the American people before everything else

4. Twitter Following

 a. Melania Trump - influential and powerful figure that seems to be determined to bring change and a better life for those effected by opioid abuse.

 b. DEA HQ - The DEA plays a massive role in controlling the power of the pharmaceutical industry and making sure over the counter medication such as sudafed is heavily regulated and kept out of the wrong hands. 

 c. Opioid Crisis Response Fund - This organization plays helps save lives by assisting overdose victims and helping them find rehab opportunities. 

 d.  Johnson & Johnson - One of the top pharmaceutical companies, they have millions of dollars to fight regulation of potentially dangerous over the counter drugs. 

 e. WSJ - solid middle line news source that frequently updates followers on current opioid crisis news and legislation being passed to fix the problem.