
A website by Nate Machado

The Opioid Crisis
Pre-Reading
A.Warm-Up Questions
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What are opioids?
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How do people become dependent on prescription drugs?
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Why are so many people dying from opioids?
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Is there an opioid crisis in your community?
B.Vocabulary Preview
Match up as many words and meanings as you can. Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context.
1. opioid
2. synthetic
3. addictive
4. prescription drug
5. transition
6. illicit
7. lace
8. lethal
9. overdose
10. adequate
11. combat
12. stigma
a) to add to another substance (often secretly)
b) causing death
c) a drug that reduces pain and increases pleasure
e) illegal
f) man-made
g) the movement from one thing or place to another
h) enough
i) to fight, reduce, or prevent
j) a negative, and often discriminatory, association or attitude
k) the state of taking in more of a substance than a body can handle
l) causing one to feel a strong, growing need for a substance
m) medicine ordered by a doctor and issued to a patient with instructions
“90% of all the morphine on the planet is consumed by the world’s richest 10%.”
—BBC World Service
Did You Know?
In Canada, The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act is designed to save lives. It became law in 2017 and offers legal protection for people who seek help when experiencing or witnessing an overdose. The goal is to encourage people to save a life without fear of being charged with a drug crime.
Did You Know?
In Canada, The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act is designed to save lives. It became law in 2017 and offers legal protection for people who seek help when experiencing or witnessing an overdose. The goal is to encourage people to save a life without fear of being charged with a drug crime.
Comprehension
Discuss these questions and write the answers below.
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What is the reading mainly about?
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How did this problem evolve into a crisis?
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According to the reading, why is fentanyl so lethal?
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What is the purpose of the last line of paragraph 4?
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Why do many people who suffer from substance use disorders not seek help?
Vocabulary Review
Which word from Vocabulary Preview is described in each sentence? More than one option may be possible.
Words Matter
STIGMA
A. Reference
The noun “stigma” refers to negative attitudes and feelings. The verb form is “stigmatize,” meaning to describe or view in a negative, unfair, or ignorant way. The chart below gives examples of words that can stigmatize people with substance use disorders.
B. Discuss
When we stigmatize people with substance use disorders, they are less likely to seek medical treatment. Besides choosing better words, how can we change our attitudes and feelings toward those who struggle with substance use disorders?
Critical Thinking
Illegal fentanyl is one of the leading causes of death from opioids. Much of the North American supply comes in from China, which has vowed to crack down on the drug. President Trump recently tweeted:
Do you agree with President Trump that this would be a “game changer”? Why or why not?
Discussion
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Do you think the opioid crisis in the US and Canada is going to get better or worse in the next five years? Explain.
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What can doctors do to reduce opioid-related deaths?
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Did your parents and teachers discuss substance misuse with you? What should parents and teachers do to address this crisis?
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What are some individual actions you can take to help alleviate or prevent this crisis in your own community? What can your class do?
Answer Key
Pre-Reading
A. WARM- UP QUESTIONS
Answers will vary.
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Opioids are drugs (natural or synthetic) that reduce pain and increase pleasure.
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People become dependent on prescription drugs because of the addictive nature of these drugs. Some people are more susceptible. If doctors don’t closely monitor prescription use, dependency can become a problem. Also, prescription drugs can get into the wrong hands.
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So many people are dying from opioids because these drugs have become much more powerful, are easy to get, and are highly addictive. People may also be misinformed or uninformed about how lethal they are now.
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Individual answers.
B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW
1. cㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ2. eㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ3. kㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ4. lㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ5. fㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ6. d
7. aㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ8. bㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ9. jㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ10. gㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ11. hㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ12. i
Listening
1. Opioids, fentanyl, misuse
2. relievers, addictive, prescription
3. international, illicit, overdose
4. declared, nation’s, adequate
5. combat, stigma, dependency
Comprehension
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The reading is mainly about the opioid crisis in the US and Canada and how it has evolved.
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The problem began with the introduction of new, powerful prescription drugs in the 1990s and worsened with the increased use of a synthetic drug called fentanyl.
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Fentanyl is over 50 times more powerful than heroin. It is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, so people don’t know when it has been added to other drugs.
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The purpose of the last line of paragraph 4 is to show a contrast between those who have easy access to opioids and those who do not have adequate access to pain relief. You could point out a similar problem with food. While obesity is an epidemic in some nations, others are fighting hunger.
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Due to the stigma of “drug addiction,” many people who suffer from substance use disorders do not seek treatment.
Vocabulary Review
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lethal
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synthetic
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transition
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adequate
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stigma
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addictive
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opioid
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overdose
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lace
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prescription drug
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combat
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illicit
Words Matter
A. REFERENCE
Review the meaning of “stigma” and “stigmatize” and go over the information in the chart.
B. DISCUSS
Discuss the topic of stigma. You could also extend the topic to other words and stigmas related to mental health.
Discussion
Answers will vary.
Critical Thinking
Answers will vary.