On Aug. 16, a mass overdose taxed the EMS services of New Haven, Connecticut. Within 24 hours, 70 people had overdosed on synthetic marijuana, also known as K2 or spice, which was suspected to be laced with the potent opioid fentanyl.

Again, this highlighted the continued opioid crisis that continues to plague the United States. However, federal and local authorities, despite their best efforts, continue to make little headway in this new war on drugs.

The opioid epidemic took root in the late 1990s when pharmaceutical companies provided reassurance that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers. As a result, prescriptions for opioid medications were on the rise, leading to gross misuse of both prescription and nonprescription opioids way before it was clear that the mediations were highly addictive.

By 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the epidemic a public health emergency and began a plan to compact the crisis.

In 2007, Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin, plead guilty to felony charges of "misbranding" the opioid as less addictive than other opioid on the market. Purdue’s settlement with the Department of Justice included over $630 million in fines. OxyContin, often cited as fueling the opioid crisis with its aggressive marketing techniques, now finds itself being sued by 26 states and over 400 cities and counties.

In Ohio, a federal court consolidated over 400 case, with the first trial set to begin September 2019. Just this week, President Trump announced considering a federal lawsuit be brought against opioid companies as well. He told U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, "Rather than just joining them, I’d like to bring federal lawsuits against those companies."

Attempts have also been made to reduce the number of opioids being manufactured and prescribed. For the third year in a row, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will reduce the quotas on popular opioids in an effort to reduce their use.

Back in 2014, the DEA began limited prescriptions of pain medications containing hydrocodone from a Schedule III to the more restrictive Schedule II. The medication would be limited to 90-day supplies and could no longer be prescribed by telephone or fax.

However, recent research found that even with this change, there was an increase in the number of opioids filled in the initial prescription after surgery. Although the research only draws data from a single state, the authors concluded that more efforts need to be aimed prescriber education and follow-up to make sure the restrictions are actually effective.

There is not a silver bullet solution to this very complex problem. But, with continued consistent efforts, especially at the federal level, progress can be seen.