Abstract
Is criminalization of illicit opioid usage the best way to solve the opioid crisis? This essay explores the current approach to solving the opioid crisis and the harm that it is causing. By looking at the history behind opioid marketing and manufacturing, as well as why some people begin taking opioids, the idea of judgment and legislation creating stress becomes more apparent. Integrating views from other sources, this paper emphasizes the stress caused by opioid laws and looks for new ways to fight the almost 30-year epidemic that currently affects the United States.