Bioethics in Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Number 1

33 Bioethics in Faith and Practice ⦁ 2019 ⦁ Volume 4 ⦁ Number 1 decreasing overdose levels, but that does not necessarily translate into our American culture the exact same way. In order to discover the efficacy of such means, etc., it would be crucial for studies to be done in small populations before widespread implementation could occur. Either way, it seems clear from the literature that decriminalization has promise in this field, as long as it is accompanied by shifts in treatment and care that allow individuals access to methods and interventions that will allow them to recover. Legislation similar to this kind of decriminalization has been occurring for years relating to marijuana use. The use of marijuana has become legal in many states for various uses, and the long-term effects of this legislation has yet to be researched in full. Being able to see how these changes affect the public could play a huge role in helping to decide how legislation should move forward in the world of legalization of opioid medications. Of course, marijuana and opioid use are two very separate issues, and it’s impossible to compare them directly, even if decriminalization of marijuana is successful in a cost-risk scenaria. The concepts could be compared and then pros and cons from marijuanas legalization could potentially be applied to any future legislation related to opioid use. Future research needs to be done in order to establish which forms of care and treatment are the most efficient along with research proving weather or not localized decriminalization is effective for curbing overdose and addiction cases. In addition, further research would need to be done in different geographical areas of the country in order to determine whether or not such legislation would need to be on a federal or state level. While we all share the same country, America's landscape as far as reasons for opioid abuse is different in each state and even in each region, so those considerations need to be made. Bioethical Discussion and Future Research on Treatment and Care Mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) are incredibly important aspects of any discussion related to the opioid crisis. It has been shown that mental health disorders are closely associated with problem drug