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Introduction
Nowadays, there is a vast number of acute social issues in America that bother the minds of people, affect their health and well-being, and require severe measures to be solved. What makes them more complex is the recent COVID-19 pandemic that managed to worsen many problems and weaken authorities and societys abilities to control them. One such concern is the U.S. opioid epidemy the increased misuse of non-prescription and prescription opioids that cause severe additions and can lead to death from overdose. In his article, Andrew Kolodny explores the connection between the coronavirus pandemic and the spread of fentanyl. The author provides several factors to prove the existence of this connection and explains them clearly, but these reasons lack credible evidence and relevant statistics, which makes the overall effective argument weaker.
Summary of the Argument and Its Thesis
Before analyzing Kolodnys argument, it is necessary to summarize his article and its thesis statement. Overall, according to the author, the situation is quite concerning: in 12 months ending at the end of April 2021, some 100,306 died in the U.S., up 28.5% over the same period a year earlier (Kolodny). The primary cause of this shocking growth is the COVID-19 pandemic. It has led to several factors making it easier and more necessary for opioid-addicted individuals to use illicitly synthesized fentanyl and fentanyl analogs (Kolodny). It is now more frequent than before that they replace heroin and causes many more deaths.
While some addicted people consciously choose to purchase fentanyl instead of heroin, others have no ways to avoid it. As noticed by Kolodny, increasingly, the heroin they seek is mixed with fentanyl or what they purchase is just fentanyl without any heroin in the mix. The author provides several factors that prove that there is a connection between the coronavirus and the growing spread of fentanyl and opioid overdose deaths, which is a part of Kolodnys thesis. Another aspect of his argument is devoted to a measure needed to address the problem: treatment, especially with buprenorphine and methadone, has to be easy to access, and maintaining this access is vital to avoid relapse (Kolodny). Otherwise, the concerning number of deaths will continue growing due to the current uniquely negative circumstances.
Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation
To analyze the rhetorical situation, it is required to address several components of the writing. To begin with, the topic is presented to the audience in the form of a magazine or newspaper article: it is well-structured, divided into small paragraphs, and easy to follow. The person discussing the issue is a high-quality and experienced professional who finds the increasing rates of opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. to be concerning at the end of 2021. The reason for Kolodny to create this article is to structure and summarize the data, propose a solution, and spread awareness of the causes of the problem under discussion. Finally, what is needed from the audience is to become more informed about the growing abuse of fentanyl, its connection with the recent pandemic, and some ways to address this concern. Overall, one may say that the rhetorical situation is quite significant to the articles argument as it allows it to be stronger and more effective, become received and accepted by the target audience, and have an impact on the current situation.
The Credibility of the Author
It is hard to disagree that whether an articles author is authoritative and credible plays an essential role in the level of confidence in the information provided by them. At the beginning of the article under discussion, Kolodny himself outlines his relevance to the researched topic. According to the author, he has been engaged in efforts to end the opioid epidemic, as a public health official, researcher, and clinician for the past 20 years (Kolodny). Consequently, one may suppose that the researcher has deep knowledge of the problem that he touches on in the writing, and it is possible for the audience to trust Kolodnys analysis and conclusions.
Analysis of Reasons
As mentioned in the introduction, the author provides several proofs of the connection between the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing rates of fentanyl overdose deaths. First of all, coronavirus affected the geographical distribution of opioid deaths earlier, the eastern half of the U.S. had been marked by the increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths (Kolodny). However, COVID-19 measures made it more difficult to transport illegal drugs, resulting in smugglers increased reliance on fentanyl, which may have helped fentanyl spread to areas that escaped the earlier surge in fentanyl deaths (Kolodny). Thus, precisely due to the coronavirus pandemic, fentanyl became more accessible across the country, and even though statistics are not provided, this reason seems relevant and factual.
Another factor proving the aforementioned connection is that individuals who depend on opioids face more challenges in getting in-person treatment (Kolodny). The reason related to this one is that there is a disruption to treatment services, which impacts some addicted persons decisions to avoid the treatment process. What is more, coronavirus-related stress, loneliness, and anxiety also increase the chances of a relapse in someone in recovery (Kolodny). These are the reasons provided and explained by the author, and one may admit that they all seem rather rational, credible, and strong. What the article lacks is relevant statistics and references supporting the reasons and argument in general. At the same time, all the mentioned factors are logically connected with the thesis and conclusion.
Strength of the Argument
Overall, Kolodnys argument about the influence of the coronavirus pandemic on the spread of fentanyl and the growth of fentanyl overdose deaths is appealing and persuasive. Because the author is an informed and experienced professional and knows much about the topic, the lack of evidence supporting the claims is quite understandable. However, one may probably agree that official statistics and data comparisons would make the paper stronger and more trustworthy. Even without referring to specific numbers, Kolodny managed to summarize the primary factors and prove his point, which is why the argument is successful.
Conclusion
To conclude, one may say that even the absence of official statistics does not severely reduce the strength and persuasiveness of an article written by a professional. In his writing, Kolodny touched on a very acute and significant social problem, trying to raise peoples awareness and contribute to the issues elimination. Since the paper is well-structured, all reasons are logically connected with the conclusion and thesis statement, and the author himself is credible, the article likely achieves its purpose.
Work Cited
Kolodny, Andrew. How the Pandemic Helped Spread Fentanyl Across the US and Drive Opioid Overdose Deaths to a Grim New High. The Conversation, 2021, Web.
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