Rapper overdoses shed light on drug problems in music industry

On Sept. 7, fans of Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller were devastated to hear that he had passed away from a drug overdose in his home in San Fernando Valley, Calif.

Miller, whose real name is Malcolm James McCormick, was 26. On Aug. 3, he had released his fifth and final album “Swimming.” It was his most critically acclaimed album to date, mirroring his early commercial success, and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Charts. He was expected to go on a national tour on Oct. 26, which would have ended Dec. 10 in Vancouver.

Miller was always open about his struggle with sobriety, along with his ongoing battle with anxiety and depression that may have led to the drug abuse that eventually lead to his death. He described his struggles candidly through his music, such as in his 2014 mixtape “Faces” and his song “Self Care.”

He was hardly alone in his struggles in the entertainment industry.

On July 24, reports came in that singer Demi Lovato had been taken to the hospital after an apparent drug overdose. Luckily for Lovato, she quickly checked into rehab after being discharged from the hospital.

In 2016, the world was shocked when it was reported that iconic singer Prince, full name Prince Rogers Nelson, was found dead in his home in Minnesota from an accidental opioid overdose of fentanyl at age 57.

Often times, accidental deaths like these are caused by perscription or non-prescription opioids, many of them being used as self-medication.

According to the CDC, a harrowing 66,632 Americans have died from drug overdoses in 2016. Around 66.4 percent of those deaths were caused by opioids. Studies have linked opioid use to the development of depression, and have found that people with pre-existing mental illness are at a higher risk of becoming addicted to opioids. The abuse of opioids has escalated into what most experts call a public health crisis.

To tackle this wide scale issue, the Department of Health Services (HHS) along with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is pushing efforts to improving access to treatment and recovery services for opioid addiction. They are also working to promote use of overdose-reversing drugs and safer and more effective ways to treat chronic pain.

As for the entertainment industry, individual film studios and record labels should start instituting new policies to discourage drug use.

New policies could include not hiring clients who have had a recorded history of drug use or addiction issues unless they have sought treatment. Studios could look through their history for DUI convictions or drug possession. If they have a history of drug use, the company then could look for years of sobriety or trips to rehabilitation centers.

There is probably no one way to stop drug use in the entertainment industry, but there are steps that must be taken in light of what has happened just this year, to say nothing of previous ones. The industry must promote self-care and seek ways to treat those who need it.