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Are Drug Abusers a Cause Worth Fighting For?

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Are Drug Abusers a Cause Worth Fighting For?
Are Drug Abusers a Cause Worth Fighting For?

When thinking about the numerous causes to rally for, do drug abusers make the list? Most philanthropists would generally focus their attention and resources towards cancer or children, rather than drug addicts. There has been a long standing battle between drugs and the people who succumb to them. Many organizations have made it their mission to help drug abusers break the cycle of addiction and help them claim back the lives that drugs had cost them. One focus has been on the life-saving drug naloxone, which counteracts the effects of an overdose. According to writer Julie Turkewitz in her article “An Effort to Expand Access to a Drug That Could Save Victims of Overdoses,” his drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat overdoses since 1971, yet it is not commonly available. The highlight of her focus is in New York and the pilot program that concludes in 2014, consisting of naloxone training for E.M.T.’s. Julie Turkewitz effectively advocated for a more widespread availability and of the drug naloxone through the use of pathos, logos, and ethos.
Throughout the article, the strong use of pathos was used to effectively demonstrate the need for a larger availability of naloxone. The writer begins by using pathos to make the reader view drug abusers as victims that are not to blame for their actions. The writer used pathos to portray Samantha Dittmeier, a drug user that subsequently overdosed, as a victim and not as an addict by saying “She was very loving, very compassionate…Unfortunately, the addiction got to her” (Turkewitz 1). The qualities of being “loving” and “compassionate” listed in the previous quote are not generally associated with a typical drug addict but are words more likely to reference a friend or loved one. Using this quote sets up the drug users and victims, people that we don’t want to die and could be saved by increased naloxone distribution. The writer adds

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