Opiates Definition
The opiates’ definition is any naturally occurring or lab-produced medication made from opium. Opiates can include both prescription medications, like oxycodone and OxyContin, and illicit narcotics, like heroin. The opiate epidemic has led to fatal heroin overdoses quadrupling since 2010, with two-thirds of all fatal overdoses in 2016 alone involving opiates. In 2017, a record-setting …