The Opioid Crisis

In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies wrongly assured medical professionals that their opioid pain relievers were not addictive, leading to overprescribing and misuse of these drugs. It was not long before opioid addiction had reached epidemic status, with devastating consequences to society. In 2022, pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers settled massive lawsuits, vowing to fund treatment programs but failing to take responsibility for the crisis. The diverse viewpoints in this resource confront the opioid crisis head-on, debating its cause, its victims, who should be held accountable, and the chances of solving it.