General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums60 Minutes opioid crisis...must see
One of the best segments in a long time.
Outrageous.
Ex-DEA agent: Opioid crisis fueled by drug industry and Congress
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-dea-agent-opioid-crisis-fueled-by-drug-industry-and-congress/
Drug Companies Sure Are Cozy With Trumps Pick to Solve the Opioid Crisis
Yes, the same companies that helped fuel the crisis in the first place.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/10/drug-companies-sure-are-cozy-with-trumps-pick-to-solve-the-opioid-crisis/
MattP
(3,304 posts)Just terrible
Nevernose
(13,081 posts)Most of the world, in fact, has some type of opiate available over the counter. People cant buy a simple codeine tablet here, for instance. We cant get it in nearby countries not because of any sane policy, but because American drug warriors pressured them not to.
However.
There is no longer any incentive for US three-letter organizations to pressure other countries.
Opioids alone arent killing particularly more people than before. Its either opioids mixed with other drugs (alcohol or benzodiazepines) or...
We have a serious fucking FENTANYL problem. Something like 95% of the heroin on the streets is tainted with it, or people are taking it instead of opiates.
This is a medical issue. Sixty Minutes is approaching it like it was anything but.
SHRED
(28,136 posts)SunSeeker
(51,574 posts)But fentanyl is catching up, resulting in some high profile deaths. Michael Jackson and Prince took it, leading to their OD deaths.
In 2014, 4,200 people in the U.S. died from overdoses involving fentanyl, up from 1,905 people in 2013. But deaths from heroin more than tripled during a five-year period, from 3,020 deaths in 2010, to 10,863 deaths in 2014. Nonetheless, death rates for synthetic opioids other than methadone (including the drugs tramadol and fentanyl) increased 72 percent from 2014 to 2015. Heroin deaths increased 20 percent during that time period.
http://www.livescience.com/57268-fentanyl-overdose-deaths-double.html
Mariana
(14,858 posts)that with all the hysterical reporting about the "opioid crisis" we're hearing just about nothing concerning the danger of mixing narcotics with alcohol or other depressant drugs. That's what kills people! As you say, people aren't suddenly dropping dead from taking a few Vicodin. They're dropping dead from taking a few Vicodin and then following it up with a few shots and a six pack. So, where are the warnings?