Yet another potentially depressing article on the
opioid epidemic in the U.S. – this time in Time
Magazine. It says on average 46
people are dying every day from an overdose, with over 2 million addicted to
the deadly painkillers and hundreds of thousands hospitalized for drug abuse
every year. Many addicts have taken to shooting as a more efficient drug
delivery method, and there have been outbreaks of AIDS and other needle-sharing
diseases. So how did it get to this? The article says “it took a tragic
combination of good intentions, criminal deception and feckless oversight to
turn America’s desire to relieve its pain into such widespread suffering.” The
FDA and medical associations trumpeted the benefits of opioid painkillers, and
over 20 states passed legislation intended to boost prescriptions. So I was
going to say “positivity bias” (a.k.a. "optimism") played a role, too – but perhaps it should not
be overestimated. Even after the deadly potential of the drugs had become
apparent, the FDA continued to approve ever more potent formulas. And the
pharmaceutical companies producing them continued to engage in aggressive
marketing practices, occasionally crossing into illegal deception. Their
business plans, of course, depended on getting as many customers to use as much
of their products as humanly possible. Back in 2012, the libertarian
fundamentalists at Reason Online fretted
that “the government’s medical meddling hurts pain patients.” Their more recent
solution to the “problem”? Let marijuana free!
