Opioids--we hear a lot of buzz but don't always know how to process it all. For example, when we learned that Prince died from a high dosage of Fentanyl, most of us had no idea what it was. When Philip Seymour Hoffman overdosed on heroin, we assumed it was the same old heroin of the 70s. Little did we know that there are new opioids on the market that are 50 to 100 times more powerful than the old fashioned kind.
For this reason the book Dopesick by Beth Macy caught my eye when I was at the library a couple weeks back. I wanted to learn more, and Macy does provide some understanding of how the new pain meds work and the destructive effects of the new synthetic opioids. I will comment further on Macy's book in a moment. First, for local Twin Ports readers...
WDSE WRPT has produced a six-episode miniseries that is airing on Channel 8 called Opioids: Crisis in the Northland.
The first episode was last week, and it was informative. The first thing I learned was that the problem is much worse than we realize because the newspapers do not report opioid deaths of children under 18. A couple people on the show said there have been way more than people are aware of. According to the stats, St. Louis County leads the state in opioid overdoses. You can watch the first episode here: https://www.wdse.org/highlights/opioids-crisis-northland
This six-episode miniseries, co-produced by Ramona Marosas, explores different aspects of the epidemic:
1 - Tracing an Epidemic – The Roots of Opioid Use and Abuse
2 - Stories of Addiction
3 - Treatment – How Do We Judge what Works?
4 - Law and Addiction – Enforcement and the Drug Courts
5 - The Case – Accountability
6 - Solutions – What’s Next?
This is a locally produced show with an eye-opening local focus. Part 2 airs tonight at 7:30 on channel 8.
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And so we have companies striving to solve the problem of pain while having to deal with the misuse of these self-same products that actually do bring relief. It's a very complicated matter.
The author of Dopesick seems to have a vendetta against Big Pharma for making a product that effectively deals with pain and profiting from it while countless thousands become addicted to it. This seems like an oversimplification.
Some people call addiction a disease, which may comfort the consciences of addicted people, as if to say, "It's not your fault," but this also seems an oversimplification. Are addicts thereby absolved from responsibility? Are doctors too quick to prescribe pain meds? Are the pharmaceutical companies intentionally creating addicts in order to increase profits as author Beth Macy alleges?
The book does have insights that are helpful. The author shows how different this "epidemic" is from previous crises. And yet, there are critics who say it's only an epidemic when it touches the white community. Crack cocaine has been an inner city problem in the black community for decades.
After watching the first segment, I'm confident that our local program on the opioid crisis will also offer some insights, synthesizing insights from a variety of angles. Whether you agree or disagree I promise that you will be more informed than beforehand.
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I remember a news story some ten years ago or so regarding the robbery of a truckload of meds from a warehouse in Connecticut (or somewhere out East between New York and Boston.) The scale of the heist is what struck me. By truckload, I'm referring here to a semi, a big over-the-road truck, not a Ford F-150. This was no small operation. I'd be curious to know how far the products went before the source dried up.
The problem is complicated. Solutions begin with awareness.
Related Links
National Institute on Drug Abuse Opioid Statistics
7 Staggering Stats About the Opioid Crisis
CNN on the Opioid Epidemic
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