America's opioid epidemic is not manufactured hype; it's real. Prescription painkillers are now more widely used than tobacco. Opioids were to blame for 31,000 overdose deaths in 2015, a 300 percent increase from 1999. Of the top ten drugs involved in overdose deaths, half are prescription opioids.
How did we get here? Many have offered coherent, convincing narratives. Pharmaceutical companies are the villains in one story, pushing their pricey products on doctors and patients to drive their booming business. In another tale, Americans are growing increasingly stressed and overworked, and then self-medicating with powerful anesthetics to cope. Both narratives have merit.
