America’s love affair with opioids is devastating - every 25 minutes a baby is born suffering from opioid withdrawal, and 130 people die every day from opioid overdoses. 8.7 million children nationwide have a parent who suffers from a substance use disorder, and 80 per cent of heroin users started their path to addiction on prescription painkillers. One of the companies accused of sparking the opioid epidemic was Purdue Pharma – wholly owned by the philanthropic Sackler family – who have made billions from the sale of the drugs. But where were the medical regulators and government agencies that should have prevented this crisis? This is a compelling insight into the growth of America’s devastating relationship with opioids that has destroyed millions of lives.
