[brchr]

This comment is both unhelpful (dismisses the original claim using zero evidence) and completely incorrect.

Please look at the trendlines for "heroin deaths" and "synthetic opiod deaths" in the following graph of US CDC data, and note that from the turn of the millennium to 2017, opioid-related deaths in the US have increased more than 10x:

https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/o...

[babyslothzoo]

Your link largely supports my statement. For example this graph:

https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/od2...

Overdoses have increased because of fentanyl being sold falsely as other drugs or mixed with other drugs, and that happens because it's cheaply imported from China by anyone with internet access and the desire to do so. Overdoses are NOT because of a marked increase in use of drug use or addiction, there is always a segment of society that will use drugs, be addicted, and participate in these activities.

We're deep in a moral panic while simultaneously ignoring the real problem (imported fentanyl), thus the complete inefficacy of the ongoing overreactions form society and governments.

[DanBC]

Why are people taking fentanyl?

It's because they're hooked on opioids. How did they become hooked? They started with legally prescribed opioids. Sometimes those meds were prescribed to them. Sometimes those meds were prescribed to a family member or neighbour and handed on or stolen.

It's because the US is awash with opioids that were legally prescribed. The US massively over-prescribes opioids. That's why the US used over 99% of the world supply of hydrocodone.

Americans are prescribed 6 times more opioids that people in France or Portugal.

Here are some details: http://www.painpolicy.wisc.edu/opioid-consumption-data

And we know Americans start with meds that were legally prescribed because: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-DetTab...

Look how many people are getting meds for free from friends and family.

[babyslothzoo]

You have been indoctrinated and you are repeating propaganda talking points with zero basis in reality. There is NO DATA to support any of your claims. Because you have been indoctrinated you are probably at the point where no amount of evidence would convince you otherwise, a bit like a flat earther being flown into space to look at the planet.

Nonetheless, we can try using some data. Here's a massive retrospective cohort study on 500,000(!) patients clearly demonstrating there is an absurdly low risk of addiction from legitimate prescriptions (0.5%):

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29343479

Virtually no overdoses are from legal prescriptions, and virtually no addiction is from legal prescriptions. Abundant data and evidence shows this repeatedly.

Now let's go ahead try your hysterical logic with some other issues:

Why do people drink alcohol?

It's because they're hooked on alcohol. How did they become hooked? They started drinking legally available alcohol! Sometimes they bought the alcohol, sometimes a family member or neighbor had the alcohol and it was handed on or stolen!

The US is awash with alcohol!

Or, let's take a legitimate crisis, the obesity epidemic. Why are people so fat? Why do people eat so much?

It's because they're hooked on food! How did they become hooked on food? Because they ate food which is widely available! Maybe they ate food at a restaurant, or at home... maybe it was stolen or given to them!

Look how many people are getting alcohol or food free from friends and family!!