[monoideism]

I agree with you about how taboo it is among a certain type of journalist to write about the considerable problems of poor and working class whites.

But in light of your comment about the Sackler family, I'll add another opinion that is unpopular these days: people with severe chronic pain deserve appropriate treatment. And they shouldn't be denied access to that treatment (like they are now) because addicts and corrupt doctors misused the product. Addicts deserve sympathy and compassionate treatment, but we shouldn't ban an entire class of useful medications because of the addicts' misuse (eg, we don't ban cars because some people drive drunk).

If you've never known serious chronic pain, all I can tell you is that it's a different world than the one I knew before I got sick.