[ultrastable]

there's no neat middle ground like buprenorphine but meth & some other stimulants can be prescribed in the US, so that's better than nothing - at least helps w/ problems of contamination, dose ambiguity, health risks associated w/ smoking/injecting etc

[dillondoyle]

totally. I'm very passionate about this, like probably most Americans who have families now touched by addiction.

I am 100% in favor of unscheduling all drugs and providing addicts under Dr. care actual pharmaceuticals. Including opiates. Even if they still inject it's still a LOT safer.

When are we going to see some of this settlement money expanding treatment?!

If anyone hasn't watched it, I highly recommend the new HBO doc from Gibney "Crime of the Century" shows some new evidence just confirms how evil Purdue is and specifically Richard Sackler.

They present evidence that the FDA employee who wrote the label wrote it in a hotel with Purdue employee.

This is HUGE. That label is what they used to market the original "Big Lie" that OxyContin “Delayed absorption as provided by OxyContin tablets, is believed to reduce the abuse liability of a drug” which is on the same level as cigarette companies being horrible and deliberately killing hundreds of thousands of us.

Second half focuses on the Kapoor's fentanyl corporate crime syndicate. at least he is serving a small amount of jail time. Sadly now corporations are moving on to Asia and Africa. It's disgusting and makes me so angry.

[ultrastable]

it's monstrous yeah. did you see the thing about McKinsey recommending that Purdue pay a rebate to pharmacies for every OD death, to assuage their concerns over dispensing large quantities of opioids? https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/mckinsey-consultants-pro...

one thing I don't think that's talked about enough re: the opioid crisis is labor injuries - imo people taking opioids in order to be able to work through injuries they've incurred on the job played a big part in it. doesn't diminish the guilt of the Sacklers et al, ofc, but it wasn't purely an overprescription problem

[dillondoyle]

no thanks for the link. that's gross!

AND it seems worse incentive! dole out more, kill more people, and you're pharmacy will make higher profit.

Yes I agree just the general idea of 'needing' to treat all pain, and companies skirting workers comp time off is gross. Might as well dope up Amazon warehouse workers. Given them vyvanse and longer shifts... That's what purdue marketed and completely changed how Drs treat. That 1-10 face chart that is still in my Drs office was made and distributed by Purdue.

The hbo doc actually goes into the distributors. How one gov. prosecutor used the existing DEA law to order a stop on one factory warehouse for filling orders that were magnitudes larger than like last months, and are are clearly abuse or diversion.

But then this same prosecutor who had a great reputation for being tough got hired by these Pharma corps, and lobbied to change that law so they can't shut it down anymore. It passed congress unanimous consent. he used his position to say 'this isn't effective' and lie about what it actually did, and most LAs and members didn't bother to read it...