People didn't suddenly forget centuries of experience that narcotics were addictive. They thought that making them time release and long lasting they could manage the addiction. Pharmacies did downplay the cleverness of people when they want to get high. People found they could crush the pills and snort them for a quick rush. Those who weren't addiction prone found they could sell their pills for $80 a pill. It was off to the races after that.
The real crime here wasn't trying to help those in chronic pain with a manageable addiction, it was the incredibly long time it took for pharma companies and govt regulators to do anything about the crisis, even as some pharmacies in Florida and West Virginia were selling millions of pills, far more than their local communities would warrant. The suspicion is that a lot of money was being made, so why rush to intervene.
Managing acute pain is different from chronic pain. The 'new idea' you refer to is that people who get opioids in hospitals don't get addicted. Of course, the important difference is that when people get better after surgery their life is generally goin in a good direction. It's easy to stop using opioids when you are finally able to walk, work, move, live, love again.
Chronic pain is basically the opposite. Where depression is almost guaranteed, and susceptibility to addiction is very high.
The real crime here wasn't trying to help those in chronic pain with a manageable addiction, it was the incredibly long time it took for pharma companies and govt regulators to do anything about the crisis, even as some pharmacies in Florida and West Virginia were selling millions of pills, far more than their local communities would warrant. The suspicion is that a lot of money was being made, so why rush to intervene.