New Reports Reveal Aggressive Pharmaceutical Push For Opioids (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Americans are five percent of the world’s population and consume two-thirds of the world’s prescription painkillers. Last year, 227 million opioid prescriptions were handed out in the US – a bottle for nine out of every 10 American adults. Opioid addiction is devastating and deadly. One hundred and sixty-five thousand have died from overdose since 2000. And it all began with a super-charged campaign by pharmaceutical companies to sell the drugs hard. This hour On Point, how Big Pharma pushed, and still pushes, the opioids. — Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2016/09/26/opioid-addiction-pharmacy