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Russ Roberts' Econtalk podcast had a stunningly good interview with Sam Quinones about the opioid epidemic. I am fairly libertarian on many things, but this is
by Digory 9y ago
Russ Roberts' Econtalk podcast had a stunningly good interview with Sam Quinones about the opioid epidemic.
I am fairly libertarian on many things, but this is not a simple case of prohibition run amok. Heroin/opioid addiction is close to a loss of free will, aided by screw ups from big pharma and Government healthcare policies.
Really fascinating, sad, and difficult stuff.
http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2017/01/sam_quinones_on.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2017/01/sam_quinones_on.htm...
- stronglikedan 9y ago> aided by screw ups from big pharma and Government healthcare policies. And ignorant lawmakers who try to stigmatize instead of educate with regards to harm prevention, and the private prisons who would rather incarcerate addicts instead of rehabilitate them, and the willfully ignorant lawmakers who get kickbacks from those private prisons (and likely big pharma, who IMHO is willfully complicit in this epidemic).
- egwynn 9y agoI think it’s rather generous of you to call them “screw ups” from big pharma.
- Digory 9y agoThe interview goes into the history of pharma's search for a non-addictive opiate. I assume that started with decent motives, even if not altruistic. The research critically failed a lot of people. Among other things, says Quinones's, it "transformed football into a gateway to heroin addiction..." The more recent big pharma position of "we never thought to ask why West Virginians are such good customers" deserves scorn, lawsuits, and prison time.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]