I see this phenomenon prominently around addiction, as well. I wonder if the opioid addiction & overdose epidemic is finally kicking people in the ass a bit an

I see this phenomenon prominently around addiction, as well. I wonder if the opioid addiction & overdose epidemic is finally kicking people in the ass a bit and waking them up to the fact that their lack of empathy for addicts (not to mention people with chronic pain) is a major factor in the tens of thousands of deaths each year. When your attitude is “the only good addict is a dead addict” and you feel like addiction can never happen to you, it’s not as if you’re going to vote for spending on harm-reduction strategies—rehab, naloxone, keeping kratom legal, decriminalisation, whatever—even if they would actually work.