<html><head></head><body><div style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">(from Sal Rodriguez)</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Hi
David,<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">I
actually wrote this response quite a while ago but then slacked on editing it
down for your convenience. If you're still interested in my take, here it is.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">I'll
begin with a response to the Esquire article on the Sackler family, which I
figure is representative of a lot of the coverage of them.<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">First,
I think the fact that they are a wealthy family who engage in a wide set of
philanthropy including potentially politically disagreeable efforts like
"school choice," is irrelevant. <br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Most
of the media I think has consistently failed to dig very deep into what the
"opioid crisis" really is - instead resorting to tropes like
"the evil corporation profiting from misery," "extremely
dangerous drugs are killing people and the government MUST do something about
it."<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">The
Esquire piece, and most of the links you sent, falls into those two categories.<br>
<br>
They want to frame the entirety of the "opioid epidemic" as the sole
and direct consequence of sinister rich people making these evil pills that
make everyone addicts and kill them. <br>
<br>
For left-leaning people, this is attractive: they get to bash Big Pharma, they
get to bash big corporations, they get to blame addiction on capitalism, and
they get to celebrate marijuana. For right-leaning people, they get to express
their compassionate conservatism, talk about the importance of religion, talk
about law and order and the need for more border controls to stop the drugs
from coming in, etc.<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">But
such narratives almost entirely rely on superficial analysis and loads of
hysteria.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"><br></font>
The Esquire article, for example, asserts that Oxycontin is "regarded by
many public-health experts as among the most dangerous products ever sold on a
mass scale."<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">It
never gets into any real support for this claim other than going to say
that since 1996 "more than two hundred thousand people in the United
States have died from overdoses of OxyContin and other prescription
painkillers."<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">As
that sentence reveals, and as Esquire goes on to note, "Not all of these
deaths are related to OxyContin—dozens of other painkillers, including
generics, have flooded the market in the past thirty years."<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">That's
a pretty weak basis for the assertion that OxyContin specifically is
"among the most dangerous products every sold on a mass scale."<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">But
setting that technicality aside, the overdose numbers are complicated by
the reality that many overdoses are in fact the result of polydrug use,
including people who attempt to enhance the effects of opioids with alcohol or
benzodiazepines because their doctor wasn't able or willing to prescribe an
adequate number of pills.<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">It's
worth noting that, in 2013, 77 percent of deaths involving prescription opioids
were known to involve a combination of a prescription opioid with another drug
or alcohol. The figure is likely higher, given the inconsistent reporting and
collecting of information by medical examiners. <br>
<u><font face="Calibri"><a href="https://hams.cc/polydrug.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(25, 106, 212);">https://hams.cc/polydrug.pdf</span></a><br></font></u>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">This
fact is rarely ever mentioned by the mainstream media.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">The
Esquire article also attempts to blame heroin overdoses on prescription drugs:
"Thousands more have died after starting on a prescription opioid and then
switching to a drug with a cheaper street price, such as heroin."<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">What
Esquire leaves out is that a major factor in the "heroin epidemic"
was the wide range of federal crackdowns over the past decade - with doctors
and pharmacists targeted, arrested and monitored. The result has been a drop in
the number of opioid prescriptions, but more people moving to heroin and thus
being exposed to the problems of the black market, including drug tainting with
fentanyl and carfentanil.<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">The
recent position paper of the Global Commission on Drug Policy breaks this chain
of events down quite well: <u><font face="Calibri"><a href="http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/position-papers/opioid-crisis-north-america-position-paper/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(25, 106, 212);">http://www.globalcommissionond
rugs.org/position-papers/opioi d-crisis-north-america-positio n-paper/</span></a><br></font></u>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Esquire
goes on to uncritically repeat the corny line by Chris Christie that opioids
create the equivalent loss of life as “September 11th every three
weeks." A previously noted, the overwhelming majority of opioid
deaths involve drug mixing, either out of recklessness or lack of education
about the risks of drug mixing, and by now the big problem isn't prescription
opioids, but fentanyl-laced heroin, which is a direct consequence of the War on
Drugs.<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">From
there, the article mostly goes on to complain about how rich the family is, and
nothing of great significance is actually said.<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Any
serious analysis of the current "opioid epidemic" must begin with an
understanding that:<br>
<br>
1) the vast majority of people who are prescribed opioids never develop a
problem with them, <br>
2) the vast majority of people who do misuse opioids weren't prescribed them, <br>
3) there are a lot of people struggling with under-treated pain because of
crackdowns on opioid prescriptions, <br>
4) most deaths related to opioids involve drug mixing, intended and unintended,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">5)
crackdowns are the reason so many people have moved to the black market,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">6)
heroin is only dangerous because it is illegal,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">7)
addiction is about more than just the drug - it's as much about the
circumstances of a person's life and environment,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">8)
opioids shouldn't be universally condemned and curbing excesses in prescribing
shouldn't prevent doctors from prescribing to those who might need more than
average.<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">I
highly recommend this discussion of the opioid problem and how/why our drug
policies created it: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySJuGhI0lVQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(25, 106, 212);"><u><font face="Calibri">https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ySJuGhI0lVQ</font></u></span></a></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Hope
this helps.<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Sal</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Hide
original message</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">On
Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 4:13 PM, David Green <<a><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(25, 106, 212);">davegreen84@yahoo.com</span></a>>
wrote:</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Hi
Sal,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">I
wrote you back in March regarding your critiques of the "war on
opioids" on Counterpunch.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">I'm
following up with a query regarding your views on the recent coverage of the
Sackler family (see links below, which I presume you're aware of anyway), as
well as Johann Hari's view expressed on the Real News Network.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Your
perspectives on how to continue to approach the opioid crisis in the general
context of neoliberalism would be greatly appreciated.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Best,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">David
Green</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">Champaign
IL</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a12775932/sackler-family-oxycontin/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(25, 106, 212);"><u><font face="Calibri">http://www.esquire.com/news-
politics/a12775932/sackler- family-oxycontin/</font></u></span></a></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2017/10/19/who_profits_from_the_opioid_crisis" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(25, 106, 212);"><u><font face="Calibri">https://www.democracynow.org/
2017/10/19/who_profits_from_ the_opioid_crisis</font></u></span></a></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/30/the-family-that-built-an-empire-of-pain" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(25, 106, 212);"><u><font face="Calibri">https://www.newyorker.com/
magazine/2017/10/30/the- family-that-built-an-empire- of-pain</font></u></span></a></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/11/super-wealthy-oxycontin-family-supports-school-privatization-tactics-similar-fueled-opioid-epidemic.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(25, 106, 212);"><u><font face="Calibri">The Super Wealthy Oxycontin Family
Supports School Privatization With Tactics Similar to Those That Fueled the
Opioid Epidemic | naked capitalism</font></u></span></a></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&jumival=20307" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(25, 106, 212);"><u><font face="Calibri">http://therealnews.com/t2/
index.php?option=com_content& task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&
jumival=20307</font></u></span></a></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px 0px 6px; line-height: 14.25pt;"><b><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-size: 14pt;">The Super Wealthy Oxycontin Family Supports School
Privatization With Ta...</span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(151, 155, 167); font-size: 14pt;">A fortune derived from the relentless marketing of
painkillers is now being used to expand charter schools.</span></p>
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