America’s Deadly Addiction Fueled by Big Pharma Over the past decade, a new drug has been circulating around the country killing millions. There are lots of names and variations of this highly addictive and dangerous drug, and it seems to be sold on almost every street corner in America to every demographic. Law enforcement has done nothing to tackle this emergent issue, and the drugs are becoming more and more prominent. Why has no one done anything about this drug ruining millions of lives? That is because I am not talking about the shady guy in the hoodie on the street corner selling illegal drugs, I am talking about your local Walgreens. This drug is legal, and chances are you have taken it. Seventy percent of Americans are on prescription pills; most of these pills are opioid analgesics (Drake). Many people recognize opioid analgesics as Hydrocodone, Oxycontin, or other painkillers, but these painkillers are not just killing pain; they are killing the people taking them.
The DEA has worked so hard to cripple the drug cartels in Mexico, but we are forgetting about the even larger drug empire in America: the powerful pharmaceutical industry. This billion-dollar industry is able to distribute copious amounts of painkillers, cough and cold remedies, sleep aids, and fever reducers to our society with no
Sturkey 2 repercussions. Of course, these painkillers and other medicines are used to treat many people who are actually in pain, but it is apparent that millions of
The DEA has worked so hard to cripple the drug cartels in Mexico, but we are forgetting about the even larger drug empire in America: the powerful pharmaceutical industry. This billion-dollar industry is able to distribute copious amounts of painkillers, cough and cold remedies, sleep aids, and fever reducers to our society with no
Sturkey 2 repercussions. Of course, these painkillers and other medicines are used to treat many people who are actually in pain, but it is apparent that millions of