SUMMARY: An Oklahoma judge delivered a $572 million judgment against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson in the first major legal decision to go against a drugmaker for its role in the opioid crisis. The judge found the company’s marketing practices helped flood the state with painkillers. William Brangham talks to StateImpact Oklahoma’s Jackie Fortier about the case's unusual argument and broad impact.
SUMMARY: Over the past two decades, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died during a national opioid addiction crisis. As the drug manufacturers face a possible legal reckoning from multiple lawsuits, a newly uncovered database sheds more light on the scope of the disaster. William Brangham talks to Scott Higham, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post, about the "jaw-dropping" data.
SUMMARY: More than 400,000 people in the U.S. have died from opioid use in the past two decades. As the country tries to contain the crisis, many states and cities are challenging the drug manufacturers in court. The latest lawsuit, brought by New York against Purdue Pharma, comes as the company considers filing for bankruptcy. William Brangham talks to Barry Meier, author of a book about Purdue Pharma.
SUMMARY: An estimated 400,000 Americans have died as a result of opioid use. But grieving families say the national response to the health crisis is inadequate. In her coverage of the epidemic Associated Press reporter Claire Galofaro profiled Cheryl Juaire, who lost her son to a heroin overdose in 2011. Galofaro and Juaire talk to William Brangham about how they are trying to increase opioid awareness.
SUMMARY: The nation’s opioid crisis was declared a public health emergency in 2017 and received new funding this past October. But rampant addiction led to some 40,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. last year, and 2019 could see the culmination of a flood of ensuing lawsuits seeking accountability. William Brangham speaks to Barry Meier, who explores the origins of the epidemic in a new book, “Pain Killer.”
SUMMARY: On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed a bill that will expand access to certain kinds of opioid treatment. Keith Humphreys former drug policy advisor during the Obama and Bush administrations, and Gary Mendell the CEO of an addiction recovery nonprofit, explain how this bipartisan measure could help in the battle against opioid addiction as well as where it falls short.
SUMMARY: In “Dopesick,” journalist and author Beth Macy takes readers to the front lines of the opioid epidemic in Roanoke, Virginia, and other nearby communities, telling the story of grieving families, exhausted medical workers and convicted heroin dealers. Jeffrey Brown reports as part of our ongoing series, America Addicted.
Jeffrey Brown (NewsHour): Two years ago, journalist and author Beth Macy, a fellow Roanoke resident, met Patricia and Tess. Macy tells their story, and that of many others, in a harrowing account that traces two decades of one of the worst drug crises in American history. It’s called “Dopesick.”
Beth Macy, author: I heard it over and over from people who were struggling with opioid addiction.
Jeffrey Brown: You heard that phrase?
Beth Macy: That is the word they used. Man, I’m dope-sick, or, man, I was dopesick when that happened.
What does it mean? That means, like, excruciating withdrawal. They have sweats, diarrhea, chills, vomiting. And as somebody early on in the book says, at the end of your journey, you’re not doing it to get high. You’re just doing it to keep from being dopesick.
SUMMARY: The pathway to deadly heart infections for people addicted to opioids often begins with a dirty needle or polluted drug. Special correspondent Kay Colby of Ideastream reports on a little-known problem with big consequences for patients and society as a whole.
SUMMARY: President Trump announced his plan to combat nationwide opioid drug addiction at an event in New Hampshire on Monday, calling for aggressive prosecution for traffickers, including using the death penalty. William Brangham discusses these proposals with Sam Quinones author of "Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic," and Dr. Andrew Kolodny of Brandeis University.
SUMMARY: The governors of Maryland and Oregon are making an urgent call for greater federal help to deal with the opioid epidemic in their hard-hit states. Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md) and Gov. Kate Brown (D-Ore) sit down with William Brangham to discuss the problems in their states, what works and what they need to end the suffering.
SUMMARY: The new Showtime documentary series "The Trade" shows the pain and consequences of the nation's opioids epidemic by putting a human face on the crisis. Best known for the Oscar-nominated film "Cartel Land," director Matthew Heineman wanted to show just how far the drug war reaches, and the consequences on both sides of the border. Jeffrey Brown reports.
SUMMARY: Local law enforcement in Chillicothe, Ohio, have found their own way to respond to a slew of fatal opioid overdoses in their community. The 'Post Overdose Response Team' (PORT) sets out each week to find every person in their county who overdosed the week before and try to get them into treatment. Special correspondent Esther Honig of Side Effects Public Media has the story.
SUMMARY: Dr. Jim Baker dreaded getting that call for years, his son had fatally overdosed from opioids. He had watched Max go through the downward spiral of addiction, then recover and get sober, but a hospitalization for a car crash made him relapse. Now Baker does everything he can to educate others about the risks and devastation of opioid use. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.
SUMMARY: In declaring a public health emergency over the opioid epidemic, President Trump called for the creation of a national media campaign to reduce drug use among young people. As part of our “America Addicted” series, William Brangham speaks with Gary Mendell of Shatterproof and Jonathan Goyer of the Anchor Recovery about what should be done to prevent addiction.
SUMMARY: Inside the search for new drugs and techniques to replace habit-forming opioids, science correspondent Miles O'Brien discovers future pain treatments may rely on virtual reality.
SUMMARY: In northeastern Ohio, employers say they see jobseekers all the time who look like "the walking dead," would-be workers struggling with opioid addiction. The problem is so great, reports economics correspondent Paul Solman, that it's had a noticeable effect on the nation's labor force.
SUMMARY: They visit overdose victims in the hospital. They hand out lifesaving drugs on the streets and educate their peers about their own relapses. In Rhode Island, former drug addicts are the most valuable fighters on the front lines of the war against opioids. William Brangham reports as part of our series, “America Addicted.”
SUMMARY: Keeping up appearances as a family hid the denial and shame Anita Devlin felt as her son struggled with an addiction to opioid painkillers. But when she finally shared their experience, it opened the door to healing and recovery. Devlin, author of "S.O.B.E.R." about her son Mike's addiction and road to recovery with Caron Treatment Centers, shares her humble opinion about banishing judgment and reaching out to others.
