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The Opioid Crisis as a Profiteering Outcome & A Tribute to Sinead O’Connor (7/31/23) (Part 1/2)

·26 min

Host Pedro Gatos examines the opioid crisis as a profiteering scheme and pays tribute to Sinead O'Connor. This episode connects wealth inequality to declining U.S. life expectancy and critiques pharmaceutical industry deregulation. Gatos argues mainstream media misattributes the crisis's causes, focusing on cartels instead of corporate greed. The episode details a sharp U.S. life expectancy decline, erasing all gains since 1996, with an American born in 2021 expected to live 76.1 years. Despite spending over $63,000 GDP per capita on healthcare, the U.S. ranks near the bottom among OECD nations for life expectancy. Research by Stanford economist Raj Chetty, analyzing 1.4 billion tax records, found the richest 1% of men live 15 years longer than the poorest 1%. A 2015 National Academies of Science report showed the richest middle-aged men gained six years in life expectancy between 1980 and 2010, while the poorest saw no improvement. Gatos traces the opioid crisis to Purdue Pharma's OxyContin, approved by the FDA in 1995 without clinical trials on its addictiveness. The drug's package insert falsely claimed a reduced abuse potential due to a delayed absorption mechanism. FDA examiner Dr. Curtis Wright left the agency and joined Purdue Frederick within two years. OxyContin has generated an estimated $35 billion in revenue for Purdue. Since 1999, nearly one million people have died from drug overdoses in the U.S., with over 70% involving an opioid. A startling insight is that four out of five people who try heroin today started with prescription painkillers, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The host emphasizes that the crisis stems from a chemical dependency created by pharmaceutical marketing, leading addicts to street drugs like fentanyl to avoid withdrawal, or being "dope sick." The episode frames wealth inequality as a fundamental driver of health disparities, arguing a profit-driven healthcare system creates "first and second class citizens." The tone is analytical, documented, and advocacy-focused, aiming to deconstruct deceit through cited evidence. The style is educational and conversational, directly addressing the listener with a critical perspective on systemic failures. Listeners interested in social justice, corporate accountability, and public health critiques will find this episode compelling. Those seeking light entertainment or mainstream news narratives might skip this dense, fact-driven analysis.

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