The US has an opiod epidemic because it was easy to get fentanyl legally.

arcticbull · on Nov 14, 2023

It was legal to get opioids like oxy legally, fentanyl was always pretty tightly controlled. I believe it was mostly used in surgeries alongside anesthesia.

corethree · on Nov 14, 2023

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/founder-and-former-chairm...

Bro, there was a movie made about how wrong you are on this topic. It's called pain hustlers, it stars captain america and emily blunt. In the movie they renamed the drug to Lonafen, but the actual drug is called Subsys. The drug contains Fentanyl.

kube-system · on Nov 14, 2023

That doesn't refute the parent's claim. Fentanyl is not prescribed very often, the primary use is for inpatient care.

In fact, maybe a reluctance to prescribe the stuff is exactly why the guy resorted to bribing people.

According to the CDC, 4% of fentanyl deaths come from prescription fentanyl.

standapart · on Nov 14, 2023

Not really. There were things like Purdue, but that wasn't fentanyl.

The fentanyl epidemic is the result of market developments in the illegal drug trade.

Ekaros · on Nov 14, 2023

And there is nothing fundamentally wrong with fentanyl itself. Just how it is currently used in uncontrolled way.

peyton · on Nov 14, 2023

You can get high for less than a dollar. It’s literally the cheapest form of recreation. That’s why people are doing it.