The Roots of the Opioid Epidemic
In recent years, the US has seen a steady rise in the rate of opioid-related deaths. In fact, around 43,000 people overdosed on prescription opioids and heroin in 2016 alone. That’s a 200% increase in opioid-related deaths since 2000, which explains why it’s called an opioid epidemic. However, how did all of this start?