The Poison We Pick

Imagine a virus infecting two million Americans and killing more than 50,000 of them within a year. Most likely, society’s response would be swift and forceful. Replace the word “virus” with “opioids” in the first sentence, and you have a description of the extent of America’s current opioid epidemic. Yet unlike a viral disease, no single antidote will solve the opioid crisis, which best-selling author Andrew Sullivan blames on a complex set of social, cultural, psychological, economic and political factors. getAbstract recommends his eye-opening feature story to anybody interested in the broader cultural and historical context of America’s opioid crisis.