Pain - American style: The opioid drama in five acts
ŁUKASZ KAMIEŃSKI
Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Instytut Amerykanistyki i Studiów Polonijnych, Rynek Główny 34, 31-010 Krakówhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6479-5066
Abstract
The worst drug epidemic in US history did not result from an uncurbed recreational use of narcotics, nor from the perfidious operation of drug cartels. The three root causesthat contributed to the eruption of the present-day opioid crisis were: a paradigm shift in pain treatment combined with the reckless practices of physicians, the Big Pharma, and insufficiently restrictive state supervision. By conceptualizing the epidemic as a tragedy, the article takes on the structure of a drama. The subsequent parts framed as “acts” synthetically explain the origins and reformulation of the epidemic, depict its character and scope, and discuss the ultimate countermeasures undertaken to curb the problem. Apart from legal restrictions, interesting novel methods to treat opioid dependence such as anti-opioid vaccines and brain stimulation devices are presented.
Keywords:
addiction, Big Pharma, heroin, opioids, pain, pain treatment, United StatesReferences
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