The Role of Industry in the Modern Opioid Crisis

Abstract

In March 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued newly updated guidelines to address the growing opiate epidemic in the United States.1 The long awaited issuance from the CDC has not been without detractors, however, with many criticizing its scope as short-sighted and advantageous to corporate interests.2 The backlash is not unexpected, particularly when contextualized alongside the alarming growth in the rate of addiction and mortality associated with opioid and opiate-derivative prescription in contemporary society.