ACSH Science Dispatch
ACSH Science Dispatch
ACSH
Everything You Know About the 'Opioid Epidemic' Is Wrong
29 minutes Posted Dec 22, 2025 at 9:16 am.
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The story everyone knows about the opioid epidemic goes like this: Big, bad Purdue Pharma aggressively marketed its potent painkiller OxyContin, hooking legions of unsuspecting Americans on the pharmaceutical equivalent of heroin. It's a compelling tale—and it's wrong in almost of its particulars. Let's take a closer look.