From Doctors to Dealers: The Path from Prescription to Dependence - VAC 119
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Start Date
7-5-2022 2:00 PM
End Date
7-5-2022 2:50 PM
Description
VAC 119
The opioid epidemic began in rural communities like the ones in Southwest Virginia with the introduction of the painkiller OxyContin in 1996. Purdue Pharma persuaded doctors, pharmacists, journalists, politicians, and the general public that OxyContin was safe and reliable, capable of treating all kinds of pain with addiction rates of less than one percent. Their message conveyed that prescribing opioids for pain was the moral, responsible, and compassionate thing to do for the everyday American who was struggling with moderate back pain, wisdom-tooth surgery, and even bronchitis. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States alone, 14,000 people die each year from prescription opioid overdose. How was America overwhelmingly persuaded by this argument? Is there anything to learn from our collective flawed reasoning? And what arguments need to be made to ensure more Americans have access to treatment to end this epidemic? To answer these questions, students in COMM 238 created a podcast series using Beth Macy’s 2018 book Dopesick as a guide. Students will share their findings after exploring the medical, marketing, corporate, legal, and media messages during the late 1990s and early 2000s to persuade America of the safety and necessity for OxyContin.
From Doctors to Dealers: The Path from Prescription to Dependence - VAC 119
VAC 119
The opioid epidemic began in rural communities like the ones in Southwest Virginia with the introduction of the painkiller OxyContin in 1996. Purdue Pharma persuaded doctors, pharmacists, journalists, politicians, and the general public that OxyContin was safe and reliable, capable of treating all kinds of pain with addiction rates of less than one percent. Their message conveyed that prescribing opioids for pain was the moral, responsible, and compassionate thing to do for the everyday American who was struggling with moderate back pain, wisdom-tooth surgery, and even bronchitis. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States alone, 14,000 people die each year from prescription opioid overdose. How was America overwhelmingly persuaded by this argument? Is there anything to learn from our collective flawed reasoning? And what arguments need to be made to ensure more Americans have access to treatment to end this epidemic? To answer these questions, students in COMM 238 created a podcast series using Beth Macy’s 2018 book Dopesick as a guide. Students will share their findings after exploring the medical, marketing, corporate, legal, and media messages during the late 1990s and early 2000s to persuade America of the safety and necessity for OxyContin.