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First, it came with the promise of relief.
This drug had become the answer to a life of pain.
For the world, it had become hope in a bottle. Modern medicine had seen another one of its miracles.
That promise of relief was made possible by the Sackler family, the force behind Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the creator of OxyContin. These supposed healers built an empire on deception.
Their promotion of OxyContin was effective, but deceitful. The physicians were encouraged to prescribe the medicine, the public was misled, and the truth lost out to profit.
OxyContin alleviated pain. More than that, it chemically altered the brain. For too many, the need for pain relief turned into addiction and even death.
Quiet towns turned into cemeteries of lost aspirations. Families were shattered. Lives were lost in bedrooms and bathrooms, not just back alleys. The most frightening realization is it all began with a doctor’s signature.
OxyContin was prescribed at an alarming rate throughout America, creating addiction and destroying lives. It ruined the lives of factory workers, school teachers, parents, and teenagers.
Neighborhoods in West Virginia, Ohio, among other states, became overwhelmed as a result of overdoses.
Hospitals were overwhelmed. Children were left without parents. What seemed like a health solution became a health crisis.
Today, the Sacklers are no longer part of Purdue Pharma. However, they remain untouched by justice. Their money lives on through new corporations that profit from pain. The Sackler name that once graced museums and colleges now represents greed and destruction.
Although it had come to an end of one empire, remnants still remain. New companies emerge that follow the same model and profit from opioids. Addiction and overdoses claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year.
The Sacklers made their money on misplaced trust, and left lives, families and communities in ruins.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
