By Jayme Hykes*

In 2015, the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimated 2 million people in the United States suffered from “substance use disorder” related to prescribed pain relievers. Pharmaceutical companies introduced opioids to healthcare providers in the 1990s claiming they were nonaddictive. Since then, opioid addiction has become a well-known epidemic and has taken thousands of Americans’ lives. The problem is twofold: pharmaceutical fraud is relative to opioid distribution, and corrective action for those addicted is lacking. It is time for the United States to take action to stop the cycle of white-collar crimes in pharmaceutical corporations. Continue reading “OPINION: Pharmaceutical fraud drives the opioid crisis” →