A painful struggle: Opioids can be dangerous, but restrictions � or a ban � are worse

Emilyvazquez04 Apr, 2021News

For the last nine years, this country has suffered from a growing overdose crisis caused by illicit fentanyl ? aka ?the opioid crisis? ? which is responsible for killing more than 80,000 Americans in 2020 alone. The crisis started from good intentions by public health authorities. Over the years, as poor outcomes resulted, the complexity of the situation became more widely understood. And yet, as recently as last month, a unit of the Centers for Disease Control refused to consider changing the guidelines that have hurt people as much as, or more than, they help.