Counselor here. A large portion of this settlement money has gone to prisons to install cameras, body scanners, etc. Also to police departments to help arrest more addicts and maybe 1 actual dealers each year. Local spending of these funds where I’m at are not helping anyone, let alone those who need it most.
What a surprise: the government that failed to protect their citizens from the problem in the first place is now failing to direct the money awarded from legal settlements towards services that actually help treat addiction. It's almost like making addicts into scapgoats makes it impossible for politicians to even recognize them as the victims that multiple courts have ruled them to be. Unaccountable power always acts with impunity.
I’m a nurse who works at a non profit drug and alcohol detox and treatment facility we just applied for our grant and we are so happy you are covering this! This is going to be a battle to get these resources into the right institutions!
It is too bad I couldn’t get any of that settlement money despite being addicted to these opioids for nearly two decades now. Maybe someone will benefit from it, it won’t be me.
I’m almost 50, I don’t want to go to a rehab. I want to pay off my mother’s house, help my daughter get through college, fix my car . Not have to see doctors that I believe started all this. But I’ll probably have to prove Oxy=cotton Was in my bloodstream in the !990s.
I'm beyond proud that it's been over 64 months since the last time I shot up or even saw a drug like fentanyl. The last time was December 17, 2018, and so far it's been the last time I woke up on a bathroom floor with a needle still in my arm. The last couple years have been tough, but I've really turned to exercise to cope, and at least now I'm in the best shape of my life too. I was as bad of an opioid junkie as there's ever been. I lied, cheated, and stole from the people who cared about me the most. One of the main motivations for me to not relapse this time was my dad's death. I know he wouldn't want me to use, and I like to think that he would be proud of me now.
Your Father would be proud of you now. Without a doubt. And you should be proud of yourself also, you’ve come a long way and have as much of a hard road to go. I’ve been on the bright for 26yrs and have never regretted it at all. The best thing I’ve ever done. Good luck and god bless.
I'm proud of you also my last boof was Dec 20 2017. My parents died of heroin needle problems hep c and suicides that's why I boofed but it's the same. Drugs man. I'm on Suboxone but want 2 get off desperately. Exercise I will try. I'm proud of you.🎉🎉🎉
Both of my parents were addicts, my father passed when I was 13 and my mother has been removed from my life due to the ongoing abuse she inflicted. The doctors that prescribed those pills could have opened their eyes and stepped in long before 5 kids became orphans and were adopted by their grandmother who works full time and makes next to nothing. She deserved to retire. We deserved a childhood.
More like your parents likely had severe mental or physical pain that the opioids were relieving. The answer isn’t stopping opioid prescriptions and dealing with the fallout. The answer is getting rid of this god awful death care system where insurances act like death panels. IF(big if, there’s a lot of lies about opiate addicts starting because of prescription pills prescribed to them) your parents began their addiction because of pain pills it was because the doctor/hospital/insurance had two options. 1) A well thought out course of investigation and treatment of whatever was causing the need for opioids by a team of internal medicine physicians, specialists, therapists etc or 2) Throw pills at them. 1) Is extremely expensive for the insurance or completely out of reach financially for the patient as well as eats into valuable time for the doctors to treat as many people as possible to extract the most money as possible. 2) is a a quick fix, funneled insane cash into doctors pockets through kick backs(until outlawed in 2010), was cheaper for insurance than thorough investigation via multiple specialists and diagnostics and created a customer for life. The problem was never the sacklers, it was never Purdue, the fucking problem is that throwing pills at someone was the easiest, fastest, and most lucrative way to kick the can down the road because the real solution would bankrupt the average American or eat into the gigantic profits of insurance companies. It’s always been about profits over people. The opioid “crisis” is a made up lie to justify these billions in lawsuits funneling money into politicians, lawyers, and the police’s bank accounts. Before 2011, the year the most opioids were prescribed, opioids had never even had a fraction of deaths associated to them in comparison to alcohol, tobacco, obesity, or fucking guns.
That's the part that gets me. Who has been sued over their role in the opioid crisis? Drug companies, wholesalers, and pharmacy chains. But who hasn't been? The many, many doctors who overprescribed said opioids in the first place, many of whom knew full well the potential risks. I know the reason is that the pockets of individual doctors aren't as deep, but it drives me crazy how few prescribers saw any kind of meaningful consequences for their role in the whole mess.
And John Oliver likes to make a massive joke about it. Not at all going after big pharma Or the China govt for pushing these drugs But supporting Biden and Hunter the crack addict who do nothing to stop this problem
@@thatjillgirl The Sacklers too. They're so repulsive they declared Bankruptcy on one of their Corporations and got away with it. These people really are the true definition of Evil. All the while our politicians turn into Millionaires times over being paid off to allow it. No more Blue or Red lies for me.
When Florida introduced the lottery in the 1990’s to fund education, they reduced the funding being allotted to education by the exact amount of money the lottery raised. So while technically they never lied about the money going towards education, it did create a way for the politicians to move the money elsewhere. Nobody has yet to address that. So I understand how that can be frustrating
And the money the state got from the lottery in Florida did not lower people's property taxes for education. They charged the same as they did before the lottery. Republicans want your money just as much as the Democrats do. With the Democrats will spend it on you
I am an atheist. I don't believe in the existence of God. There is insufficient evidence or rational justification to support the belief in any gods or supernatural entities. I rely on reason, logic, and empirical evidence to form my worldview and do not find compelling evidence or arguments to support the existence of god.
They're not scared of lawsuits, it's a cost of doing business. They have the best lawyers. That means lawsuits aren't the answer to get their behavior to change. Another method is needed to incentivize them to change.
@@DurkMcGerk Unfortunately that would likely require political action, and America isn't known for having a good political system when it comes to setting boundaries for companies.
Yeah, that was my reaction as well. Can a settlement bar anyone who's not part of the settlement from suing? The state gets their settlement money and then the actual victims lose their chance for suing the company? When they had no say in or benefit from that settlement?
@@DanArnets1492That isn't what it means. It just means the companies are considered to have been held fully accountable for their *past* actions. That's how settlements work; if that agreement weren't made, the companies would have no reason to agree to the settlement.
Proud to say that I know Trish Perry personally. She is a great person and warrior advocating for Newark and Licking County's homeless and those suffering from mental illness and drug addiction. Love her!
I live in Vienna, WV. I fundraise here to support local charities. I know every person in that video, and I have been in that council chamber speaking before those very people. One of the people in this video is running for the mayor's job. I seriously cannot express how surreal this segment is, and I want to further add that you need to ask us about our new amphitheater that the mayor wants to place right next to a toxic waste site.
As a further note, Vienna, WV is right next to one of the cities with one of the largest (if not the largest, it varies) OD rates in the state - Parkersburg, WV. While food pantries in Parkersburg are struggling to stock toilet paper, we're... not running a budget that seems to function.
@@JoshuaEBSmithcould you apply for grants? You can hire a professional grant writer to apply correctly on your behalf, and depending upon the grant, can pay their service fee from the awarded grant. This could get you various grants for different projects, programs, etc. The professional helps you determine your qualifications for application. Best of luck & blessings.
Recovering addict here, methadone treatment. Medically assisted treatment saved my life, my husband’s life and my daughter’s life. These programs REALLY REALLY work! My daughter is 8 years and I’m 6. My husband had two years before he passed in 2020. If we’d have started treatment sooner, his body may have had time to recover. I’m thankful EVERYDAY for treatment.
I worked for city government department of health for almost two years. Unlike all other health and opioid-related grants and funds, it went to the City itself rather than our department. For 6-8 months we asked members of the opioid settlement group to have a seat at the table, because it was made up of the HR director, finance director, rep from the mayor's office, and a few others with no expertise in health or community outreach. Zero people with lived experience were contacted to be on the panel. Sitting at those meetings (eventually) and hearing all of the ideas that these unqualified people had for spending the money was absolutely ridiculous. I have no problem with people not having the answers, but at least have the humility to turn the reigns over to the people working in addiction and prevention spaces as the experts in this area.
Thank U!!!! You have NO idea how important it was for me to read this comment today! I've had a similar experience going from "homeless convict" to the program manager of a county funded behavioral health program within 4 yrs. It was exhausting how little ppl are willing to do anything new or different when "the way it's always been done" has demonstrably failed time and time again. Yet in spite of countless workshops, trainings and presentations of evidence-based research & data, they refuse to challenge their own prejudices, biases, and classism to try on different perspectives and help people in the ways they've identified as most effective for themselves.
This is infuriating! As I was watching this clip, one of my first thoughts was, “Why don’t they have advisors from the mental health field advise them on how to spend this money?”
They can at least consult the expert before speaking in public, honestly its also why these people can just outright decide abortion, education and child safety when they dont asks doctor, teacher and CPS inspector
As an ICU nurse, I've had to waste unused fentanyl many times and I have never OD'd from being in the same room with it. Maybe nurses are just orders of magnitude tougher than cops 🤔.
Rn also. I have no idea what used fentanyl is but the stuff we give is liquid and the drug addicts get this powdered stuff that can get airborne. It gets breathed in. I went to a lecture….
@@franktartan6808 Quality AI @franktartan6808 49 minutes ago Anyone here have chronic severe pain? Do you need opioids to be able to get out of bed and live? Yeah me too! But we get treated like criminals because of all the fucking scumbag addicts!! I want to know how drug companies and pharmacies make people abuse drugs. Maybe they do. I do know that many thousands of people need pain meds and take them as directed. But we are treated as criminals because of the criminals! Maybe John, you can talk about that too. I know humans are delicate and need adult supervision but why punish us responsible pain sufferers? Amazing how no one accepts responsibility for their actions and always blame others!
You cant, being in a room with it or touching powder. It only passes the blood barrier when in patch form; as a nurse im surprized you arnt aware of the science behind it (might be worth a gander). In a mental way, nurses are tougher, in that you realize the implications of inherent bias and stereotypes. The fearmongering is what has created misinformation like "fetanyl travels thru air or touch" (in powder form).
@@franktartan6808that lecture lied. It's not enough in to get you in that way. Lectures can also spread false stereotypes. Stick to doing hard science research and taking everything any one person says with a grain of salt; nobody is 100 percent factual in what they say.
There must be someone on the writing/production staff who is passionate about health policy issues, because between this episode, the Medicaid unwinding episode, and the State Medical Boards episode, this season is doing incredibly important work! Thank you for helping bring awareness to these issues.
My best friend lost his sister. My brother is in ICU right now. And those that profited aren't being held accountable. How much longer will this go on before we make them pay directly?
I understand you both. I was a detox nurse before I became disabled and in a wheelchair, *and* I just lost a very close aunt to fentanyl-laced oxycodone that her 'friend' gave her because my aunt loaned her some because her friend 'ran out.' My aunt took the pills her friend 'gave back to replace the ones she was loaned' and she overdosed and died. My aunt had been on oxy for _years_ but the fentanyl tipped her over the edge. So I have seen both sides of this crisis and it hurts to know that people are dying and the governments may care but they don't know how to respond to this crisis
My brother in law died on Sunday, of a Fentanyl overdose from counterfeit Ritalin. He used to get Ritalin from the pharmacy but started buying it on the street when he lost his health insurance. His daughter, my niece, is less than a year old. It was Mother’s Day on Sunday. He wasn’t the first of my friends or my family. I hope to god that he’s the last, but I doubt it.
@@JustinPogueThere is Medicaid, Medicare, Health Insurance Marketplace, where you can get subsidized insurance based on your income. Hell, there are even things like GoodRx. But, yeah, fvcking health insurers. 😏
For more than 50 years the AMA has recognized addiction as an illness and yet society treats its alcoholics and addicts like "bad" people and not like the sick people they truly are. Recovery places get shut down or short funded, addicts by the thousands are locked in jails-for-profit cells, and people like the good woman represented here doing her best to physically help people, but not having access to the funds won in the courts for that very purpose. Thank you, John Oliver, for all the work you and your excellent team of reporters do to make people aware of this - and other situations like it. I don't know how much good it will do - or does - but I'm sure God loves you for continually trying. I know I do.
Except that no one is getting born with a drug addiction. Meanwhile many mental illnesses are inherited. Anyone who takes drugs for the first time knows what they are getting into. It‘s their responsibility if they are getting addicted. Nobody forced them to take drugs. Everyone knows drugs are addictive. No sympathy for junkies.
it's that annoying but all too common mentality where addicts are criminals and the only way to stop it is never using and punishing those who do society needs to fully eliminate this mindset in order for true recovery to be embraced as a nation, but they profit so much off that fear also
@@subparnaturedocumentaryAbsolutely. Here in Switzerland we had an heroine crisis in the 90s. What did we do? We provided clean needles, opened clinics for the addicted, gave clean heroine for the people who just didn't manage to get clean with methadone or via other means. Now these people with state dispensed heroine can have a job. We made safe consumption spaces and placed where you could check your drugs for free. Now people are still consuming heroine, but it's not a publicly percieved issue anymore because they get the help they need and deserve. Heroine itself isn't that harmful, it's the pollutants that kill people!
It may be categorized as an illness, and indeed one that alters one’s brain chemistry, but the hangup that many people have is its *self inflicted.” Yes I know early on Purdue was doing their best to get doctors to over prescribe so I have more compassion for those victims, but that’s not the case for your average person either an addiction. People chose to experiment with meth, or crack, or whatever. It’s no secret what those drugs do to a person yet people still use them.
What exactly isn’t an Illness? People can go to the moon but cant do the hard work of not abusing? Of course it affects your brain. Of course its hard to stop abusing…what exactly is easy in life?
@@TheLonelyCamgirl I'm one of the replays! I really wanted to see that smooth sleight of hand lol. (Also, maybe consider having a second account? That username makes normal comments read really strangely.)
@@TheLonelyCamgirltbh I know it wasn't intentional but for the dismount the way he made it just "disappear" into the camera as well was just the icing on the cake🎂
@@stoppit9 As "the best country on earth", as so many people love to claim, we should be able to take care of it so much more humanely and more efficiently than we currently are.
John can you PLEASE do a Video on how this "Opioid Crisis" is affecting those with chronic pain and other illness ability to get the medication they NEED! Not enough people talk about that.
Yes it is sooooo needed! Also how some places force us into so called pain MGMT clinic shots that are completely experimental, you have to sign waiver to protect doctors from liability, they either don't work, make you worse, at best don't last, are temporary & partial relief if they help at all, and doctors get paid some $3G for ten to 15 minutes at a pop!??!
It’s similar to my town, they managed to raise over 200,000 but to build a giant cross. It didn’t go to better the town, it didn’t go to help people, and it didn’t do any outreach.
Oklahoma used the Big Tobacco settlement money for women's health care and it saved my life. For the first time in my life, I truly was receiving decent health care.
With them uploading their whole backlog recently, I almost thought this was an older episode. But then I noticed John's hair, and realized it's recent 😂
I thought this was an older episode because the YT algorithm likes to feed other stuff to me. The giveaway for me that this was more recent was the background. Then I saw the reference to a story from March 11 of this year and went "hold up"...
what is actually wrong with that advice though? It costs NOTHING and even if it only convinces 1% of people to not try it then that is a good thing, right? John does not like it because of who is sending the message (I do not like who is sending the message either) but I am sure there are people that would listen to that guy more than they would listen to John SO why not let him say it without mocking him for it.
I’m sorry the cops ODing from opening that bag of drugs is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m a nurse and legally administer opiates all the time under doctors orders in a hospital setting for severe acute or chronic pain. We often crush them to administer to patients who can’t swallow whole pills because of choking risk but can take them crushed in some applesauce or pudding. And unless you are literally snorting them or directly pointing a blow dryer at a bag and sticking your face in it, you aren’t at risk of inhaling them and certainly not enough to cause you to pass out or OD. This is ridiculous. If you want to help people who use substances. HELP THEM. like that lady with the program who gave out testing strips and clothing was doing.
I'm Cameroonian, leaving in Cameroon. I'm not understanding English but every week I come to check you podcast. And I really appreciate the way you are talking
@@Onigirli nope. "You're" is a contraction of the words "you are." "You are English is pretty good" is not grammatically correct. "Your" is possessive, to say it belongs to you.
I feel like Oregon deserves a shout out. 30% of the settlement is going to the 9 native tribes. And the majority of the rest is being used for naloxone and other life-saving supplies and to establish a state system for interpreting data regarding the availability and efficacy of prevention, treatment, and recovery services in the state.
It would probably do the same as kids seeing videos or talking with previous drug addicts or policemen about how they should never do drugs. Maybe it will make a person or two change their mind, most already have it made up, and/or will forget about this video as soon as possible.
@@LucasTheOnion Point taken. But ya never know...I am hopefully "skeptimistic" that if you scatter the seeds of knowledge, at least a couple will sprout and grow. 🤞😄
@@jayrobbinstacks4574 As John clearly demonstrated in the video, a lot them do not know how to appropriately use the funds. Yes, some are willfully ignorant, but many are just plain ignorant.
Nuh uh he blatantly lies in nearly every episode I've watched. He said puberty blockers were well researched, safe and reversible. Lies that everyone knows are obviously lies if he did 3 minutes of research. He lied about why everyone hates Dylan Mulvaney which would also take only 3 minutes of reading comment sections.
@@gypsylee333 According to the National Institute of Heath, the Mayo Cinic, Cedars Sinai, and 99% of all doctors, scientists and other healthcare experts "Puberty blockers are generally considered safe when used as prescribed by a pediatrician. They have been used safely FOR DECADES to treat children with precocious puberty and endometriosis, and professional societies support their use for gender dysphoria". Or in words you can understand "Nuh-uh, you're the liar". 😂
@@ZERO_O7X nope that's bull. Read the Cass Report or the WPATH files or literally any unbiased study or the Nordic countries repealing it because they're not profit driven
@@gypsylee333nothing is 100% safe and has side effects but in most cases they are safe and reversible. Female children that gets their period earlier than 10 can go on hormone to stop it until they are old enough. Periods are intense for adults much less little babies and some can get it at 6 or 7. You don’t understand the research and that’s ok.
@@roxywyndham I do understand the research I would bet money I've read more about it than you if you're still pushing the long debunked lie that PBs are safe or reversible. They are not approved even for this purpose and every Dr is prescribing them off label to children who do not have the capacity to understand the decision they are making. There's not ONE known case of a male being able to produce sperm EVER if they were given PBs at tanner stage 2 or younger. There's a study already shown that it permanently damages the cells in the testicles, and a different study that shows their IQ and grades dropped. There is zero reason why they can't wait until adulthood 18 plus when their brains are more fully formed. There is zero evidence that even shows an improvement mentally or anything for taking PBs and y'all have ZERO concern and are fine experimenting on these confused children.
@@Heathcoatman I had a friend named Chris Heathcoat who I've learned succumbed to suicide. I Pray for his family. Thank you for your comment and for reminding me of him 💜🙏🏽🕊️
As a pharmacist I approve…the way your graphic artists made that pill split in a realistic fashion and not clean down the middle. That little unevenness at the end is a perfect representation of what it’s like to split a pill in half. 😂
Talking about lives and your admiring the Artistry. Look at all the people that think it's cool when your showing exactly how detached the ones dispensing poison are as long as those checks keep rolling in.
@@survivormary1126 I would love to never have to dispense another opioid again, but all my cancer patients who are in a lot of pain wouldn't be too happy about it.
@@amberwilliams9950 I'm so sorry. It's heartbreaking to see your community hurt. I am repeatedly disappointed at how easily people write off anything to do with drug addiction as personal failure that is undeserving of help. But we're out here spreading awareness, spreading compassion, and volunteering. There is a force with you fighting for a better future ❤️
Here in Allegheny County PA, one of our county council members is a former opioid addict, having gotten onto them in high school after a sports injury. We have huge billboards up advertising free fentanyl test strips. I am so thankful that she has been in place when this money started coming in!
I want the entire world to know: John Oliver's charity paid off my medical bills. I'll never be done saying that, just as I'll never be done giving back. "And so shines a good deed in a weary world." Shakespeare said that, but I like to credit Willy Wonka.
Oh my god. I got a letter not that long ago, telling me my medical debt I've had forever, had been paid off. I've been a Type 1 diabetic since I was 12, so I had a lot of medical debt from being in and out of the hospital over the years before I managed to get insurance after losing my parent's insurance. I kinda thought back to Oliver paying off medical debt when I got the letter, but I didn't know RIP Medical Debt was the name of the charity involved until I just saw your comment and looked it up. I had kept the letter, because I was so thankful, and I just looked at it. Sure enough, it's RIP Medical Debt. Dang, thanks John Oliver. I've been watching this man for years, already appreciating the things he does.
Don't forget these things are a double edge sword and I know of patients with chronic conditions and cancer being denied medications that help them make it through the day becuase the "risk of abuse". Most of these kinds of bandwagons throw somebody under the bus. These aren't cigarettes. Suing companies and making these medications less acceptable is the same logic he made fun of Trump for. Now it worked and he cartels filled the gap with laced fentenyl.
And once again, those of us with chronic pain issues who depend on opioids to have even somewhat of a normal life and are now treated like criminals when we ask for them, and those like us who have taken their own lives once those opioids were taken away, or died from OD'ing on street drugs when their prescription pain meds were cut off, are completely ignored.
I hear this. I used to have severe pain before I finally got my hysterectomy. And opioids were the only thing that even touched that pain, but it was a nightmare getting some. So I learned to hoard the pills and only use them when the pain was so bad I'd pass out. I could make a bottle of 20 pills last a whole year. Which really pissed me off when I tried to explain that to an ER doctor when I needed more and he'd look at me like I was the biggest liar on the planet, and only prescribe me 5.
Right there with ya, I am a cancer patient and recently diagnosed with MS and my wife has crippling RA. We live in TN and thanks to state laws it is next to impossible to get pain relief. I get there is a huge problem and ppl are dying because of them but guess what, ppl are dying because they cant get them as well. But I guess its ok to just toast my liver with tylenol and alcohol to get the pain to subside right? Opioids are a risk, and ppl will abuse them but there is a huge population who actually need them to lead semi normal lives. There are 2 sides to every coin.
Same here. I have to take less than I am allowed just to make sure I won't go into withdrawal every time the docs mess it up, the pharmacy doesn't have it, my insurance insurance on prior authorization for meds I've been on for TWO DECADES with an incurable degenerative condition. The amount I'm allotted doesn't come close to "killing" my pain. Bit of a misnomer there, unless you've got an issue that's fixable with said opioids. Mine just takes the edge off and that's it. I can take a smile and eat food without vomiting. Last time I ended up in the ER (A&E for those of you in other countries) and they injected me with a shitload of morphine because I was helplessly vomiting and couldn't keep the meds down. . . Due to the pain I was in. . . So going to a place that could inject it into me was the only option. I couldn't even communicate. Anything. So they inject me with morphine and did I feel better? Did I feel amazing? Nope. I was simply able to open my eyes and speak. I looked at the doctors and said, "Oh, hi. I can see you now. Um. Hello." Which is to say, they could see me but I couldn't look at them or communicate until then so I just wanted to try to be polite. My neck was still horrifically spasming and I told them I was hopeful that they could get me into an MRI or something to see what the hell was causing the problem but they said I would need to set up an appointment with a specialist. "But they won't know what's happening because it only happens a few times a year and it's happening RIGHT NOW, so can you maybe just feel my neck and palpate the muscles to see if you can get an idea of what's happening?" What is a specialist going to test me for? A mystery that isn't currently happening? I'm here right now. No? Well. I guess I'll go home with no answers but at least I'm not helplessly vomiting from the pain. Uh. Ok. This has been a problem for 17 years. I've seen specialists. So. Ok. Bye. I just hobbled back out the door. Yesterday I saw my pain management specialist who felt my hip that's been been making me wake up screaming, literally screaming. She had no answers but thanked me for not vomiting on her. My point is: Knowing doctors are just throwing opioids at people that don't need them blows my mind. They create drug addicts and death. And those of us that live in bodies that are 24/7 torture devices are judged and scrutinized for needing steady amounts with high oversight. It's beyond perplexing. Who are these doctors and WHY ARE THEY DOING THAT?!
Where are doctors throwing meds at just anyone (other than the White House apparently, look that story up. Talk about hypocrisy.) MS here and barely get any help. The “opioid crisis” is now ILLICIT. People with genuine prescriptions aren’t the problem. Doctors are no longer just handing them to all. The crisis is now on the street, and a whole new crisis has been created in the chronic pain community. Suicides are way up with our vets and those with chronic illnesses. The govt, as usual, with its overcorrection has caused this problem and just don’t care to fix it.
John, as a caregiver for a quadriplegic, I can't tell you what all this has done to legitimate users, even those who are forced now to use 'pain clinics' run by the hospitals. These things are meant to protect the doctors, NOT help pain patients. The genuine patients are suffering and being manhandled by this new doctor protection racket. Now they are trying to get them onto suboxone, expensive and dangerous and it literally rots out patient's teeth. It's insane.
Yes! We need to stop conflating recreational drug abuse with necessary pain relief. Treating patients like addicts and addicts like second class citizens is doing more harm than good!!
@@MelMonroeShowthere’s nothing wrong with recreational drug use it has health benefits and every single mammal on earth does it it’s probably unhealthy to not do drugs recreationally
I live in Kenosha County, Wisconsin and was appalled by our County Board's decision to buy this gadget, but not surprised. We have a sheriff and several county board members who believe that all drug users are criminals and that locking them up is the way to deal with substance abuse. These same folks would be happy to give the sheriff's department everything they ask for with no oversight.
Used to work for the newspaper in Kenosha and watched as any request for spending from a law enforcement agency was given carte blanche, meanwhile the years-long quest of a father who watched his son get shot and killed by the police in his front yard asking for better, fairer measures for oversight and review in law enforcement shooting cases get routinely ignored. But free pass for you, Kyle Rittenhouse!
The misuse of opioid settlement funds as you've explained is indeed troubling. It's crucial that these funds be channeled into supporting proven tools for addiction prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery, rather than squandering on unnecessary resources. It's time to prompt accountable and transparent practices from our local governments.
I want to say that John Oliver is misinformed, carfentanyl absolutely has OD'd officers from merely breathing it in, though not traditional fentanyl. Additionally, while policing addicts/users isn't effective, taking down sellers/manufacturers/traffickers is. It's highly effective One single bust could easily save hundreds if not thousands of lives since they often time carry incredible amounts on them at one time. I know it doesn't back up peoples "cop bad" narrative, but this is a serious epidemic, people need to get their shit straight. Also it pisses me off that the VERY FIRST thing places aren't spending their money on is Suboxone/buprenorphine treatment facilities. That stuff is insanely effective at getting people off fentanyl and it literally makes them immune from getting high from heroin/fentanyl while they're on it.
As someone who was the victim of these evil companies, the only thing I really want would be free healthcare to cover the cost that take up a large part of my monthly expenses. I pay over $500 a month for ongoing treatment, and I have been for almost 2 decades now
John's bit of prestidigitation was lovely. I had to watch it several times to figure out the cig was in his sleeve, then in his right hand, and not in his jacket pocket. Perfect misdirection!
Just a reminder that if you live in a decent-sized city, there is probably an organization dedicated to overdose prevention. That may be in the form of education programs, handing out narcan and test strips, or a needle exchange. Many of these organizations will do trainings for people. You should definitely look into your local organizations and see if you can volunteer, donate, or even hire them to do a training at your workplace!
I wish more people would talk about how now pain goes untreated which is leading people to turn to self medicating. We’ve swung so far the other way that people with cancer and in the day following major surgery aren’t even being given opiates which is making people desperate. We need balance.
I have the opposite problem. Every time I've had surgery my doctor keeps prescribing me opiates. I keep trying to tell them that I can't take opiates because they make me hallucinate, but no one ever listens. I always end up taking my pills to the police station and use Tylenol or Advil instead.
@@DaveHurka Sometimes, hospitals dispense them to your driver after a surgical discharge. Pharmacies offer RX DISPOSAL packets as well. I was given some when my Doctor prescribed an opioid that was too strong for my pain recently and I switched medications. If anyone is wondering if they're addicted, a good question to ask yourself is if you would destroy or refuse a prescription?
"A Week and a Half Ago, This Morning, Because Corporate Execs Grovel To Investors, and Think Pushing This Out Further Will Drive More Max Subscribers" This could also work, yeah?
@@ravenstalons154 At least they're planning to expand the YT backlog to include a new season every time there's an off week. That's not a Max thing, that's an LWT thing
My father is addicted to opiods. That addiction is probably going to kill him. I hope something positive happens here that can help him before it's too late.
Just so you know, if you take about 75mg of Dextromethorphan (the main ingredient in otc cough medicine) with opiates, it drastically reduces the rate at which your body becomes dependent to them. Hopefully that can at least slow it down. You just want to measure it out, because around 120+ mg, it starts to become psychoactive.
I’m a paramedic. Describing the opioid epidemic as a “crisis” would be a huge understatement. It’s a catastrophic event. I live in the south and it’s become worse than crack, worse than meth, worse than everything. Nearly every overdose call I work is either fentanyl, or something laced with fentanyl, often unbeknownst to the user. My service is running more overdose calls than we’ve run in a while. We’re watching people’s lives and families being destroyed by this drug. And rehab facilities in our area are running out of resources and don’t have nearly enough funding handle the amount of people needing help. Some are having to rely on community funding to keep their doors open. Hospitals are having to send patients 2+ hours away for help because facilities here just can’t take them. This money is needed now more than ever.
I can't imagine what you are seeing on a daily basis. Thank you for what you do. Take care of your mind and body, this is really intense stuff. One of my dear friends died recently. Paramedics came in, saw his street xanax, and correctly guessed what the toxicology report would prove months later-- the pills were laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl. They said they are seeing more and more of this. He was 31.
@@bobopa5624 it’s truly my honor to do what I do. I’m so very sorry for your loss, I’m hoping that with more coverage and people talking about what’s happening, maybe things can change for the better ❤️
The sad truth is: The comedians are in charge of informing people nowadays. The "serious" journalists at the big media outlets/ networks are really just chasing their own ghosts anymore. It is apparantly more interesting to report on the fart count of an ex-president than to give topics like "Corrupt Supreme Court by Design" or "where is the drug-settlement-money going" the appropriate coverage.
You should talk about how this opioid crisis has made being a chronic pain patient a living hell. The stigma alone has been devastating. Doctors won't treat us, doctors lower our dose to ineffective doses requiring us to get on disability because we can't work in constant pain, the list goes on and on and on. It's terrible...so terrible.
Same! I completely agree! They make you question your sanity, like, I think I'm in this much pain... they have done the tests and scans and can see the cause of the pain... but why doesn't my doc believe me?
Yeah straight up, I've got a couple friends who've gone through literal hell with chronic pain over the decades I've known them... one offed himself, one is in a halfway house after his sixth rehab and another one is (far as I've managed to figure out anyway) a junkie now Health care in this country blows no matter who you are but if you're a person with chronic back pain or something you're screwed to the max
Seriously, that poppy is pretty and easy to grow. That's my plan for when I get super old and hurt all the time, poppy tea. My friend said it feels like all the other opiates he tried during his addiction phase at various times through the experience of the tea. Harder to dose exactly, but then you know what is actually in your pain product, no trust needed. We gotta take our mouths off the government titty and do more stuff for ourselves.
Big pharma has seen the error of their ways. They no longer need to push addictive meds and understate the risk whole being subject to legal liability. Much better business model to develop vaccines that the government can mandate without any of that pesky product liability.
The above answers are good but not the real truth… No one goes to jail because this is America and corporations can’t go to jail because they aren’t people… except for when it benefits them to be people, like when they want to spend money on campaigns and politicians and such… basically billionaires can do what they want without meaningful repercussions in america
Because the specific point of a corporation is to create an imaginary entity that is legally responsible for individual people's decisions. That's literally the reason they exist.
For alot of us, it's the withdrawal that's the problem. People want to stop but the withdrawal is so horrific that some would rather take their own life than go through that type of pain
@@MacAnters Withdrawal symptoms are physiological and psychological in nature so that makes it incredibly difficult to stop hard substances. Each substance has its own quirks and unique withdrawal symptoms but that's the gist of it.
Methadone really works. (I don't know about Suboxone which appears to be replacing methadone.) The characteristic that makes methadone so effective is that you can measure dosage precisely and reduce that dosage by as much as 1mg (ml?) per day or whatever amount you're comfortable with that doesn't cause withdrawal symptoms. It really can make detox painless. It's a fucking miracle. And it also eliminates any excuse you may be telling yourself or those who care about you. It works. It is painless. For most people, it's even less of a hassle than being an addict. One thing that might be helpful to know is that there are two basic philosophies to methadone treatment: detox and maintenance. The goal of detox is exactly that: to get you off the street drug and then get you off the methadone as quickly as you can handle it. The goal of maintenance is to find a dosage at which you're comfortable and don't have any need or desire to use other opioid drugs...indefinitely. I strongly recommend the detox approach (but I'm not an expert or even well informed on the subject so ffs do your own research). Unfortunately almost every clinic in operation follows the maintenance philosophy. However, even maintenance oriented clinics will allow you to take the detox path if you're adamant about it and if you don't screw it up by relapsing too often when they let you go that route. Good luck!
@@MacAnters It's like a very extreme case of the flu combined with a number of other unbearable symptoms combined with various psychological effects. Nausea so bad that your own mucus/swallowing your own spit makes you vomit, which is an endless process when you've got a runny nose. Restless legs (RLS), headache, lethargic, can't sleep. One of the hardest things is knowing that you can all make it go away with a snap of your fingers.
Wow it’s really nice to hear that North Carolina is being a leader in this issue! I work as a therapist and I am a clinical addiction specialist and I would love to see this money start to help folks in my area who’ve been directly impacted by this crisis.
Dude our local butcher (who’s awesome and gives us extra meat for our kitty she likes hearts) cut his finger off 4 days ago!! He was back at work yesterday and husband saw him cradling his poor hand, the guy refuses to take ANY medication for it because he’s scared of getting addicted omg thank you for covering this I hope he knows he could take one until his finger heals and then wean off but it’s his choice!! Good luck butcher guy we appreciate you 😅🥲✌️ thanks for covering this!!! I love you John Oliver hope you’re having a good weekend soon 🥰💃🏻
Thank you for shedding light on this!! I'm someone in long term recovery. I'm currently a peer specialist earning my certification. But it's going to be hard to convince other peers successful in their recovery to become peer specialists if we could get paid more working at the local convenience store ... we need more money into peer programs/centers. Peer counselors were the only people in the system I trusted at first when I remained ambivalent about recovery. But they showed me the way and that recovery IS possible for anyone...and they are the proof!❤
Thank you for uploading these videos, I'm from Germany and wouldn't have access to the biting satire/news that your wonderful team provides. Lots of love and respect!
5:20 I REALLY like the Tupperware idea. I’m sure she has a nice urn at home but something about a Tupperware container with a kids ashes in it is so much more raw than a nice urn.
true and it's also far more practical as it keeps the ashes dry and isn't likely to break. but nobody should ever be forced to think about such issues.
Or it's not an idea and she can't afford anything nicer. Drug addiction and the opioid crisis is a problem for everyone, but it disproportionately affects the poor. Nothing forces practicality like poverty.
Yep. No one will prescribe the medication I need without a fight. They've just switched to being "interventional only" which basically means, "we're still calling ourselves pain specialists but we're not actually doing anything because it's too much paperwork". Explain how that's fair? I'm already in chronic pain, I'm not a surgical candidate and there's nothing else that they can do about it. FFS this is ridiculous.
@@SlpBeauty333 My heart goes out to you. It really does because I know exactly what you're talking about. People with horrendous pain conditions that aren't cancer related get treated like criminals. Mandatory drug tests, pill counts, monitoring...and then, many insurance companies won't pay for narcotic pain meds. I have a 4.9cm ascending aortic aneurysm and everyone asks me why I have refused the repair, because if it ruptures I'll bleed out in about 45 minutes. I have refused the repair because it's a mercy for me when it blows. If I had even a remotely good quality of life, if the CDC would just let my doctor prescribe me a few silly little pills a month, I would love to live a few more years.
@@VideoSaySo Oddly? Mine is cancer related and I still can't get the meds I need. It's absolutely crazy! If they were TRYING to make people desperate enough to try street "meds", this is exactly how you do it! It's insane. Hopefully my new arthritis medication will help but it's tough being sick for so long and then having to spend so much time trying to find another person? I've had appointments cancelled because I mentioned the medication I'm on. They don't even look at what is wrong with you. It's so frustrating. Big hugs your way too. Chronic illness is the worst.
Looking at the breakdown so far, it's nice to see that we're actually spending it on good things as well! The only police department getting funds is for a Naloxone plus program
Seeing this on the timeline made me say “thank God” that’s how much I constantly miss this show when I don’t see it. The sarcasm, the backed up truths with facts. A great show in all.
Worcester MA resident here who's been affected by opoids. We are one of the top 3 cities in Massachusetts impacted by the opoid epidemic, next to Boston and Cambridge. We have received billions but just like John covered, the state isn't being transparent how the money is being used. Worcester's money is being spent for crisis intervention and health centers, but a lot of money is also being carved out by management in these centers. One of the places I've seen has wasted the money on unnecessary amenities, overpriced therapy, and understaffed workplaces. Meanwhile, I've lost years of my life to the stuff and haven't seen a cent as it's been over 10 years since I've had problems. We're fighting to make our city better and lots of people writing and advocating about the impact of opoids, but I just hope more can get done here.
I sanded and finished hardwood floors for years, one job I had was to work on 6 federal judge's chambers. Let me tell you, the money they spent was ridiculous. Back then an expensive hammer was maybe $20, but they would "Spend" $60 for the same hammer. This was 20 years ago and there was no place in the entire state of Oklahoma where you could have found any Lowe's of Home Depot or Ace hardware store selling a hammer for $60. Now imagine what they would "spend" for an SUV. A $20,000 truck would cost them $60,000 and 4 politicians would somehow end up with an extra $10,000. Then you go on Facebook and see someone complaining about a person buying food with food stamps then spend money to buy dogfood. Are you getting my point, or do I need to explain it further?
My family grew up without any real addiction issues. Pretty boring, chill, easygoing upbringing. Our parents didn't even really drink much, and made sensible decisions. Then my sister got a major injury and got hooked on opioids for years, culminating in several things like jail time and losing pretty much everything she owned. She's finally on the other side, but this shit can happen to anyone, with no "telltale" societal factors predisposing it. This shit is a game and human lives are the cards.
Yes, it's invaluable when you have someone who needs to be restrained and is standing with his arms at his side and his feet close together, as so many people are when confronting police.
I live in South Carolina and I am proud to say that the state set up the "South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund Board" which has a portal with detailed information and an appointed board to oversee the spending of the money. They have limited the funds to first responders to opioid related training or treatment. BUT, I had no idea to even look into what was going on until I was educated by this excellent piece. Zazu is serving facts again, as usual. Thank you!!
You need to follow up this episode with what the opioid regulations have effected people in pain. I have neuropathy and at night it feels like someone is driving nails into my toes. I was lucky enough to have a doctor who understands, but regulations limit how much I can have, and I have to get written prescriptions 3 months at a time. My wife had degenerative bone disease among other problems and they would only give a hydrocodone 5 once a day. She had holes in her stomach, almost killing her twice, from taking over the counter pain medication. I know other elderly people who don't get the pain medication they need, and have to jump through hoops to get any at all.
Except our tobacco leaves aren't even that good 🥲. They just go into bunk cigarettes. There's a reason we don't see any "Made in NC" fancy cigars at the cigar shop. All the "good" tobacco is grown in like, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua :/ We do got the best bbq sauce though. 🫡
Bravo. This is 💯. As a WV born, peer support specialist, I have seen some shit. John will save a life with this information. Harm Reduction ❤ is Healthcare. This is the way.
This story feels like a loop of every other story. Public officals refusing to take care of the current issue in favor of greed. It's nice it gets us more episodes of this show, but upsetting to know people are suffering just so a couple people can get more green pieces of paper.
The culture of denial and the blaming and shaming are the actual motivations. Whether an individual or group is consciously aware or subconsciously projecting. The actions show what the motives are, not the falsehoods proclaimed constantly to be reality. The US government consists almost entirely of people like this because anyone who is genuinely concerned gets pushed out, silenced, shamed, and sometimes just realizes the system does not care to actually address issues wholeheartedly and looks for another way. It is this reality that needs to be honestly acknowledged for anything to even have a chance of making meaningful, positive, changes in the interests of ALL.
The government will better reflect the interest of the People when the People act like better citizens. Our voter turnout has to increase. More people need to run for local office. And we all need to stand up for campaign reform.
@@HLBear I think those getting rewarded by this system motivates others to act the same way, trying to belong or "make it". Each individual will only find the real motivations by beginning with honest self-reflection which leads to collective change. But a lot of manipulation happens too, just like narcissistic partners do... these people in power do that to masses.
@@HLBear Except that if you ceased to exist tomorrow (not just die, but get removed from reality), it would only potentially change your most local offices and that's only if you live in a smaller town. Anything medium or larger you, as an individual, are not significant enough to matter. Same for me and every person reading this. One person does not matter. One person deciding to do something isn't going to change anything. One person deciding to not do something isn't going to stop a movement. The sheer volume of people means that no one individual matters. In order to change anything we don't need a person to decide to do the right thing, we need statistics and it won't matter if you decide to do the right thing.
There is very little bad that this show provides, I am thankful for hbo for doing this. All episodes are heartwarming and real news. They deserve a Nobel prize
Big Pharma can be done ethically... big pharma isn't even the problem... any other industry acts the exact same.. capitalism is the underlying problem that drives everything
Am I the only one that doesn't feel shit for drug addicts? As simple as that Trump message was, that's my philosophy for substances. I know they're bad so I legit avoid using them as much as possible. I destroyed my knee skiing this March and I took the pill the doctor told me ONCE-a-day despite him saying it was a THRICE-a-day pill BECAUSE I know depending on that stuff is an awful idea.
@@DanArnets1492 Aren't you so smart, so mature to be in pain for half the day. Have you ever heard of something called a chronic condition? Your lack of empathy for anything that hasn't directly affected you is showing.
Same! Hi Ray by the way! Multiple of my high school class have died from opioids over the past 15 years, and spending this on community programs could have drastically helped a struggling community! Cities like my hometown need to hire experts to address these funds rather than depending on their own momentary judgement!
I am from Newark Ohio, the town in which the woman, Trish Perry runs the homeless out reach. My mother volunteers there every Saturday morning and I have on occasion as well. It was so surprising to see that clip on here but it is hard to describe how hopeful I am that this episode on Johns show can make a difference. Our legislators are letting the opioid money sit in the bank with no plans for use, or so they’ve said and we have to be the ones to hold our local governments accountable!!! This crisis touches so many people in so many different ways that we have to be able to unite over this and figure out together, openly and honestly, where and when this money will be spent.. Please share this episode everywhere with everyone you know..
@@Im.Okay.Youre.Fucked The going rate in my locale, on the street, for Norco is $15/pill. Someone who is able to cap their daily addiction intake to what is maximally recommended for daily use by doctors, which is 80 mgs: 8 x 15 = $120/day.
@@literallyjustgrass First of all, exactly what JamesVomit said. Drugs are not $40 a week levels of cheap. Heck, this isn't quite the same as opioids, but my mother is a tobacco addict, and she spends $15 a day (or $105 a week) on just cigarettes, which are cheaper and more easily accessible than opioids. Second of all, that considers only the cost of the drugs themselves. Eventual treatment (rehab, therapy, et cetera) is going to cost some of the victims a great deal more than $89k by itself. Third of all, even if the numbers did line up, this is still a very shallow way of looking at the problem. It is near or actually impossible to put a dollar amount on some parts of the damage such as a lowered life span, a damaged reputation, potentially a loss of friends, et cetera.
Legitimate chronic pain patients have been demonized and treated like garbage. Between the monthly visits required, being treated like an addict getting drug tested all the time, and having pharmacies refuse or delay filling our prescriptions, things keep getting worse for us. And punishing us has done nothing to help with addiction. If anything the patients who are cut off will probably turn to unsafe drugs on the street.
It's almost like thats what they want. I'm a veteran I got legit spine issues and the best I get is have you tried yoga. They wonder why there is so many suicides or veterans becoming homeless. Give me my damn pills and micro manage me all you want, idc. I'm just tired of being in pain every waking moment. But nah, either suffer or go to the black market and probably OD on some counterfeit painkillers laced with fentanyl. Way to go VA and really any Healthcare facility. Them pain management places are scams too I've had the injections. I've done the PT amd still I get told no on pills, but somehow the actual drug addicts still manage to get them prescribed. Make that make sense.
@@vicentegarcia6078 exactly. I’m lucky enough to even get prescribed a small dose. I’m sorry you have to go through that. Doctors don’t seem to care how much your quality of life suffers with no medication. God forbid they treat us with any dignity. And yes it does all seem intentional. They don’t care if we die.
@@vicentegarcia6078 ---- it is what "they" want: The DEA and State Medical boards are on the receiving end of "ill-gotten gains". The drug companies are also complicit in raking in the dough by trading in the Gazillion dollar Black market. And doctors who are still giving Rx for pain meds are threatened with loss of med license or even accused of being criminals for giving people with serious chronic pain any "opioid" medication. Welcome to the new world of Pain forever. Our "doctor" finked out and turned coward and suddenly withdrew Rx for hydro and since were not celebrities we will never get any more pain relief from the "Health Industry".
That's how I ended up addicted to heroin. Started with pain pills for an injury, started buying my friends pills then realized heroin was basically the same thing but way fkn cheaper. I'm lucky and I'm clean now but looking back, it really made sense financially to start buying on the street. Good luck to anyone going through this now 😢
This movie serves as an example if how much movie audiences tend to forgive if they are presented with a coherent and compelling story. And that's a good thing.
John & crew: thank you, thank you for the work you do, especially this episode. I wish our new mayor of Philadelphia would watch and fully take in the message here as we are often in the national spotlight for our overdose deaths and large numbers of opioid users. I am a person in recovery and also oversee the recovery support office at the college where I am a full time professor. I have been acutely aware that the opioid settlement funds have been stripped from grassroots agencies doing important harm reduction work (some of which you highlighted in this episode) such as clean needle exchange, showers and other supplies for people unhoused and addicted, overdose reversal trainings for the community. Our mayor has made the dramatic shift into policing and "cleaning the streets" as if people were discardable like trash. Many of us will continue to speak out in public forums and at city council meetings as you encouraged at the end of the episode.
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Counselor here. A large portion of this settlement money has gone to prisons to install cameras, body scanners, etc. Also to police departments to help arrest more addicts and maybe 1 actual dealers each year. Local spending of these funds where I’m at are not helping anyone, let alone those who need it most.
Oh my gods....this is disgusting. I am not even remotely surprised to read this, though 🤦🏼♂️ classic USA
Are you surprised?
What a surprise: the government that failed to protect their citizens from the problem in the first place is now failing to direct the money awarded from legal settlements towards services that actually help treat addiction.
It's almost like making addicts into scapgoats makes it impossible for politicians to even recognize them as the victims that multiple courts have ruled them to be.
Unaccountable power always acts with impunity.
That is pitiful as f. States in the Midwest are HORRIBLE at providing aide to addicts.
Interesting. How do you find this information? You worked on this case?
I’m a nurse who works at a non profit drug and alcohol detox and treatment facility we just applied for our grant and we are so happy you are covering this! This is going to be a battle to get these resources into the right institutions!
Shoutout to all the medical staff. Thank you for all your selfless hard work and dedication.
Thank you for your service!
It is too bad I couldn’t get any of that settlement money despite being addicted to these opioids for nearly two decades now. Maybe someone will benefit from it, it won’t be me.
I’m almost 50, I don’t want to go to a rehab. I want to pay off my mother’s house, help my daughter get through college, fix my car . Not have to see doctors that I believe started all this. But I’ll probably have to prove Oxy=cotton Was in my bloodstream in the !990s.
Thank you for what you do!
I'm beyond proud that it's been over 64 months since the last time I shot up or even saw a drug like fentanyl. The last time was December 17, 2018, and so far it's been the last time I woke up on a bathroom floor with a needle still in my arm. The last couple years have been tough, but I've really turned to exercise to cope, and at least now I'm in the best shape of my life too. I was as bad of an opioid junkie as there's ever been. I lied, cheated, and stole from the people who cared about me the most. One of the main motivations for me to not relapse this time was my dad's death. I know he wouldn't want me to use, and I like to think that he would be proud of me now.
Congrats! Best wishes to you
I'm proud of you. It's hard to get and stay clean. Congratulations!
Your Father would be proud of you now. Without a doubt. And you should be proud of yourself also, you’ve come a long way and have as much of a hard road to go. I’ve been on the bright for 26yrs and have never regretted it at all. The best thing I’ve ever done. Good luck and god bless.
I'm proud of you also my last boof was Dec 20 2017. My parents died of heroin needle problems hep c and suicides that's why I boofed but it's the same.
Drugs man.
I'm on Suboxone but want 2 get off desperately.
Exercise I will try.
I'm proud of you.🎉🎉🎉
Well done! I hope you're happy.
Both of my parents were addicts, my father passed when I was 13 and my mother has been removed from my life due to the ongoing abuse she inflicted.
The doctors that prescribed those pills could have opened their eyes and stepped in long before 5 kids became orphans and were adopted by their grandmother who works full time and makes next to nothing. She deserved to retire. We deserved a childhood.
This is so heartbreaking :(
More like your parents likely had severe mental or physical pain that the opioids were relieving. The answer isn’t stopping opioid prescriptions and dealing with the fallout. The answer is getting rid of this god awful death care system where insurances act like death panels. IF(big if, there’s a lot of lies about opiate addicts starting because of prescription pills prescribed to them) your parents began their addiction because of pain pills it was because the doctor/hospital/insurance had two options. 1) A well thought out course of investigation and treatment of whatever was causing the need for opioids by a team of internal medicine physicians, specialists, therapists etc or 2) Throw pills at them.
1) Is extremely expensive for the insurance or completely out of reach financially for the patient as well as eats into valuable time for the doctors to treat as many people as possible to extract the most money as possible. 2) is a a quick fix, funneled insane cash into doctors pockets through kick backs(until outlawed in 2010), was cheaper for insurance than thorough investigation via multiple specialists and diagnostics and created a customer for life.
The problem was never the sacklers, it was never Purdue, the fucking problem is that throwing pills at someone was the easiest, fastest, and most lucrative way to kick the can down the road because the real solution would bankrupt the average American or eat into the gigantic profits of insurance companies. It’s always been about profits over people.
The opioid “crisis” is a made up lie to justify these billions in lawsuits funneling money into politicians, lawyers, and the police’s bank accounts. Before 2011, the year the most opioids were prescribed, opioids had never even had a fraction of deaths associated to them in comparison to alcohol, tobacco, obesity, or fucking guns.
That's the part that gets me. Who has been sued over their role in the opioid crisis? Drug companies, wholesalers, and pharmacy chains. But who hasn't been? The many, many doctors who overprescribed said opioids in the first place, many of whom knew full well the potential risks. I know the reason is that the pockets of individual doctors aren't as deep, but it drives me crazy how few prescribers saw any kind of meaningful consequences for their role in the whole mess.
And John Oliver likes to make a massive joke about it. Not at all going after big pharma
Or the China govt for pushing these drugs
But supporting Biden and Hunter the crack addict who do nothing to stop this problem
@@thatjillgirl The Sacklers too. They're so repulsive they declared Bankruptcy on one of their Corporations and got away with it. These people really are the true definition of Evil. All the while our politicians turn into Millionaires times over being paid off to allow it. No more Blue or Red lies for me.
When Florida introduced the lottery in the 1990’s to fund education, they reduced the funding being allotted to education by the exact amount of money the lottery raised. So while technically they never lied about the money going towards education, it did create a way for the politicians to move the money elsewhere. Nobody has yet to address that. So I understand how that can be frustrating
And the money the state got from the lottery in Florida did not lower people's property taxes for education. They charged the same as they did before the lottery. Republicans want your money just as much as the Democrats do. With the Democrats will spend it on you
Sounds about Florida
That’s how the budget works everywhere. It’s just politics, honestly.
I am an atheist. I don't believe in the existence of God. There is insufficient evidence or rational justification to support the belief in any gods or supernatural entities. I rely on reason, logic, and empirical evidence to form my worldview and do not find compelling evidence or arguments to support the existence of god.
. And John did a segment on that also.
A lawsuit that bans any future victims from suing a company forever sounds like a pass for that company to do worse in the future.
They could be judged for FUTURE actions... but not again from anything that happened before ¿2024? or whatever
They're not scared of lawsuits, it's a cost of doing business. They have the best lawyers. That means lawsuits aren't the answer to get their behavior to change. Another method is needed to incentivize them to change.
@@DurkMcGerk Unfortunately that would likely require political action, and America isn't known for having a good political system when it comes to setting boundaries for companies.
Yeah, that was my reaction as well.
Can a settlement bar anyone who's not part of the settlement from suing? The state gets their settlement money and then the actual victims lose their chance for suing the company? When they had no say in or benefit from that settlement?
@@DanArnets1492That isn't what it means. It just means the companies are considered to have been held fully accountable for their *past* actions. That's how settlements work; if that agreement weren't made, the companies would have no reason to agree to the settlement.
Proud to say that I know Trish Perry personally. She is a great person and warrior advocating for Newark and Licking County's homeless and those suffering from mental illness and drug addiction. Love her!
Send my best wishes to her across the world! We need more people like her in every town across the world.
Why would she want people to be licking homeless people? Seems unhygienic
@@dotonthehorizon9620 Hardee har har
@elif6908 I absolutely agree and will do! :)
The fact that there is a place named Licking County makes me happy.
I live in Vienna, WV. I fundraise here to support local charities. I know every person in that video, and I have been in that council chamber speaking before those very people. One of the people in this video is running for the mayor's job.
I seriously cannot express how surreal this segment is, and I want to further add that you need to ask us about our new amphitheater that the mayor wants to place right next to a toxic waste site.
As a further note, Vienna, WV is right next to one of the cities with one of the largest (if not the largest, it varies) OD rates in the state - Parkersburg, WV. While food pantries in Parkersburg are struggling to stock toilet paper, we're... not running a budget that seems to function.
@@JoshuaEBSmithcould you apply for grants? You can hire a professional grant writer to apply correctly on your behalf, and depending upon the grant, can pay their service fee from the awarded grant. This could get you various grants for different projects, programs, etc. The professional helps you determine your qualifications for application. Best of luck & blessings.
I can't help but think of the Love Canal disaster... 😅
Recovering addict here, methadone treatment. Medically assisted treatment saved my life, my husband’s life and my daughter’s life. These programs REALLY REALLY work! My daughter is 8 years and I’m 6. My husband had two years before he passed in 2020. If we’d have started treatment sooner, his body may have had time to recover. I’m thankful EVERYDAY for treatment.
I worked for city government department of health for almost two years. Unlike all other health and opioid-related grants and funds, it went to the City itself rather than our department. For 6-8 months we asked members of the opioid settlement group to have a seat at the table, because it was made up of the HR director, finance director, rep from the mayor's office, and a few others with no expertise in health or community outreach. Zero people with lived experience were contacted to be on the panel. Sitting at those meetings (eventually) and hearing all of the ideas that these unqualified people had for spending the money was absolutely ridiculous. I have no problem with people not having the answers, but at least have the humility to turn the reigns over to the people working in addiction and prevention spaces as the experts in this area.
Seriously! People have no idea how unqualified local officials can be.
Thank U!!!! You have NO idea how important it was for me to read this comment today! I've had a similar experience going from "homeless convict" to the program manager of a county funded behavioral health program within 4 yrs. It was exhausting how little ppl are willing to do anything new or different when "the way it's always been done" has demonstrably failed time and time again. Yet in spite of countless workshops, trainings and presentations of evidence-based research & data, they refuse to challenge their own prejudices, biases, and classism to try on different perspectives and help people in the ways they've identified as most effective for themselves.
@@DELLRS2012 it is a scientific fact over centuries, that biochemical warfare can not be a crisis - does someone seen a cry sis ?
This is infuriating! As I was watching this clip, one of my first thoughts was, “Why don’t they have advisors from the mental health field advise them on how to spend this money?”
They can at least consult the expert before speaking in public, honestly its also why these people can just outright decide abortion, education and child safety when they dont asks doctor, teacher and CPS inspector
As an ICU nurse, I've had to waste unused fentanyl many times and I have never OD'd from being in the same room with it. Maybe nurses are just orders of magnitude tougher than cops 🤔.
you absolutely are. 100%.
Rn also. I have no idea what used fentanyl is but the stuff we give is liquid and the drug addicts get this powdered stuff that can get airborne. It gets breathed in. I went to a lecture….
@@franktartan6808
Quality AI
@franktartan6808
49 minutes ago
Anyone here have chronic severe pain? Do you need opioids to be able to get out of bed and live? Yeah me too! But we get treated like criminals because of all the fucking scumbag addicts!! I want to know how drug companies and pharmacies make people abuse drugs. Maybe they do. I do know that many thousands of people need pain meds and take them as directed. But we are treated as criminals because of the criminals! Maybe John, you can talk about that too. I know humans are delicate and need adult supervision but why punish us responsible pain sufferers? Amazing how no one accepts responsibility for their actions and always blame others!
You cant, being in a room with it or touching powder. It only passes the blood barrier when in patch form; as a nurse im surprized you arnt aware of the science behind it (might be worth a gander).
In a mental way, nurses are tougher, in that you realize the implications of inherent bias and stereotypes. The fearmongering is what has created misinformation like "fetanyl travels thru air or touch" (in powder form).
@@franktartan6808that lecture lied.
It's not enough in to get you in that way. Lectures can also spread false stereotypes.
Stick to doing hard science research and taking everything any one person says with a grain of salt; nobody is 100 percent factual in what they say.
There must be someone on the writing/production staff who is passionate about health policy issues, because between this episode, the Medicaid unwinding episode, and the State Medical Boards episode, this season is doing incredibly important work! Thank you for helping bring awareness to these issues.
I lost my best friend to drugs 18 years ago. It still bothers me. My retirement is kind of boring without him. He was the funniest person I ever met.
OPIOIDS are AWESOME ! They are an big life saver ! *ABUSE is the problem !* Not the drug !
There’s almost nobody I know that has been spared by the opioid crisis. My family was hit pretty hard, I’m in recovery too. Nasty stuff.
My best friend lost his sister. My brother is in ICU right now. And those that profited aren't being held accountable.
How much longer will this go on before we make them pay directly?
Doesnt make someone whos lost a loved one feel better that corruption is stealing the settlement that should have gone to impacted families
I understand you both. I was a detox nurse before I became disabled and in a wheelchair, *and* I just lost a very close aunt to fentanyl-laced oxycodone that her 'friend' gave her because my aunt loaned her some because her friend 'ran out.' My aunt took the pills her friend 'gave back to replace the ones she was loaned' and she overdosed and died.
My aunt had been on oxy for _years_ but the fentanyl tipped her over the edge. So I have seen both sides of this crisis and it hurts to know that people are dying and the governments may care but they don't know how to respond to this crisis
My brother in law died on Sunday, of a Fentanyl overdose from counterfeit Ritalin. He used to get Ritalin from the pharmacy but started buying it on the street when he lost his health insurance. His daughter, my niece, is less than a year old. It was Mother’s Day on Sunday. He wasn’t the first of my friends or my family. I hope to god that he’s the last, but I doubt it.
I'm so sorry for you and your family's loss. F**king health insurance, dammit, what an enraging way to lose a loved one.
All this death and suffering, and justice is never delivered. How many people have to die before someone goes to prison? I'm so sorry for your loss.
Yeah this is the actual “opiate crisis” our bs brain dead healthcare scam industry
@@JustinPogueThere is Medicaid, Medicare, Health Insurance Marketplace, where you can get subsidized insurance based on your income. Hell, there are even things like GoodRx. But, yeah, fvcking health insurers. 😏
My condolences.
For more than 50 years the AMA has recognized addiction as an illness and yet society treats its alcoholics and addicts like "bad" people and not like the sick people they truly are. Recovery places get shut down or short funded, addicts by the thousands are locked in jails-for-profit cells, and people like the good woman represented here doing her best to physically help people, but not having access to the funds won in the courts for that very purpose. Thank you, John Oliver, for all the work you and your excellent team of reporters do to make people aware of this - and other situations like it. I don't know how much good it will do - or does - but I'm sure God loves you for continually trying. I know I do.
Except that no one is getting born with a drug addiction. Meanwhile many mental illnesses are inherited.
Anyone who takes drugs for the first time knows what they are getting into. It‘s their responsibility if they are getting addicted. Nobody forced them to take drugs. Everyone knows drugs are addictive.
No sympathy for junkies.
it's that annoying but all too common mentality where addicts are criminals and the only way to stop it is never using and punishing those who do society needs to fully eliminate this mindset in order for true recovery to be embraced as a nation, but they profit so much off that fear also
@@subparnaturedocumentaryAbsolutely. Here in Switzerland we had an heroine crisis in the 90s. What did we do?
We provided clean needles, opened clinics for the addicted, gave clean heroine for the people who just didn't manage to get clean with methadone or via other means.
Now these people with state dispensed heroine can have a job.
We made safe consumption spaces and placed where you could check your drugs for free.
Now people are still consuming heroine, but it's not a publicly percieved issue anymore because they get the help they need and deserve.
Heroine itself isn't that harmful, it's the pollutants that kill people!
It may be categorized as an illness, and indeed one that alters one’s brain chemistry, but the hangup that many people have is its *self inflicted.”
Yes I know early on Purdue was doing their best to get doctors to over prescribe so I have more compassion for those victims, but that’s not the case for your average person either an addiction. People chose to experiment with meth, or crack, or whatever. It’s no secret what those drugs do to a person yet people still use them.
What exactly isn’t an Illness? People can go to the moon but cant do the hard work of not abusing? Of course it affects your brain. Of course its hard to stop abusing…what exactly is easy in life?
John pulling out that cig from his cuff that smooth was just PURE SHOWMANSHIP 😂😂😂😂
Yes! and I love how it's currently the most re-played part of the video according to youtube XD XD
@@TheLonelyCamgirl I'm one of the replays! I really wanted to see that smooth sleight of hand lol. (Also, maybe consider having a second account? That username makes normal comments read really strangely.)
@@TheLonelyCamgirltbh I know it wasn't intentional but for the dismount the way he made it just "disappear" into the camera as well was just the icing on the cake🎂
@@impishlyit9780 I've seriously considered it multiple times but I'm too in love with my algorithm 😭
I'm not from the States but I watch videos like this, because, despite my best efforts, I am really rooting for you folks to sort your shit out.
America keeps trying to see itself.
Our problems are almost always found elsewhere too
@@stoppit9 I've lived in over 10 countries...nah.
@@stoppit9
As "the best country on earth", as so many people love to claim, we should be able to take care of it so much more humanely and more efficiently than we currently are.
Thanks friend, we need the support!
John can you PLEASE do a Video on how this "Opioid Crisis" is affecting those with chronic pain and other illness ability to get the medication they NEED! Not enough people talk about that.
If I could upvote your comment a 100 times, I would!
Yes it is sooooo needed! Also how some places force us into so called pain MGMT clinic shots that are completely experimental, you have to sign waiver to protect doctors from liability, they either don't work, make you worse, at best don't last, are temporary & partial relief if they help at all, and doctors get paid some $3G for ten to 15 minutes at a pop!??!
Exactly. I can’t even get my prescriptions filled at big chain pharmacies anymore
no.
Absolutely seconded - there’s enough material for a series about controlled substance prescription drug shortages generally!
It’s similar to my town, they managed to raise over 200,000 but to build a giant cross. It didn’t go to better the town, it didn’t go to help people, and it didn’t do any outreach.
ruclips.net/video/5ysTpPUgJpM/видео.htmlsi=Rso14Otxxauy6mTL who cares
but it made Jesus happy!
Brilliant.🙄
They did something like that here. The cross looks like shit.
Reminds me of the big-ass cross covered in tear drop emojis I pass on the highway occasionally. It’s giant, and even gianter a waste of money
Oklahoma used the Big Tobacco settlement money for women's health care and it saved my life.
For the first time in my life, I truly was receiving decent health care.
With them uploading their whole backlog recently, I almost thought this was an older episode. But then I noticed John's hair, and realized it's recent 😂
😂😂
yeah, the hair.. it is the indicator
Rude...accurate...but rude.
I thought this was an older episode because the YT algorithm likes to feed other stuff to me. The giveaway for me that this was more recent was the background. Then I saw the reference to a story from March 11 of this year and went "hold up"...
There's been little change in most of the depressing topics covered, so we can only rely on his hair to guide us through these deja-vu episodes.
“Let’s just tell kids not to, it’s really bad”
Because that’s worked with everything else lmao
This man was President 😐
Maybe the First Lady should start a campaign. It could have a real catchy slogan, like "Just say no." That ought to be effective.
what is actually wrong with that advice though? It costs NOTHING and even if it only convinces 1% of people to not try it then that is a good thing, right?
John does not like it because of who is sending the message (I do not like who is sending the message either) but I am sure there are people that would listen to that guy more than they would listen to John SO why not let him say it without mocking him for it.
Especially when the person delivering the message, has less maturity than the receiving audience.
@@claytoncourtney1309 BECAUSE, you don't REWARD powerful men for INANE gestures. That would be dumb. But you go ahead and gob that nob.
I’m sorry the cops ODing from opening that bag of drugs is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m a nurse and legally administer opiates all the time under doctors orders in a hospital setting for severe acute or chronic pain. We often crush them to administer to patients who can’t swallow whole pills because of choking risk but can take them crushed in some applesauce or pudding. And unless you are literally snorting them or directly pointing a blow dryer at a bag and sticking your face in it, you aren’t at risk of inhaling them and certainly not enough to cause you to pass out or OD. This is ridiculous. If you want to help people who use substances. HELP THEM. like that lady with the program who gave out testing strips and clothing was doing.
I'm Cameroonian, leaving in Cameroon. I'm not understanding English but every week I come to check you podcast. And I really appreciate the way you are talking
your english is pretty good!
@@HyperfixationStation you're*
@@Onigirli nope. "You're" is a contraction of the words "you are." "You are English is pretty good" is not grammatically correct. "Your" is possessive, to say it belongs to you.
@@HyperfixationStationwoosh
@@goofyahhdude365 you sure that was a joke? You'd be surprised how many people correct "your/you're" incorrectly online lol
The level of ineptitude and corruption is depressing. Thank you for shining light in this dark hole
I feel like Oregon deserves a shout out. 30% of the settlement is going to the 9 native tribes. And the majority of the rest is being used for naloxone and other life-saving supplies and to establish a state system for interpreting data regarding the availability and efficacy of prevention, treatment, and recovery services in the state.
Ooh, as an Oregonian, that's great to hear!
Thanks so much for sharing! Gives me an idea of what I can bother my state gov to start doing.
I work in health care and I work in Oregon. There are hordes of addicts in Oregon.
@@mrp4242 yes, al the more reason to provide them with life-saving resources.
Did the crisis have a disproportionate effect on Native communities?
This episode should be shown to every town and city council, and anyone else making decisions on where their local funds go.
Why, they already know about all this
It would probably do the same as kids seeing videos or talking with previous drug addicts or policemen about how they should never do drugs. Maybe it will make a person or two change their mind, most already have it made up, and/or will forget about this video as soon as possible.
@@LucasTheOnion Point taken. But ya never know...I am hopefully "skeptimistic" that if you scatter the seeds of knowledge, at least a couple will sprout and grow. 🤞😄
@@jayrobbinstacks4574 As John clearly demonstrated in the video, a lot them do not know how to appropriately use the funds. Yes, some are willfully ignorant, but many are just plain ignorant.
John Oliver is one of the best investigative journalists. The show is way more than comedy. So informative and well produced. Excellent show 👏🏽👏🏽
Nuh uh he blatantly lies in nearly every episode I've watched. He said puberty blockers were well researched, safe and reversible. Lies that everyone knows are obviously lies if he did 3 minutes of research. He lied about why everyone hates Dylan Mulvaney which would also take only 3 minutes of reading comment sections.
@@gypsylee333 According to the National Institute of Heath, the Mayo Cinic, Cedars Sinai, and 99% of all doctors, scientists and other healthcare experts "Puberty blockers are generally considered safe when used as prescribed by a pediatrician. They have been used safely FOR DECADES to treat children with precocious puberty and endometriosis, and professional societies support their use for gender dysphoria".
Or in words you can understand "Nuh-uh, you're the liar". 😂
@@ZERO_O7X nope that's bull. Read the Cass Report or the WPATH files or literally any unbiased study or the Nordic countries repealing it because they're not profit driven
@@gypsylee333nothing is 100% safe and has side effects but in most cases they are safe and reversible. Female children that gets their period earlier than 10 can go on hormone to stop it until they are old enough. Periods are intense for adults much less little babies and some can get it at 6 or 7. You don’t understand the research and that’s ok.
@@roxywyndham I do understand the research I would bet money I've read more about it than you if you're still pushing the long debunked lie that PBs are safe or reversible. They are not approved even for this purpose and every Dr is prescribing them off label to children who do not have the capacity to understand the decision they are making. There's not ONE known case of a male being able to produce sperm EVER if they were given PBs at tanner stage 2 or younger. There's a study already shown that it permanently damages the cells in the testicles, and a different study that shows their IQ and grades dropped. There is zero reason why they can't wait until adulthood 18 plus when their brains are more fully formed. There is zero evidence that even shows an improvement mentally or anything for taking PBs and y'all have ZERO concern and are fine experimenting on these confused children.
"Something that's so boring, it's genuinely kind of hot" is the perfect bio for my social media pages...
Humble brags are hot
@@Heathcoatman I had a friend named Chris Heathcoat who I've learned succumbed to suicide. I Pray for his family. Thank you for your comment and for reminding me of him 💜🙏🏽🕊️
As a pharmacist I approve…the way your graphic artists made that pill split in a realistic fashion and not clean down the middle. That little unevenness at the end is a perfect representation of what it’s like to split a pill in half. 😂
Not a pharmacist, but one of my medications has to split in half. It never breaks cleanly.
Talking about lives and your admiring the Artistry. Look at all the people that think it's cool when your showing exactly how detached the ones dispensing poison are as long as those checks keep rolling in.
@@survivormary1126 I would love to never have to dispense another opioid again, but all my cancer patients who are in a lot of pain wouldn't be too happy about it.
@@survivormary1126 I can find something stupid to complain about, too: You spelled "you're" wrong not once, but twice.
@@cullenmceaneney7024 So can I, you shouldn’t have the comma before the word “too”
- no jail time
- no fines that exceed the profits from their evil
- no one can sue them again later.. ?!?! wtf is this
absolute villains.
Yeah idk man this isnt right my community was ravaged by this all the popular documentaries on OxyContin are from my neck of the woods
Truly living in a dystopian future
@@amberwilliams9950 I'm so sorry. It's heartbreaking to see your community hurt. I am repeatedly disappointed at how easily people write off anything to do with drug addiction as personal failure that is undeserving of help. But we're out here spreading awareness, spreading compassion, and volunteering. There is a force with you fighting for a better future ❤️
OPIOIDS are AWESOME ! They are an big life saver ! *ABUSE is the problem !* Not the drug !
Late stage capitalism
Here in Allegheny County PA, one of our county council members is a former opioid addict, having gotten onto them in high school after a sports injury. We have huge billboards up advertising free fentanyl test strips. I am so thankful that she has been in place when this money started coming in!
I want the entire world to know: John Oliver's charity paid off my medical bills. I'll never be done saying that, just as I'll never be done giving back. "And so shines a good deed in a weary world." Shakespeare said that, but I like to credit Willy Wonka.
glad to hear your thriving!
And I want everyone to know this is a bot lol
Oh my god. I got a letter not that long ago, telling me my medical debt I've had forever, had been paid off. I've been a Type 1 diabetic since I was 12, so I had a lot of medical debt from being in and out of the hospital over the years before I managed to get insurance after losing my parent's insurance. I kinda thought back to Oliver paying off medical debt when I got the letter, but I didn't know RIP Medical Debt was the name of the charity involved until I just saw your comment and looked it up. I had kept the letter, because I was so thankful, and I just looked at it. Sure enough, it's RIP Medical Debt. Dang, thanks John Oliver. I've been watching this man for years, already appreciating the things he does.
Mine seemed to have been forgiven too. I'll have to check to see if it was RIP Medical Debt.
Don't forget these things are a double edge sword and I know of patients with chronic conditions and cancer being denied medications that help them make it through the day becuase the "risk of abuse". Most of these kinds of bandwagons throw somebody under the bus. These aren't cigarettes. Suing companies and making these medications less acceptable is the same logic he made fun of Trump for. Now it worked and he cartels filled the gap with laced fentenyl.
Nothing will bring back my best friend. Nothing will make up for the fact his life stopped at 26. I miss him everyday.
OPIOIDS are AWESOME ! They are an big life saver ! *ABUSE is the problem !* Not the drug !
Why was he taking drugs?
And once again, those of us with chronic pain issues who depend on opioids to have even somewhat of a normal life and are now treated like criminals when we ask for them, and those like us who have taken their own lives once those opioids were taken away, or died from OD'ing on street drugs when their prescription pain meds were cut off, are completely ignored.
I hear this. I used to have severe pain before I finally got my hysterectomy. And opioids were the only thing that even touched that pain, but it was a nightmare getting some. So I learned to hoard the pills and only use them when the pain was so bad I'd pass out. I could make a bottle of 20 pills last a whole year. Which really pissed me off when I tried to explain that to an ER doctor when I needed more and he'd look at me like I was the biggest liar on the planet, and only prescribe me 5.
Right there with ya, I am a cancer patient and recently diagnosed with MS and my wife has crippling RA. We live in TN and thanks to state laws it is next to impossible to get pain relief. I get there is a huge problem and ppl are dying because of them but guess what, ppl are dying because they cant get them as well. But I guess its ok to just toast my liver with tylenol and alcohol to get the pain to subside right? Opioids are a risk, and ppl will abuse them but there is a huge population who actually need them to lead semi normal lives. There are 2 sides to every coin.
Same here. I have to take less than I am allowed just to make sure I won't go into withdrawal every time the docs mess it up, the pharmacy doesn't have it, my insurance insurance on prior authorization for meds I've been on for TWO DECADES with an incurable degenerative condition.
The amount I'm allotted doesn't come close to "killing" my pain. Bit of a misnomer there, unless you've got an issue that's fixable with said opioids.
Mine just takes the edge off and that's it. I can take a smile and eat food without vomiting.
Last time I ended up in the ER (A&E for those of you in other countries) and they injected me with a shitload of morphine because I was helplessly vomiting and couldn't keep the meds down. . . Due to the pain I was in. . . So going to a place that could inject it into me was the only option. I couldn't even communicate. Anything.
So they inject me with morphine and did I feel better? Did I feel amazing? Nope. I was simply able to open my eyes and speak. I looked at the doctors and said, "Oh, hi. I can see you now. Um. Hello." Which is to say, they could see me but I couldn't look at them or communicate until then so I just wanted to try to be polite.
My neck was still horrifically spasming and I told them I was hopeful that they could get me into an MRI or something to see what the hell was causing the problem but they said I would need to set up an appointment with a specialist.
"But they won't know what's happening because it only happens a few times a year and it's happening RIGHT NOW, so can you maybe just feel my neck and palpate the muscles to see if you can get an idea of what's happening?"
What is a specialist going to test me for? A mystery that isn't currently happening? I'm here right now.
No? Well. I guess I'll go home with no answers but at least I'm not helplessly vomiting from the pain.
Uh. Ok.
This has been a problem for 17 years. I've seen specialists. So. Ok. Bye.
I just hobbled back out the door.
Yesterday I saw my pain management specialist who felt my hip that's been been making me wake up screaming, literally screaming. She had no answers but thanked me for not vomiting on her.
My point is:
Knowing doctors are just throwing opioids at people that don't need them blows my mind. They create drug addicts and death. And those of us that live in bodies that are 24/7 torture devices are judged and scrutinized for needing steady amounts with high oversight. It's beyond perplexing. Who are these doctors and WHY ARE THEY DOING THAT?!
Where are doctors throwing meds at just anyone (other than the White House apparently, look that story up. Talk about hypocrisy.) MS here and barely get any help. The “opioid crisis” is now ILLICIT. People with genuine prescriptions aren’t the problem. Doctors are no longer just handing them to all. The crisis is now on the street, and a whole new crisis has been created in the chronic pain community. Suicides are way up with our vets and those with chronic illnesses. The govt, as usual, with its overcorrection has caused this problem and just don’t care to fix it.
Yeah, why are these settlements going to governments and not the people that were harmed?
"Even if your mom's name wasn't blue on wikipedia" was a low-key great joke.
John, as a caregiver for a quadriplegic, I can't tell you what all this has done to legitimate users, even those who are forced now to use 'pain clinics' run by the hospitals. These things are meant to protect the doctors, NOT help pain patients. The genuine patients are suffering and being manhandled by this new doctor protection racket. Now they are trying to get them onto suboxone, expensive and dangerous and it literally rots out patient's teeth. It's insane.
Yes! We need to stop conflating recreational drug abuse with necessary pain relief. Treating patients like addicts and addicts like second class citizens is doing more harm than good!!
@@MelMonroeShowthere’s nothing wrong with recreational drug use it has health benefits and every single mammal on earth does it it’s probably unhealthy to not do drugs recreationally
@@nothanks9503 You are arguing something he didn't say. He said recreational drug ABUSE. There is a difference.
FDA needs more accountability here, not individual doctors. Doctors have become such a societal scapegoat. I’m sorry you are suffering
@@nothanks9503 That's why I said "ABUSE".
I live in Kenosha County, Wisconsin and was appalled by our County Board's decision to buy this gadget, but not surprised. We have a sheriff and several county board members who believe that all drug users are criminals and that locking them up is the way to deal with substance abuse. These same folks would be happy to give the sheriff's department everything they ask for with no oversight.
100% this as someone too who was born and raised in K-town
Used to work for the newspaper in Kenosha and watched as any request for spending from a law enforcement agency was given carte blanche, meanwhile the years-long quest of a father who watched his son get shot and killed by the police in his front yard asking for better, fairer measures for oversight and review in law enforcement shooting cases get routinely ignored. But free pass for you, Kyle Rittenhouse!
They got the money from the blood of victims and are using it for stupid things while looking down on those victims. 😢
Far better then just giving drug addicts money to do what they want with it
@@wolftitanreading5308WTF are you talking about?
Im a counselor at a treatment facility and im so happy that somebody is covering this.
The misuse of opioid settlement funds as you've explained is indeed troubling. It's crucial that these funds be channeled into supporting proven tools for addiction prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery, rather than squandering on unnecessary resources. It's time to prompt accountable and transparent practices from our local governments.
troubling? this is going to cause the most anti-Semitism you’ve ever seen in your entire entire life and there will be pogroms over this. guaranteed.
DEA DOPE FUNNEL
I want to say that John Oliver is misinformed, carfentanyl absolutely has OD'd officers from merely breathing it in, though not traditional fentanyl. Additionally, while policing addicts/users isn't effective, taking down sellers/manufacturers/traffickers is. It's highly effective
One single bust could easily save hundreds if not thousands of lives since they often time carry incredible amounts on them at one time. I know it doesn't back up peoples "cop bad" narrative, but this is a serious epidemic, people need to get their shit straight.
Also it pisses me off that the VERY FIRST thing places aren't spending their money on is Suboxone/buprenorphine treatment facilities. That stuff is insanely effective at getting people off fentanyl and it literally makes them immune from getting high from heroin/fentanyl while they're on it.
As someone who was the victim of these evil companies, the only thing I really want would be free healthcare to cover the cost that take up a large part of my monthly expenses. I pay over $500 a month for ongoing treatment, and I have been for almost 2 decades now
John's bit of prestidigitation was lovely. I had to watch it several times to figure out the cig was in his sleeve, then in his right hand, and not in his jacket pocket. Perfect misdirection!
Timestamp?
@@somefella6989 yes 6:28. Well worth a look!
@@somefella6989 6:28
Just a reminder that if you live in a decent-sized city, there is probably an organization dedicated to overdose prevention. That may be in the form of education programs, handing out narcan and test strips, or a needle exchange. Many of these organizations will do trainings for people. You should definitely look into your local organizations and see if you can volunteer, donate, or even hire them to do a training at your workplace!
Always remember, money easily replaces the loss of a loved one OR the destruction of your family.
Sincerely,
The oligarchs.
Especially if you don't even get any of it yourself.
Except when you’re like me and have been heavily affected by this exact crisis but got no settlement or money from it.
Thanks America and Lawyers!
@@Lillyluriyeah I won’t be getting any of it. Not sure who is benefitting here but not us former addicts who had our lives ruined
I have to admit, the graphic of a single wad of bills flopping down onto the floor was brilliant.
My reaction to new Last Week Tonight segments has gone from "the best thing on Monday!" to "oh god is it thursday already"
Or both. Both is good.
Yes, not sure why the change but I am loving it, plus the archive of shows now available.
This is so accurate ruclips.net/video/5ysTpPUgJpM/видео.htmlsi=Rso14Otxxauy6mTL
I genuinely thought it's Wednesday today until I read that comment
@@spiceyhotpot - Enticing FOMO-driven idiots to pay for "Max" or HBO as a channel
I wish more people would talk about how now pain goes untreated which is leading people to turn to self medicating. We’ve swung so far the other way that people with cancer and in the day following major surgery aren’t even being given opiates which is making people desperate. We need balance.
Exactly. Some people really need this treatment and there needs to be better guidelines.
I have the opposite problem. Every time I've had surgery my doctor keeps prescribing me opiates. I keep trying to tell them that I can't take opiates because they make me hallucinate, but no one ever listens. I always end up taking my pills to the police station and use Tylenol or Advil instead.
@@pawpkittyanyone who feels they need pain meds should get as much of whatever pain med they want with medical guidance
@@Monaster01 Then why fill the RX if you don't plan on taking it?
@@DaveHurka Sometimes, hospitals dispense them to your driver after a surgical discharge. Pharmacies offer RX DISPOSAL packets as well. I was given some when my Doctor prescribed an opioid that was too strong for my pain recently and I switched medications. If anyone is wondering if they're addicted, a good question to ask yourself is if you would destroy or refuse a prescription?
Welcome back to "Corporate Greed Tonight with John Oliver"!
"A Week and a Half Ago, This Morning, Because Corporate Execs Grovel To Investors, and Think Pushing This Out Further Will Drive More Max Subscribers"
This could also work, yeah?
The system isn't broken, it's just working as intended
@@ravenstalons154 At least they're planning to expand the YT backlog to include a new season every time there's an off week. That's not a Max thing, that's an LWT thing
W
ruclips.net/video/5ysTpPUgJpM/видео.htmlsi=Rso14Otxxauy6mTL
My father is addicted to opiods.
That addiction is probably going to kill him.
I hope something positive happens here that can help him before it's too late.
It did kill my father. Good luck.
Methadone.
Just so you know, if you take about 75mg of Dextromethorphan (the main ingredient in otc cough medicine) with opiates, it drastically reduces the rate at which your body becomes dependent to them. Hopefully that can at least slow it down. You just want to measure it out, because around 120+ mg, it starts to become psychoactive.
I’m a paramedic. Describing the opioid epidemic as a “crisis” would be a huge understatement. It’s a catastrophic event. I live in the south and it’s become worse than crack, worse than meth, worse than everything. Nearly every overdose call I work is either fentanyl, or something laced with fentanyl, often unbeknownst to the user. My service is running more overdose calls than we’ve run in a while. We’re watching people’s lives and families being destroyed by this drug. And rehab facilities in our area are running out of resources and don’t have nearly enough funding handle the amount of people needing help. Some are having to rely on community funding to keep their doors open. Hospitals are having to send patients 2+ hours away for help because facilities here just can’t take them. This money is needed now more than ever.
When people don't have healthcare they turn to street drugs. What other choice do they have?
I can't imagine what you are seeing on a daily basis. Thank you for what you do. Take care of your mind and body, this is really intense stuff.
One of my dear friends died recently. Paramedics came in, saw his street xanax, and correctly guessed what the toxicology report would prove months later-- the pills were laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl. They said they are seeing more and more of this. He was 31.
@@bobopa5624 it’s truly my honor to do what I do. I’m so very sorry for your loss, I’m hoping that with more coverage and people talking about what’s happening, maybe things can change for the better ❤️
It is simply unreal how informative this show is.
The sad truth is: The comedians are in charge of informing people nowadays. The "serious" journalists at the big media outlets/ networks are really just chasing their own ghosts anymore. It is apparantly more interesting to report on the fart count of an ex-president than to give topics like "Corrupt Supreme Court by Design" or "where is the drug-settlement-money going" the appropriate coverage.
You should talk about how this opioid crisis has made being a chronic pain patient a living hell. The stigma alone has been devastating. Doctors won't treat us, doctors lower our dose to ineffective doses requiring us to get on disability because we can't work in constant pain, the list goes on and on and on. It's terrible...so terrible.
Same! I completely agree! They make you question your sanity, like, I think I'm in this much pain... they have done the tests and scans and can see the cause of the pain... but why doesn't my doc believe me?
Yeah straight up, I've got a couple friends who've gone through literal hell with chronic pain over the decades I've known them... one offed himself, one is in a halfway house after his sixth rehab and another one is (far as I've managed to figure out anyway) a junkie now
Health care in this country blows no matter who you are but if you're a person with chronic back pain or something you're screwed to the max
Grow your own poppies and make tea
Or push for real health care 😮
Seriously, that poppy is pretty and easy to grow. That's my plan for when I get super old and hurt all the time, poppy tea. My friend said it feels like all the other opiates he tried during his addiction phase at various times through the experience of the tea. Harder to dose exactly, but then you know what is actually in your pain product, no trust needed. We gotta take our mouths off the government titty and do more stuff for ourselves.
Thank you and your team for the service you provide!
I don't understand why companies can be fined billions and not have a single member jailed. Makes no sense to me at all.
They weren't fined. They voluntarily agreed to pay money to make the lawsuits go away.
Big pharma has seen the error of their ways. They no longer need to push addictive meds and understate the risk whole being subject to legal liability.
Much better business model to develop vaccines that the government can mandate without any of that pesky product liability.
because there wasn't a trial. no one or company was found guilty. the agreed to py the fine instead of going to trial. that's why
The above answers are good but not the real truth… No one goes to jail because this is America and corporations can’t go to jail because they aren’t people… except for when it benefits them to be people, like when they want to spend money on campaigns and politicians and such… basically billionaires can do what they want without meaningful repercussions in america
Because the specific point of a corporation is to create an imaginary entity that is legally responsible for individual people's decisions. That's literally the reason they exist.
For alot of us, it's the withdrawal that's the problem. People want to stop but the withdrawal is so horrific that some would rather take their own life than go through that type of pain
Can you describe what the withdrawal is like?
@@MacAnters Withdrawal symptoms are physiological and psychological in nature so that makes it incredibly difficult to stop hard substances. Each substance has its own quirks and unique withdrawal symptoms but that's the gist of it.
@@MacAnters Generally, just think of the opposite effect the drug causes and ramp it up x10
Methadone really works. (I don't know about Suboxone which appears to be replacing methadone.) The characteristic that makes methadone so effective is that you can measure dosage precisely and reduce that dosage by as much as 1mg (ml?) per day or whatever amount you're comfortable with that doesn't cause withdrawal symptoms. It really can make detox painless. It's a fucking miracle. And it also eliminates any excuse you may be telling yourself or those who care about you. It works. It is painless. For most people, it's even less of a hassle than being an addict. One thing that might be helpful to know is that there are two basic philosophies to methadone treatment: detox and maintenance. The goal of detox is exactly that: to get you off the street drug and then get you off the methadone as quickly as you can handle it. The goal of maintenance is to find a dosage at which you're comfortable and don't have any need or desire to use other opioid drugs...indefinitely. I strongly recommend the detox approach (but I'm not an expert or even well informed on the subject so ffs do your own research). Unfortunately almost every clinic in operation follows the maintenance philosophy. However, even maintenance oriented clinics will allow you to take the detox path if you're adamant about it and if you don't screw it up by relapsing too often when they let you go that route. Good luck!
@@MacAnters It's like a very extreme case of the flu combined with a number of other unbearable symptoms combined with various psychological effects. Nausea so bad that your own mucus/swallowing your own spit makes you vomit, which is an endless process when you've got a runny nose. Restless legs (RLS), headache, lethargic, can't sleep. One of the hardest things is knowing that you can all make it go away with a snap of your fingers.
Wow it’s really nice to hear that North Carolina is being a leader in this issue! I work as a therapist and I am a clinical addiction specialist and I would love to see this money start to help folks in my area who’ve been directly impacted by this crisis.
Dude our local butcher (who’s awesome and gives us extra meat for our kitty she likes hearts) cut his finger off 4 days ago!! He was back at work yesterday and husband saw him cradling his poor hand, the guy refuses to take ANY medication for it because he’s scared of getting addicted omg thank you for covering this I hope he knows he could take one until his finger heals and then wean off but it’s his choice!! Good luck butcher guy we appreciate you 😅🥲✌️ thanks for covering this!!! I love you John Oliver hope you’re having a good weekend soon 🥰💃🏻
Thank you for shedding light on this!! I'm someone in long term recovery. I'm currently a peer specialist earning my certification. But it's going to be hard to convince other peers successful in their recovery to become peer specialists if we could get paid more working at the local convenience store ... we need more money into peer programs/centers. Peer counselors were the only people in the system I trusted at first when I remained ambivalent about recovery. But they showed me the way and that recovery IS possible for anyone...and they are the proof!❤
Thank you for uploading these videos, I'm from Germany and wouldn't have access to the biting satire/news that your wonderful team provides. Lots of love and respect!
You are not alone ther😂 Grüße und viel Spaß
Is it blocked in Germany? 😮
No ist just that we don't have HBO Max in Germany
This is on a different level. Heute show & extra drei are nice though
Böhmermann ❤
5:20 I REALLY like the Tupperware idea. I’m sure she has a nice urn at home but something about a Tupperware container with a kids ashes in it is so much more raw than a nice urn.
true and it's also far more practical as it keeps the ashes dry and isn't likely to break. but nobody should ever be forced to think about such issues.
Or it's not an idea and she can't afford anything nicer. Drug addiction and the opioid crisis is a problem for everyone, but it disproportionately affects the poor. Nothing forces practicality like poverty.
People in chronic pain are STILL getting screwed by this. Nobody wants to take us into consideration at all.
Indeed.
So true
Yep. No one will prescribe the medication I need without a fight. They've just switched to being "interventional only" which basically means, "we're still calling ourselves pain specialists but we're not actually doing anything because it's too much paperwork". Explain how that's fair? I'm already in chronic pain, I'm not a surgical candidate and there's nothing else that they can do about it. FFS this is ridiculous.
@@SlpBeauty333 My heart goes out to you. It really does because I know exactly what you're talking about. People with horrendous pain conditions that aren't cancer related get treated like criminals. Mandatory drug tests, pill counts, monitoring...and then, many insurance companies won't pay for narcotic pain meds. I have a 4.9cm ascending aortic aneurysm and everyone asks me why I have refused the repair, because if it ruptures I'll bleed out in about 45 minutes. I have refused the repair because it's a mercy for me when it blows. If I had even a remotely good quality of life, if the CDC would just let my doctor prescribe me a few silly little pills a month, I would love to live a few more years.
@@VideoSaySo Oddly? Mine is cancer related and I still can't get the meds I need. It's absolutely crazy! If they were TRYING to make people desperate enough to try street "meds", this is exactly how you do it! It's insane. Hopefully my new arthritis medication will help but it's tough being sick for so long and then having to spend so much time trying to find another person? I've had appointments cancelled because I mentioned the medication I'm on. They don't even look at what is wrong with you. It's so frustrating.
Big hugs your way too. Chronic illness is the worst.
Can't lie, being in a state that this show says is a "gold standard" for something good makes me feel really good. Hell yeah, Colorado.
Looking at the breakdown so far, it's nice to see that we're actually spending it on good things as well! The only police department getting funds is for a Naloxone plus program
Seeing this on the timeline made me say “thank God” that’s how much I constantly miss this show when I don’t see it. The sarcasm, the backed up truths with facts. A great show in all.
OPIOIDS are AWESOME ! They are an big life saver ! *ABUSE is the problem !* Not the drug !
Worcester MA resident here who's been affected by opoids. We are one of the top 3 cities in Massachusetts impacted by the opoid epidemic, next to Boston and Cambridge. We have received billions but just like John covered, the state isn't being transparent how the money is being used. Worcester's money is being spent for crisis intervention and health centers, but a lot of money is also being carved out by management in these centers. One of the places I've seen has wasted the money on unnecessary amenities, overpriced therapy, and understaffed workplaces. Meanwhile, I've lost years of my life to the stuff and haven't seen a cent as it's been over 10 years since I've had problems. We're fighting to make our city better and lots of people writing and advocating about the impact of opoids, but I just hope more can get done here.
I’m so sorry that’s happening.
Hi fellow Worcesterite!
I used to live there and have been wondering how it was faring. I hope they use the money effectively.
As a citizen of North Carolina, I never thought I would hear NC listed as the gold standard in anything
Same! I was genuinely shocked, but happy to hear it 😊
It's very classically American for a city to receive money and immediately be like "We should give all this to the police to buy toys!"
Better then giving it to drug addicts to waste on more drugs
I sanded and finished hardwood floors for years, one job I had was to work on 6 federal judge's chambers. Let me tell you, the money they spent was ridiculous. Back then an expensive hammer was maybe $20, but they would "Spend" $60 for the same hammer. This was 20 years ago and there was no place in the entire state of Oklahoma where you could have found any Lowe's of Home Depot or Ace hardware store selling a hammer for $60. Now imagine what they would "spend" for an SUV. A $20,000 truck would cost them $60,000 and 4 politicians would somehow end up with an extra $10,000. Then you go on Facebook and see someone complaining about a person buying food with food stamps then spend money to buy dogfood. Are you getting my point, or do I need to explain it further?
Trump's plan was literally just an even worse version of DARE 🤦♂️
He's such an idiot
The cliff notes version of DARE, “no good, really bad for you”
To be fair, a worse version of the beloved Gorillas song DARE might still be pretty good
And D.A.R.E. is back in action now...
And DARE increases drug use
GOD BLESS YOU JOHN OLIVER!!!!!!!! RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES. TRUTH. . .
The presence or absence of John's grey hair is the north star allowing my ADHD brain to keep up with Last Week Tonight's youtube continuity.
Using HBO's money to sing insult Bob Murray was one of the best uses of money ever.
what about that giant cake of a dictator falling off his horse or Japanese mascots?
Seeing those Bolas launchers just made me think of the Tow Cables wrapping around AT-ATs
I am so impressed with this story. John Oliver-King of Press!
My family grew up without any real addiction issues. Pretty boring, chill, easygoing upbringing. Our parents didn't even really drink much, and made sensible decisions.
Then my sister got a major injury and got hooked on opioids for years, culminating in several things like jail time and losing pretty much everything she owned. She's finally on the other side, but this shit can happen to anyone, with no "telltale" societal factors predisposing it. This shit is a game and human lives are the cards.
As soon as he said "local governments" I went "Awww shit, they're giving it to the cops."
I love how the Bola Wrap will only work on people who happen to already be slow duck walking to prevent themselves from pooping their pants. LMAO
On the plus side, it is an alternative for cities that can't afford their own Spider-Man.
Honestly, I'd rather police departments have a somewhat ineffective method of stopping people than every cop having a gun.
@@wurdulac923They still have the gun and they'll, without question, still choose the gun
@@chrismanuel9768 Agreed, but in my scenario they are being forced to replace the gun with the silly bola string.
Yes, it's invaluable when you have someone who needs to be restrained and is standing with his arms at his side and his feet close together, as so many people are when confronting police.
I live in South Carolina and I am proud to say that the state set up the "South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund Board" which has a portal with detailed information and an appointed board to oversee the spending of the money. They have limited the funds to first responders to opioid related training or treatment. BUT, I had no idea to even look into what was going on until I was educated by this excellent piece. Zazu is serving facts again, as usual. Thank you!!
Amazing that they’re able to aim their high-tech lasso guns at the legs, but when they’re using their lethal guns there’s no time to aim.
What makes you think they aren't aiming?
You need to follow up this episode with what the opioid regulations have effected people in pain. I have neuropathy and at night it feels like someone is driving nails into my toes. I was lucky enough to have a doctor who understands, but regulations limit how much I can have, and I have to get written prescriptions 3 months at a time. My wife had degenerative bone disease among other problems and they would only give a hydrocodone 5 once a day. She had holes in her stomach, almost killing her twice, from taking over the counter pain medication. I know other elderly people who don't get the pain medication they need, and have to jump through hoops to get any at all.
"North Carolina is the gold standard" sounds like the marketing line for BBQ sauce, tobacoo leaves, or our hockey team 😂
Except our tobacco leaves aren't even that good 🥲. They just go into bunk cigarettes. There's a reason we don't see any "Made in NC" fancy cigars at the cigar shop. All the "good" tobacco is grown in like, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua :/
We do got the best bbq sauce though. 🫡
or slavery
Bravo. This is 💯. As a WV born, peer support specialist, I have seen some shit. John will save a life with this information. Harm Reduction ❤ is Healthcare. This is the way.
This story feels like a loop of every other story. Public officals refusing to take care of the current issue in favor of greed. It's nice it gets us more episodes of this show, but upsetting to know people are suffering just so a couple people can get more green pieces of paper.
The culture of denial and the blaming and shaming are the actual motivations. Whether an individual or group is consciously aware or subconsciously projecting. The actions show what the motives are, not the falsehoods proclaimed constantly to be reality. The US government consists almost entirely of people like this because anyone who is genuinely concerned gets pushed out, silenced, shamed, and sometimes just realizes the system does not care to actually address issues wholeheartedly and looks for another way. It is this reality that needs to be honestly acknowledged for anything to even have a chance of making meaningful, positive, changes in the interests of ALL.
It also very conveniently allows the money to stay in the hands of certain assets
@@imitationpitaya Yup, designed by and run by self-centered, narcissistic, fear-filled, greedy immature clowns to reward themselves and cronies.
The government will better reflect the interest of the People when the People act like better citizens. Our voter turnout has to increase. More people need to run for local office. And we all need to stand up for campaign reform.
@@HLBear I think those getting rewarded by this system motivates others to act the same way, trying to belong or "make it". Each individual will only find the real motivations by beginning with honest self-reflection which leads to collective change. But a lot of manipulation happens too, just like narcissistic partners do... these people in power do that to masses.
@@HLBear Except that if you ceased to exist tomorrow (not just die, but get removed from reality), it would only potentially change your most local offices and that's only if you live in a smaller town. Anything medium or larger you, as an individual, are not significant enough to matter. Same for me and every person reading this. One person does not matter. One person deciding to do something isn't going to change anything. One person deciding to not do something isn't going to stop a movement.
The sheer volume of people means that no one individual matters. In order to change anything we don't need a person to decide to do the right thing, we need statistics and it won't matter if you decide to do the right thing.
There is very little bad that this show provides, I am thankful for hbo for doing this. All episodes are heartwarming and real news. They deserve a Nobel prize
The way he said "cutting...Cutting" gave me a flashback to "poisoned..POISONED" 😂
"The Big Pharma" was the WORST cyberpunk update in america smh
Big Pharma can be done ethically... big pharma isn't even the problem... any other industry acts the exact same.. capitalism is the underlying problem that drives everything
It's tied with the military industrial complex
Am I the only one that doesn't feel shit for drug addicts? As simple as that Trump message was, that's my philosophy for substances. I know they're bad so I legit avoid using them as much as possible. I destroyed my knee skiing this March and I took the pill the doctor told me ONCE-a-day despite him saying it was a THRICE-a-day pill BECAUSE I know depending on that stuff is an awful idea.
Largest drug dealer in the world
@@DanArnets1492 Aren't you so smart, so mature to be in pain for half the day. Have you ever heard of something called a chronic condition? Your lack of empathy for anything that hasn't directly affected you is showing.
Former Vienna, WV resident here...this tracks.
Same! Hi Ray by the way!
Multiple of my high school class have died from opioids over the past 15 years, and spending this on community programs could have drastically helped a struggling community! Cities like my hometown need to hire experts to address these funds rather than depending on their own momentary judgement!
Oh hey@@bennoffsinger2466! Yours is a much more thoughtful response than mine 😆
I never expected “North Carolina is the gold standard” to come out of Zazu’s mouth
First In Flight, baby!!!!!
Nice hearing something good being said about N.C. for a change.
next thing he'll mention how forward-thinking Texas and Florida were.
@@hothotheat3000we’re first in quite a few things, racism comes to mind. Lmao
I am from Newark Ohio, the town in which the woman, Trish Perry runs the homeless out reach. My mother volunteers there every Saturday morning and I have on occasion as well. It was so surprising to see that clip on here but it is hard to describe how hopeful I am that this episode on Johns show can make a difference. Our legislators are letting the opioid money sit in the bank with no plans for use, or so they’ve said and we have to be the ones to hold our local governments accountable!!! This crisis touches so many people in so many different ways that we have to be able to unite over this and figure out together, openly and honestly, where and when this money will be spent.. Please share this episode everywhere with everyone you know..
That cigarette bit was hilarious, well done John and writers. 😂
To be clear 50 billion is $89,000 per loss these merchants of death have caused.
Not sure what the price of these pills are but if someone else spends $40 a week for 20 years, they've made it back. Just saying.
People die from aspirin and Tylenol every single year - do you likewise call their manufacturers “merchants of death?”
Grow the fuck up.
@@literallyjustgrass $40 a week!! I used to spend $40 before breakfast.
@@Im.Okay.Youre.Fucked The going rate in my locale, on the street, for Norco is $15/pill. Someone who is able to cap their daily addiction intake to what is maximally recommended for daily use by doctors, which is 80 mgs: 8 x 15 = $120/day.
@@literallyjustgrass First of all, exactly what JamesVomit said. Drugs are not $40 a week levels of cheap. Heck, this isn't quite the same as opioids, but my mother is a tobacco addict, and she spends $15 a day (or $105 a week) on just cigarettes, which are cheaper and more easily accessible than opioids.
Second of all, that considers only the cost of the drugs themselves. Eventual treatment (rehab, therapy, et cetera) is going to cost some of the victims a great deal more than $89k by itself.
Third of all, even if the numbers did line up, this is still a very shallow way of looking at the problem. It is near or actually impossible to put a dollar amount on some parts of the damage such as a lowered life span, a damaged reputation, potentially a loss of friends, et cetera.
There is always that guy in the crowd that makes sure we hear him laughing
Every time the Sacklers get a new yacht, an addict gets his wings.
Yes, the look on Melania's face, priceless
Legitimate chronic pain patients have been demonized and treated like garbage. Between the monthly visits required, being treated like an addict getting drug tested all the time, and having pharmacies refuse or delay filling our prescriptions, things keep getting worse for us. And punishing us has done nothing to help with addiction. If anything the patients who are cut off will probably turn to unsafe drugs on the street.
It's almost like thats what they want. I'm a veteran I got legit spine issues and the best I get is have you tried yoga. They wonder why there is so many suicides or veterans becoming homeless. Give me my damn pills and micro manage me all you want, idc. I'm just tired of being in pain every waking moment. But nah, either suffer or go to the black market and probably OD on some counterfeit painkillers laced with fentanyl. Way to go VA and really any Healthcare facility. Them pain management places are scams too
I've had the injections. I've done the PT amd still I get told no on pills, but somehow the actual drug addicts still manage to get them prescribed. Make that make sense.
@@vicentegarcia6078 exactly. I’m lucky enough to even get prescribed a small dose. I’m sorry you have to go through that. Doctors don’t seem to care how much your quality of life suffers with no medication. God forbid they treat us with any dignity. And yes it does all seem intentional. They don’t care if we die.
@@vicentegarcia6078
---- it is what "they" want: The DEA and State Medical boards are on the receiving end of "ill-gotten gains". The drug companies are also complicit in raking in the dough by trading in the Gazillion dollar Black market. And doctors who are still giving Rx for pain meds are threatened with loss of med license or even accused of being criminals for giving people with serious chronic pain any "opioid" medication. Welcome to the new world of Pain forever. Our "doctor" finked out and turned coward and suddenly withdrew Rx for hydro and since were not celebrities we will never get any more pain relief from the "Health Industry".
But now you can be comforted by knowing some police departments are getting new SUVs
That's how I ended up addicted to heroin. Started with pain pills for an injury, started buying my friends pills then realized heroin was basically the same thing but way fkn cheaper. I'm lucky and I'm clean now but looking back, it really made sense financially to start buying on the street. Good luck to anyone going through this now 😢
The music for that bolowrap commercial really drove home the feeling of dystopia
This movie serves as an example if how much movie audiences tend to forgive if they are presented with a coherent and compelling story. And that's a good thing.
This show is top-notch!
Informative and funny. He even gave us homework. 😞
Shout out to Oliver's research team.
DARE was probably the best introduction to drugs ever.
might as well have been DOUBLE DOG DARE!!
John & crew: thank you, thank you for the work you do, especially this episode. I wish our new mayor of Philadelphia would watch and fully take in the message here as we are often in the national spotlight for our overdose deaths and large numbers of opioid users. I am a person in recovery and also oversee the recovery support office at the college where I am a full time professor. I have been acutely aware that the opioid settlement funds have been stripped from grassroots agencies doing important harm reduction work (some of which you highlighted in this episode) such as clean needle exchange, showers and other supplies for people unhoused and addicted, overdose reversal trainings for the community. Our mayor has made the dramatic shift into policing and "cleaning the streets" as if people were discardable like trash. Many of us will continue to speak out in public forums and at city council meetings as you encouraged at the end of the episode.