157: The Painkiller Problem: How Fentanyl Took Over America

Dark History

Hi friends, happy Wednesday!
Last year I had a surgery so that I could breathe again, and it’s been nice, thanks for asking! I love breathing. But when I was in the hospital, the doctors gave me some really strong pain medication.
I asked what it was, and the doctor told me it was fentanyl. At first I was like..fentanyl??? Doesn't that kill everyone? But after a few seconds hey… this is working really well.
Turns out, Fentanyl has been used in hospitals for a LONG time. It’s used in epidurals, it’s prescribed for cancer patients, and there was a time when doctors were even putting it in LOLLIPOPS.

Even though it feels like fentanyl came out of nowhere over the last few years, it has a long and crazy history.
So how did America, big pharma, and a well meaning scientist create the most powerful and deadly opioid in history? WHERE is this stuff even coming from? And how did the fentanyl epidemic become a problem too big to stop?
I appreciate you for coming by, and tune in next week for more Dark History.
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