Opium has been a blessing and bane for people suffering from pain for over 5000 years.
According to M J Brownstein's "A Brief History of Opiates the Sumerians called the plant hul gil or the "joy plant, although the Egyptian priests reserved its use for the nobility and religious classes. After the collapse of the Roman Empire Europe was cut off from opium and Muslim traders cargoed the black tar to China, addicting an ancient culture to 'ma' or 马. Nothing was more profitable over the centuries of China Trade.
The world of the golden triangle.
And nothing earns more in today's economy.
In the last decade Big Pharma trafficked in opioids through the synthetic Oxycodone.
The Insys executives courted doctors to prescribe the pills for the smallest of ills. They bribed politicians to pass the drug through the FDA tests. It was declared harmless and millions of Americans have been addicted to the fentanyl-based pill and are ODing ata rate of 100 a day.
Last week at the Jets game Mickey crashed and burned in the top row. His friend said he was okay. Foam bubbled from his mouth. His breathing slowed to a sallow gasp. I called security. His friend left him.
"He gets like this all the time."
I tried it once for a sore knee.
I slept like a dead man.
It's bad stuff and this week Insys' billionaire chief executive was arrested in Arizona on RICO charges.
There is no mention of bail, but his companies have contributed to the deaths of over 300,000 Americans. More than any terrorist in ISIS. Killing people is not a crime for capitalism as long as there is profit.
ps finally an American president declares the opioid epidemic a problem.
Only twenty years after Purdue Pharma releasing the drug onto the marketplace to earn $31 billion in profits.
Their CEO is Craig Landau.
Another murderer.
Purdue Pharma paid $600 million in fines. The three top executives served 400 hours in public service. Craig Landau paid $31 million in penalties.
No one went to jail.
Not John Spaceley.
He liked China White.
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