> Addiction is a predictable outcome of inequality and lack of social safety net in the US. If you don't give people any way to solve their problems they'll settle for feeling better about their problems.
Opiate addiction doesn't give a damn about the size of your bank account, your social class, or how loving your family is.
The president's own son has struggled with addiction. Heck go back in history and you'll find the roots of the Opium war in China are tied to the emperor's own son dieing from an opium overdose.
Opiates destroy people at the neural level.
Yes there needs to be medical interventions for addicts. There also needs to be enforcement actions to reduce the supply of the drugs in the first place. Don't just target street dealers either, this crisis started with Perdue and other big pharma players. They shouldn't be able to wash their hands of responsibility simply by writing a big check.