Assignment task:
The pharmaceutical industry and its sympathizers often have advocated for greater access to opioids by emphasizing that there are so many Americans in genuine pain who rely on attentive doctors to be able to prescribe oxycodone and other opioids. However, as American Pain shows, so much of the distribution of opioids was disconnected from legitimate medical concerns or practices.
For this discussion, address two questions.
First, what are the pieces of evidence suggesting that reasonable and attentive medical treatment was in no way a significant priority for American Pain or its predecessor South Florida Pain Clinic?
Second, what do you see as the common sense policy measures that could have stopped American Pain from being able to function in this way?
In-text citations and The Book is called "American Pain".