Who Profits from the Opioid Crisis? Meet the Secretive Sackler Family Making Billions from OxyContin

Posted by Planet Waves

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This week, Donald Trump’s nominee for drug czar, Republican Congressmember Tom Marino, had to withdraw from consideration after an investigation found he led a drug industry-backed effort to pass a law that weakened the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s ability to crack down on addictive opioids.

Links to today’s show transcripts:

Trump’s Travel Ban Suffers Another Defeat as Judges Say Threat of Discrimination “Still Intact”
Donald Trump’s latest attempt to bar some citizens of eight Muslim majority countries from entering the U.S. suffers a second defeat, as another federal judge rules that the latest policy is unconstitutional.

Who Profits from the Opioid Crisis? Meet the Secretive Sackler Family Making Billions from OxyContin
This week, Donald Trump’s nominee for drug czar, Republican Congressmember Tom Marino, had to withdraw from consideration after a Washington Post/”60 Minutes” investigation found he led a drug industry-backed effort to pass a law that weakened the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s ability to crack down on addictive opioids. Meanwhile, calls are growing to look at the major pharmaceutical companies that have fueled the opioid crisis. A new investigation by Esquire magazine reveals how the secretive Sackler family, owners of the company that invented OxyContin, downplayed the risks of addiction and exploited doctors’ confusion over the drug’s strength.

Guantánamo Prisoners on Hunger Strike Say Guards Threatened to Kill Them by Stopping Force-Feeding
Guantánamo Bay detainees who are on hunger strike have accused officials of a sudden change in practice that could result in them starving to death, as doctors threaten to stop force-feeding them and are no longer monitoring their medical condition. Reprieve, which represents eight of the 41 Guantánamo detainees, is urging supporters to join a solidarity hunger strike with the detainees. Among those participating are British Labour Party MP Tom Watson, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, comedian Sara Pascoe, director Mark Rylance and French-born actress Caroline Lagerfelt.

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