Purdue Pharma
The story of opiate addiction extends widely beyond this specific company. Broadly speaking, it is "Big Pharmaceutical" companies who are to blame not only for addictive, excessive medication, alongside doctors who were willing to be influenced into prescribe hard drugs to their patients when not medically necessary. However, among that field, this company is mentioned as the specific origin of an Epidemic that happened in the 1990's (and which has continued into the present). By releasing OxyContin and by marketing it with the explicit intention of over-prescribing it, this company started a domino effect that led to nationwide opiate addiction.
Medical patients
During this time, patients would go to their doctors with ailments of whatever kind, and doctors who were influenced by big pharma companies would suggest and prescribe a new pain-killer called OxyContin. When patients heard about this drug, many were excited, and when they experienced the bliss of strong opiates in their body, they became addicted to opiates. These medical patients very often became full-blown heroin addicts when their doctors would no longer prescribe the highly addictive drug.
Heroin cartels
During the rise of OxyContin addiction, another factor arose which played into the deadly Epidemic. Cartels throughout Latin America were manufacturing heroin with revolutionary speed and efficiency. This led to an overwhelming supply that quickly precipitated itself in the growth of illegal drug trades that, when coupled with OxyContin addiction throughout the country, allowed addicts to access very cheap, high quality heroin. The epidemic started on the West coast but quickly spread through the whole nation.
