I wonder how many deaths have been caused by attempting to prevent prescription drug abuse without providing treatment or alternatives.<p>There’s no question opioid addiction is a problem, but taking controlled doses away from addicts and their turning to street drugs was inevitable and always a recipe for disaster.
Unfortunately Snopes has a checkered track record and fluidity with the truth.<p>An example of their bias:<p><a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pelosi-democrats-police-tactics/" rel="nofollow">https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pelosi-democrats-police-ta...</a><p>Their co-founder got himself into trouble for plagiarism as well:<p><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/deansterlingjones/snopes-cofounder-plagiarism-mikkelson" rel="nofollow">https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/deansterlingjones/snope...</a>
I think Snopes is playing fast and loose with the facts here. "Unintentional Poisoning" - vital statistics jargon for drug overdoses - have been the leading cause of death for American's 18-45 for many years. The data they link to is not specific enough to say that Fentanyl alone is now the leading cause. If it is, it's simply displaced some other drug.