// Definition
The opioid crisis driven by prescription painkillers (oxycodone, fentanyl) and street heroin, contrasted with the safety profile of cannabis as a non-lethal analgesic alternative. The epidemic was described as pervasive in communities across North America by the mid-2010s.
// From the Episode
Bubbleman noted posters about the opiate epidemic were everywhere. Dr. Scialdone explained that oral opioid medications dispersed in starch/sugar matrices were being crushed and injected, causing massive overdose deaths. W-18 and fentanyl analogues were accelerating death rates. The panel argued cannabis could serve as an exit drug from opioid dependency.
// Source
Ep. 098 Hash Church XCVI 96 →