New York City's Opioid Drug History: A Relentless Cycle

Pain relief drugs in the form of opioids have a long history in New York City, where they were introduced as unregulated medicine: doctors began prescribing morphine pills to housewives in the 1880s. Journalist Christopher Booker uncovers New York's history with opioids - from plant-based morphine, opium and heroin to lab-produced drugs like fentanyl - in a half-hour film about drug addiction, medical treatment, and drug criminalization over the course of decades.

Courtesy of THIRTEEN on YouTube. Watch on YouTube ↗

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