Great article dude. I think that the opiate epidemic is a lot deeper than most people think it is. Opiate use is NOT caused by over-prescription of medication. It's caused by lack of proper education on these substances. government-implemented programs like DARE try to teach our very own children using highly restrictive, biased opinions based on false steryotypes, misinterpreted information, and poorly conducted studies. When people realize the true safety profile of "light" drugs like cannabis, many simply believe that all drugs carry a similar safety profile, and use harder drugs without researching the proper information, and become addicted. Most addicts are also going through oppresive stages of their lives that led them down their path, and instead of purely focusing on teaching these people how bad the only thing in life that makes them feel good is, we should be focusing on healthy ways to live life and be happy at the same time. Opiates are one of the most beneficial, powerful, and harmful medications in society, and they aren't going away anytime soon. If society doesn't change the way we view drug education and substance use, it's only going to get worse.