“I don’t know about the whole world…but in the USA, I would have to say opioid addiction. We are having a crisis here with overdoses at an all time high.

Pharmaceutical companies put out large ad campaigns in the 90’s advertising supposedly “safe” opioid medications, with little chance of addiction, for those plagued with chronic pain. Physicians started prescribing these medications in record numbers.

Later, it was found that the pharmaceutical companies had essentially lied, or misrepresented, the actual risk that comes with these medicines. Lawsuits were levied against them and they were fined monies that were a drop in the bucket compared to the profits they made off of these drugs.

The damage was done. Large numbers of people were addicted.

Years later when the problem became apparent, opioid prescribing became highly monitored and restricted and those addicted found other sources: usually heroin, which is cheaper and more powerful.

It gets worse.

Heroin requires large amounts of the poppy plant for production so dealers found another synthetic opioid-fentanyl-which can be produced in a lab. Fentanyl is MUCH more powerful and dealers would mix it into the heroin, or just simply sell fentanyl outright.

That is when overdoses shot up dramatically.

Yes, I would have to say opioid addiction is currently the most dangerous addiction, at least in the USA.”