Dopesick is essential viewing that serves as a wakeup call

The tag ‘FDA approved’ is supposed to carry a great deal of weight, not just in the US, but all over the world.

It means, based on the FDA’s claim on their website, that “the data on the drug’s effects have been reviewed by Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), and the drug is determined to provide benefits that outweigh its known and potential risks for the intended population.”

Well, that belief is totally, completely, and utterly shattered in the new miniseries Dopesick.

It depicts how the industrial establishment that is unconstrained by moral considerations, driven by avarice, enabled by powerful cronies, and unencumbered by regulatory and legal authorities cause prolonged mass destruction and suffer no punishment for their crimes against humanity.

The spirit of entrepreneurship means that every product maker attempts to convince potential customers of a void in their lives that can only be filled by their product. All effective marketing campaigns imply that “you need to have this product or  your life is incomplete.” It applies to all products from ice cream to the luxury motor car.

If the product is a best-seller, it creates profits for the entrepreneurs, employment for regular people, and enriches the lives of consumers.

However, what is depicted in Dopesick is an instance of abuse of the free market system. The intention was not to improve the lives of their customers by selling worthy products. But to exploit the vulnerable in their worst moments to sell their product. They knew that product would become the consumer's nightmare but they didn't care.

In order to achieve their nefarious ambitions, the pharmaceutical company co-opted members of the medical community, then regulators, and politicians. 

They began by promoting a study that highlights the importance of pain relief. The study is promoted to look like it is independent and devoid of any vested interests.

A bit later, a proposal was floated to add pain to the existing four vital signs i.e. body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, blood pressure.

Quite soon, new authentic-sounding jargon such as ‘pain management’ was coined to create a situation that will necessitate this pain-killing drug. Research notes are taken out of context and even falsified.

The emphasis on relieving the suffering is always the goal of any doctor.  hence this the concern for pain management gains traction.

Quite soon, the firm manages to ‘game the system’ and push their ‘pain-killing' drug through every stage of approval. 

The firm realizes that the drug can have the most impact in towns that are extensively populated with working-class people whose work is accident-prone and hence pain-prone. 

These economically backward individuals often have nobody in high places to represent them, hence they are deemed to be easy targets.

Eventually, hospitals are flooded with pamphlets relating to the drug, with nurses and doctors functioning as active promoters of the drug. Patients are shown pain rating charts, promoted by the firm, to rate their pain, obviously, the patient has no knowledge about who is behind these charts.

Unsuspecting patients who are in considerable pain obviously will do anything to stop it and this is where this how the drug enters the human system.

The doctors are pleased that any patient in inexorable pain who consumes the drug feels instant relief. 

However, in a matter of months, they are alarmed to discover that the drug loses its effectiveness. The representatives of the pharmaceutical company inform the doctors that the solution is to increase the dosage. The firm develops tablets of higher strength that can be easily consumed at one go such that it doesn't seem too much to the patient.

The doctors follow what is told to them, some very willing others reluctantly.  

In order to maximize the reach of the drug, small-time pharmacists in rural areas are threatened with legal action if they refuse to keep the drug in their establishment.

In time the dependency devolved into addiction is so severe that it can be compared to the addiction of any hard narcotic drug, except that this one is available officially.

The drug is such a potent narcotics that pharmacies storing the drug are looted. The drug is consumed and sold to addicts in shady dens. Some even chose to inhale it like cocaine, to enter a state of inebriation.

What is shocking is that fact that the drug is easily addictive is completely concealed from both doctors and patients. The warnings from the FDA are also conveniently ignored by the pharmaceutical company and its sales representatives.

But the pharmaceutical company was undeterred by the opioid crisis that has wreaked on innocent human beings. They keep pushing and finding innovative ways to spin or suppress the bad news.

“Every drug has its risks, you simply cannot blame the drug which is a boon to society for being abused by a few addicts.” is what they claimed

This destruction caused can be compared to the violence and mayhem by drug lords such as Pablo Escobar. However, Escobar suffered notoriety, ignominy, and finally, the punishment owing to his obvious crimes. 

These companies and their sinister leadership suffer no consequences for destroying lives. They end up paying a fine, which is infinitesimal compared to their profits.

There is a thin but prominent silver lining on this very dark cloud 

The fact that this insidious and sinister conspiracy against humanity was exposed proves that truth has a way of finding its way to the top despite being buried deep in a dungeon of lies. 

It does give hope that irrespective of how powerful and rich the criminals are, they will someday get exposed. They may not be punished, but their evil intents and acts will be exposed.

More good news is that many doctors, law enforcement officials, and activists bravely and selflessly take on the firm. They played a crucial role in unraveling the conspiracy.

To sum it up, the firm wasn't able to game the system all the time.

Is there a moral to this story?

Firstly you meticulously and thoroughly research each and everything that you consume, which includes food and medicines.

Secondly, you reduce all medications to the minimum and stop consuming optional medicine such as vitamin pills. It is wiser to rely on naturally occurring nutrients instead.

To conclude Dopesick is essential viewing that exposes you to the naked truth through a compelling multi-layered poignant human drama.

The show will function as a wake-up call especially if for those who have little or no knowledge regarding drug addiction and the opioid crisis. It will also cause the viewer to be more empathetic about addiction, this isn’t people behaving badly, it is an ailment like any other that needs to be cured.