Naloxone
Naloxone
Guest: Nancy Campbell, Professor and Head, Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; author, “OD: Naloxone and the Politics of Overdose”
No one needs to die of overdose. But we do need greater access to life-saving naloxone, according to Professor Campbell. She says think of the drug as an EpiPen or an artificial defibrillator. In fact, physicians should consider a co-prescription for it when they prescribe opiod painkillers.
The Tangled History of Opium
Guest: David Blistein, co-author with John H. Halpern, "Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned our World"
Our opioid epidemic is nothing new, as the Chinese could tell you--they fought for years to keep British opium out of their country, to no avail. So many cultures have tackled the double-edged sword of opium use. It's relieved more pain than it's caused, according to Blistein, but it certainly has caused a great deal of pain. What can be done about addiction today?