overdosing

The abuse of drugs, often acquired illegally.

Listen, if this is going to be The Five Whys, save it for a preachier audience, prone to emotion.

Opiate use is not a concept that fits inside 140 characters. The most stunning reality, regarding the opioid epidemic is that it came hot on the heels of the incredible ravages of the methamphetamine/crystal meth wave that shredded many parts of the U.S. only a few short years ago.

People use the drugs because they catch a taste, and are shocked by the realization that they like it. It's suddenly not the spectre of evil, when a familiar acquaintance turns you onto something in a relaxed atmosphere. And it keeps happening, and it spreads, and spreads, and spreads.

Because there's an unrestricted supply. Legal or not. People make it happen. The people who acquire that taste pull hard, and the people who make money push it on them even harder.

The power structure that sits atop it all is a mountain range, with many peaks. Some peaks are...