Accessibility links
The Epidemic Inside The Pandemic : 1A As the pandemic rages worldwide, opioid overdose deaths in the US rose, with deaths up 29 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. The 93,000 deaths are attributed to isolation, disruption of addiction services, and other consequences of the pandemic.

At the same time, a $26 billion settlement between states and some of the biggest manufacturers in the opioid industry is being finalized, but not everyone is on board.

We talk about how we got to where we are and the details of the biggest settlement since the tobacco agreement in 1998.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

1A

The Epidemic Inside The Pandemic

The Epidemic Inside The Pandemic

Listen · 31:01
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1021308612/1021354105" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Enlarge this image

Tablets of opioid painkiller Oxycodon delivered on medical prescription taken on September 18, 2019 in Washington, DC. ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

Tablets of opioid painkiller Oxycodon delivered on medical prescription taken on September 18, 2019 in Washington, DC.

ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. is in the midst of two public health crises.

As the pandemic rages, opioid overdose deaths in 2020 rose 29 percent compared to 2019. The 93,000 deaths are attributed to isolation, disruption of addiction services, and other consequences of the pandemic.

At the same time, a $26 billion settlement between states and some of the biggest manufacturers in the opioid industry is being finalized, but not everyone is on board.

We talk about how we got to where we are and the details of the biggest settlement since the tobacco agreement in 1998.

Regina LaBelle, Matthew Christiansen, Chris McGreal, and Keli McLoyd join us for the conversation.

Like what you hear? Find more of our programs online.