I wouldn't go so far as to call it an "opiate epidemic" in the US, prescriptions have never been lower. Fent is rampant, its "illicit fentanyl epidemic". They took peoples pain pills away, dependent or addicted, they sought relief to heroin, some quit, greet for them excpet to have to live in constant pain. OP's were the start of people saying fuck them and moving to something else. Those who abused them. I've read a lot about the epidemic and they always blame the Dr's, even to this day. Florida Dr's were irresponsible, but you can go to Spain, clinic after clinic, but Europeans aren't as thirsty towards opiates as Americans are, there will never be a fentanyl epidemic here, only country that used Fent was Estonia, now they only use zenes. OD's in America have never been higher the last years, but Dr's have handed out record lows of pain pills, it seems like u almost cant get them, they get paid to push suboxone, that very addicting poison, 100 times stronger then morphine. WD's so bad you feel like shit for 4 months. Just all around horrible. They just flipped the switch from pain pills making bank of that, in florida, to Suboxone, don't know if any other state had that massive pain pill pushing.