Thirty years ago, while at university, I passed the Arthur Sackler Science Centre on my way to and from classes and even took a class in the building. At the time I remember thinking of the amazing philanthropic gesture that enabled so many students access to great facilities. Today, the Sackler name is being associated with less charitable motives.
The Sackler brothers; Arthur, Raymond and Mortimer created OxyContin, the drug that has precipitated a huge opioid crisis in the US.
Arthur Sackler himself died before the drug hit the market and his family claims not to be involved with Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the drug. The main culprit appears to be Dr. Richard Sackler, son of Raymond who presided over the research and marketing of the painkiller. But, as the crisis went from horror story to horror story, the Sackler name was barely even mentioned.
The family is mainly known for massive philanthropic endeavours. Apart from the science building in back of beyond Worcester’s liberal arts college, there are buildings at NYU and Tufts. The family has lent its name and charity to other large institutions such as the Temple of Dendur at The Met in New York as well as galleries at Princeton and Harvard, the Royal Academy in London and Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. The association with the opioid crisis was kept under wraps and many a law suit or deposition was quietly bought over.
It’s ironic how the wealthy profit from the poor and though many start with underhand activities, their subsequent wealth enables generous gestures that eventually buys them respect. Notoriety gets left behind. In the US alone, the list is endless with the likes of The Walton family and the current President among the top perpetrators. Even the sanitized Rockefeller name has had aspersions cast about unethical practices while trying to establish a monopoly. Closer to home, India has had its fair share of super wealthy with less than savoury back stories. A mansion, some coins scattered into the system, a foundation and suddenly you are wooed and wined and become the darling of society. Many Parsis, considered to be selfless and one of the most philanthropic communities, derived their wealth from selling opium to the Chinese.
From the Latin, the word addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice that can lead to severe trauma
Though it is difficult to wean people off their addictions, it can be done. Many will use their Beacon health insurance to go to rehab so they can work their way off these opioids. They often need help because of how powerful these drugs are. Opioids are among the top three addictions along with marijuana and cocaine. The brain gradually changes over time and what initially gave pleasure, becomes a compulsion. Opioids can cause serious medical issues too and addicts are often left trying to work out how to get suboxone online in order to recover. There are other forms of addiction too such as people addicted to sex, gambling, even shopping.
I complain about frequent marijuana use but then again I enjoy drinking wine, which is also bad for the system. It stops me from pontificating further. While I like to believe I understand moderation better than young people, I can understand how addiction develops. Similarly, when people are in severe pain, I can understand the need for pain killers. It’s unfortunate a drug that could have worked miracles, got swept into another direction due to economics and greed. However, it is good to see that it’s coming out the other side without its stigma and it’s now being seen as the natural medicine it actually is. As an example, there will be many people that visit somewhere like these marijuana dispensaries in Lansing Michigan and other locations due to the pains or illnesses they suffer from.
Trump made battling opioid addictions a significant part of his campaign, but though he has declared it a Public Health Emergency, it is still not a national emergency. Unfortunately, there are no concrete plans as yet. On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver ridiculed Trump’s decision to run an ad campaign requesting people to stop using opioids, claiming it is similar to having a sign for people struggling in quicksand saying, ‘beware quicksand’. It is all about funding and according to Oliver, Trump’s plans boils down to two cents per addict. Certainly not enough to battle the crisis. Interestingly, according to reports, given all their philanthropic endeavours, the Sacklers do not fund any institution helping people battle addictions.
In an address on Man ki Baat a few years ago, Modi requested people to fight for a drug free country in order to prevent darkness, destruction and devastation. But the scourge grows. He recently expressed concern behind increasing substance abuse by younger generations, claiming society will be ruined in twenty-five years if this issue is not addressed. Regardless of how severe the repercussion, the effectiveness of this fight remains to be seen since the war on drugs is not just a modern day phenomenon. As this problem is getting increasingly worse, it’s important that officials step up and try and prevent it. One way of preventing drug abuse is by making people take regular on-the-spot drug tests by using testing kits (click here to see some kits). This should discourage people from taking drugs as they could be tested at any point. They could be asked to take these tests at work or school. This would stop them from using drugs as often, especially if they knew that it could risk their job and education. Hopefully, testing could make a difference.
Drug abuse stems from time immemorial. My day job, researching Hinduism, throws a number of conundrums regarding substance abuse. The Vedas mention the use of Soma, a fermented drink, popular with the Gods. Many Vedic Gods such as Indra are said to have lived in a soma induced stupor. Another revered God, Shiva, is said to live in a cannabis induced state. Alcohol and other hallucinogenic offerings are commonplace at Shaivaite temples. In fact, some Vaishnav temples also accept Bhaang as an offering. However, there is an important distinction to make. Hindu Gods are said to have withdrawn from the world of pleasure and used drugs for yogic purposes, whereas drugs today are used for pleasure.
The fact remains, addiction needs to be addressed. Whether it is a malaise from ancient times or a modern day phenomena, it is harmful. For addicts, mental strength is vital to battle addiction. But what I find difficult to accept is people selling substances that can be abused. Unfortunately, the economics of greed will always prevail. It is Kalyug after all
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