The opioid overdose crisis is back in the news with recent revelations that the already shocking death toll has increased dramatically since the pandemic. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death with opioids accounting for most of the deaths. This crisis has certainly received a lot of attention from lawmakers, healthcare professionals, and the media. However, Saving Elephants returning guest Peter Pischke argues that much of the debate over what to do about the growing crisis is overly focused on patients with medical needs who rarely abuse their medication.
About Peter Pischke
Peter Pischke is an independent disability and health reporter covering politics, journalism, ethics, and culture. He is the host of the Happy Warrior Podcast and the creator of The Happy Warrior substack. His specialty is communicating on the little-discussed side of the opioid crisis, the side from those reliant on opioid pain medication, the prescription opioid crisis.
Peter himself is a disabled pain patient and became deeply impacted in 2018 when his trusted physician force tapered him off his medication. With an ear to the ground on the different sides of this deeply felt issue, Peter tries to parse out what is happening on the ground and give his readers a clear picture of what the opioid crisis is and how we might get out of this man-made mess.
Peter was a guest on the Saving Elephants podcast in Episode 42 - Media Bias with Peter Pischke. You can read his recent article in the New York Daily News on the CDC’s mishandling of the opioid crisis here. You can find Peter on Twitter @HappyWarriorP