1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: M We're back. I'm Robert Evans podcasts Behind the Bastards. 2 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:09,800 Speaker 1: Bad people talk about him. This is part two of 3 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: our episode on the Sacklers. So you should have listened 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: to the first one by now, and this intro shouldn't 5 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: seem out of place if you haven't, what the hell 6 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: is going on, weirdo? Listen to listen to the episodes 7 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,920 Speaker 1: in the right order. Now, this is not Memento. This 8 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: is Behind the Bastards. And this is and by this 9 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: I mean you James Heney, actor, comedian. Uh, street fighting champion, 10 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: Well I never won, but I've been in a street 11 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: fighter too. And uh, you get the blue blue plugs 12 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: in the zone. I'm in Alchemy. This. Yes, it airs 13 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: every Tuesday and Thursday. It's an improp show. We get 14 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: suggestions from the audience emails and it's with Kevin Pollock. 15 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: That Kevin Pollock. We have a live show May seven 16 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater in downtown l A. I 17 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: really hope you're there. You specifically me, specifically, I might 18 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: be I might be a state. It was actually talking 19 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: to specifically to the listener, to the listeners. Specific Yes, 20 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: I mean you're welcome to come, but I'm not going 21 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: to reserve a seat for you. I've stated my desire 22 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: that listeners gang up on the on the venue and 23 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: force their way in, and a mighty surge the weapons 24 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: was probably maybe too far. Well okay, but think about 25 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: think about it this way. Remember Escape from New York. 26 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: Pretty pretty cool movie. Sure, pretty fun movie. Remember the 27 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: sequel in l A when he has to shoot the 28 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: basketballs also a pretty cool movie. Yeah, I guess you're right, Yeah, 29 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: exactly what I if that was a comedy show, yeah, 30 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: it would be like the It would be like that. 31 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: It also reminds me of people were invading the theater 32 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: to see the show live armed. They'd be prepared if 33 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: it happened here, if it happened here, because which is 34 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: my other podcast? Yeah? Is that it? It could. Now 35 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: let's let's move off from that depressing topic to a 36 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: different depressing topic. The origins of our nightmares. Sh would 37 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: be at crisis. We've been talking about, of course, the 38 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: Sackler family, which you know most of these Sackler men are, 39 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: and where of course doctors uh, you know, from Arthur 40 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: down to Richard. But their real talent and passion seems 41 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: to have been for marketing rather than medicine. When OxyContin 42 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: first went onto the market, produced salesforce was around three 43 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: hundred people. By the end of a millennium, it had 44 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 1: doubled to more than six hundred people, equal to the 45 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: number of d agents fighting the abuse of prescription drugs. 46 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 1: That is most likely a coincidence, but that salesforce was 47 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,919 Speaker 1: absolutely critical to Oxycontin's commercial success and the opiate epidemic 48 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: currently burning its way through the American heartland. I found 49 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: a great study on this published in the U S 50 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: National Library of Medicine, titled The Promotion and Marketing of 51 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: OxyContin Commercial Triumph, Public Health Tragedy. It lays out exactly 52 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: how Producee Pharmaceutical, at the direction of Richard Sackler, president 53 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: and co chairman of the board for the company, quote, 54 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: from nine to two thousand one, Produce conducted more than 55 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: forty national pain management and speaker training conferences it resorts 56 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 1: in Florida, Arizona, and California. More than five thousand physicians, 57 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,559 Speaker 1: pharmacists and nurses attend to these all expenses paid symposia 58 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: where they were recruited and trained for produced National Speaker 59 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: Bureau is well documented. This kind of pharmaceutical company symposium 60 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: influences physicians prescribing, even though the physicians who attend such 61 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,119 Speaker 1: symposia believe that such enticements do not alter their prescribing patterns. 62 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: One of the cornerstones that produce marketing plan was the 63 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: use of sophisticated marketing data to influence physicians prescribing. Drug 64 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: companies compile prescriber profiles and individual physicians detailing the prescribing 65 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: patterns of physicians nationwide, and an effort to influence doctors 66 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: prescribing habits. Through these profiles, a drug company can identify 67 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,359 Speaker 1: the highest and lowest prescribers of particular drugs in a 68 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: single zip code, county, state, or the entire country. One 69 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,559 Speaker 1: of the critical foundations of produced marketing plan for OxyContin 70 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: was to target the physicians who were highest prescribers for 71 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: opioids across the country. Another name for these guys would 72 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: be pill mill. Pill mill, that's what you've heard for 73 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: Producee Pharmaceuticals stated plan was to essentially make pill mills 74 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: happen by finding the doctors who were most willing to 75 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,720 Speaker 1: just give anyone a prescription for opiates and then essentially 76 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: giving them more money having them speak at events and 77 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: flying them level marketing thing does It does kind of 78 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: sound like that kind of sounds like, Oh, you're really 79 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: good at selling these, Why don't you go speak to 80 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: other people and get them to get a little cut 81 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: of that? Yeah, that is kind of what was going on. 82 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: There's a pre trial memo from a case in Massachusetts 83 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: that's ongoing this year, and it includes a quote from 84 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: one of the promotional videos that Produe mailed with thousands 85 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: of doctors. Quote, There's no question that our best strongest 86 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: pain medications are the opioids. But these are the same 87 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: drugs that have a reputation for causing addiction and other 88 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: terrible things. Now, in fact, the rate of addiction amongst 89 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: pain patients who are treated by doctors is much less 90 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 1: than one percent. They don't wear out, they go on working, 91 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,280 Speaker 1: they do not have serious medical side effects. What year 92 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: was that that would have been? Like, I mean, I 93 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: don't want to give him like it's it's it's terrible, 94 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,119 Speaker 1: but it is only four years in before the whole 95 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: crisis is out of control. It is, but it's also why, 96 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: as one sales rep later total reporter quote, we were 97 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: directed to lie. Why when mens words about it. Greed 98 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: took hold and overruled everything. They saw that potential for 99 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:07,720 Speaker 1: billions of dollars and just went after it. Sean Thatcher 100 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 1: was a produced sales up from two thousand nine to 101 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: two thousand and fifteen. He went into more detail on 102 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: this when he was deposed in court. Quote. High decile 103 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:17,840 Speaker 1: prescribers were those who prescribed more produced drugs, or because 104 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: of their prescribing of other opioids, were potentially high prescribers. 105 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: They were priority targets for the sales team. Salesmen and 106 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 1: women were paid lavish bonuses for increasing OxyContin sales in 107 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: their territories, and two thousand one annual bonuses for sales 108 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: averaged seventy one thousand, five hundred dollars. Produce paid more 109 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,480 Speaker 1: than forty million dollars that year to salesmen who managed 110 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: to convince doctors to prescribe more oxycontent. From n to 111 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: two thousand, Perdue increased its physician call list from between 112 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: thirty three and forty five thousand to between seventy and 113 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: ninety four thousand doctors. So they're just selling this ship 114 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: to doctors as hard as they can. Those people need 115 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: a degree and have to know anything about the sales 116 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 1: people under no circumstances. Why would why would they need 117 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: to know any amounts? Probably the less the better, Yeah, 118 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:03,600 Speaker 1: the less the better, the better you get it. You 119 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 1: don't have any bullshit in your head about helping people 120 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: about doing no harm. Haven't had to sign that hippocratic oath, 121 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:15,679 Speaker 1: because that's the hippocratic oath. You don't want anybody who's 122 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: who knows what that is selling pills for you. Now, 123 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: one method that Perdue had to convince doctors to be 124 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,880 Speaker 1: frequent prescribers was their coupon program. They would give doctors free, 125 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: limited time prescription coupons for their patients who are first 126 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: time users. These coupons were generally good for a seven 127 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 1: to thirty day supply of boxy content. Now, if your 128 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: school was anything like mine, you remember teachers worridly telling 129 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: you that drug dealers would regularly give out free pot 130 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: or heroin or whatever. Never never once. I mean that, 131 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: That's what I was told, is like, yeah, they'll give 132 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: you free stuff to get you addicted and then they 133 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: start charging you. I've never seen a drug dealer give 134 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 1: away free drugs like that, Not once have I ever 135 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 1: been like head to somebody, be like, here's some free heroin. Man, 136 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:55,920 Speaker 1: you come back to me if you like it like that. Yeah, 137 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,720 Speaker 1: But at the same time they were probably teaching people 138 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: that would grow up to be sales exactly because that's 139 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: that that's that's that's where it actually was done. The business. Yeah, 140 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: that's Perdue actually did the thing that, like we joke 141 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: about our teachers telling us drug dealers did that. They 142 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: obviously didn't. It's fucking nuts. The company gave out more 143 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: than thirty four thousand coupons by the time they ended 144 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: the program in two thousand one. At that point, OxyContin 145 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: did not need any more help. Spreading doctors were also 146 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: bribed with lamer gifts, OxyContin, fishing hats, stuffed animals, and 147 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: CDs with titles like Get in the Swing with Walk 148 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 1: with Oxyconton, guessing it was swing music. Probably, how embarrassing 149 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 1: would it be for like you to be out with 150 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 1: your family with your dad wearing an oxycotton hat, like 151 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: going on the family road trip and popping in an 152 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: Oxyconton SKA album Real Addicted Fish Uh figure mighty mighty Addicts. 153 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: I don't know. I can't figure that. Mighty mighty bosstons one, 154 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: we'll work shop it. According to the d e A, 155 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: no one had ever done this before with a schedule 156 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: to opioid. Perhaps there is a reason for that. Produce 157 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: sales people were also heavily targeted primary care doctors, but 158 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: two three, almost half of the doctors prescribing oxycontent were 159 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: primary care physicians. The National Institutes of Health explains why 160 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: this was an issue quote, some experts were concerned that 161 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: primary care physicians were not sufficiently trained in pain management 162 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: or addiction issues. Primary care physicians, particularly in a managed 163 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: care environment of time constraints, also had the least amount 164 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: of time for evaluation and follow up of patients with 165 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: complicated chronic pain, so they specifically targeted the kinds of 166 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: doctors who didn't have training and prescribing opiates and weren't 167 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: likely to check back in with patients to make sure 168 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: that they hadn't developed a problem. As a result, primary 169 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: care doctors kept prescribing and people kept getting addicted. Good 170 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 1: strategy for producing go to the dummy doctors. Go to 171 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: the doctors who don't know what or who you know, 172 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:45,440 Speaker 1: like that's just not what they're supposed to do. Like before, 173 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:47,679 Speaker 1: produced primary care physicians weren't handing out a lot of 174 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: opiate prescriptions. Now I'm not a I don't know a 175 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: lot about doctors, but isn't a primary care physician the 176 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:56,560 Speaker 1: doctor you go to most regularly unless something is yeah, 177 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:58,920 Speaker 1: unless something exactly, and you used to only get something 178 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 1: like oxycontent if some it was really wrong. Wouldn't you 179 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,080 Speaker 1: think that those doctors would have some more investment in 180 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,680 Speaker 1: a person that they hopefully know, like you're returning to 181 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: this person, they're going to have to see this person 182 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: deteriorate over time. I don't know that you are, because 183 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:14,079 Speaker 1: I think a lot of people don't have I think 184 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: a lot of these are like doctors at clinics and stuff, 185 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: so you don't have You know, if you don't have healthcare, 186 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,839 Speaker 1: you're probably not going on a super regular basis, or 187 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: even if you do, Like I since I was a kid, 188 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: was the last time I don't want to say the 189 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: last time I've been to the doctor, but it's been 190 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: more than ten years. Yeah, I have. I have texted 191 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: some fans who were doctors questions in the past, and 192 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: that's like my health care plan. I've always thought primary 193 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:37,840 Speaker 1: care was like, oh, that's your doctor, Like go find 194 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: what doctor you want. You go back to that Primarcare doctor. 195 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:42,680 Speaker 1: I think that's what it is for some people, but 196 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: I think for a lot of people, it's just like 197 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: the doctor at the dock in the box clinic, and 198 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: you know, they see you if you've got a problem, 199 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 1: and they're not going to check back in because it's 200 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 1: not their job. Before Purdue, most opioids were prescribed on 201 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: a long term basis were used for what's called malignant pain, 202 00:09:57,600 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 1: which is essentially like what cancer patients are going through, 203 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,079 Speaker 1: pain that as the result of a deadly and ongoing illness. 204 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: Perdu aggressively pursued the idea that opiate should be for 205 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: any kind of pain, especially chronic pain. By the non 206 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 1: cancer pain related market had grown to be eight six 207 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: percent of the opioid market. Produce company training emphasized to 208 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,079 Speaker 1: sales people at the risk of addiction with oxycont was 209 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,200 Speaker 1: less than one percent. This was based on two large 210 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,440 Speaker 1: studies that found addiction to opioids was not common with 211 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,319 Speaker 1: people who have prescribed them after serious injuries like a burn. 212 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: None of the research produced based their less than one 213 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 1: percent stat on was done on people who were actually 214 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: given opioids for chronic pain. We know now that the 215 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: rate can be as high as fifty. So yeah, they 216 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 1: made the claim that like it it's not addictive based 217 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: on like someone would come in with like a serious 218 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 1: injury and they'd get like, okay, well, we'll give you 219 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: a month or two of oxy to deal with this. 220 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: Most of those people didn't get addicted, so they were like, see, 221 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 1: it's not addictive, but if you're given it for chronic pain, 222 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:52,040 Speaker 1: it's incredibly easy to get addicted. But they weren't correct 223 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:55,320 Speaker 1: me if I'm wrong, because you're saying people get addicted 224 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 1: to Depending on the types of chronic pain, the rate 225 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:00,720 Speaker 1: of addiction can be as high as fifty I would 226 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: expect that maybe addiction to the point of abuse and 227 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 1: throwing your life away. But wouldn't anybody like physically simply 228 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,319 Speaker 1: become addicted because a chemical your doesn't your body assimilate 229 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:13,200 Speaker 1: to any chemical it puts in there, Like, it's not 230 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 1: necessarily So addiction is pretty complicated and a lot of 231 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: it has to do with the circumstances of your life. Um, 232 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 1: So generally, like you're less likely to get addicted if 233 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,839 Speaker 1: you're like reasonably happy, if you're okay with like your situation. 234 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,320 Speaker 1: So like an injury like a burn or something that 235 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 1: hurts for a little while, you might just use the 236 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: pain killers until the pain stops and you're unless Like, 237 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:35,439 Speaker 1: but if you're in a chronic pain situation, because like 238 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: depression is so common with chronic pain, like, those people 239 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,120 Speaker 1: are more likely to have other stuff that like it 240 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 1: makes them more vulnerable to to to being addicted to 241 00:11:44,679 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: because a lot of it is social, Like a lot 242 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 1: of it has to do with what's going on in 243 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: your life. It's why the rates of addiction out in 244 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,040 Speaker 1: the country where there's not much going on is so 245 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:54,079 Speaker 1: much higher. It's the same reason why the rate of 246 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:57,079 Speaker 1: alcoholism and like Alaska is through the roof is because, 247 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 1: like there's a lot of isolated people who don't have 248 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:01,080 Speaker 1: much else to do. So I think it probably has 249 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 1: a lot to do with that. I just thought that 250 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,319 Speaker 1: no matter what, if you took some drug to get 251 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: rid of pain, and you took it for a long 252 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,960 Speaker 1: period of time, your body assimilates to having that drug 253 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: to not have pain. So is that not in itself? 254 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: It is, But these people, like the studies where they 255 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:17,440 Speaker 1: said it wasn't addictive were based on people who just 256 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 1: were taking for a short time. You have a burn, 257 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 1: You're not taking it for months for a burn usually, 258 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,080 Speaker 1: or even like a broken you know, bone or something like. 259 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: It's it's just to get you through the worst part 260 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: of it and then you stop. Then I was drawing 261 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 1: around conclusion for some reason. I thought we were talking 262 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: about the chronic pain. No, no, no, chronic pain. It's 263 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: super easy to get addicted to pain killers if they 264 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: prescribed for chronic pain. Sean Thatcher that sales were up 265 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: I quoted earlier, also alleged that he and his fellow 266 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: sales people were urged to use the term pseudo addiction 267 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: rather than addiction when talking about the risk of people 268 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: getting addicted to oxy content, or to make it seem 269 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 1: less love of problem. By the early two thousands, it 270 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: was clear that these strategies worked, so Produce kicked it 271 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: in a high gear. They bribed every single level of 272 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,079 Speaker 1: the distribution chain, and they did it legally. In addition 273 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: to the free drug coupons for users, Produce gave wholesalers 274 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,040 Speaker 1: rebates for keeping oxy content off their prior authorization lists. 275 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,800 Speaker 1: These are lists healthcare companies keep of drugs and medical 276 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,600 Speaker 1: devices that require extra approval before dispensation. Pretty also bribed 277 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 1: pharmacists by giving them free refunds for their first orders. 278 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:14,840 Speaker 1: Medical researchers got grants, presumably to keep showing that oxycontent 279 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,240 Speaker 1: wasn't addictive. Pretty also spent millions advertising in medical journals. 280 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:21,079 Speaker 1: And here's one example you can see. Should I describe 281 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 1: the So it's a picture walking upstairs, take the next 282 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 1: step in pain relief? Well, that makes sense. The person 283 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 1: is going up the stairs. Oxy cotton of some letters 284 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: that I don't associate with anything, and rapid onset of 285 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:38,679 Speaker 1: I don't know that word for six months. One to 286 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: start and stay with, easy to dose, easy to tyrate, 287 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,040 Speaker 1: tight trate. Yeah, I know that word, tight trade. I 288 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:48,079 Speaker 1: use it all the time. I was just tight trading. Uh. 289 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 1: To see this clearly, I had to hold it further 290 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 1: away from my face. So one to start and stay 291 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 1: with it sounds like start once you pop, you just 292 00:13:56,679 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: can't stop. Yeah it is. There's kind of a little 293 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:02,560 Speaker 1: bit of like sinister in there, like one to start 294 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: and stay with, Yeah, take the next step in pain. 295 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 1: The intentions with this was never for chronic pain, but 296 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:12,719 Speaker 1: that seems like it's targeted to chronic Oh no, that's 297 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:14,440 Speaker 1: what they were trying to sell it for. It just 298 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 1: doesn't work well. For that just doesn't work because it's 299 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 1: going to be addictive. Yeah, it's going to be addictive, 300 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: and it's not going to like deal with the problem 301 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: like that. One of the things that they found particularly 302 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: recently is that it's just a bad idea to give 303 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: people opiates for chronic pain, like therefore acute pain and 304 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: therefore people who are dealing with like malignant pain. And 305 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: we're not going to solve all the problems today, But 306 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 1: what is the better option for chronic pain? I mean 307 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 1: usually a combination of like physical therapy. There are some 308 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:41,440 Speaker 1: lighter sort of pain killers that can help a lot 309 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 1: of people do find relief with stuff like marijuana. Um, 310 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: but like if you're some of it is like just 311 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: dealing with a higher level of pain, which it had 312 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: to deal with pain. But it's better than a life 313 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 1: of being addicted exactly. It's it's a better and healthier 314 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 1: than that. And like you can have you know, sometimes 315 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: you use medication for help sleeping and stuff, but like 316 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: prescribing someone see content because they've got chronic back pain, 317 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: it just gets a lot of people killed. Yeah, and 318 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:07,840 Speaker 1: it stops them from from healing in some cases, because 319 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:10,480 Speaker 1: some of these things people can get better from, but 320 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: like then they just instead just do a lot of oxy. 321 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: So Perdue and the Sackler family also made certain to 322 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: donate piles and piles of cash to senators and congress 323 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: people and important committees. The company itself was fairly bipartisan, 324 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 1: but Richard Sackler preferred to donate to Republicans. We'll talk 325 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: a little bit more about his donations later. So the 326 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 1: bribery or legally distinct from bribery, occurred on every possible level, 327 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 1: but Perdue lavished most of its attention on doctors. Here's 328 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: Esquire again quote. We used to fly doctors to these seminar, 329 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: said Sherman, which were in practice just golf trips to 330 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 1: pebll Beach. It was graft. Though offering perks and freebes 331 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:43,840 Speaker 1: to doctors was hardly uncommon in the industry, it was 332 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: unprecedented in the marketing of a schedule to a narcotic. 333 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 1: For some physicians, the junkets to sunny locales weren't enough 334 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: to persuade them to prescribe. To entice the holdouts, a 335 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 1: group the company referred to internally as problem doctors. The 336 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: reps would dangle the lure of produced lucrative speakers bureau. 337 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: Everyone was automatically approved, said Sherman. And we would set 338 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: up these little dinners and they'd make their fifteen minute 339 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 1: talk and they get five dollars. That's not bribery, because reasons, 340 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: because reasons, because reasons. It sounds like they're giving a speech. 341 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: It's not bribery. But the loophole is, yeah, the speech 342 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: just doing some sort of work exactly, it's it's yeah, 343 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: it's super shady um speaking of things that are shaped. No, 344 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: that's not a good way to pivot into the ad, Sophie, 345 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 1: I'm tail spending here. What do we what do we? 346 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: We gotta we gotta, we gotta put some daylight in 347 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: between that. Whenever I need to be saved, I do 348 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 1: commercial work. I'm a commercial actor. Oh yeah, well, could 349 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 1: you do a commercial for something on this table? Maybe 350 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: you're gonna be surprised how well I can change my voice. 351 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 1: Maybe these halls triple soothing action meant uh yeah, sure, yeah, 352 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: halls sometimes just the name. I'm ready to buy some halls, Sophie. 353 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 1: Can we order a thousand of these? You at the listener, 354 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: order a thousand halls, and also order a thousand of 355 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:04,800 Speaker 1: whatever products are advertised, unless it's again oxycontent, which I 356 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 1: hope is not being advertised on this podcast, although if 357 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:11,400 Speaker 1: if they do, I want some free oxy, Sophie, can 358 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:14,800 Speaker 1: we can we set that up. We can't set that up. 359 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: That would be a huge conflict of entrance products. We're back. 360 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:27,639 Speaker 1: Oh boy, those were great products. I threw my money 361 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: at the microphone, but nothing came out. And I know 362 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 1: I know you did. You did you have to throw 363 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 1: your money harder? Well, it's quarters. I figured i'd have 364 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,639 Speaker 1: to throw it hard. I recommend everyone throw their money 365 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 1: at whatever is nearest to them. Uh it will. I'm 366 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 1: very hungover. Um, let's just let's just talk more about 367 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:48,120 Speaker 1: the fucking sack all right? Uh? Perdu when the sackler's 368 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,880 Speaker 1: face no consequences for any of their mouthfeasance until two 369 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: thousand seven, when the State of Virginia suthed their asses 370 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:57,119 Speaker 1: from miss branding oxycontent in legallys miss Branding is a 371 00:17:57,160 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 1: wide term that includes outright lying about a medication, straight 372 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:04,120 Speaker 1: and addictiveness. Three company executives pled guilty to misleading regulators 373 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,720 Speaker 1: in a public statement. Produce said this quote. Nearly six 374 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:10,199 Speaker 1: years and longer ago, some employees made or told other 375 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 1: employees to make certain statements about oxycontent to some healthcare 376 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: professionals that were inconsistent with the FDA approved prescribing information 377 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: for oxycontent and the express warnings that contained about risks 378 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:23,439 Speaker 1: associated with the medicine. The statements also violated written company 379 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: policies requiring adherence to the prescribing information. We accept responsibility 380 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: for those past misstatements and regret that they were made. 381 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:32,679 Speaker 1: It sounds pretty good. Oh yeah, of course if they 382 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:36,280 Speaker 1: were they regretted they yeah, and they accept responsibility. So 383 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:38,400 Speaker 1: I'm sure that there's going to be paying back and 384 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: covering medical bills, right, I mean there there was actually 385 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:44,360 Speaker 1: some of that. We'll get into what kind of payback 386 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:46,359 Speaker 1: they had to give. The Sacklers were not forced to 387 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: take responsibility, however, so this is I guess I understood that. No, 388 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:53,320 Speaker 1: this is just per due, and in fact they explicitly 389 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 1: None of the Sacklers were were implicated, especially not Richard Sackler, 390 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 1: former CEO of the company and co chairman of the board. Now, 391 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:04,479 Speaker 1: according to propublic a quote Freedman, who by then had 392 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: risen to chief executive officer, was one of three Predue 393 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,240 Speaker 1: executives who pled guilty to a misdemeanor of miss branding 394 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: oxy content. No members of the Sackler family were charged 395 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 1: or named as part of the plea agreement. The Massachusetts 396 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,199 Speaker 1: lawsuit alleges that Sackler controlled Purdue board voted that the 397 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 1: three executives but no family members, should plead guilty as individuals. 398 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,560 Speaker 1: After the case concluded, the Sacklers were concerned about maintaining 399 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 1: the allegiance of freedmen and the other executives, According to 400 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:29,320 Speaker 1: the Massachusetts lawsuit, to protect the family, Produce paid the 401 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 1: two executives at least eight million dollars. At that lawsuit alleges, 402 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: so they did the mom thing. They had three of 403 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: their three of their made men go to like I mean, 404 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: they didn't actually go to jail, but like they got 405 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:42,959 Speaker 1: like two or a half years probation and they got 406 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: community service. So they had three of their guys who 407 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,239 Speaker 1: weren't members of the family give themselves up and then 408 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:50,960 Speaker 1: they bribed them millions of dollars. And in theory, there's 409 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 1: two things I want to mention. First of all, when 410 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 1: you call it miss branding. It sounds like you're describing fraud. 411 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 1: I don't understand the difference. I think the difference is 412 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: that their lawyers preferred the term. I think miss branding 413 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: is like the legal honestly, I want to Fraud's much 414 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:12,120 Speaker 1: nicer than miss branding. Asked me. Second question would be, um, 415 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:13,879 Speaker 1: I don't remember, so I guess we'll just leave it 416 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 1: a it's it's it's it's frustrating. Documents revealed that during 417 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,360 Speaker 1: the trial showed that that's what it was. So they 418 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,560 Speaker 1: sent their employees to go to jail, right, well, they 419 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:28,199 Speaker 1: didn't go to jail, but sent that they That is 420 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 1: that not the way that shell companies do work. It's 421 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:35,160 Speaker 1: the way work work. Yeah, it is exactly what happens. 422 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: You're and then you just open up a new company 423 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:39,080 Speaker 1: or you have new people that start taking charge of 424 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:41,159 Speaker 1: these things, and it's really shady because like one of 425 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: the things they said is that, well, no, Sackler was 426 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,399 Speaker 1: had a direct position at the company since two thousand 427 00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 1: and three I think it was, and that's or like 428 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:50,959 Speaker 1: that's when um or after two seven and like basically 429 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 1: Richard Sackler ran the company until they got into legal trouble. 430 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,119 Speaker 1: And then they promoted this guy Freedman to CEO, and 431 00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:58,679 Speaker 1: Richard stepped back and was just on the board. But 432 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:02,479 Speaker 1: the majority of Pretty board has always been Sackler family members. 433 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: Even though they were claiming so they could say that, like, well, 434 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:06,800 Speaker 1: none of them work for the company. What's because they're 435 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 1: running it and getting all of the profits from the company. Yeah, 436 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 1: it's very, very shady. It's structured like a criminal enterprise, 437 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:15,919 Speaker 1: but is legally distinct from one because they have more 438 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:19,400 Speaker 1: lawyers than mafia dons. Yeah, which is hard to do too, 439 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:21,560 Speaker 1: which is that they because mafiadans do have a lot 440 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:24,800 Speaker 1: of layers. Yeah. In two thousand sixteen, fifty three thousand 441 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:30,800 Speaker 1: Americans died from opioid overdosesdifty three thousand. For comparison, only 442 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: thirty five thousand Americans died from gun violence. For more comparison, 443 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,199 Speaker 1: that is roughly the same number of Americans dying in 444 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:39,440 Speaker 1: one year has died throughout the duration of the war 445 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 1: in Vietnam. Yeah, two thousand and sixteen, Just two thousand 446 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 1: and sixteen. Chris Christie had of the Commission on Combating 447 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:49,440 Speaker 1: Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, recently noted that opiates 448 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:52,400 Speaker 1: kill roughly one hundred and forty two Americans per day, 449 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,600 Speaker 1: which he noted was a September eleven every three weeks. 450 00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:58,840 Speaker 1: Not only a Chris Christie guy, but that's a good comparison. 451 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 1: It's very rare that I'm a In fact, I refused 452 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,760 Speaker 1: to be Chris Christi guy, even now he did happen 453 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:06,160 Speaker 1: to accident. He made one good point. One good point. 454 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:07,720 Speaker 1: He made one good point. And that's a good point. 455 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,560 Speaker 1: Since than two hundred thousand Americans are believed to have 456 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:14,960 Speaker 1: died from overdosing on prescription pain medication, that is roughly 457 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: half of the number of Americans who died fighting in 458 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:20,239 Speaker 1: the Second World War. Yeah, as part of that two 459 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: thousand seven plea agreement, Predue Pharmaceuticals was forced to pay 460 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: more than six hundred million dollars in fines, which is 461 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:27,920 Speaker 1: simultaneously one of the largest such fines ever leveled on 462 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,200 Speaker 1: a company and a slap on the wrist. You want 463 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 1: to guess what produced total profits for boxy content are, 464 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:36,560 Speaker 1: I was just gonna say it's gotta be over multiple billions, right, 465 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:38,919 Speaker 1: multiple billions is one way to put it. It's at 466 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:43,680 Speaker 1: least thirty five billion dollars. Six hundred million dollars doesn't 467 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:45,879 Speaker 1: sound like much of a fine, does not. It's a 468 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,200 Speaker 1: drop in a bucket. It's a drop in a bucket. 469 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,200 Speaker 1: No members of the Sackler family admitted to do any wrongdoing, 470 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 1: but they in the company's board were all forced to 471 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,200 Speaker 1: pinky swear that the company would not break the law again. 472 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: So that's something, right, you know, I feel like we 473 00:22:57,840 --> 00:22:59,640 Speaker 1: can trust. Well, it depends on whether or not they're 474 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,120 Speaker 1: couldn't not break the law. Well, let's read the next 475 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:05,720 Speaker 1: It's a good start. The plea agreement also included a 476 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 1: non prosecution agreement similar to the one Jeffrey Epstein signed. 477 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,639 Speaker 1: It basically made the Sacklers and company executives immune to 478 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 1: any new criminal litigation based on activity that occurred before 479 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 1: two thousand seven. Since none of the Sacklers have been 480 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:19,720 Speaker 1: executives at produced since that point, it's likely they're pretty 481 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,879 Speaker 1: safe from the possible consequences for their crimes. That was 482 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: the plan. That's absolute. It's really frustrating, right, really pisses 483 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: you off. Yeah, speaking of their crimes, the Sackler family 484 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,359 Speaker 1: has done extraordinarily well off of oxy content. Before the 485 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: drug they were just multimillionaires now, their families worth in 486 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:42,080 Speaker 1: estimated fourteen billion dollars, perhaps much much more. Forbes put 487 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:44,400 Speaker 1: them on its list of America's richest families in two 488 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 1: thousand fifteen, a sign of how quickly they rose with 489 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:49,920 Speaker 1: the help of America's deadly at drug. We have mostly 490 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: focused on Richard Sackler in this episode, and he is 491 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:54,880 Speaker 1: the man morally most culpable, but Sackler family members made 492 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,359 Speaker 1: up the majority of Produce Pharmaceuticals Board for the entirety 493 00:23:57,359 --> 00:23:59,959 Speaker 1: of the time. We've discussed the Sacklers as a family 494 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 1: run the company, and they are notoriously tight lipped about 495 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: the source of their wealth. During his eleven hour deposition 496 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,240 Speaker 1: in Kentucky in two thousand seventeen, Richard Sackler said quote, 497 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:12,240 Speaker 1: I don't know. More than a hundred times he failed 498 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:14,720 Speaker 1: to recall exactly how much money his family had netted 499 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:16,760 Speaker 1: from the drug. He confirmed it was more than a billion, 500 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:18,919 Speaker 1: and said I don't think so when asked if it 501 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 1: was more than ten billion. While the Sacklers got unspeakably 502 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:24,640 Speaker 1: rich off oxy content, the United States as a nation 503 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: has suffered greatly. According to the American Public Health Association 504 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: in two thousand thirteen, the economic impact of opioid use 505 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 1: totaled around eighty billion dollars, and that was in two 506 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,919 Speaker 1: thousand thirteen, before the opiate crisis hit its peak. A 507 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 1: two thousand nineteen paper by Princeton economist Alan Krueger suggests 508 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 1: that opioid addiction is responsible for fully twenty of the 509 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:47,240 Speaker 1: decline in labor force participation from two thousand and fifteen. 510 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:49,679 Speaker 1: It is unlikely that the full extent of the damage 511 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,600 Speaker 1: caused by the sacklers and produce pharmaceutical will ever be known. 512 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:58,040 Speaker 1: Cool did they create the hunger for a world of fentanyl? Yeah? 513 00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 1: Oh I don't. I don't see a world with fentanyl. 514 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:03,560 Speaker 1: It wasn't for them, it would exist, putting down the 515 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:07,119 Speaker 1: red carpet of the oxycont mm hmm. I think if 516 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,320 Speaker 1: if oxyconton hadn't existed, our problems with fentonyl would be 517 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: veterans who got injured in the field and prescribed fentyl 518 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 1: maybe continue, like with Vietnam and morphine and stuff like. 519 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:17,480 Speaker 1: I think that would have still been a problem because 520 00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:18,879 Speaker 1: it's like, you know, you you lose a leg to 521 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:20,800 Speaker 1: a car bomb or whatever, and they give you a 522 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:22,800 Speaker 1: fentnyl lollipop and they shoot you full of it for 523 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: weeks and then you come home and you're addicted. But 524 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 1: I don't think the whole towns would be being wiped 525 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,520 Speaker 1: out in the in the Midwest, in the Northeast, and 526 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: the rural America would be suffering the way it is. 527 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:36,679 Speaker 1: I think that's all on I think the hunger for 528 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,639 Speaker 1: fentanyl in the US consumes something like nine of the 529 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:44,399 Speaker 1: world's pain killers. Like we're not of the world, Like 530 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:50,520 Speaker 1: there's not of the world's pain Yeah, yeah, Like it's incredible. Um, 531 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:53,520 Speaker 1: it's it's just incredible. Near the end of the deposition, 532 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: a lawyer for the state of Kentucky asked Richard Zackley, this, 533 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 1: sitting here today, after all you've come to learn as 534 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: a witness, do you believe that produced conduct and market 535 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,760 Speaker 1: and promoting OxyContin in Kentucky caused any of the prescription 536 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,639 Speaker 1: A drug addiction problems now plaguing the commonwealth. Sackler's response was, 537 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 1: I don't believe so. Shockingly, there's still more to say, 538 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:12,719 Speaker 1: because in two thousand nineteen, a bunch of information from 539 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: several depositions was finally released onto the public record after 540 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:17,800 Speaker 1: a year's long fight by Purdue to keep it hidden. 541 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:20,920 Speaker 1: Among other things, this information revealed that co chairman Richard 542 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: Sackler continue to have a major role in pushing oxycontent 543 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 1: sales after two thousand seven. According to stat News quote, 544 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 1: in two thousand eleven, he decided to shadow sales reps 545 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: for a week to make sure his orders were followed. 546 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:34,680 Speaker 1: The complaint states Wressell Ghastia, then the company's vice president 547 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 1: of sales and marketing, who was also a defendant in 548 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 1: the Massachusetts lawsuit, went to produce chief compliance officer to 549 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:41,600 Speaker 1: warn that if Sackler directly promoted opioids, it was a 550 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 1: potential compliance risk l o L. The compliance officer replied, 551 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,119 Speaker 1: according to the complaint, other staff raised concerns, but they 552 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 1: ultimately said that Richard needs to be mom and anonymous 553 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,360 Speaker 1: when he went to the field. So Richard was going 554 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,159 Speaker 1: into the field following sales reps around to find make 555 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: sure they were pushing OxyContin enough. In two thousand eleven, 556 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 1: four years after the law suit, four years after the loss, 557 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: four years after his company was sued for sake, he 558 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: just kept on pushing that he was brave. He was 559 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,480 Speaker 1: as addicted to the money as America was to oxy. 560 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:12,359 Speaker 1: I'd like to see him have to take some I 561 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,360 Speaker 1: don't know, crocodile tears and then take it away from him. Yeah, yeah, 562 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,439 Speaker 1: i'd like I think anything with people like this, you 563 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:19,880 Speaker 1: should just take away all their money and make them 564 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,640 Speaker 1: live like normal people in an apartment. We'll also get predicted, 565 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,200 Speaker 1: and I wouldn't wish that in anybody, But I feel 566 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:29,199 Speaker 1: like you reap what you so I feel like in 567 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 1: this case, yeah, forced addiction to an opiate might be 568 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:34,160 Speaker 1: might be fair for Richard Sackler give a little taste 569 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: of his own medicine. Literally, speaking of tasting your own medicine, 570 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: I've been eating halls again. I don't know if you 571 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,680 Speaker 1: can smell it all the way over there. It's my favorite. 572 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,440 Speaker 1: It sounds triple soothing. What if I was to tell 573 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:49,920 Speaker 1: you I had a dollar seventy five for a bus 574 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: ride to Venice speech and I could give you five 575 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:56,280 Speaker 1: dollars to give speeches if you sold thousands of halls. 576 00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,159 Speaker 1: Thousands of halls you mean you mean sell them to 577 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 1: my readers, tell them about the mental costs of pressent oral. 578 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: I don't care who you give these halls too, But 579 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 1: if you can get rid of a bunch of them. 580 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:10,600 Speaker 1: I got a crate of halls free trip to Venice 581 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 1: on a bus, on a bus, buy some halls. Uh, 582 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: And you're not as good at commercial I'm not. I'm not. 583 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:21,200 Speaker 1: I would not be able to eat if this were 584 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 1: my job. Products, We're back, Sophie. Sophie approves of that. 585 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 1: And two thousand nine and produced sales manager wrote a 586 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:36,639 Speaker 1: warning letter to a company executive stating that he had 587 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: found perdue employees were pushing opioids on an illegal pill mill. 588 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:42,440 Speaker 1: He asked, I feel very certain this is an organized 589 00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 1: drug rain. Shouldn't the d A be contacted about this? 590 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 1: Produce took no action for two years? Why would they? 591 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 1: So far rampant dishonesty had netted them tens of billions 592 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:53,920 Speaker 1: of dollars in profits and one tiny fine. Now I 593 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,080 Speaker 1: feel like we should probably end by talking just a 594 00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: bit about how the Sackler family decided to spend their 595 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: vast wealth have donated much of it to museums like 596 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: the Googgenheim and the Tate and the Louver in the 597 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: Middle Oughts. Before any of this was public knowledge. Their 598 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:10,640 Speaker 1: generosity granted the Sackers a reputation as himlinded philanthropists, but 599 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,640 Speaker 1: they did not only donate to museums. I'd like to 600 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:16,479 Speaker 1: quote from sledge Now, a website that specializes in revealing 601 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,120 Speaker 1: gross donations made to shady organizations by terrible people. Quote. 602 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: From two thousand fourteen to sixteen, the Richard and Beth 603 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,120 Speaker 1: Sackler Foundation donated seven seven hundred dollars to the Middle 604 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 1: East Forum in addition to a hundred and fifty and 605 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 1: two thousand nine. Middle East Forum is at the center 606 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:34,000 Speaker 1: of an Islamophobia network. According to the Center for American Progress, 607 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 1: the Forum promotes American interests in the Middle East and 608 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: protects Western values from Middle Eastern threats and protects the 609 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: freedoms of anti Islamist authors. According to its website, the 610 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:46,960 Speaker 1: Middle Eastern Forum funded anti Muslim rallies in London and UH, 611 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,680 Speaker 1: including some rallies for a guy named Tommy Robinson who 612 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:53,800 Speaker 1: was essentially a Nazi like like literal Nazi Tommy Robinson. 613 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 1: The Middle East Forum funded him to do rallies and 614 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: live and stuff and continue being a Nazi UH and 615 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:04,360 Speaker 1: they got a lot of money from the Sackler family. UM. 616 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: The founder of the Middle East Form, Daniel Pipes, gave 617 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:08,720 Speaker 1: a speech in two thousand seventeen in which he said, quote, 618 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: Muslim imigrants want to replace existing European civilization with Islam. 619 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: You may recognize this sentiment is essentially the same thing 620 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: that the christ Church shooter wrote out in a seventy 621 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: three page manifesto before murdering fifty people in a mosque. Again, 622 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:24,920 Speaker 1: Daniel Pipes received money from Richard and Beth Sackler. The 623 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: Sacklers also gave money to Stephen Emerson, founder of the 624 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:30,280 Speaker 1: Investigative Project on Terrorism and That Role. Emerson has claimed 625 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 1: that Islam quote sanctions genocide, planned genocide as part of 626 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:36,520 Speaker 1: its religious doctrine. He has submitted faked FBI documents to 627 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 1: news outlets in order to claim that American Muslim organizations 628 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 1: are actually terrorist groups. Two fifteen, the Richard and Beth 629 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: Sackler Foundation gave fifteen thousand dollars to an Islamophobic group 630 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: called Ghadwatch. That same year, they also gave eleven thousand, 631 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:51,560 Speaker 1: five hundred to the American Defense Initiative formerly known as 632 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:55,080 Speaker 1: Stop is Islamization of America. These are just public donations. 633 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:57,480 Speaker 1: Hate groups tend received most of their funding from donor 634 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 1: advised funds. Which are public charities that basically dontle money 635 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:02,920 Speaker 1: from anonymous rich people into groups that they don't want 636 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 1: people to know they're donating to. So we know on 637 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:07,640 Speaker 1: paper that the Sacklers have donated tens of thousands of 638 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: dollars to hate and hate adjacent groups. The real number 639 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: of their donations may be much higher, and in fact 640 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 1: probably is. What's terrible is they're putting all this money 641 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:21,480 Speaker 1: to hate groups and anti Muslim groups. But when you 642 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:23,120 Speaker 1: look at it, and I'm not an expert, I don't 643 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: know the numbers, but I'd bet money right here, right 644 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,440 Speaker 1: now that more people have died from oxyconton than terror. 645 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I mean more people die from OxyContin in 646 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 1: a day than have died from More Americans die from 647 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:36,680 Speaker 1: OxyContin in a day than have been killed by all 648 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:39,000 Speaker 1: of ices, and more total people have been killed by 649 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 1: oxycontent than ISIS has killed, even in Iraq and Syria. Um, 650 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,080 Speaker 1: not that they haven't killed a lot of people, but 651 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: like sucking, oxyconton is killed way more like it's a lot. 652 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:50,480 Speaker 1: To me, I'm not afraid of terrorism because it's not 653 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: it's terrorized. It's a pretty niche risk. Whereas I know 654 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 1: people who have had horrible pill problems. I am so 655 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 1: afraid for my nieces and nephew y. I don't think 656 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:01,360 Speaker 1: they would have for do it, but that's what I'm 657 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:04,280 Speaker 1: afraid of. It that strikes fear into me. More of 658 00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:08,520 Speaker 1: a threat, yeah, way more of a threat. Yeah. Oh. 659 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:10,320 Speaker 1: I should also note that the Richard and Best Sackler 660 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:13,320 Speaker 1: Foundation donated money to True the Vote in two thousand sixteen. 661 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:15,640 Speaker 1: That is the voter fraud rotchdog that was the source 662 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 1: of Donald Trump's claim that three million illegal immigrants voted 663 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:19,840 Speaker 1: in the two thousand and sixteen elections. So they gave 664 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 1: money to those guys too. Now, the good news, and 665 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:24,080 Speaker 1: there is at least a little bit of good news, 666 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 1: is that all of the recent press about the rampant 667 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:28,080 Speaker 1: crimes of Perdue with the direction of the Sackler family, 668 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: has led to a number of their favorite foundations and 669 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 1: museums to stop accepting their donations. Some of this is 670 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: due to a protest at the Goggenheim earlier this year, 671 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:38,840 Speaker 1: activist dumped like a you know, you know that comment 672 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:41,840 Speaker 1: Richard Sackler made about like a blizzard of prescriptions. So 673 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 1: a bunch of activists went to the Guggenheim and dropped 674 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:46,760 Speaker 1: like a literal blizzard of prescription papers and like the 675 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 1: central foyer down like a couple of stairs and stuff, 676 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: and you know, the Guggenheim announced that they would not 677 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:55,880 Speaker 1: be taking any more Sackler money. And the tape, yeah, yeah, 678 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 1: the tape made the same thing. Britain's National Portrait Gallery 679 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:01,560 Speaker 1: canceled reception of a one point three million dollar donation 680 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: from the family. So like, these people are so toxic 681 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:06,760 Speaker 1: that charities are turning down their money now, although probably 682 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:10,240 Speaker 1: not the racist ones, probably not the racist one. Additional 683 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:12,960 Speaker 1: lawsuits have begun to stack up against Perdue Pharmaceuticals, some 684 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:15,800 Speaker 1: targeting the Sacklers themselves for their involvement in company crimes 685 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:19,000 Speaker 1: after two thousand seven. Last March, Perdu and the Sacklers 686 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,080 Speaker 1: agreed to pay two hundred and seventy million dollars to 687 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:23,719 Speaker 1: the state of Oklahoma. Seventy five million dollars of that 688 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 1: will come directly from the Sackler family. The suit in 689 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:29,160 Speaker 1: Massachusetts is still ongoing, and last March another lawsuit was 690 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: filed in the state of New York. This lawsuit also 691 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:33,960 Speaker 1: rests heavily on claims that the Sackler family are personally 692 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:36,240 Speaker 1: to blame for a huge amount of the opiate crisis. 693 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:38,960 Speaker 1: I'm going to quote from NPRS coverage of that now quote. 694 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:41,160 Speaker 1: New York's two hundred and fifty one page suit claims 695 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:43,120 Speaker 1: to offer new details of how the Sacklers serving on 696 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 1: produced board pushed year after year to boost the sale 697 00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:49,040 Speaker 1: and consumption of their powerful opioid medications, reaping huge profits 698 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: even as evidence mounted that the drugs post a deadly risk. 699 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: State officials claim they squeeze the company, funneling billions of 700 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: dollars out of its coffers into a complex network of trusts, subsidiaries, 701 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 1: and private offshore accounts. We allege that the family has 702 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 1: illicitly transferred funds from Purdue to personal trusts so that 703 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:06,960 Speaker 1: they are potentially outside the reach of law enforcement and 704 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:12,839 Speaker 1: our efforts to seek restitution. Oh my unrelated note, as 705 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 1: the airing of this podcast, approximately a hundred and forty 706 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:19,520 Speaker 1: five Americans die every day from opiot overdoses. So that's insane. 707 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,920 Speaker 1: Ticked up a couple since that's sixteen. That's the story, 708 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,160 Speaker 1: so and the one of the there's so many bad 709 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 1: parts of this story, but my one of my concerns 710 00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 1: it seems like there's no consequences to this. It seems 711 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:38,160 Speaker 1: like this is still there's nothing changing. Yeah, so is 712 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:40,839 Speaker 1: that where something it's it's just not fair. The health 713 00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:42,799 Speaker 1: system has to change or else. This is not as 714 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:45,759 Speaker 1: long as there's profit. This might be an like the 715 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:48,440 Speaker 1: worst of it. But as long as there's profit going on, 716 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:51,320 Speaker 1: isn't this what we would expect from our health system? 717 00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:54,680 Speaker 1: I mean, if if, if you are making for profit 718 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:58,279 Speaker 1: pain medication, all you care about is that you don't 719 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:01,160 Speaker 1: care that they're using it for pain. You just cared 720 00:35:01,239 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 1: that they're using it. If you don't take the profit out, 721 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:06,719 Speaker 1: then you can't eliminate that. Yeah, it seems like it 722 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:10,160 Speaker 1: might be an inevitable consequence of the system as it 723 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 1: is set up. And I'm sure everyone else is at 724 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:16,720 Speaker 1: wondering this. I should have asked earlier. When you say perdue, 725 00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:20,720 Speaker 1: you do mean the Chicken company, right? No? Oh my god, 726 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:24,080 Speaker 1: Oh my god. So it's not. Oh my god, I'm 727 00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:26,280 Speaker 1: so sorry. I thought were talking about the Chicken Company 728 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:29,520 Speaker 1: this whole time. No, no, no, I'm kidding. I'm sorry. 729 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:31,920 Speaker 1: You looked at me like you really thought it was serious. 730 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:34,320 Speaker 1: I'm so sorry. And one of the best things I 731 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:37,279 Speaker 1: could do is say the dumbest thing. The only chicken 732 00:35:37,320 --> 00:35:39,160 Speaker 1: company I know is Tyson, because the little town in 733 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:41,719 Speaker 1: Oklahoma where I grew up had a Tyson chicken plant. 734 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:43,799 Speaker 1: So that's that's what I think about. And also the 735 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:45,400 Speaker 1: little town in Oklahoma where I grew up has a 736 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:48,600 Speaker 1: crippling oxy contin problem, killing, killing a lot of people 737 00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:54,520 Speaker 1: in it about good times? Good times? Do you think 738 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:57,600 Speaker 1: that there's a Do you think that we've learned a 739 00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:00,279 Speaker 1: lesson and that with things like fent and all that 740 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:03,799 Speaker 1: are taking over oxycotton, we're going to tighten up the 741 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:06,719 Speaker 1: rules that we have on these abusable drugs. I suspect 742 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:10,080 Speaker 1: we will continue punishing the users rather than punishing problem 743 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:12,120 Speaker 1: people like Richard Sach. I mean, it looks like the 744 00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:16,200 Speaker 1: opioid crisis is such a bipartisan thing. Everybody knows what 745 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:18,360 Speaker 1: a problem it is, and it's like it's it's not 746 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:20,279 Speaker 1: one of those things like climate change that a lot 747 00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:23,560 Speaker 1: of chunks of the country don't believe in. Like everybody 748 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:26,680 Speaker 1: knows it's a thing, and so there might be serious 749 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:29,799 Speaker 1: consequences for the sack attentions on it. Now. I hope 750 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:32,319 Speaker 1: that we use this attention to do something. Yeah, I 751 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:35,080 Speaker 1: hope they all wind up in a cell um. I 752 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:37,160 Speaker 1: I would like that for the Sackler family. I would 753 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:38,640 Speaker 1: like them to lose all their money and be in 754 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:42,920 Speaker 1: a prison cell because they killed two d thousand people. Ish, 755 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:45,839 Speaker 1: what what they did is legally distinct from murder. I'll 756 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,320 Speaker 1: agree to that. But they killed a lot of people 757 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:53,680 Speaker 1: with their greed and corruption. And I mean they're not incompetence, 758 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:57,480 Speaker 1: very competent, very competent scheme to addict America to pain killers, 759 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,640 Speaker 1: but like a trained assassin of the American dream. Yeah, 760 00:37:00,719 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 1: like a trained assassin of the American dream. Like you 761 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:06,879 Speaker 1: hired someone to kill the American heartland and they were 762 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:08,320 Speaker 1: just like, what have we just fled it with pills? 763 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:13,480 Speaker 1: A little bitty white pills worked great, good plan, pretty 764 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:18,879 Speaker 1: pretty cool, pretty cool and good. It's times like these 765 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:21,240 Speaker 1: I wished I believed that there was something to punish 766 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:24,440 Speaker 1: them in the afterlife. That would be nice, That would 767 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:26,880 Speaker 1: be nice. I feel like if there was a bolt 768 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:30,319 Speaker 1: of lightning would have struck Richardson at some point, like 769 00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:33,040 Speaker 1: when he heard that people had died in Massachusetts and 770 00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:35,080 Speaker 1: was like, it could be worse. It could have been, 771 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:41,400 Speaker 1: could have been as bad as it's gonna get. Uh So, Uh, 772 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:44,960 Speaker 1: that's that's the episode, James. You want to plug some 773 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:47,640 Speaker 1: plugables before we push out here? Well, yeah, of course 774 00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:50,560 Speaker 1: I would. Alchemy this comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. 775 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:56,040 Speaker 1: It's improv inspired by the user's mail email. Uh So, 776 00:37:56,080 --> 00:37:58,960 Speaker 1: please check that out and if you can, on May seven, 777 00:37:59,120 --> 00:38:01,680 Speaker 1: at the Dynasty type of the theater in downtown Los Angeles, 778 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:05,000 Speaker 1: we're gonna have a live recording of it at eight pm. 779 00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:09,120 Speaker 1: Means and I will be on Behind the Bastards dot 780 00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:12,440 Speaker 1: com and at Bastard Pod on Instagram and Twitter, although 781 00:38:12,719 --> 00:38:15,120 Speaker 1: Sophie manages both of those because I don't know how 782 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:17,400 Speaker 1: to use Instagram and it scares me. I know Beyonce 783 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:20,680 Speaker 1: is on there, and I don't know how to how 784 00:38:20,680 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: to interact with that. Huh is that who's on your shirt? 785 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:27,560 Speaker 1: I don't know much about Beyonce. I mean, I don't. 786 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:29,200 Speaker 1: I just don't know much about her. I know she's 787 00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:32,280 Speaker 1: on the Graham. I know she's big, a big Grammar. 788 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:35,440 Speaker 1: She's Graham and hardcore, but I don't know how to 789 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:38,560 Speaker 1: use the Graham. I just I just tried to use 790 00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:40,759 Speaker 1: Snapchat for the first time yesterday and it scared me 791 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 1: and I threw my phone in the trash and I 792 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:47,000 Speaker 1: haven't picked those are expensive. I would not throw your 793 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,480 Speaker 1: phone around. I would just uninstall thee that. I don't 794 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,600 Speaker 1: know how to do that. I'm so sorry. Anything I 795 00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:54,400 Speaker 1: know how to do is Twitter, and I do too 796 00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 1: much Twitter. Well, you know how to do a damn 797 00:38:56,239 --> 00:38:58,560 Speaker 1: good podcast or two? I would say, there's a new 798 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:01,120 Speaker 1: one that you've got coming out? That is there, Sophy? 799 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:02,919 Speaker 1: Do we have another podcast? Well, if it's not new, 800 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:04,640 Speaker 1: it's but it's new to me because I haven't heard 801 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 1: it yet, and I'm excited. What what? What is that? 802 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:11,440 Speaker 1: What is the podcast? It could happen here? When I like, 803 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:13,920 Speaker 1: it's a scary thing. But honestly, when we go through 804 00:39:13,960 --> 00:39:16,720 Speaker 1: two hours of talking about oxy cotton and people getting 805 00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:19,280 Speaker 1: away with it, there's a six side of myself that wonders, 806 00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:22,879 Speaker 1: if it happening here might be it won't all be bad. 807 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:25,640 Speaker 1: I think that maybe some people might pay for serious 808 00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:28,160 Speaker 1: consequences for what they've done. Yeah, but I don't want 809 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:30,120 Speaker 1: to say that. I don't want to sound like an anarchist. 810 00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,480 Speaker 1: I'm okay with sounding like an anarchist. I will say this. 811 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:35,719 Speaker 1: I hope that it doesn't happen here, but if it does, 812 00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:38,400 Speaker 1: I hope one of the few positive aspects of it 813 00:39:38,440 --> 00:39:41,040 Speaker 1: is that people like the Sacklers are punished. Yeah. Yeah, 814 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:45,200 Speaker 1: that they shouldn't be able to rule without yeah, without balance, 815 00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:48,640 Speaker 1: without some sort of somebody controlling that. You know, people 816 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:51,640 Speaker 1: shouldn't be going to prison for sixty years for selling pot. 817 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 1: And then Richard Sackler gets fourteen billion dollars, Like that 818 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:57,799 Speaker 1: doesn't seem fair to me. Well, he paid six million 819 00:39:57,840 --> 00:40:00,480 Speaker 1: and he did well, his company did he it's seventy 820 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:04,719 Speaker 1: he did have to just now billions. You haven't been punished, Yeah, 821 00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:08,200 Speaker 1: you haven't been punished. Yeah. It's like if you steal 822 00:40:08,719 --> 00:40:11,920 Speaker 1: a million dollars from somebody's house and the cops when 823 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:16,280 Speaker 1: they arrest you, make you pay a thousand dollars. It's like, well, 824 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:22,400 Speaker 1: this was worth it. This, I won't do this tomorrow. 825 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:26,040 Speaker 1: I don't believe I'll do this again. Yeah, got him again, 826 00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:30,440 Speaker 1: Get him again? You'll believe word? Yeah, I believe. Really 827 00:40:30,440 --> 00:40:32,319 Speaker 1: a lot of heavy lifting being done by the word 828 00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:37,200 Speaker 1: believe in pretty pharmaceutical acts. All right, Well, this has 829 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:39,560 Speaker 1: been the podcast I've been Robert Evans buy a shirt 830 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:42,240 Speaker 1: off of Tea Public. Sophie grabs her shirt and shakes 831 00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:44,280 Speaker 1: it whenever it's time for me to mention the shirts 832 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:47,120 Speaker 1: because I always forget. So get a shirt on Tea Public. 833 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:50,200 Speaker 1: Get some of our branded behind the bastards. Hydrocode on 834 00:40:50,719 --> 00:40:53,919 Speaker 1: not OxyContin for some reason that I don't understand, but 835 00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:56,560 Speaker 1: it's got my face on it. We can't do that. 836 00:40:56,719 --> 00:40:59,000 Speaker 1: You're telling me that's that's drug dealing, But I just 837 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:00,560 Speaker 1: we could. I just heard about a guy who made 838 00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:04,680 Speaker 1: thirty four billion dollars stealing drugs. Can we use that not? Okay? Okay, 839 00:41:04,719 --> 00:41:08,000 Speaker 1: Well apparently we have to stop doing that. Uh, this 840 00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:13,720 Speaker 1: is the end of the episode. It's done. It's finished, Daniel. 841 00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:15,520 Speaker 1: Are you going to turn off the episode? Is it? 842 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:17,080 Speaker 1: Or is it time to do that? Is it time 843 00:41:17,080 --> 00:41:18,799 Speaker 1: to do that? Am I going on too long again? 844 00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:22,960 Speaker 1: If I, like I do have that freedom, this is 845 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:24,960 Speaker 1: a lot of power because nobody can go until I 846 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:27,480 Speaker 1: finished the episode. So this is like I know this, 847 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:30,480 Speaker 1: no one at home is enjoying this, but I'm feeling 848 00:41:30,560 --> 00:41:33,760 Speaker 1: such a rush right now, like I'm holding the world 849 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:40,440 Speaker 1: and the all right side. It's done.