198. Addiction, Inc. with Emily Dufton

198. Addiction, Inc. with Emily Dufton

From The Silver Linings Handbook by Jayson Blair

April 7, 2026 · 1h 46m

About this episode

Emily Dufton discusses the origins of the American opioid crisis and the impact of historical drug policies.

Emily Dufton joins me to talk about how the death of her high school friend after 15 years of escalating opioid use led her on a journey to uncover the origins of the American opioid crisis and our failure to treat patients. She traces those roots back to the well‑intentioned but misguided efforts of the Nixon Administration in the 1970s, the punitive turn of the Reagan‑era War on Drugs, and the policies that followed. Emily also connects these policy choices to the rise of pharmaceutical profiteering—from Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, to other drug manufacturers who have collectively paid more than $60 billion in fines and civil penalties for practices that, in many ways, helped start the fire and then attempted to sell the hose. To read Emily’s book, Addiction, Inc. : Addiction, Inc.: Medication-Assisted Treatment and America’s Forgotten War on Drugs, Dufton Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the…

People in this episode

Host: Jayson Blair

Guest: Emily Dufton

Topics covered

  • opioid crisis
  • drug policy
  • pharmaceutical industry
  • addiction treatment
  • historical analysis

Keywords

  • opioid use
  • drug policies
  • pharmaceutical profiteering
  • Nixon Administration
  • Reagan-era
  • OxyContin
  • Addiction, Inc.

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Purdue Pharma, Nixon Administration, Reagan-era War on Drugs

Books & works: Addiction, Inc.: Medication-Assisted Treatment and America’s Forgotten War on Drugs

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