S3 E27: Opioids & 2016 Election Update: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

2016 US Presidential Election

• Donald Trump refused to commit to accepting the election results if he lost, raising concerns about American democracy.
• Trump's poor performance at the Al Smith dinner and his narcissistic tendencies were evident.
• Concerns exist about Trump's inability to deliver a proper concession speech if he loses.

Opioid Crisis

• The opioid crisis in the United States, particularly heroin use and addiction, is highlighted.
• Overprescription of opioids like Oxycontin, chemical cousins of heroin, is a significant factor.
• Around 75% of heroin users started with prescription opioids due to their high cost and easy accessibility.
• Purdue Pharma aggressively marketed Oxycontin, downplaying addiction risks and using misleading tactics.
• The claim of less than 1% addiction rate was based on a letter to the editor, not a peer-reviewed study.
• Doctors on Purdue's payroll promoted "pseudo addiction," mistaking patients seeking pain relief for drug addicts.
• Widespread addiction resulted, with 2.6 million Americans addicted to opioids in 2015 and 30,000 overdose deaths annually.

Pharmaceutical Industry's Role

• Purdue Pharma admitted partial responsibility and paid a significant fine for misleading marketing of Oxycontin.
• Other pharmaceutical companies faced legal consequences for overmarketing opioid drugs.
• The CDC issued voluntary guidelines for safer opioid prescribing practices.
• Limited access to alternative pain treatments in rural areas challenges opioid avoidance.
• The pharmaceutical industry continues to market new drugs for opioid side effects, indicating ongoing demand.
• More investment is needed in treatment programs and overdose-reversing drugs like Naloxone.

Glenn Grothman's Controversial Views

• Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman opposes making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday and believes most African-Americans do not celebrate it.
• Grothman also opposes the African-American holiday Kwanzaa and wants it to "die a quick death."
• His flawed study interviewing 20 black Americans at the Rose Bowl concluded that Kwanzaa is unimportant to the average African-American.
• Despite his extreme views, Grothman was elected as a politician.