We have a long way to go. Instead of safer pain therapeutics, patients are now being offered expensive new medications that only treat the consequences of the opioid epidemic. With 259 million opioid prescriptions being written yearly, it turns out side effects — such as constipation — are a big enough business to warrant its own Super Bowl commercial.

Unintended consequences: Painkiller pills to heroin
There are other grim signs. We now know that heroin has made a resurgence and 80% of new heroin users start off using pain pills, which contain the same type of base ingredients.

Prescription addiction: Doctors must lead us out – CNN.com

sigh…