https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/

Opioid pain prescriptions used to be very limited and carefully monitored because of the perceived risk of addiction. The prevailing wisdom on this danger was changed because of some low quality papers on the risk that were pushed by drug companies.

Another big driver has been a more effective opioid selling due to some Mexican drug sellers. Interestingly, these sellers are much less violent than previous opioid sellers.

These reasons are outlined in the excellent book 'Dreamland'

https://www.amazon.com/Dreamland-True-Americas-Opiate-Epidem...

Long interview podcast (~1hr) with the author to listen to or read the transcript of here:

http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2017/01/sam_quinones_on.htm...

I don't think our government is humble enough to admit the mistake, so many more people will die.

So many of the worst tragedies in life seem to be caused by this. Arrogance, shame, saving face, covering your ass. Humans can be so cruel to each other when we try to do the right thing. We bow to peer pressure when we're 16 and end up wrapping mom's sports car around a tree. Ahhh, damn.

> “I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives.”

No what makes it a problem is the debilitating addiction. It doesn't matter if you buy heroin from a dealer or from Walgreens, it's probably going to ruin your life.

It doesn't magically stop being dangerous, but prohibition clearly doesn't work for any substance.