1996–presentReputable sourceWell documented
The Opioid Epidemic
On the timeline · around 1996–present ·
What happened
After OxyContin's 1996 launch, aggressive marketing that downplayed addiction risk drove a surge in opioid prescribing. Overdose deaths climbed through waves of prescription pills, heroin, and finally fentanyl — a synthetic opioid up to 100 times stronger than morphine.
Why it matters
The deadliest drug crisis in U.S. history has killed hundreds of thousands — a modern echo of the 19th-century opiate boom, driven this time by pharmaceutical marketing.
Sources
Related timelines
- Medicine → — When medicine fueled an addiction crisis