The Shameful Case of The Sacklers: Arthur's Story

In 2012, the use of opioids reached its peak in the United States with 255 million prescriptions written that year- or 81 for every 100 Americans. Much of the blame for the widespread abuse of opioids is often attributed to the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, who made billions of dollars from the widely prescribed opioid Oxycontin. Which, despite being dangerously addictive, was easy to get hold of because the Sacklers bought off doctors and aggressively marketed the drug almost as a cure-all.
However, the story of how the Sacklers contributed to the opioid crisis begins long before Purdue Pharma started making OxyContin. Here, I'm looking at the story of Arthur Sackler, the man who shaped the future of the entire pharmaceutical advertising industry and set the stage for what was to come many years later.
Much of the information about Arthur Sackler is from the book "Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty" by Patrick Radden Keefe. It's a good read if you're interested in this story.
Part 2: • The Shameful Case of t...
Part 3: • The Shameful Case of t...
Patreon: / georgrockallschmidt

[@caseylascallette7269]

This is close to my heart... I was snorting oxycontin in the bathroom of my highschool daily... Like 10% of my highschool class died from overdose and I'm still suffering from the consequences to this day... One year sober!

[@blujaebird]

Keep going, rooting for you ❤️❤️❤️

[@thejudgmentalcat]

Good for you. Hope you maintain your sobriety. It's difficult, I had a couple years of addiction and only kicked due to supply issues, which was the best thing to happen. 🥰

[@akb3851]

Congrats on the 1 year!!!!!!

[@Alejandro-te2nt]

so happy for your sobriety. I'm 7 months sober from alcohol which I used to consume every day from as soon as I got from work until going to sleep, and 2 days sober from weed which I used pretty much every day for the last 11 years, since I was in my early teens. Lots of people I grew up with have opiate addictions, some have died way too young and left their parents heartbroken. I'm so happy that you're sober and instead of putting your loved ones, and yourself, through all that suffering, you can be of help to others. Bless you and enjoy the fruits of your struggle

[@nigeh5326]

Stay strong a friend of mine was an amphetamine user for 25 years it cost him his marriage and job and nearly killed him before he quit. Now he is free and building his life back. He says the hardest part of stopping drugs was the boredom of the non drug world but as I said to him at least you know it’s real and anything you achieve is your achievement and not yours and a drugs. Never stop believing you can achieve more than others tell you. You are a winner. YOU have beaten a strong addiction that many never beat that shows how strong and good you really are 👍

[@mmickle6191]

As someone who got prescribed these "non-addictive" drugs with "no side effects", who had a 4 year journey to ween myself off them and get through withdrawl and suffered permanent hair loss, I'm just so full of disgust at these companies and how they work. This was well executed Georg! Fabulous video!

[@godseeseverything_1]

No it isn’t, it’s one sided. . “NO ONE MAKES ANYONE TAKE SOMETHING THEY DON’T HAVE A NEED FOR! TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR YOURSELVES! EVEN BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE & ALLERGY MEDICINE ( to name a few) ARE DANGEROUS & ADDICTIVE . . . . DID YOU JUST SAY THEIR OK?

[@thenoneckpeoplerepresentat8074]

I’m glad you were able to ween off the pills. That’s great man, I wish you the best. That said I’m skeptical of it causing your hair loss 😂.

[@danielcurtis1434]

@@godseeseverything_1 thank you!!! I was hooked on opioids!!! I choose them because I enjoyed how they made me feel. Never did it occur to me to blame the drug dealers for my situation??? The fact so many older people that should know better support this crap!!! I value freedom and personal responsibility!!! Other people value political correctness and safety… Been down that road and it nearly killed me. No oxy advertisement got anyone addicted. Abd any doctor that believes in “non addictive opioids” should be reviewed. Anyone who thinks a time release coating makes oxycodone non addictive should permanently lose the right to practice medicine!!! Oxycodones been addictive since the 1910s-20s. At some point someone has to take responsibility… So I’m gonna at least take my part…. I Daniel Curtis former opioid addict take responsibility for all my drug use. It was my choice I made of my own volition. I continued talking the drug of my own volition. I broke the law of my own volition. The Sacklers had nothing to do with my addiction!!! If I do die by anyway involving a drug or accident, please don’t blame anyone else or go on a crusade with my pictures cuz I don’t support you guys!!! I try to table responsibility, I’m not always good at it. But with experience and training maybe in time?

[@Skoopyghost]

Alcohol, my other substances were easy, but the benzo withdrawl was the nastiest thing that I have had come off.

[@Ruskiboi]

Godseeseverything!! You clearly have never suffered with addiction which is why you’re so judgmental but it’s a illness and nobody not even you are above it…Let’s hope you never have an accident where you need strong painkillers cos you could be next.

[@slamalamadingdangdongdiggy5268]

I love the way your videos are lit. Very refreshing compared to everyone with their face and background positively glowing. This is so much easier on the eyes

[@mikedrop4421]

Great bedtime videos.

[@KnuckleHunkybuck]

It's make you feel like you're sitting down having a nice glass of whiskey with him, just listening to him gripe about some of the things wrong with the world.

[@InnuendoXP]

Agreed. More darkmode videos please.

[@Toxodos]

yeah fam I think they're pretty lit too

[@Johnconno]

Are you on drugs?

[@tonykennedy8592]

I am from working class Dublin, Ireland and the amount of women of my mother's generation (women who would be in their late 50s to mid 60s now) who are addicted to valium is unreal. It was prescribed with abandon by doctors initially, and essentially the policy of the medical community has been to basically maintain their addiction as the least worst option, as the infrastructure to treat the severity and complexity of benzodiazepine addiction/withdrawal simply doesn't exist. In the same way Oxycontin devastated poor working class communities in the states, valium did the same to poor working class communities in Ireland. But it's to easy to blame it all on pharma. Despite Oxycontin seemingly being portrayed as an unnecessary pharmaceutical creation it was far from it. Rather Oxycontin was the the perfect distillation, in chemical form, of an unspoken meta-reality, keeping poor people "operational" at cheapest rate possible. The only reason there's a backlash against Oxycontin is because too many rich people got caught in the crossfire. Same with valium. It isn't a coincidence that valium demand happened at the same time more and more women from working class backgrounds entered the workforce, primarily as cheap labour.

[@speedzero7478]

This should have many more "likes". Top comment.

[@fionamcdonald4130]

An incredibly insightful comment.

[@murphy7801]

So basically capitalism is problem. Yeah fair enough it does prioritize corporate profits over human life.

[@tonykennedy8592]

@@murphy7801 I don't think it's as easy as writing off capitalism. Capitalism in itself is amoral. The problem is the choices made by those with power in a capitalist society.

[@belladonna8425]

And both have had the unfortunate effect of leaving people with crippling chronic pain completely untreated. My aunt had a steel rod put in her spine among many other surgeries after a severe car accident and the surgeries did not work. Mistakes were made by surgeons and it left her in worse pain. She needed opioids to have any quality of life. She never abused them. Didnt even LIKE the way she felt on them but she could walk. Then all this BS started and they cut her off abruptly. She was bedridden. Lost everything because she could no longer work. Ended up turning to illegal stuff for relief and within a year she committed suicide because she didnt want to live with the pain or be made into a criminal. As did my mothers closest friend. She didn't turn to illegal drugs and instead just blew her brains out just to stop the pain. She left a note explaining all of this. These I think are the truly innocent victims that are still ignored and treated like trash. Suicides among pain patients have skyrocketed. When people are talking about the victims of the opioid epidemic, they always leave these people out. The ones who actually need these sorts of pain medications who are just left to suffer and die because rich white kids started ODing. It had been rampant in poor communities for more than a decade and nobody cared then. It makes me sick.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Philanthropy the only type of charity where you hire an army of publishers to trumpet your donations

[@EmeraldLavigne]

Philanthropy isn't charity; it's advertising.

[@conan6939]

@@EmeraldLavigne That and saving money with tax losses.Your tax 'losses' are just free advetising.

[@waterandafter]

Million dollar donkey in a banana republic equals lower taxes.

[@DR3ADER1]

@@EmeraldLavigne Charities are also glorified Virtue-Signallers only concerned with paying their bosses than actually helping people. That's why they spend so much money on advertising and deals with losers such as Marcus Rashford, who basically paid his way for a useless honourary degree for his (ahem) "Work".

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@DR3ADER1 firstly by the defintion of the word charities can't be virtue signalling (ironically your comment is virtue signalling though) secondly depends on the charity I.e. RNLI and Hospice charities both of these work on razer thin margins to achieve exact goals. Calling Marcus Rushford a loser when he's done more in his life already than you will in your entire life is a bit silly of you. Especially as one of the main things he did charity wise was feed children. Also you don't pay for honorary degrees, where on earth did you get that idea. P.s. I'm doubt you understand how anything in this world works at this point, was the point of your comment to say as many incorrect things as you could possibly think of?

[@TheSunderingSea]

"no one knows why he changed his name to Arthur" To hide his origins, of course. This is very common.

[@roncriswell2685]

Yep I guess his brother mortimer should have thought of that 😉

[@danix3638]

Maybe he wanted to Americanized his name a bit more

[@sillonbono3196]

That is the likely cause, plenty of persons from that different ethnic backgrounds (you know qui) did that when they emigrated to America in the 20th century.

[@andresalvarez6412]

The good old semitic crypsis

[@tentringer4065]

It's what the Drumpfs did.

[@devekut2]

Be careful, Georg. We don't want you to "disappear".

[@EmeraldLavigne]

Don't be a conspiracy theorist. It's perfectly normal & common for people whose reporting on the powerful in our society reaches a sizeable enough audience to take themselves out with 3 shots to the back of their own head while handcuffed.

[@devekut2]

@@EmeraldLavigne You're right. I forgot.

[@PoptartParasol]

@@EmeraldLavigne humans are natural contortionists, the fbi has made this very clear.

[@EmeraldLavigne]

@@PoptartParasol as have the Ferguson PD

[@thebigdawgj]

What did he mean by this?

[@gregvinson1]

“Less than one percent of those prescribed opiates become addicted”. Holy shit. That statement alone caused many people to trust these monsters- and it brought them nothing but misery. I know numerous people who became addicted that had never been drug users. Oxy turned them into addicts within weeks. These people need to be treated like cartel leaders. I wish them nothing but dark days, extreme misery, and I hope they are treated with derision by everyone they meet. They knew what they were doing.

[@nineteenfortyeight6762]

Mortimer was rejected from medical school for being Jewish. Abraham ehem Arthur was accepted. No idea why he changed his name.

[@Menjoood]

Excellent video, can't wait for the Oxycontin one. I'll take some Valium to make the waiting easier.

[@eskee1]

Not funny

[@MatteBlacke]

Wow! I’d seen some videos about the Sacklers before but this was so much deeper and more informative. Excellent work!

[@MatteBlacke]

I’m looking forward to the next instalment

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Philanthropy is not charity...now that is something I really will agree, too.

[@aaronchef82]

Well done sir. I am an American Medicare agent, and this topic is one that I speak on daily, only in so much as letting my client know that drugs are a business. There is no way around the drug conversation.

[@nigeh5326]

For those who don’t know the 60s Rolling Stones hit Mothers Little Helper is about valium which was used by women around the world to ‘ease’ the stress and boredom of their lives. Listen to the lyrics and it’s pretty clear

[@EmeraldLavigne]

I mean, that was also pretty literally one of the slogans for it at one point or another.

[@lesserspottedmugwump.363]

It was amphetamines. Not Valium.

[@vulekv93]

Pretty sure it was about amphetamine, but then again suburban moms were probably loaded on uppers and valium at all at same time

[@system3870]

Read Weird Scenes From The Canyon.

[@Rr0gu3_5uture]

@@lesserspottedmugwump.363 Wrong, the song's about either Miltown or Valium. In the song the tablets are described as Yellow, both Miltown and 5mg Valium were traditionally yellow in colour. I've heard people assuming it's about the upper Drinamyl, but I seriously doubt it, as the following verse alludes that it's used to help with sleepless nights, plus Drinamyl were purple: You could tranquilize your mind So go running for the shelter of a mother's little helper And four help you through the night. Four 5mg pills is a pretty common dose for insomnia.

[@NewGrow-kb1bg]

The background in psychiatry in the early 30s for Arthur is an interesting one. I can see how after witnessing electroshock therapy, lobotomy’s, and the general state of psych wards back then, that knocking someone out with Valium would seem relatively tame in comparison as they wouldn’t see the serious effects of 5-10 year daily use for 5-10 years. Not saying he didn’t know what he doing, and his children DEFINITELY knew what they were doing. But it’s just interesting to see how we arrived at this place. Sackler family: Sold cigarette ads at 15 to his high school then addicted us to Valium in the 70s and oxycontin in the 90s-2000s.

[@julessb]

yea i find it interesting too! like in a way we should be thankful bc he might be the reason we moved away from those horrible treatments but then angry for what he replaced it with

[@NewGrow-kb1bg]

@@julessb I wouldn’t go so far as to say those treatments were gone because of him; but yeah, given 1930s was the time of lobotomy, forced sterilization, euthanasia and electroshock

[@americanmeteoritefan9670]

He was a natural born drug pusher, a dealer, a spoiler of human life...enjoy those profits fam, hope the glitz and comfort are worth spending eternity in hell.

[@rebekahdavis5935]

But didn't he say it wasn't his children but his brothers and their children...? Sackler for sure had shady business practices but it sounds like he fancied himself a upstanding member of society too(in his own mind). It sounded to me that he wanted to maintain the pact they made and donate his deceased friends holdings but his brothers didn't want that. Then when he died suddenly they took everything and his children and niece and nephews got nothing. I think it's his brothers kids that pushed the oxycontin.

[@ghiblinerd6196]

Another uplifting lighthearted video from georg

[@thepoo1234]

"Kids are different today, " I hear every mother say Mother needs something today to calm her down And though she's not really ill, there's a little yellow pill She goes running for the shelter of her mother's little helper And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day"

[@Uptomyknees]

Dude such a crazy origin story with them starting out nobly hunting better psychiatric treatments. Really interesting story.

[@TheEndKing]

Yeah, like they invented something good to mitigate something horrible, but then kept going until their invention became the new horrible thing.

[@sillonbono3196]

@@TheEndKing And that is the history of medicine for the biggest part, yesterday brutal and nonsensical treatments of the past were regarded as cutting edge technology. And cutting edge technology of today will become brutal and completely irrational. Medicine is good and has improved at the trauma level (fix a bone, amend a wound) if you need chemicals to keep you in good health, good luck because you will need it. Look after yourself because it is your body that heals itself.

[@matturner6890]

@@sillonbono3196 *mend

[@davidcipolla4036]

Omg Max Landis! Much love bro 💯🙌 and yes this whole origin story is very interesting.

[@opheliasloveshack]

I have had a couple kidney stones. For those times, opioids are the only thing that can allow me to sleep without waking up in agony. I hated taking it, and thankfully was able to switch to a safer alternative after a week (each time). The thought of getting addicted frightened me enough to know I must take with extreme caution.

[@duhduh666]

What is the safer alternative to dealing with the pain.

[@opheliasloveshack]

@@duhduh666 once my pain went away quite a bit, Ketalorac helped me at that point. But that first week is always rough.

[@staceystrukel1917]

There's a tincture called stone breaker, it could naturally help break your stones up so they are smaller to pass and less pain. The herb is called Chanca piedra.

[@NEMO-NEMO]

@ophelia what is it about your mental state that helped you make the better decision about the opioids?

[@opheliasloveshack]

@@NEMO-NEMO I think it’s just the idea of how I’d hate to be addicted to anything! Caffeine and sugar are my only vices… and even then, I try to watch myself. :}

[@ajax700]

Thank you for covering these issues pharma wants to be unknown. As a victim of medical drug damage, I want all these stories to be known. Best wishes.

[@deathmagneto-soy]

The little snippet of Zappa/Beefheart's 'Willy The Pimp' is just the perfect encapsulation of all things Sackler related. Literal chef's kiss 👍

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Man. Here in South Africa opioid based painkillers have a warning on the box. "Its addictive! Don't take for more than a week without consulting a doctor!"

[@54tisfaction]

What a sad story of greed and unfathomable suffering. But expertly told, as always!

[@RLewisReports]

More great work.

[@lesserspottedmugwump.363]

Eeeee by gum. 8)

[@b.m.2216]

I would love to see an in deepth Analysis of Terminator 1 & 2. I watched the existing Video 20 Times. But! 1 & 2 become better every year passing. Can't get enough of them :O

[@F1nnyF6]

More ricardo luis comments on quality youtubers

[@MrJeanjean2009]

Hey Rich! Thanks for introducing me to Georg, this is really great stuff. Have you considered inviting him on your show? That'd be a great crossover.

[@maxbramwell.1598]

Good video. It's interesting to see how your style has turned from film related content to documentaries that are more journalistic in a political sense rather than being focused on film. Keep it up.

[@mahazhael]

A highlight of my week is when Georg uploads a video, I love your work and *adore* this transition towards holding the bastards to account.

[@toppersundquist]

He's like a kindler, gentler Robert Evans.

[@ArabicNameGuy]

Lou Reed was infamously sent to Creedmoor by his parents: "Creedmoor was real good to me...they gave me my drugs for free!"

[@jeffnicholas6342]

😂

[@SlapstickGenius23]

Were the parents screwed up?

[@jeffnicholas6342]

@@SlapstickGenius23 probably not drugged up enough..?

[@kelownatechkid]

Georg, cannot praise your work enough.

[@LucasTigy2]

his father went bankrupt so he had to work his way through college, his family being discriminated for being jewish. then he exploits jewish discrimination for his own gain. "you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain" sums up this whole story pretty well

[@antoniomosley4961]

It's like that saying "The Jew cry out as he strikes you"

[@warreng3813]

I get really sick of hearing “they were forced into it because they were oppressed” BS

[@LucasTigy2]

@@warreng3813 it's a good thing i'm not saying that. just pointing out the tragic irony of the whole thing

[@WhtUpDoeRich]

Being Chaldean (neo Babylonian) we know how Jews think and this is why my people enslaved them thousands of years ago. They’re rats and if they bite you you get poisoned. My people live in Detroit and the Jews can’t stand us here bc they know the history and we have more money then they have here it pisses them off and we laugh and bang their women still til this day. People always ask us how are you guys so successful and we have this tribal saying we don’t allow the rat to bite and affect us. (the Jew) damn did I just say all that?

[@dollyg6783]

the amount of damage the Sacklers inflicted on the world is devastating- Empire of Pain is a great book- this is a huge public issue

[@higgsbonbon]

One big fat early life section.

[@layneinchains848]

Impeccable. As ever.

[@davidlean1060]

It made me laugh to hear that the pharmaceutical entrepreneurs called in sick the day they were due in court!

[@NextInLine008]

A 40 minute bizzare summary? And it's only part one?! Brilliant!!

[@bonnierizzdler3776]

It's actually insane to hear about the social mobility in the early 20th century, even in the years around the great depression. We are so much less able to 'pull ourselves up by our bootstraps' now.

[@henryford2950]

Or rather, so much less willing to pull ourselves up despite having the time and resources to do so.

[@Deatheater4444]

@@henryford2950 Or maybe those who invest in the administrative state leverage that power to stifle competition and restrict social mobility in a way that hasn't been possible since feudalism.

[@letsburn00]

I've read research that says the the black death, WW1 and the great depression were the only 3 periods in history which led to the wealthiest getting weaker and the poor having upwards mobility. At this point, the media has such a strong right wing bias economically and so pro big business that any centrist policy is called communism. So even the left wing parties are afraid to push any left wing policies. The democrats push to help business more than workers and the republicans don't even try. When the ACA was passed, every other country saw it as a massively pro business, right wing answer. Meanwhile, the media called it left wing, which was absurd. The capture of the state by the wealthy is actually the natural situation as power accumulates, and is something we need to actively fight against. If we relax, what happened since the 70s happens, which is that any group which pushes for workers is victimised and only people who will push to help big business will succeed. Pretty much every US President for the last 40 years has been aggressively pro business. Their talk might change, but it's consistent. The left is a 7/10 for big business and the right is a 10/10. But it's still enormously lopsided.

[@thepoo1234]

It's probably due to the fact that any markets that are available for exploitation require so much capital and expertise that anyone entering them need insane amounts of money to even enter them. It's pretty easy to market cigarettes at your high school, but it's a lot harder to develop and market any drug now.

[@letsburn00]

@@thepoo1234 As AI is highly dependant on datasets, I suspect that even computer based stuff, which can make a billionare out of nothing will gradually go away as something which doesn't need capital.

[@egoborder3203]

a good topic might be, "How is significant corruption actually dealt with?"

[@EmeraldLavigne]

I mean, it's not "dealt with." It's just the day-to-day.

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

It's not....short video

[@hoomanm6807]

It'll be a one-sentence video with Georg just going "swept under the rug".

[@GarrettX001]

It usually was dealt with using revolution and journalism.

[@darkchild130]

It isn’t. fin.

[@AaronMakabi]

I loved this video. Incredible work. The volume does seem low compared to your other videos though, which is weird because I think your mixing is some of the best on youtube.

[@ImpalerVladTepes]

Thank you for making this. A fair number of my classmates got chronically hooked on Oxy a decade or so ago and it destroyed their lives, though since then they've thankfully gotten off of it and have been rebuilding what they lost. A few years ago I was having a conversation with a wealthy acquaintance who thought the Sacklers weren't to blame and it was the victims' fault. Made me sick to my stomach. I hope information like this gets people to see the truth.

[@williamwillis5729]

This is one of the most accomplished and compelling documentaries I have ever watched. Congratulations for a job well done.

[@TechGorilla1987]

I doubt that this will be read, but I'm 52 and I distinctly remember when they began actively marketing drugs to doctors and patients in commercials. I KNEW in my heart that it was going to lead down a bad road. I glanced briefly off the opiates before switching to H then quitting for good. It was a difficult couple of years.

[@ftmrivas3043]

It is so problematic. I had a hemicolectomy and I was given Tylenol because they did not want me to be addicted. Like what the heck, I believe physicians need to be trained in pain management and understanding when it is ok to prescribe it.

[@rebekahdavis5935]

Thank you. It went from the extreme in the opposite direction of prescribing too loosely to some doctors and clinics being ridiculous in their paranoia. There are many people who have VERY valid pain issues or disabilities that create chronic pain that would be impossible to get through life without some treatment for quality of life. Many people who have serious chronic pain issues are responsible with their meds and are being hurt in this run to the opposite extreme. Just be rational!

[@Retro_Disco]

My grandfather was a sales rep for Valium in the 60's.

[@mr.winters1733]

Expertly done. Concise, informative, well organized, and all with exceptional pacing. Bravo.

[@mikedrop4421]

Great video as always. Thanks for the education. This was fascinating and the way you tell stories is mesmerizing. I can't believe how much info you crammed into a 40 minute video nor how quickly the coming of the end of it felt.

[@stuneale1184]

I'm writing an academic paper presently on the pharmaceuticalisation of self help. The through line is comparing the opioid crisis with historic valium use. I will be using this for reference material. Thanks!

[@leolinguini260]

Every time one of your videos hits youtube, I feel like christmass came early. Keep it up!

[@lyndahuggus4880]

A brilliant, well researched overview of the secrecy behind drug advertising. Look forward to the next instalment.

[@jamesstafford3172]

Incredible work. I'd say as effective, as enjoyable, as essential to watch as any Adam Curtis doc, but also incredibly thought out, paced and detailed. Bravo Georg. Hats off to you

[@gavinottens9451]

Well done sir. I have seen your development as a content producer over the years and I really enjoy your content more and more lately.

[@siloalapei2448]

What a journey that was. Brilliant!

[@lazerpipe]

Great video! I can't even imagine all the research time you put into this. Incredible. Looking forward to the next episode

[@christianmartinez774]

I had no idea modern medical advertisement was mostly created by this one man.

[@jonathanthompson3634]

Amazing output this time Georg...you're my youtube hero!!!

[@dza6010]

Ah, interesting and depressing. My two favorite things. Very well done, looking forward to the next installment.

[@Ronin11111111]

Thank you for shining a spotlight on the truth.

[@brokengirlsrus]

Amazing work, as always. Thanks Georg

[@pretorious700]

A suggestion: You should push the volume up on your narrative audio a little.

[@RenegadeShepard69]

It seems mixed alright on my headphones. But If there is any problem with it I hope he fixes it too sure.

[@designtechdk]

@@RenegadeShepard69 It's pretty low in all his videos :(

[@davidcauley9400]

@@designtechdk I'd say the volume jump with the Willie The Pimp and the clip at 15:11 sounds too much to me. If its overall low that's not a problem so much (until the next video autoplays) but volume within the video is a problem. This is the first time I've noticed this issue in a Georg video.

[@Jesse__H]

I think it's just right 🤷‍♂️

[@ronfroehlich4697]

I thought it was just my impaired hearing

[@lachlanmclennan2188]

"Dopesick" is a great TV series that explores the 90s-current day issues with Oxy, Purdue the sackler family

[@TheGoddamnJefe]

Men like Arthur slowly destroy humanity. This is their legacy.

[@Proctor_Conley]

Wow, that was incredible & I thank you for making this video!

[@diegocampos703]

Georg really just left us on a cliff-hanger

[@Rr0gu3_5uture]

What doctor in their right mind would ever think opioids are non-addictive? It's a contradiction in terms.

[@mikeyfoofoo]

Excellent work! I did not know how deep the Sackler story went. Also, it's interesting how good some of the old ads are at illustrating ailments and pain.

[@soilmanted]

The Sackler's courage in promoting opioids as effective drugs for helping people deal with pain contributed to me becoming able to change my life from someone who was moping around, in constant pain, to someone who could be productively employed and gainfully employed.

[@zalibecquerel3463]

Outstanding video! Thoroughly researched, and very engaging. Right up there with Adam Curtis!

[@pr0ntab]

Better than Adam Curtis, imo, I think it's the sprinkling of dry wit in the delivery.

[@henryjones8287]

Yeah, I got some Adam Curtis vibes too, but this felt a lot more credible.

[@ravenlord4]

I thought this would be about gen x'ers and slackers. I gotta start reading these titles better.

[@oculophilia2130]

Great so far and just want to take note that this guys tea, armchair, and lamp settup is such a vibe.

[@euansmith3699]

Thanks for another great video. The stock footage is particularly on point. The subject matter is so depressing; but your jaunty delivery carries it along.

[@overtlybiased]

Very fitting, antidepressants are the cigarettes of our generation on how industry lobby spoke way louder than consumers well-being

[@goldensloth7]

and oh my are they addictive! sigh.

[@tomsenior7405]

I was totally oblivious to the powerful side effects of Antidepressants when I was first prescribed Venlafaxine at a huge dosage. Within a month I had almost complete Liver and Kidney failure. It seems that, whilst it is common knowledge in the Medical Community, my Psychiatrist was absent that day. A decade later and I hobble along in chronic pain.

[@18thcfoxxx]

.....except that many, MANY people actually DO benefit from antidepressants, and have even had their lives saved by them. But unfortunately, too many individuals get on their high horse about "big pharma" or they take a single bad experience with a medicstion, universalize it, and try to harm millions of people by getting them banned. If you don't need antidepressants, fine--but some of us do, and making broad statements (like yours) stigmatizing antidepressants is ignorant, selfish, and socially irresponsible.

[@tomsenior7405]

@@18thcfoxxx I hold no ill will against the experts who tried to help me. They did what they thought was right. I would rather be attended to by qualified expert than a fake Guru. Sometime one draws a short straw. That's Life.

[@OhGodTheSlugs]

Alcohol

[@Alex-cw3rz]

19:34 Ah the old Trouble Triangle, been suffering with that for years

[@markusandreas1273]

This was a great video! I really enjoyed this type of content from you. Cheers

[@jackofallfades2656]

Fantastic summary of all this. Thanks.

[@jimmyhopkins1]

Hello sir George lovely timing

[@philstaples8122]

You're good at this George, keep up the good work

[@martinandrewbold]

Love this type of content, your best work, many thanks

[@johnpierson8398]

In 1980, I joined a small start-up electronics company as an electronic technician.The founder of the company had met Richard Sackler at Harvard in an MBA program. I met Richard and John Sackler many time... I am ashamed I shook their hands. I didn't know about the history of this family. From this, Richard Sackler invested in the start-up company. It took us longer to develop our products than we planned and the Sackler's were not OK with this. They wanted their money and eventually put in a full time accountant in our facility. This was the beginning of the end. I don't wan't to disclose or defame the company I worked for. They were good people and it it was a great place to work. Now that I know about the Sackler family, it is frightening that I came into contact with them. I can testify about their greed and complete disregard for anything that gets in their way. Including human lives. It's horrifying to find that you had come into contact with people responsible for some of the worst evil in history

[@SplendidCoffee0]

“Willie the Pimp!!!” I knew you had a great taste in music when I saw your comment on Aphex Twin’s “Alberto Balsam.” Also, you’ve come a long way from where you started! Videos like this are why you’re one of the finest on this site.

[@ChristianGoin]

Bufferin was what inspired Buffout? that is crazy

[@SpoopySquid]

And MedX was originally morphine but had to be renamed to beat Australia's censorship laws

[@sarafox5792]

thank you for speaking at a sensible pace....

[@paulthomason5906]

Absolutely brilliant

[@alancarmody8848]

You have to ask though why are people in general in so much psychological pain? The reason is I think society makes us sick and then sells us things to make us feel, for a short time, better. But, as we see with OxyContin, these things often make us much sicker and sadder

[@tomsenior7405]

An Excellent Essay. I eagerly await Part 2. Cheers George. FYI, I have been prescribed Oxycodone and Shortec for over a decade now. I can barely walk without the pain relief they give. I was assured by the Hospital Consultant that this Synthetic Opioid is not addictive and not to worry. I assure you, I do not worry, for as long as the pain goes away I am fine. Just fine. Everything is fine.

[@cl8804]

It's all nice on ice!

[@tomsenior7405]

@@cl8804 Thanks for that

[@cl8804]

@@tomsenior7405 You're welcome. It's a great sonk!

[@MrBendybruce]

This is another remarkably well done video George. I genuinely find it hard to categorize your channel or its content, but maybe that's kind of the point. Great job.

[@XxVeexX19]

So well done. Thank you!

[@charvolth]

Very informative. Also did know Buster Keaton did so many Alka-Seltzer commercials.

[@runningcommentary2125]

Me: I bet that there's no way this could get worse than the subjects of Georg's previous videos. Georg: In 2012, the use of opioids reached it's peak in the United States. Me: I stand corrected.

[@DeusExHarald]

Simply splendid documentary!

[@alexjames4277]

These videos keep getting better. Cannot wait for the next.

[@prince_dogboy]

I am still trying to obtain a halfway normal life ever since initial opioid prescriptions were given to me including Oxycontin and other strong opioid prescriptions have pretty much destroyed my life.

[@marshathomas6422]

😢

[@blindpuppy7786]

Always happy to see a new video from you George. Excellent work. Fascinating story.

[@YanAbaus]

Great video and especially important now. If we had even a handful of investigative journalist as dedicated as Georg we wouldn't be in this mess we are in now.

[@TheSpankerson]

Outstanding work.

[@Ilovebrownbreadtoast]

24:08 I never knew Buffout from the Fallout series was a real thing

[@Kris-wo4pj]

med-x is also morphine. they had to change the name on alot of drugs due to copyright and certain country's restrictions.

[@Ilovebrownbreadtoast]

@@Kris-wo4pj What really struck be about the ad in this video is how the product is advertised as “ +4 Strength, -1 Perception”.

[@rotopope]

I’ve never seen an add for a stackable buff before.

[@halfabeet]

This channel is now the chill version of Last Week Tonight, I enjoy it EDit: okay, two minutes in and you're actually featuring Last Week Tonight :D

[@DR3ADER1]

With less Social Justice hypocrisy and Spergery from Virtue-Signaller Supremo, John Oliver. Oliver is as much of a corporate shill as the rest of them. John is an English Mediocrity who is only there to guilt-trip people whilst pleasing his advertisers at the same time. Schmidt is far more cynical and rarely offers simple solutions, he just tells it as it is with little outrage.

[@lesserspottedmugwump.363]

@@DR3ADER1 I watched ‘pindex’, Stephen Fry recommending Oliver. I nearly laughed myself sane. I don’t know what they have on him but he’s gone to the dark side. Surely he’s not that skint. “Surely not Stephen Fry”;… yeah!

[@BlindBison]

@@DR3ADER1 agreed and well put

[@-cody_]

thanks so much for all the work you do georg

[@6254KLR]

I used oxy after a workplace injury in 2008. Amazing painkiller and I thank God I had it at the time.

[@Mirrorgirl492]

Well at least I now know who to blame for my mother's Valium addiction and early death.

[@PoptartParasol]

Although it might sound insincere, I'm very sorry for your loss. Addiction is a horrible demon, and a sore subject to me too

[@efnissien]

I've recently been given an 'Ethics' lecture in work (in the pharma industry) and at the end of it we were all asked to agree to follow. I refused, the amount of panic that followed was comical - I was asked why I didn't agree and stated that a homogenous ethical policy was dangerous as the ethics of a US company based in Connecticut would be based on a Middle class W.A.S.P., America centric model and could potentially be at odds with local ethics and potentially legal framework. Also as an entity a company's primary purpose is to make money, and if this puts it in conflict with it's ethics... well, the ethics will lose every time. I wanted to mention the Sacklers and the opioid problem... but thought that might be pushing my luck (I also wanted to say that in the scheme of things the pharmaceutical industry's ethics were up there with Prostitutes & Mercenaries... the only difference being that Prostitutes and Mercenaries freely admit they're in it for the money and don't claim they're trying to change the world.)

[@mepulley7913]

Well Said!!

[@NadiaJosephina]

👏 👏 👏

[@juuuu0]

idk why but I've been hyperfixated on purdue pharma and the way the sacklers advertised oxycontin leading to the opioid crisis... the whole thing is just so heartbreaking to me

[@collegeman1988]

I can’t wait to see the next video. Great job!