The Shameful Case of the Sacklers (part 3): Evil Triumphs

[@penroc3]

i got hit by a car on my bicycle and broke all the phones in my left hand, my left leg and foot. i had to have many surgeries to fix me and i now have titanium all over my body, i was put on oxycontin 40mg three times a day and two 30mg oxiyIR. after my doctor retired no doctor would give me the same level of medication so i went to the street and it took almost 11 years to clime out of the opiate pit or heroin, so many friends died or killed or locked up over this stupid pill and this demonic family

[@tbonemalone3407]

I’m so sorry that happened to you. I hope you have the best life from now on. ❤️

[@penroc3]

@@tbonemalone3407 thank you i'm almost 4 years clean. i feel like i have walked across hell and made it out in more or less one piece, no police record, no court record and I'm alive. Ive been to so many funerals at 37 i don't go anymore, its to hard for me to see another friends life cut short because they didn't get help or didn't get the right help. for me it was a doctor friend and my parents who pulled me out of the pit that is addiction. anyone who is in recovery and says they don't still think about drugs are liars, there is always that little voice in stressful or even good times, recovery is being able to say no and push that voice out of your mind.

[@smilemor-phony5964]

@penroc3, psychiatric drugs are even more dangerous than the opioids. Most refuse to believe this but it's because they won't look into it. Psychiatric drug withdrawals induce far worse mental torture, takes most years to taper off them, they do far more brain damage and a benzo withdrawal can kill you. No drugs are safe. I too took Oxycontin for 8 months for my 3rd degree burns and got right off it. But my cold-turkey psychiatric drug withdrawals almost killed me.

[@wolfumz]

@@smilemor-phony5964 yeah, benzo's are dangerous, too, and they have been gaining in popularity among kids and recreation drug users. I personally had an easier time getting of Xanax than I did heroin, in terms of the withdrawal. However, heroin was my primary drug, and I was using a lot more heroin than xanax, proportionally. Benzo withdrawal requires hospitalization and medical monitoring for many peope, due to the risk of lethal seizure. Benzo withdraw sucks because of how long it drags on, too. I can remember feeling waves of anxiety come out of nowhere, even with six months clean. However, other psychiatric drugs tend to be pretty safe, and aren't associated with addiction (antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, etc). Like many other medicines, you generally can't just stop taking these drugs abruptly without experiencing some type of withdrawal. So, yes, benzos, definitely fucked up and much more dangerous than many people realize, but that doesn't apply to all psychiatric medications globally.

[@penroc3]

@@smilemor-phony5964 i was a poly drug user, i mixed benzos and heroin everyday and would throw coke in when ever i was looking for a change. I have been on various types of meds mostly SSRI's and benzos so i know how hard they are to get off but when you are using over 1000mg of oxy a day or a bundle of heroin a day you can not cold turkey it and anyone that said they did is a liar. you weren't on that much oxy anyway if you took it like you should and you doctor took you off slowly of course you would have no issues. every addict has their drug of choice and when you get to the point of IV drug use and grams of opiates as your habit you cant cold turkey it unless you were strapped to a bed. glad you are doing better

[@whiterose6635]

My sister is a heroin addict. This video is extremely accurate in how it conjures up the disappointment, despair, and misery associated with addiction. The footage you used of the protesters showing pictures of their loved ones who were addicted and presumably died, made me cry. It’s a good video and I thank you for your efforts x

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

Get your sister onto methadone. It won't make her stop using, but it will give a bit of regularity to her life. When I was addicted, the treadmill is everyday you wake up, try and make money to score, then go score, then get high. Methadone makes it so you don't have to do that treadmill EVERY day. Being dopesick is the worst, and it's why people are on that treadmill. Methadone makes it so you're not so violently dopesick. And that small amount of regularity methadone provided is what got me on that path off the treadmill. Methadone you can take even if you're not ready to quit, but are sick of the lifestyle. It's the first step, IMO.

[@ceebee491]

Hey White Rose, has she tried N.A. Or S.M.A.R.T recovery? I pray your Sister gets clean.

[@tanveerhasan2382]

Sad!

[@burningmisery]

@White Rose Hope your sister is doing better.

[@TheBrotherGrim]

Like Black Socks said above, try convincing your sister to get into a methadone program. That, combined with addiction counseling or programs like SMART recovery can do a world of help.

[@plutoniumshore]

Can we all take a moment and recognize just how fan-freaking-tastic Georg is? For serious....I wish I could watch every second of new content this man creates with new eyes over and over again.

[@Guercinator]

For real. I don't get how his channel hasn't blown up yet what with the sheer amount of good content he's got. But I think the algorithm will be kind to him one day

[@mudhutproductions]

Investigative Journalism of this quality scares the hell out of the store bought cable news channels. Love the dude!

[@damdampapa]

You couldn't be more right!

[@weltvonalex]

I support this comment!

[@johnstrawb3521]

@Georg Rockall-Schmidt It's shocking, how indifferent Georg and nearly everyone else has been to the millions of pain patients in the U.S. whose lives have been badly damaged or destroyed by opioid hysteria. SEE this and comparable articles: "United Nations Says Untreated Pain Is 'Inhumane and Cruel'."

[@beckhamtoovey4140]

Watching this mini series of videos has consistently made my blood boil. It’s baffling how much evil one can get away with if you have the money and the connections.

[@krustysurfer]

Hear hear!.... A real crime has occurred here summed up by ''Addicts are scum of the earth'' says the world's greatest legal drug dealer. 😢

[@gerriplourde1517]

Isn’t the love of money the root of all evil?? Proof right there…..

[@krustysurfer]

@@gerriplourde1517 that is what our savior Jesus said that the root of all evil is the Love of money... Greed want covetousness

[@schmeeps4052]

When my now husband had appendicitis last year, he was prescribed oxycodone for post op stuff. I couldn’t believe how much they had loaded him up on opiates before, during and after the surgery, and then the fact that they threw more at him (with a little warning pamphlet and a destruction kit) was bizarre. He really didn’t even need the pills. I can definitely see how ordinary people could get into this stuff. It’s sick. Thank you so much for this, Georg.

[@kurtilein3]

Its insane. Here in Germany, two friends had exactly that with the same surgery. You get some ibuprofen and thats it. When i was in excruciating pain because the biggest nerve in my body got crushed to the point of my right leg getting paralyzed, i got 10-20 milligrams for 10 days and had nasty withdrawal symptoms from that. The pain from the spinal surgery that followed was by comparison minor. I keep hearing that people get loaded up with insane amounts, like 120 milligrams per day, for only moderately painful conditions.

[@jenlin6715]

The doctors and hospitals put money before ethics sort of a mantra of modern day America, money over everything!!

[@shaiaheyes2c41]

''A destruction kit''?! In case one won't take or sell it?

[@kayhathaway6956]

What is a destruction kit?

[@nennoable]

​@@kayhathaway6956 a destruction kit is there to dispose of any extra pills you might have around when finishing your course. This is because in some countries they sell the pills in blisters and not by the single pill itself like they do in the US. Since throwing them in the trash or down the toilet might be extremely dangerous for marine life etc., you get a special thing to destroy them safely without having your local rats queue at the local health centre for methadone.

[@adriannaranjo4397]

Makes perfect sense to fine a company millions because they were making _billions_ with their illegal activity. That slap on the wrist will show them

[@andrewklang809]

It's almost like making them pay taxes. Well, very low taxes. 0.1% taxes maybe. As the saying goes: If the penalty for a crime is a fine, then it's legal for the rich.

[@missythestaffy9785]

They have been fined billions,it started with a few hundred million

[@airey773]

Yep. Less a fine and more a fee to operate.

[@Aivottaja]

Pfizer makes trillions, gets fined billions.

[@doggdietersdottirpollitz2344]

When the government discovers such criminal activity, they of course want their cut of the earnings. Just like in any gang warfare.

[@Aenubus]

Heroin dealers don't pretend they are selling you medicine. There's something much more honest about that.

[@extrastout1741]

I agree so much. Also they don't force u to take medication like mental health patients sometimes are (benzos and SSRIs are another similar story)

[@Johnconno]

😂

[@AB-lq1zd]

Anyone who genuinely believed that this medication wasn't addictive is extremely foolish.

[@francisdec1615]

This drug was invented in Germany a little over 100 years ago. People who are somewhat good at history know that both Hitler and Göring were on oxycodone. The German brand was called Eukodal. If the two most powerful persons in Germany at that time were on it, it should be obvious that it's addictive. In addition they tried the same thing with heroin at the second half of the 19th century, just as Georg mentions. In Europe oxycodone is called "heroin's cousin, that you don't have to shoot up".

[@Johnconno]

@@francisdec1615 God. Bless Merck! Germany's purest.

[@mynamegeoffproductions4442]

As someone doing a pharmacology degree I'm so happy that you're doing these sort of videos. Really interesting!! I appreciate these must require alot of effort too, so thank you :)

[@mattposky2892]

A series of hour long investigations? I am surprised he even finds time to sleep.

[@moejuggler6033]

Don't do it. Natural living is better in most cases, with drugs overly prescribed for profit everyday for the last 60 years+ (as seen in the video). If you're smart enough to become a pharmacist, don't become a drug vendor! GL

[@junkbucket50]

I'm listening to this with my head in my hands. What a world we live in

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

Peak capitalism

[@GeorgRockallSchmidt]

I feel like I made the whole thing with my head in my hands

[@kelownatechkid]

@@GeorgRockallSchmidt Truly amazed you didn't weep continuously while making this, the suffering caused is unimaginable

[@MeeksLp]

Me too

[@JcoolV]

Felt like I wanted to cry by the end

[@paolo11x11]

Excellent work, Georg. I'm on Oxycodone while I wait for surgery, so I can speak to its necessity in some cases - it's definitely improved my quality of life in the short term and stopped the screaming - but I am acutely aware of the extreme difficulty of withdrawal and the simultaneous danger of death posed by the drug itself. Want the pain to stop? Take one. Want your heart to stop? Take four. Want to stop? You're SOL, but have you tried heroin? The marketing of this drug as safe and non-addictive is absurd and inhuman, but I guess greed and inhumanity go hand-in-hand.

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

Stop taking them. Endure the pain or take non-opiate painkillers instead. This is how it will go: you'll start taking more and in higher doses because you'll find that you're no longer getting the same pain relief. Then you'll find out that you can't endure the withdrawal symptoms (AKA being dopesick) so you'll start taking them every day. Then you'll start wanting to use them to cope with stress. Maybe you'll find a way to skirt the time-release coating and start snorting them for a rush of euphoria. And when your prescription runs out, you'll find a dealer and start buying on the streets. Oh, don't worry the dealer will make it convenient for you and drive the pills to your house. You'll blow through all your money and everything of value in your life will disappear up your nose. Then you'll start ripping off friends and family until they ostracize you. You'll lose jobs for chronic absenteeism because you won't be able to work unless you have the pills and there'll be days you can't score. If you don't wind up in jail or with a life-altering stroke, you'll be in the very small minority that make it through an addiction unscathed. I preach because this is what I went through for a decade and a half and it pains me to see someone else standing on the precipice about to go down a very dark time.

[@davidkruse4030]

@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 he is waiting for surgery idiot. There is an indication for opioids for short term pain relief.

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

@@davidkruse4030 That's how many addictions start. It only takes a few weeks before dependency kicks in.

[@Naptosis]

@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 Whilst what you wrote is harrowing and true for many, most people take these medications as needed and stop under direction. They do not suffer addiction and standard procedure is to taper off the dosage gradually to prevent withdrawal. I've had to take the older morphine extended release after multiple surgeries the last 2 years, and if I'm not in pain, I just don't take the medication. Those are the best days, when I'm not suffering and don't need the support. Unfortunately, due to these scumbags marketing these meds using cases like mine to 'prove' they aren't addictive, the medications are now heavily restricted, and patients that need the meds to help them live a decent life have many problems accessing them. What you went through sounds like Hell, and I am amazed you got through it. I just can't believe they've all gotten away with it. Justice is worthless when it has a price.

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

@@Naptosis Well if you're capable of stopping without any negative withdrawal, that's amazing. It's also rare in my experience, but then again I encountered pretty much nothing but addicts who primarily said they started by way of a prescription, thus giving me confirmation bias. Even just taking the prescribed dosage, not abusing the time-release coating, etc. The neural pathways get physically rewired over time, making someone an addict without their realization. And the withdrawal symptoms (being dopesick) is can be worse than the pain being treated in some cases; the addiction creeps up without permission and under the radar and before you notice it, you can't live without it. I think the blatant overprescription of a known highly addictive and life-ruining narcotic runs contrary to the Hippocratic Oath and not only should the Sacklers be jailed for life, all the doctors who did not do their due diligence should face harsh consequences, such as suspension of licenses and massive financial fines. I know some doctors who were pill mills did face jail time, but I'm talking about any doctor who swallowed the Purdue line without doing any of their own research--that's pure negligence. They were a key variable in this formula, so they too need to share in the blame.

[@S-R-H]

I spent the last year researching this topic for my long paper for law school. I turned it in on December 31st. I'm waiting for my grade. As a person in recovery, the Sackler family has been of interest to me. The damage done is immeasurable. Of course people are skeptical of vaccines and big pharma after all this. The damage Curtis Wright and his ilk did cannot be measured. It is lasting, and the fact that nobody went to prison is infuriating. It means these companies will continue doing this crap. Great job on this series.

[@DR3ADER1]

Getting angry at losers like Richard Sackler, a spoilt, vindictive and easily-angered joke of a man doesn't help matters. The best way I deal with corruption is to laugh at it. Because, people like Curtis Wright, Jaydon Blair and the morons who claimed that the MMR vaccine caused Autism only served to make the FDA, Journalism and Popular Science (not "conventional" Science, "Popular" Science) a complete joke that anything but laughing at it only leads to crying alone in a junkie commune to alleviate the pain. It's liberating to laugh at yourself when you realise how powerless you are. It's better than any painkiller ironically enough.

[@wolfumz]

It's very sad to compare the outcome of the Sackler/Purdue lawsuits to the resolution of the US opioid crisis in 1890-1910. We have a country today where people are just too rich to be held accountable. On to of that, there's no real political will to even try and hold them accountable. It really feels like the failure of the American experiment, IMO, that we have allowed a class of noble aristocrats to re-emerge, and dictate the rules for the rest of us. This should be taken a sign that something is seriously wrong with US law, that people can knowingly operate a de facto drug cartel and get away with it.

[@DR3ADER1]

@@wolfumz It's not. Because it's an example of the eternal trope (and remember, Tropes are TOOLS, they're not inherently good or bad, let alone happy/sad) "Older than Dirt". The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[@mrgreatauk]

In an action film, the finale would be a gun toting Bruce Willis (playing attorney John Brownlee) crashing through the glass roof of a New York penthouse, telling a convenient gathering of Sackler family and executives not to move because they're under arrest. Meanwhile police bust down the doors and start handcuffing them all. Bruce comments "I feel like the pain I've been living with for years is finally gone" as the last one is bundled into a police van. Real life is so much less satisfying and so much more depressing.

[@somika87]

Even in the movies when it's corruption at this level the police would shoot Brownlee and apologize to the Sacklers for the inconvenience. (Act 1) Then only in the 3rd act would the Punisher hunt them down individually and OD them on their own poison.

[@novelezra]

Money: We broke the law Justice: Then we must act Money: **taps name tag** Justice: Oh! Money! Oh god I didn't realise it was you. How have you been man? Money: Getting by

[@krishall9225]

I say it every time, but Georg's turn from movie analyst to documentarian has been admirable. Great content all around, and much needed condemnation of the unscrupulous behavior of many rich families: modern day robber barons

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

"She expressed concern about how the criticism of the Sacklers was affecting her family. 'Lives of children are being destroyed,' she said." Apparently Jacqueline Sackler has no sense of irony or self awareness.

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

Also, I'm surprised that their army of lawyers haven't disliked this video into oblivion (while charging for research time, of course).

[@patrickmike2524]

When actual millions of lives were being destroyed, her kids having their feelings hurt is hardly “destroyed”. Family of real monsters

[@schmeeps4052]

Thousands of children being orphaned by a crisis her family started? Nah, we gotta feel bad because HER kids’ fee fees were hurt

[@PoptartParasol]

They often never do, they are always the victims!

[@DR3ADER1]

The biggest irony is that Jacqueline is telling the TRUTH, in the first part of this 3-part video miniseries, there was a part where Issac Sackler, at his deathbed in 1945, told his three sons about the importance of maintaining your good name and that if tarnished, can't be recovered. It's why Arthur and his children never had any stake in the company in question, Purdue Pharma, by 1987, when he died in a hospital in New York City, under an alias(and by 1991, Arthur's children sold their shares and left in disgust). The Sacklers tarnished their good name and reputation through greed, betrayal, infighting, and plain old stupidity. I make a very clear point here that the victims and the crooks are one and the same. Remember, the war on Opioids really began in the 1850s, before Issac even existed as a person. We, the people lost that war several times and are condemned to continue losing because of our own desires for greed to the point where we corrupt entire governments for it. Hell, the Sacklers dragged their name through the mud and killed millions of people by proxy for profit, and got away with it all at the end. That's a joke so tragic and funny not even the best comedic minds of the world can match it in a fair competition!

[@mbe102]

Hell yeah, an hour of Georg, I'm down for that. Unfortunate but necessary topic.

[@strawberrycheesecake5502]

I recently graduated from law school. My take-away from this is that bribery is much more common than one would think. I'll be on the look-out for that. Even if we can't hold these people accountable, maybe we can stop the next similar attempt earlier.

[@brendanward2991]

It's depressing, but still, an hour of Georg, so I'll take it.

[@Watch-0w1]

This should be more widely shown to public. So they're punishment at least really should be shaming their name

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

Their punishment should be equivocal to the amount of financial damage they did to the US. Think of all the money spent on policing from increased crime, on health care due to increased ODs and secondary diseases sprouting from addiction, lost productivity due to millions of closeted addicts, all the extra strain on the judicial system, and all of the social strife in general. It would be hard to get an accurate number due to all the peripheral affects caused by the decisions of this one family, but it is easily past a trillion dollars. And since the US justice system doesn't throw the rich and powerful into jail, the only recompense is financial. The small civil fine by comparison to the damage caused is totally infuriating, as usual. Just once or twice, it would be nice to see a massive corporation actually get a fine that bankrupts them, showing other corporations that flouting the law is no longer acceptable. Because it makes America look no better than the lawless authoritarian regimes of China or Russia.

[@JD-qq8fz]

Ideally their punishment would be the guillotine...

[@antraxxslingshots]

If it would be shown more widely...it would be forbidden. I can guarantee you that.

[@guy-sl3kr]

@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 Umm you realize that China is socialist, right? Rich people over there aren't above the law like they are in capitalist countries. Look at what happened to Zheng Xiaoyu and Cao Wenzhuang to know how the Sackler case would've been handled in China.

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

@@guy-sl3kr The law is even less equally applied in China. Friends of dictator Xi are allowed to get away with any crime. Any "corruption purges" are just masks to rid Xi of factionalist forces that try to undermine him. Any rich person who gets disappeared and re-educated has obviously insulted Xi or the CCP in some way behind the scene. Laws are applied so arbitrarily in China that justice is not a term that has any meaning over there. Russia is no different. The sad thing is that the US was founded on ideals of equity of application of laws and justice for all, but over time, those ideals have eroded to favour the rich and powerful. Clearly illustrated in the Sackler case. Thankfully it's not as terrible as China or Russia, but it's not a standard America should be anywhere near approximating.

[@absinthe4breakfast299]

Quite honestly, one of the best things on KZbin. This is why online media is so much better than traditional media, keep on doing what you do Georg.

[@videotrash]

Georg is brilliant (and diligent), but the overwhelming majority of 'online media' is putrescent sewage that lacks all standards and just aims to entertain its target niche audience

[@absinthe4breakfast299]

​@@videotrash this is true, however virtually all of traditional media is putrescent sewage, most of it with some kind of agenda or bias one way or the other and just as full of inaccuracies as anything you'd find on youtube. so online media still wins because we get stuff like this video which is something you'd never find anywhere else.

[@btarczy5067]

@@absinthe4breakfast299 Something we shouldn’t forget is that journalists from traditional media - newspapers in most cases - do the research that allows video essayists like George to know about the topics in the first place. George is an amazing communicator but he has to rely on sources. Especially US TV news are in a dire state but I don‘t think it‘s helpful to put all traditional journalism in the trash. Some of the traditions such as citing one‘s sources and actually investigating are and will always be important. Only trusting online commentators can lead into some screwed up rabbit holes because their strength is also their biggest weakness. No oversight, while allowing for a discussion of topics removed from corporations and the restrictions they impose also allows complete idiots or propagandists to push whatever they want with almost no repercussions. Don‘t put anyone on a pedestal.

[@TheSquad4life]

A majority of in-line media are people telling in an echo chamber, feeding rhetoric to their irk. This channel is FANTASTIC but also important to note it draws from traditional media research and news then filters out what seems irrelevant. So traditional media is still IMPORTANT

[@Blitterbug]

Excellent series, Georg. My beef with all this is that chronic pain is a serious issue, and thanks to the opioid crisis, coupled with mass-murderer Harold Shipman and Dr David Kelly killing himself with dextropropoxyphene, palliative care in the UK is now a tangled mess with doctors terrified of being investigated and struck off for prescribing pain meds. So people like my disabled son now struggle to get the medicine he needs and has to be reviewed every 6 months despite being crippled for life.

[@tropezando]

I totally agree. My mom has full body bone-on-bone osteoarthritis, but she's been nursing the same bottle of ancient pain pills for five years since her doctor has been so reluctant to prescribe any more - even though they'll give her naproxen and diclofenac, both of which are terrible for her kidneys (which already have scarring). But since she's responsible where the doctors are not, most of the time she either takes nothing or takes tylenol, which does very little, and is in constant pain.

[@Blitterbug]

@@tropezando I'm so sorry to hear that and I totally agree with you about Naproxen, it's a rough drug, my son got gut-rot something chronic from it. I do hope your mum gets some better care eventually. The opioid crisis hand-wringers are ignoring the very real need for pain relief in the community.

[@bugglemagnum6213]

I simultaneously disagree with a bunch of billionaires being created from a narcotic and the overregulation in the UK

[@Adara007]

@@Blitterbug Exactly. Purdue Pharma lied about OxyContin for lasting 12 hours and being non-addictive. The problem with the current situation is that those with chronic pain are suffering because doctors are being taught not to prescribe opioids for anyone who isn't terminally ill. So many individuals with disabling chronic pain have been dropped off OxyContin either entirely or tapered down to a low dose that causes them to no longer be able to work or have any real quality of life. Those who abuse opioids will still go to the street or are easily prescribed drugs like Buprenorphine or Suboxone by doctors yet those with disabling chronic pain who were able to work due to prescribed opioids are the ones now suffering. Many doctors try to push Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) or drugs for neuropathy (nerve pain) like Lyrica and Gabapentin on those with chronic pain even when such drugs haven't been effective for their pain and have caused serious side-effects. The situation has gone from over-prescribing to under-prescribing opioid medication and it has been and continues to cause severe problems for so many with debilitating chronic pain.

[@ileanamuntean7338]

@@tropezando I live in France and I am taking Piascledin (over the counter, one a day).. I don't know how it works but it does. Initially, I had to take it for 6 weeks until I felt the effect. Now I take a pill every other day.

[@lymb3914]

Why does evil fail so often in our fiction? Because it wins so much in reality, it helps to think there's a place, even imaginary, where the wicked get their just deserts.

[@cliftonharmon2403]

It's conditioning to have us believe if we do what is right, there will be a happy ending so we don't rebel. Hollywood has always primarily been propaganda

[@capsjukebox]

All three parts are exceptionally well done. The only thing missing are the music rights to put an Adam Curtis level soundtrack to it.

[@joshuataff4911]

I can't imagine how much work and research it took to put this three part series together. But thank you for it and I wish more people were listening.

[@cjlooklin1914]

The crazy thing is, most corporations have histories just as bad if not worse than the sacklers...

[@xtiphuny89]

I watched Dopesick and was very impressed in the congruity between your documentary and the details they included in that series, but yours is quite a bit more enjoyable. You are very detailed and well spoken. Thank you for making these videos!

[@YanAbaus]

This whole series has just been amazing. Especially important in an age where "doubting the experts" is such a crime. You do a great job of exposing just who these experts are, and who signs their paychecks.

[@iivin4233]

No one will ever believe in wolves again because the guard dogs have been paid off for so long.

[@benlapointe4028]

What an excellent conclusion to this series. I believe that everyone in America needs to see this video and demand reform so that this kind and level of crime cannot go unpunished like the Sacklers did.

[@lightwishatnight]

Demanding reform is how this mess started. The game monopoly won't change much by changing a rule, you need to stop playing capitalism all together and immediately, comrade.

[@danielflanard8274]

@@lightwishatnight What economic system is safe from corruption and fraud? (it's a trick question, the answer is none of them)

[@matt_cummins28]

This has been an excellent series: great research, extremely well laid out, straightforward. It cuts to the nub of the matter. The work is must have taken is extraordinary even to contemplate. "All for the benefit of, and to protect the feelings of, the daughter of a drug lord." Says it all, really. Thank you, Georg. I think I, too, shall now find something to punch for a bit.

[@warren839]

Fuck there's a part 3 you're telling me it gets worse.edit just finished, yep that's depressing but knowledge is power. Thanks and if all else fails just rub some Hiptang on it. It's medically approved.

[@asha4736]

Aside from morphine in terminal/extreme cases, I think Codeine's the strongest opiate prescribed in my country. Hospitals of course have fentanyl and all that, but it's nearly unheard of for your regular Joe Bloggs to be prescribed something as heavy duty as Oxycontin to go home and do what they will with. My heart absolutely breaks for the millions of families who haven't, and possibly will never, heal from the Sackler's malice and greed. Thank you Georg for taking the time to present this whole story is such an easily-digestible way.

[@paulinegallagher7821]

codeine and tramadol (prescription) codeine is crazy easy to get here.

[@Arkantos117]

Nothing ever really changes, remember that before you trust a new product from one of these companies.

[@Cameroo]

Georg, I cannot even find the words to express how grateful I am that you and others like you exist in the world. Thank you for making these video editorials and essays.

[@mattposky2892]

These have been great. Cannot wait to watch the thrilling conclusion. Hopefully the good guys win!

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

Ooop....

[@ryllo2886]

this is the conclusion sadly

[@cl8804]

hahahahahahahahhaahahahahhahahaha-you're about as adorable as you are silly!

[@okarowarrior]

Low IQ in the comments don't get what satire is

[@elias_xp95]

This ain't no Hollywood movie. The good guys never win.

[@kurtilein3]

I took 10-20 milligrams per day for 10 days for severe back pain prior to surgery. After surgery, the pain was gone. The wound from the invasive surgery was nothing by comparison. So i immediately stopped taking it, while doctors advised i should maybe take it another 2 or 3 days, because i just had surgery going deep into the spine and grinding away some bone and stuff. I had one day and one night of terrible withdrawal symptoms. Now i consider even a broken bone or post surgery pain to be moderate pain and would refuse opiates for anything like that. It is insane that they prescribe this stuff for a bruised elbow or a broken toe.

[@claypotts2334]

They wanna keep you hooked, don't trust them

[@dingdingdingdiiiiing]

You're one of the lucky ones. Some people have what is colloquially called "an addictive personality", which actually means they have a lack of something in their life, a deep connection perhaps, or they feel unworthy, have low dopamine levels, combinations of those or more, so the drug fills the void and then some, so they get hooked.

[@kurtilein3]

@@dingdingdingdiiiiing I dont think thats it. With some drugs, especially opiates, you can take nearly any person and force them into addiction by giving a high enough dose for a couple of weeks. Here in Germany they are very reluctant to prescribe this stuff, prior to getting the opiates i got 0-2 hours of sleep per night and at times the pain was so intense that i could not talk with my normal voice. After one week of this, your brain is fried. With 20 milligrams, i was half numb from the pain and half numb from the drugs and got 5 to 6 hours of sleep. From what i read in the comments, in the USA they put you on 120 milligrams for less pain. That is 5 times more, at such a dose all pain is gone and you are strongly sedated and properly out of your mind from the drugs. The sweet spot is when the negative impact of the pain is equal to the negative impact from the drugs. So 20 milligrams was the minimum dose to reach that goal, together with the maximum allowed dose of the non-opiate painkillers ibuprofen and metamizol. The 120 milligrams i would probarbly have gotten in the USA would probarbly have led to a different outcome.

[@dingdingdingdiiiiing]

@@kurtilein3 yes, you're right. I thought more of the psychological aspect - if you have withdrawal symptoms after a week of use, that's a pretty insane kind of drug, yet I assume you didn't have an overpowering desire to take another dose, correct? There were stories of Vietnam veterans who shot up heroin during the war, and most of them quit after they got back and some just couldn't quit - it is proposed, that those were the more vulnerable ones.

[@kurtilein3]

@@dingdingdingdiiiiing The withdrawal effects were not medically dangerous or threatening, but unpleasant enough. And i knew if i just take another half of a pill, the withdrawal effects would disappear within 30 minutes and i would feel fine. Stepping down the dose 30% per day and slowly getting off would have been a more pleasant option, but i was scared as fuck so i gave all my remaining pills to a nurse for disposal and made clear that unless the pain comes back full force, i am going cold turkey and will not touch it. This is 5 times harder if you have been on 5 times the dose. I always have to think about Dr. House, an entirely believable character, he is a high-functioning hardcore morphine addict and everyone knows he is supplying himself with medical grade morphine. That is actually a believable character, such people exist.

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

If Columbia can waste Escobar on a rooftop, America should at least be capable of doing the same to the Sacklers.

[@burningmisery]

Escobar hasn't killed or paid off nearly as many ppl as the Sacklers.

[@skatei]

That was American agents that shot him down in Colombia

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

@@skatei That’s a better illustration of my point then: If American agents can waste Escobar, they can waste the Sackler family one member at a time.

[@targuscinco]

Yeah, I lived this shit. I was already a heroin addict when OC came along. It was bazaar watching heroine turn into a serious pill epidemic. And when they took the pills away, we collectively landed in the outstretched waiting hand of heroin. It was either that or land back on our feet and shit just doesn't work like that. Oh, and with minimal effort, you can defeat the "new" OP style. People did but at that point we all just said fuck it, bought a bag of dope and shot it in our veins. No middle man, no fucking with a pill that doesn't wanna be fucked with.

[@robinsandquist]

I was punching my mattress throughout this whole series. Great job collecting and presenting all this info. Good luck over there in the states, it sure doesn't seem like a place for the unfortunate.

[@wojciechgrodnicki6302]

Who else but an evil tycoon would name his son Mortimer?

[@marlenamaizar888]

And they are a family from Galicia….located in the country of your profile…🤡🤡🤡

[@littleidiot153]

and a Company perdue!!!

[@igloocookie]

One of the best channels on KZbin. Love the production. Love the evolution. Love the atmosphere.

[@Craxin01]

I'll sum this up in three words: Greed destroys everything.

[@brushstroke7190]

To put 60 mg into perspective, that’s 2X a lethal dose for an opiate-naïve adult.

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

Maybe if you mainline it, but that's probably not gonna happen for a first timer.

[@bugglemagnum6213]

@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 thats probably what he looked up not realizing it was for iv

[@MisakaMikotoDesu]

Just watched this entire series in one sitting. Very good content. Thank you so much for this

[@RobSchofield]

Georg, a superb series. This is prize-winning stuff. Keep it up.

[@mosessupposes2571]

Beautify sorted and presented monster story.

[@mistorWhiskers]

I live off I-95 (one if the main highways for the non east coast Americans,) in Florida, shit was wild through the 2000s and 2010s. Really it's never stopped, but it was really fucking crazy. I still have to dodge syringes around the building at work.

[@tonebenderx]

George, thank you for pulling all this together. It's an excellent and informative dive into the Oxy problem. I had heard some of this in previous reporting, but this really puts everything into context. I can only hope that the Sacker family and the corporate execs are justly punished for what they willfully perpetrated.

[@uptown710]

Amazing job bro. Your skill in producing these series is grade A. 🙏🏾

[@jmd1743]

China would have executed Richard given China is ruthless over drugs given how the Europe & Americans got China addicted to Opium a generation or two before WW1 began.

[@maxims086]

Mother had a decade long benzodiazepines addiction, she understood her dependence and knew she will never come off it, she died in her late forties.

[@WobblesandBean]

I used to have uterine tumors. No doctor would take it out cuz I don't have kids, and apparently imaginary, non-existent baby-waby takes precedence over my actual self and my life. But they were more than happy to give me hardcore painkillers instead. That was eleven years ago. I'm still struggling, still on a self-imposed taper. I'm down to just a sliver of what I used to take, but still not down enough to avoid severe withdrawal if I quit cold turkey. Hopefully I'll hit that point in just a few months.

[@bluegill5802]

You’ve done great work with this series

[@tbonemalone3407]

That was awesome! I watched Dopesick , and enjoyed it. I just got the book too. That’s how I found out about the Sackler’s. I want to read Empire of Pain, too. Then I found you. You have done a great job with your videos and this insane story! Thank you for your hard work. 😊

[@S-R-H]

Empire of Pain is even more infuriating, but it is definitely worth a read. It's amazing how long the Sackler dynasty has devastated America with its drugs.

[@MeeksLp]

I just watched it to and it had such an effect on me I wanted to know more.I live in the U.K and had no idea what huge drug pandemic it was.That family are pure evil

[@rdbury507]

Is the justice system really as bad as it's portrayed on "Goliath"? No, it's much, much worse.

[@dandeeteeyem2170]

I punch my pillow too Georg. 😂 I won't retype the comment KZbin deleted, but I will say this. Why people think "trust the science" entails putting blind faith in these industries, is astonishing to me. Especially when safe and effective treatments get banned in Australia, primarily because they are generic and therefore unprofitable. Thanks for this series Georg, love your work ❤️

[@madisoncannoles4907]

Thank you for this series 😌 As a recovered opiate addict, that began with an oc Rx. It's been informative.

[@mekomckracken2358]

Earnings Purdue Pharma L.P. revenue is $3.0B annually. After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found the following key financial metrics. Purdue Pharma L.P. has 5,000 employees, and the revenue per employee ratio is $600,000. Sep 30, 2022

[@LloydSeven]

Thank you for this series on the Sacklers. I learned a lot from this. A shame they can't get a taste of their own medicine, but then again, they can afford heroin as well.

[@jonhelmer8591]

Good work Georg!

[@davidbrinnen]

My goodness, that was grim. Makes you wonder, though, what other medical scandals are taking place...

[@csatimaci]

Can't believe that all this time, no one realized that all opiates are dangerously addictive and should only be applied under strict medical supervision.

[@lizardjr.7826]

Why isn't this story on the front page of every news website and news channel? All I see on TV are people complaining about Republicans.

[@mariusvanc]

The TDS will never die. They are blinded by it.

[@wfpnknw32]

Manipulating people into becoming opiod addicts is worse than being a street heroin dealers. At least their buyers know the risks. This is insane.

[@franmclachlan9120]

I was prescribed OxyContin when I had shingles, but chose to fight the pain instead. Luckily it only lasted two weeks. I have heard of people having shingles for much longer.

[@patricorno]

Thank you for this great (if sad) and informative content!!!

[@smilemor-phony5964]

You did an excellent job! making this Sackler documentary. Now I wish it was all on 1 video rather than 3. Makes it easier to share. Thanks.

[@CrazyChiv]

This series was really good. I think if you wanted to move toward a more in-deph docu style, you could pull it off. If it turns out as well as this, it'll be worth the extra wait between uploads.

[@chellybub]

Cool video. I'm guessing we all know people who have been affected by the sacklers. I'm still dealing with being prescribed hardcore opiates for years and years. I had a bone infection which was due to an open fracture. Obviously this was causing pain, it took many doctors many years to identify and treat. But they were real quick with the pain killers. I now live without agony every day thank goodness, but I am still taking opiates because instead of treating the underlying cause of the pain, they just gave me fists full of chemical hug happy dream time pills. Oy gavelt... I had been on them so long that I get quite bad withdrawal symptoms, and have been slowly working my way down over the past year. It's a brutal process, and I must say, you abuse them because they're there. And I have never met a person who was regularly prescribed opiates who didn't abuse them at some stage. The only people I have met who did fine with opiates had small amounts with short term prescriptions after a surgery or something.

[@jamespires3383]

there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East…

[@matgonzalez6272]

And if you feel unhappy, you must really need it!

[@burningmisery]

❤❤❤

[@andrewklang809]

31:00 "They were especially interested in *China*, hoping that it would overtake America as the *#1 market for opioids*" Uhhh...far be it for me to speak for people of another culture and country, but.....I THIIIIIIINK they might have strong feelings about this. In the profoundly negative sense.

[@GeorgRockallSchmidt]

I had that thought as well. Some of their ambitions seemed like pure fantasy.

[@andrewklang809]

@@GeorgRockallSchmidt For what it's worth, I'm proud and delighted that you've decided to diversify your channel by going into thoughtful, deeply-researched social matters. Your movie reviews are fun, and often illuminating, but the world cannot have enough people who are willing to put in the work to expose the crimes of the elite. Yours is rapidly becoming one of my favorite channels. I hope you find this work rewarding, because I want you to keep going, firing on all cylinders, unearthing all this horrible $#!+, because it should be universally known.

[@mattgilbert7347]

Outstanding work

[@nelsondisalvatore9812]

I'm lisening this as I prepare to go to work and let me tell you tgere is nothing to wake me up on the morning like a murderous blood rage.

[@michaelbarbarich3965]

I herniated 3 disks at the age of 22, in 2002. I was not a good candidate for surgery. I had to continue to work and look after my 71 year old father, who had fallen ill with cancer. It was just the two of us. Thus began 13 years of addiction hell. It cost me everything. I take full responsibility for my poor choices, I'm paying for them now. My child is paying for them now. Still, there's a part of me that wants to see the Sacklers rot in prison. If I must pay for my moral failings, so should they for theirs. I'm so sorry, son. I tried.

[@colto2312]

peace be upon you

[@gonesnake2337]

I never want to be on Georg's bad side. This is a brilliant indictment. Well done.

[@gansmith]

I will say that since your pivot from film critic to documentary maker makes this video the crown jewel of all of your work. We really appreciate your reports on white collar crimes.

[@rogerbretherton]

Well done Georg. I’ve been a fan of your work for some time, but this trilogy IMHO is your masterpiece so far. Thanks for putting on all that work to inform people like me (who knew very little) of the OxyContin crisis. I will share as widely as I can. 👍🏻

[@davissteffens]

Great segments Georg, this case is probably going to the Supreme Court, but at least the Court of public opinion has detractors like this and the Books author. Keep it coming.

[@Alex-hp2rs]

What do they even want that much money for

[@Mayor_Of_Eureka17]

Georg, I have digitized your voice to give me directions off my phone. You cannot stop this..

[@deez_nu1s]

Can you share the bits? 🙃

[@warren839]

... also i keep ending up at the lava lamp store. How do I stop this.

[@Sampsonoff]

I don’t know enough about the industry to form a defensible opinion, but it seems like there should serious discussion about de-commodifying medicine. The perverse incentives shouldn’t be anywhere near our health.

[@thinnedpaints6503]

This further reinforces my belief that America is the perfect product of laissez faire economics, where it's a playground for the most inhuman of people, and the poor have no choice but to play by their rules.

[@karlish8799]

A whole hour George. You spoil us.

[@kurtilein3]

57:12 i see what you did there. Savage.

[@perniciouschattel5211]

Great video. Can we just reflect for a second on the quote 'they hoped China would overtake the US as the #1 market for opiates.' No ugly historical precedent there!

[@johntowner1893]

I know this story personally. Our society and selves are so inside out, blind and deaf, and constantly contradictory, that chemical abuse is almost part of our MO. We should be light years ahead of where we are in relation to sobriety, happiness, and “pain relief” or more aptly, treatment of suffering. When I say suffering, I mean life changing disease and pain. Not slightly inconvenient, non recurring, low intensity, short term pain.

[@Janet-vl5rt]

My mom was Raymond Sackler’s executive secretary in the late 70’s/early 80’s. He always treated her with respect. I don’t remember her mentioning Richard, but I do recall that she wasn’t as enthusiastic as she had been previously, and opted for early retirement.

[@DR3ADER1]

TL;DR They won anyway LOL! Give up and go home, despair and nihilism always win. If you can't laugh at all of this, you can only cry alone.

[@mekomckracken2358]

COMMUNITY SERVICE?????? You mean in the community they do not give 2 F**KS about?!

[@liezlspies4253]

Elite evil.... karma... I believe in karma! Thanks for this. Watched the Netflix series and was so shocked and rattled.

[@Kevin-ir2wd]

Infuriating but important that things like this are put out by into the public domain.

[@deez_nu1s]

Georg you are doing such important wprk, wow, I wish you soon gain 1M subscribers and news articles start respectfully quoting your work! The world needs to know

[@KapiteinKrentebol]

I come here for the depressing content.

[@osobad1127]

Fantastic reporting Georg. This is truly a masterpiece.

[@fabulousk8]

This is my favorite thing to watch before going to bed. Despite the horrific yet fascinating subject matter, you are an amazing orator and I am now an expert in this crisis that is getting worse by the day. I am an addict myself, thankfully not for Oxy, but I speak to many survivors at my AA meetings.

[@qazwsxedcrfv126]

A very good pairing to this series is the Netflix documentary series "The pharmacist". It gives a very personal perspective on the epidemic. Fuck Netflix torrent that shit.

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

I was addicted to opiates for 15 years. Started on Oxy, moved onto to fentanyl then cocaine. Finally had to use methadone for 5 years but tapered off. Let me save you the pain and money and the poor health: don't do drugs beyond weed.

[@burningmisery]

Hope you're well, Old Man.

[@damdampapa]

your KZbin name is just fu*king gold!!

[@willnill7946]

What’s with this religious promotion of weed. Even an ex junky in here promoting it even though that’s where his addiction began.

[@damdampapa]

@@willnill7946 🤔Weird trolling. The opiate-addicted also drank coke, ate hamburgers and took anti-histamines before being addicted. That's where their addiction begins! (see how stupid that sounds?)

[@wildmanfisher]

@@willnill7946 ever had a beer? Congratulations: according your reasoning on weed, you are on the fast track to debilitating alcoholism.

[@s.sradon9782]

someone should make a spinoff to Lord of War called Lord of Drugs and make the film about this, Ideally someone who's dad isn't a drug lord.

[@b.m.2216]

Thank you for your hard work. This should be shown on the TV!! Such a shame we live in Times of nonstop propaganda where meaningful stuff just gets overlooked from the majority.

[@cindyhammack68]

Pain is not a disease. Pain is the body's way of protecting an injury from further damage by reminding you that the area already has damage, so you take care to not further damage it.

[@Tacom4ster]

I'm still too lazy to watch the Michael Keaton miniseries, glad Georg can sum this stuff up