https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/purdue-pharma-should-become-a-public-trust/

One of the biggest obstacles to such a commonsense, utilitarian approach is the natural human desire to hold someone accountable for the hundreds of thousands of opioid-related deaths. With annual overdose deaths remaining above 70,000 per year (about two thirds involving opioids) in this country—and just showing signs of plateauing—the epidemic remains a true public health emergency.

The untold pain inflicted upon families and communities cannot be overstated, and culpability is important. So-called pill mills have been shut down, nearly all states have enacted restrictions on prescribing practices to make overprescribing much less possible, and rogue prescribers have been prosecuted and punished.