Painkiller Abuse Epidemic Awaits a Place on U.S. Party Platforms
- Washington strategist on quest to put opioids on 2016 agenda
- Republicans, Democrats drafting platforms before conventions
Oxycodone pain pills prescribed for a patient with chronic pain lie on display on March 23, 2016, in Norwich, Connecticut.
Photographer: John Moore/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Mike Smith’s sister died after an overdose of prescription painkillers, and the drugs derailed his brother’s future. Now he’s trying to thrust the issue of America’s opioid epidemic into a presidential campaign that is already one of the most divisive in U.S. history.
The Washington public relations strategist is one of many ordinary Americans seeking to shape the Democratic and Republican party platforms, documents that amount to a governing agenda for the next president.