In the 19 seventies, marriage started to become a less healthy institution. The so called nuclear family became less common many. There's an enormous growth in parent children raised at homes with only one parent. This alternative of a quick eye on Wednesday night is really not a good substitute for community and religion. But i would suggest that we have not been able, in America to find a way to cope with that social disruption.
Author and journalist Sam Quinones talks about his book, The Least of Us, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Quinones focuses on the devastation caused by methamphetamine and fentanyl, the latest evolution of innovation in the supply of mind-altering drugs in the United States. The latest versions of meth, he argues, are more emotionally damaging than before and have played a central role in the expansion of the homeless in tent encampments in American cities. The conversation includes an exploration of the rising number of overdose deaths in the United States and what role community and other institutions might play in reducing the death toll.