You Don't Have a Family, or No One Wants to Talk to You

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In the 19 eighties, we closed a lot of psychiatric facilities in the united states. We basically said to people who were severely mentally disabled through touh psychiatric problems, we said, you're on your own. You can live on the street, because you probably nnot be able to hold a job. There's something almost beautiful about it. We don't lock people up any more. The other hand, we kind of leve hm alone and stay away from em, cause they scare us. Those folks end up basically om with with what looks to everybody like scesoprenia. In fact, that's a big problem right now. I'm trying to figure out if this

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.