Affluent white women were dying of overdose at record rates, a demographic shift in the opioid crisis. Studies show four waves of the crisis; prescription opioids, heroin, fentanyl, and poly drug era. The media initially focused on the shock of white people dying of overdose but has since worn off.
Featuring Helena Hansen, Jules Netherland, and David Herzberg on how American capitalism and its illusions of whiteness both created the opioid crisis and shaped the response to it. We are discussing their book Whiteout: How Racial Capitalism Changed the Color of Opioids in America.
Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig
Check out our newsletters and vast archives at thedigradio.com
Subscribe to Jacobin bit.ly/digjacobin and Catalyst bit.ly/digcatalyst