reading articles

This week were digging into a significant shift in morbidity and mortality, as outlined in the supplemental reading Why are so many white Americans dying. Were seeing that white Americans are dying at higher rates than previously predicted. The cause? Despair. Read more here:
http:www.theatlantic.comhealtharchive201511boomers-deaths-pnas413971
Many trace this back to the growing epidemic of opioid use, which you should read about here:
How Bad is the Opioid Epidemic?

And watch the film on the topic here:
Chasing Heroin

After reading the above articles and watching the film (this is critical to have an informed discussion so were all on the same page!) Pick one of the questions below and provide a comprehensive and critical response (be sure to include sources):
How is the response and public discussion of this epidemic similar or different than the crack epidemic of the 1980s? (There have been some good articles on this, go find them!)
Where should someone go if they are caught using opioids illegally? Rehab? Prison?
What are the proscons of each option? Who should pay?
How have other countries addressed drug abuse? For example, what do they do in England? Or Portugal? (If you choose this one make sure you pick a different country than your classmates)
What should be done to curb the epidemic? What are the roles of pharmaceutical companies in this?
What influence have doctors had? What kind of policies could help this epidemic?
Should they target drug trafficking, or drug manufactures, or drug dealers?
If there is another perspective or issue presented in this whole issue that you are dying to talk about and hear feedback from your peers feel free to do sothe goal here is to really analyze this through the sociological lens and critique all the players and the victims.
Your response should be at least two paragraphs in length.