In
Letter from the Publisher
Those who know me know I love a good book. One of the
reasons I chose the journalism industry is my love of reading.
While my topics of interest have evolved over the years, the
passion for absorbing information through nonfiction and ex-
ploring unconventional ideas through fiction has never wavered.
Over the past few months, I have found myself reading books
about the drug epidemic, which is a crisis that quite literally hits
home. I am driven to read books on this topic because I have
a strong desire to understand how we, as a country, ended up
in this situation and how some people end up taking this path
in life.
One book in particular had a big impact on me. “Dreamland:
The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic” by Sam Quinones
was recommended to me by Danny Scalise, the executive
director of the West Virginia State Medical Association and
member of the Young Guns Class of 2019. This is a nonfiction
novel that was written by a journalist who worked tirelessly
to tell the story of how addiction spread across our country
and into every community. In this book, Quinones explains
how actions and decisions made in the pharmaceutical indus-
try aligned perfectly with the fight for prosperity by a group
of young Mexican men to create the perfect storm in terms of
heroin distribution in America.
What was of particular interest was how this novel not only
shared facts about the epidemic but also discussed the elements
of misinformation, prosperity, mental health and pain, all of
which can have a direct correlation with drug abuse.
In the novel, Quinones explains that one of the things that
helped jump-start this epidemic in America was the message
sent by doctors and pharmaceutical companies that we no
longer need to—or have to—feel any pain. To further explore
this line of thinking, Danny also shared with me a very pointed
article entitled “After Surgery in Germany, I Wanted Vicodin,
Not Herbal Tea.” This article, written by Firoozeh Dumas,
explains the mindset of pain management in Germany versus
that in the U.S. Dumas wrote, “The anesthesiologist explained
that during surgery and recovery I would be given strong
painkillers, but once I got home the pain would not require
narcotics. To paraphrase him, he said: ‘Pain is a part of life. We
cannot eliminate it nor do we want to. The pain will guide you.’”
This book is just one of many great resources for those who
are interested in learning more about the drug epidemic and
how we got to where we are today. It is my hope that everyone
who has a vested interest in the future of not only the Moun-
tain State but our country as a whole will take time to utilize
these resources and learn more about this crisis we are facing.
Without knowledge of how we got here and how individuals
end up on the path of addiction, we will continue to struggle
with finding ways to end the epidemic and help recovered ad-
dicts get back on their feet.
Publisher
CHARLESTON
711 Indiana Avenue
Charleston, WV 25302
T. 304.343.7551
MORGANTOWN
299 BAKERS RIDGE ROAD
MORGANTOWN,
WV 26508
MOR
T. 304.284.0200
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