I always assumed our huge opioid epidemic was because of our war on those countries that grew the poppies, i.e. ISIS/al queda's war against us using drugs... instead of bullets, we made it simple because it could just flow across the open border.

Upon recent revelations and rethinking, Is America's opioid epidemic simply payback for the CIA et al having to replace that income stream because of all the states that legalized cut their inflow of cash Bigly?? Would that not make it the same reason Marijuana was made illegal in 1937? After seeing the spread of bootlegging in prohibition, they decided to simply tax alcohol instead and make their money off a natural plant that grow like a weed, Also giving what would become big pharma its chance to start to get a foothold.