Science & Environment

TV review by Dave Putson

DOPESICK is not a word that naturally sits in UK parlance. But we may, over time, become increasingly familiar with it. Not because of this extremely well-crafted American eight-part TV series, currently on BBC2 and iPlayer. But more by its subject matter, opioid addiction.

The series is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Beth Macy, which exposes the American health system in all of its bone chilling horror.The opioid addiction is based in the USA, and the TV series focuses on the working class communities, quite a few in Appalachia, but it also refers to a nationwide epidemic.

In its scope this series is quite impressive. It exposes in the usual TV programme broad stroke-style, the obscene family who owned the pharmaceutical company responsible for Oxycontin. Their absolute obsession was with money and presented a public image as art benefactors. They were determined, however, to sell their newly developed pain relief drug to all and everyone, and they did it by public relations and seriously corrupt aggressive sales and marketing techniques.

You are introduced in the series to a working class community and its doctor, you see the nature of health provision in the USA. The drug is sold for painful workplace injuries, and you see how it insidiously leads to addiction in the attempts to deal with serious pain. The individual stories are real and are truly horrifying, not because of over-the-top “horror movie” set pieces, but more by the mundane slow, slow drip feed into addiction.

The programme shows how some seriously dedicated law enforcement people started to realise the issues, and that this legally prescribable, and available drug was destroying communities. At their every turn, they attempted to pursue this matter, but their investigations were compromised by the pharmaceutical company which bought off disenfranchised employees, medical practitioners, law enforcement officers, medical regulators and politicians.

So why is it such a bone-chilling horror? Because the Americans impacted, were not just isolated drug users, but entire communities. Money was the driving force for the hard sell, not any desire to provide health provision. And this is a health system that is slowly but surely being introduced into the UK.

It is the same type of vulture pharmaceutical and health companies that want to replace the NHS, currently still striving, despite all the obstacles, to provide a good health service, based upon need and not wealth. If ever you wanted to know why we should fight to stop our own politicians introducing an American-style health system here, watch Dopesick.

In eight episodes it covers a huge amount of ground, and is one of a small collection of excellent American TV programmes, which also has a serious political message, albeit presented in an allegedly even-handed manner. Do not expect to be simply horrified: this is an emotionally intelligent, deep dive into true horror, not the usual “har’em scare’em” nonsense, and I most viewers would become seriously sympathetic to those impacted in the Oxycontin plague.

If ever there was an advocate for renationalising our NHS, this programme is it. It is a ‘present’ Americans have, but a ‘future’ we do not want.

Dopesick is available on BBC i-player here. If you prefer the book, you can find it here. Pictures from i-player.