The Progression of the Opioid Epidemic since 2000

By jperki36@vols.utk.edu
  • Early Opioid Marketing

    Early Opioid Marketing

    This advertisement from Purdue Pharma was published in 2002 and is advertising for the new medication, OxyContin. On the outside this advertisement looks like a benign ad for a new medication. The ad promotes the use of this painkiller and describes how effective the drug is. The ad also lists out seemingly mild side effects, but the ad fails to mention the addictive nature of these types of painkillers and instead advertises it as a cure all for pain.
  • The Data

    The Data

    This graph displays how the death rates from opioids has progressed from 2000 to 2016. This graph comes from a report done by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center at the University of Minnesota. As seen in the graph, the progression of the epidemic has increased severely over the last two decades and the graph only details the deaths from opioids meaning that an even larger number are addicted to them and have been negatively affected by the epidemic.
  • Anti-Opioid Marketing

    Anti-Opioid Marketing

    This ad was published by the American Academy of Orthopedic surgeons in 2017. This graphic is very similar to a lot of graphics from recent years. This shows the general view on opioids as the epidemic has progressed into a deadly widespread disease. This ad is the complete opposite of the ad published in 2002 and is published by medical professionals as well, showing the change in the public's view on opioids.