# How Drug Prohibition Caused the Opioid Crisis **URL:** **By** Jeffrey A. Singer, Trevor Burrus **Published:** October 27, 2017 --- Jeffrey A. Singer joins us to talk about the ongoing opioid overdose epidemic in the United States. Why are there so many opioid users in the US? Jeffrey A. Singer joins us this week to talk about the ongoing opioid overdose epidemic in the United States. Why are there so many opioid users in the US? Specifically, what kinds of drugs are we talking about, fentanyl? Oxycontin? Is the overdose death problem a direct result of doctors over-prescribing opiates to patients for pain management? **Show Notes and Further Reading** Here's a Cato briefing event that features Singer: "[A 'Modern Plague'? How the Federal Government Should Address the Opioid Crisis](https://www.cato.org/events/modern-plague-how-federal-government-should-address-opioid-crisis)." "[Misdiagnosing the Opioid Crisis](https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/misdiagnosing-opioid-crisis)"; this article appeared in _Inside Sources_ on September 27, 2017. Trevor mentions Jacob Sullum's book [_Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use_](https://www.amazon.com/Saying-Yes-Defense-Drug-Use/dp/1585423181) (2004). Listeners may also be interested in our Free Thoughts episode with Johann Hari, "[Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/chasing-the-scream-the-first-and-last-days-of-the-war-on-drugs)."