Congress Is About To Pass A Bill That Shows D.C. At Its Worst -- It May Also Fix The Opioid Crisis And Cure Cancer

WASHINGTON ― In 1996, Purdue Pharma introduced a new painkiller it said carried a low risk of abuse or addiction. It called the drug “OxyContin.” In reality, of course, OxyContin was extremely addictive — and Purdue knew it. A decade later, three Purdue executives, and the company itself, pleaded guilty to criminal charges tied to OxyContin’s marketing and agreed to pay more than $600 million in fines. But the executives dodged prison time, and the prosecution did little to slow the ri...