Two top federal government scientists detected the signs of the emerging opioid crisis in 2006 and tried to warn of the coming catastrophe, Politico reports. The effort led to little action, and the addiction and death toll climbed. More than 133,000 people have died from prescription opioids since then, and hundreds of thousands more from street drugs including heroin and illicit fentanyl. The scientists’ March 15, 2006 memo, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, shows that directors of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of Health flagged “disturbing” data showing a dramatic uptick in opioid addiction and requested urgent action. The directors wanted then-U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona to alert the public to prescription drug abuse dangers.
The memo from NIDA Director Nora Volkow led Carmona to agree to issue an official call to action to capture the public’s attention and raise awareness about emerging public health issues. Similar calls have addressed threats including tobacco and urged the public to wear seat belts. “Given the startling statistics, efforts to heighten awareness of this problem should be a top public health priority,” Volkow wrote. The action she proposed faded as the health agencies focused on other issues. Public health officials, including some who worked on substance abuse and mental health, didn’t fully grasp how much the problem would grow. Carmona’s term ended a few months after Volkow sent her memo. An acting surgeon general took over. What little momentum had built for a public warning evaporated.