A one-hour special featuring attorney Mike Papantonio, author of LAW AND ADDICTION, will begin airing on May 31, 2019 on Detroit Public Television.  The groundbreaking show, also titled Law and Addiction, focuses on the causes and potential remedies of America’s opioid epidemic.  After its Detroit premier, the show will begin airing on PBS-TV affiliates around the country.

The program’s renowned guest Mike Papantonio tells a frightening, but true, story about the extent of the opioid epidemic – with 130 people dying every day from overdoses and more than 2.1 million individuals addicted to the drugs.  He discusses how corporations and politicians have contributed to this ongoing crisis – from regulators at the FDA and DEA who move into high-level pharmaceutical industry jobs and back again, to the massive amount of money spent on lobbying and on controlling the narrative around this issue.

“Opioids were originally intended for end-of-life care, breakthrough pain, and cancer treatment,” Papantonio points out.  “But the industry wanted to expand the drugs’ uses to increase their own profits.  They worked incredibly hard to change how people think about these drugs, and that’s a big part of why we’re in this situation.”

Committed to shining a light on the seriousness of the epidemic, Papantonio has written the action-packed thriller, LAW AND ADDICTION, which has been previously reviewed on The Nerdy Girl Express (Waterside Productions, May 2019).  The book tells the story of Jake Rutledge, a young lawyer whose twin brother dies suddenly of a drug overdose. Devastated by the loss, Jake returns to his hometown in West Virginia to discover that the entire region has been ravished by the opioid epidemic. He is determined to seek justice, not just for his brother, but for all who have died from an opioid overdose. Though fictional, the book reveals the terrible truths behind this crisis.

Viewers of the television special will receive copies of Mike Papantonio’s book LAW AND ADDICTION when making a pledge to support Public Television. “I am grateful to PBS-TV for helping to educate people about the extent of this epidemic. The victims are our sons and daughters, neighbors and friends. The opioid crisis will not be easy to beat, but it can be done.  I believe this show is an important step in the right direction.”