A breaking 60 Minutes report tracks the genesis of the American opioid crisis back to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2001, with no science to justify the move, the FDA officially relabeled the powerful opioid OxyContin to be used for an ‘extended period of time.’ 

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler told 60 Minutes:
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“We don’t know whether the drugs are safe and effective for chronic use,” Kessler says. “The rigorous kind of scientific research the agency should be relying on is not there.“

Ed Thompson, a drug manufacturer who spent decades managing and producing opioids for Big Pharma, breaks ranks to denounce his industry and its federal regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, which he says opened the floodgates on the crisis with a few little changes to a
label.

WATCH FULL 60 MINUTES EPISODE HERE:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/opioid-epidemic-did-the-fda-ignite-the-crisis-60-minutes/