AdvertisementDoctor Who Wrote 1980 Letter On Painkillers Regrets That It Fed The Opioid CrisisPlay03:49Download AudioJune 16, 2017Taylor HaneyAndrea HsufacebookEmailA 1980 letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine was later widely cited as evidence that long-term use of opioid painkillers such as oxycodone was safe, even though the letter did not back up that claim. (UIG via Getty Images)
