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My adult son told me that, in his workplace (which is a health care facility!) that 3 employees have lost adult children to opioids in the last 6 months.

The only reason he found this out is because they lost one of their graveyard shift employees, a mom of 38 years old, a couple of weeks ago. First time she tried it, the story goes, but tainted with some deadly substance.

Suburban, mostly white community, very middle class. Ohio

Thanks, Mexico.

Anecdotal observations- My 88 yr old MIL has severe rheumatoid arthritis and bone/joint deterioration along with Parkinson's Disease. One of her hips is essentially gone. Her doctor has her prescribed with the Fentanyl (synthetic opiate) patch, at max strength (100). She also has other narcotic pain medication in pill form at her disposal as needed that she takes orally. She can no longer walk and requires constant care 24/7. We just recently moved her from a wound care/rehab nursing care center to a nearby assisted living facility. Both locations are (under) staffed with low paying nurse assistants and LPNs, plus the usual meal and janitorial staff. She has no way to secure her meds and I have to wonder how much of that walks out the door to either feed an addiction or to be sold on the street. The local hospital there has street people passing freely through it. On any given day, you can walk through a ward and grab hypodermics off the med carts in the hallways.

This is in Lawton, OK. Middle America Fly Over country. It's a military town (Ft Sill), so it has always had a reputation as being a bit seedy, but only in areas just outside the main gate. The landscape has changed there dramatically over the past decade. Lots of homeless street people, drug addicts and increased property crimes now. Her home used to be in one of the more affluent, well kept neighborhoods. Not anymore. I have witnessed lots of homeless wandering through her neighborhood, found drug paraphernalia laying on the playground at the nearby elementary school. I have witnessed several drug deals going down in the parking lots of local businesses on the town's major thoroughfares in recent months- in broad daylight.