By: Jamie Carter
Updated: Dec. 1, 2020
Originally Published: Feb. 25, 2020
It wasn’t until I approached my thirties that I encountered the term “opioid crisis,” highlighting just how unaware I was as a child. My father developed a dependency on painkillers following a stomach surgery in the fall of 1988. While I can’t speak for everyone raised by an addicted parent, I can share that I felt utterly lost and profoundly alone during that time. I found it incomprehensible to grasp my father’s erratic behavior.
This confusion is one of the more troubling yet less discussed facets of the opioid epidemic. My father obtained his prescriptions from legitimate doctors, not from shady street corners. At first, his actions seemed as innocuous as dealing with strep throat. Over the years, he cycled through various ailments, each time receiving sincere attention from medical professionals and more prescriptions. Gradually, he became frailer, his health deteriorating to the point where he passed away in a dilapidated one-bedroom apartment in rural Utah a decade after his addiction began.
It took years after his death for me to realize that he had been swept into a much larger crisis, one facilitated by medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies who exploited their positions, turning my father into a drug addict.
This is precisely why “The Pharmacist” on Netflix holds such significance. It uncovers a system that transformed countless lives—mothers, fathers, children, and extended family members—into addicts for profit. The documentary chronicles Dan Schneider’s journey in the late ’90s and early 2000s as he seeks justice for his son, who was killed during a drug deal gone wrong. This tragedy ignites his critical examination of the opioid prescriptions dispensed at his own pharmacy, prompting him to question his own complicity.
Having lost my father in December 2001, watching this four-part docuseries resurrected memories that I hadn’t fully comprehended back then. Although my father didn’t visit a pain clinic like the one overseen by Dr. Lawson in Dan Schneider’s small town near New Orleans, I vividly remember accompanying him to multiple doctors, each visit resulting in a fresh batch of prescriptions. My brother and I often joked that his doctors were essentially his “drug dealers,” a sentiment that was unfortunately common among those struggling with addiction in the late ’90s.
What struck me most while watching “The Pharmacist” was the sheer number of individuals—from pharmaceutical sales representatives to doctors and pharmacists—complicit in years of excessive opioid prescribing. In the fourth episode, former Purdue Pharma representative Mark Thompson candidly states that none of them were naive; they all understood the implications yet chose to ignore them, driven by greed. From 1995 to 2001, the documentary reveals, OxyContin generated a staggering $2.8 billion for Purdue Pharma, a figure so vast that it blinded many to the devastation they were causing.
In one instance, I accompanied my father to a doctor’s appointment when I was about 15. While I waited, the doctor came out, mentioned my father’s name, and instructed the receptionist to blacklist him due to his addiction. They even discussed calling the police. In all my visits with my father to various healthcare providers, this was the only time I witnessed a medical professional acknowledge his problem, yet instead of offering rehabilitation, the suggestion was to involve law enforcement.
Reflecting on the impact of “The Pharmacist,” I can’t help but wonder if a figure like Dan Schneider existed in rural Utah during the late ’90s—perhaps my children would have known their grandfather today. This is why I believe “The Pharmacist” is the most significant show available for streaming right now. It casts a spotlight on a pressing issue that many continue to grapple with, examining the systemic failures within the medical industry and empowering individuals to take action at a grassroots level to save lives. As the child of a former addict, I can confidently state that this message is vital.
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Summary
“The Pharmacist” is an essential documentary that exposes the opioid crisis by revealing the complicity of healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies in creating addiction. Through the lens of Dan Schneider’s personal tragedy, the series highlights systemic failures in the medical industry and encourages individual action in combating this epidemic.