the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Sep 16, 2024
Baltimore, Maryland has been referred to as the overdose capital of the U.S. by the media and some politicians. It does, for now, have more deaths due to drug overdoses than other cities. But the underlying causes of this crisis exist in cities and towns across the country.
Starting around 2010, pharmaceutical reps pushed doctors to prescribe their pain pills. These pain pills—opioids—are highly addictive. That means that even after the prescription runs out, patients would need more or suffer painful withdrawal.
Many older workers got hooked on opioids often because their doctors prescribed them for pain caused by working in a factory or mill. Many younger workers have gotten hooked because they see no future in this society. This is happening not just in Baltimore but in Detroit, Flint, Los Angeles, Chicago, and all over the world.
Baltimore and its closest suburbs were once home to vast manufacturing facilities operated by Bethlehem Steel, General Motors and Martin Marietta. In 1970, around 33% of the labor force in Baltimore was employed in manufacturing. Working class families migrated from Europe and the American South in order to fill all those jobs. But by 2000, only 7% of city residents had manufacturing jobs, and the losses have continued since. They are left with low-paying service jobs, retail, fast-food with few or no benefits, and often only part-time.
The children of workers used to be able to get a decent-paying job when they were old enough. Now, they are “lucky” if they can get a job flipping burgers at McDonalds. In other words, they have no future.
Now these large pharmaceutical companies and some drug stores that sold these opioids, like oxycodone, have to pay out billions of dollars to cities for the crisis they fueled.
The opioids were like gasoline on a fire. Are these billions of dollars going to bring back decent paying jobs or help workers recover from addiction or even bring back loved ones who died from overdose? The answer is no!