There is really no opioid epidemic.
There are still folks who die from overdoses, yes.
But the rate is ~20/100000 or something like that. In the last 16 years, more than 183,000 Americans have died from overdoses related to prescription opioids. A bit over 10,000 per year…..out of 326,709,838 people in the US.
Darwin at work, I say.