Follow Dr. Webster on Substack
Going forward, all my new articles will appear on Substack. This will give us a cleaner, more reliable way to stay connected with thoughtful, evidence-based commentary on pain, addiction, health policy, and the science that matters most to patients, and people interested in the health-related topics I write about.
What Drives the Opioid Crisis?
|May 1, 2026|
Journalist Sam Quinones is right when he says that fentanyl’s potency has made America’s overdose crisis far more lethal. But supply alone cannot explain why demand persists. The hard question is not what drugs are available, but why so many people are desperate enough, isolated enough, or untreated enough to seek them out. Until we address pain, despair, mental illness, social dislocation, and failed policy, the next deadly supply will always find a market.
Read the full post on my Substack.