
About this episode
When journalist and author Beth Macy first pitched a book about the opioid crisis in 2014, her publisher and editor rejected the idea. But Beth kept following the story, publishing “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America” in 2018. The book has since been adapted into an Emmy Award-winning Hulu miniseries. Beth joined David to talk about her upbringing in Urbana, Ohio, how the loss of manufacturing jobs and opioid use intersect, the stigmatization of addiction, Trump’s appeal in former factory towns, her thoughts on the Sackler family of Purdue Pharma, and her new book, “Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of the Overdose Crisis.”
To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Get every episode summarized
Each time The Axe Files with David Axelrod publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from The Axe Files with David Axelrod

Ep. 605 — Ambassador Rahm Emanuel
The Axe Files with David Axelrod
Dec 19, 20241:05:08pending

Ep. 604 — Scott Jennings
The Axe Files with David Axelrod
Dec 12, 20241:05:19pending

Ep. 603 — Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
The Axe Files with David Axelrod
Dec 5, 202452:12pending

The Best of The Axe Files: Jon Meacham
The Axe Files with David Axelrod
Nov 28, 20241:02:13pending