The fragility of medical communication: the miniseries Dopesick in the clash between narratives on the opioid epidemic

For over twenty-five years, the United States has been afflicted by the spread of opioid drug overdoses. This article analyzes the miniseries Dopesick (USA, 2021) as a leading cultural production contributing to the establishment of the dominant narrative surrounding the public health crisis, while contrasting it with a lesser-known, antagonistic perspective. The prevailing interpretation of the epidemic in American public opinion focuses on the responsibility of the pharmaceutical industry and its aggressive marketing strategies. This view has led to the adoption of strict policies regarding morphine-derived painkillers. However, the resulting distress of chronic pain patients – left without access to their medication – has fueled an alternative, polemical, and minority narrative that is now gaining traction. This emerging perspective attributes the crisis to more complex factors and defends the legitimacy of pain medicine. The essay examines the miniseries in light of this contentious debate.