The Opioid Crisis
Feb 12, 2019
Chris Johnson, MD
The Opioid Crisis

The United States is in the midst of a drug overdose crisis.  Despite having just over 4% of the world’s population, the United States consumes 30% of the world’s opioid pain relievers and accounts for 27% of the world’s overdose deaths.  Over 50,000 Americans die every year from opioids, including overdoses of heroin and fentanyl.  While physicians and political leaders are responding to this crisis with calls for increased “access to treatment”, what is almost never mentioned is the crucial fact that the medical industry itself is responsible for causing this crisis.  Dr. Chris Johnson is an Emergency Physician and has seen this epidemic evolve from the front lines.  He has seen the toxic effects of opioid use both on county hospital patient populations as a resident physician at Hennepin County Medical Center and on suburban, affluent populations as a staff Physician at Methodist hospital in St. Louis Park. He has spoken around the country on this topic and brings an urgent message of reform to an industry that has prioritized business interests over patient safety.  He currently serves as Chair of the Minnesota Dept. of Human Services Opioid Prescribing Work Group and is a Board Member of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing and the Steve Rummler Hope Network. He currently lives and practices in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.