The Sacklers of OxyContin infamy have become indelibly tied to the opioid crisis in America.
Take Chris and Jeff George, for instance.
Their exploits are told in theCNN FilmsdocumentaryAmerican Pain, directed by Darren Foster, which premieres on CNN tonight.
CNN Films
The George brothers did not start the opioid crisis, retired FBI agent Kurt McKenzie notes in the film.
But they sure as hell poured gasoline on the fire.
In 2009 I went down to Florida to report on the pill mills.
Director Darren Foster attends the ‘American Pain’ Premiere at SVA Theater on June 11, 2022 in New York City.Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
And that was [the George Brothers] American Pain, Foster tells Deadline.
So, I knew I had to go there and film it.
They chased me down I-95 for quite a bit of time.
As entrepreneurs the brothers came along at the right time.
Eventually, they trafficked more than $500 million in pain pills.
That was the opportunity the George Brothers took advantage of, Foster observes.
People who wanted to abuse these drugs were out there already because of OxyContin.
They could actually get it at a much more affordable price because they were generics now.
Some patients lit into their stash right away, snorting drugs in the clinic parking lots.
A lot about this was suspicious from the get-go.
And the only question is how was it able to go on for so long?
And I think the answer to that question on some level is that it was prescription drugs.
It wasnt cocaine or heroin where it was clear cut that it was an illegal drug.
Everybody had plausible deniability for a long time.
The doctors had their medical degrees and lab coats to hide behind.
There was another key participant in this scenario the drug companies that manufactured the painkillers.
Chris George was released from prison after serving 11 years behind bars; his brother Jeff remains in prison.
Ive met countless families who have lost people to this crisis.
The magnitude of the devastation is unrivaled in the history of drugs in this country, he says.
It is just so devastating.
Whole cities, whole towns have been gutted because of this crisis.
And I think the frustration for many of the victims families is that theres just never been justice.
Foster adds, The George Brothers paid the price for what they did.
