Opioids Part 1: The Problem

News stories about opioids often highlight increasing numbers of overdose deaths. Yet the costs associated with addiction for families, communities, and society are equally staggering.  Recent New Mexico and national news reports reveal the escalating need for double or triple the number of current foster families to provide a safe haven for the children of addicts.  And research into the brains of parents high on opioids is beginning to reveal how people can detach from and ignore the needs of children. Reporter Deborah Begel has been looking into the problems and some of the solutions to the opioid epidemic.  We begin with an overview of the problem.