Have a Revolutionary New Year!

If we’re going to get all panicked about Opioid deaths (not that we shouldn’t care about the human misery behind the numbers), then there are at least a few other causes of death for profit that we ought to be taking a closer look at.

Maybe we should be trying to find ways to keep the predator industries behind these deaths, hiding safe and secure in their glass towers and zealously protected by our government, from making quite so much money off of the slaughter of Americans.

2016 – deaths from Cannabis (source: DEA) = 0

2016 – deaths from all Opioids (prescription & street) = @ 59,000 people

2016 – deaths from prescription Opioids alone = @ 33,000 people

2016 – deaths from lung cancer (we all know why) = @ 158,000 people

2016 – total deaths from cigarettes (cancers, heart disease, etc.) = 340,000 people

2015 – deaths from Hospital-acquired infections = @ 99,000 people

2015 – deaths from obesity-related causes (including industrial food) = @ 300,000 people

2016 – deaths from gunshot, all causes – @ 33,000 people

2015 – deaths from alcohol, disease only (non-traffic) = 88,000 people

As I glance through these causes of death, what strikes me is that every one of them involves big American corporations or powerful American institutions making lots of money. And laughing at us. We know they are. And we know why. They figure they are invulnerable.

Are they?