Corporate crime, capture, and the opioid crisis

Many explanations have been proposed for the dramatic rise in opioid-related overdoses from 1999 through the first part of the twenty-first century. However, each of these explanations ignores the structured relationships between various corporate actors, consumers, and regulators. This chapter argues that white-collar scholars can offer a unique perspective to understand these arguments: capture. By adopting this lens, we can recognize the subtle but intentional cooptation of actors, decisions, and ideas by special interests in order to advance their own interests at the expense of the public good. In applying the concept of capture to the opioid crisis, this chapter identifies the ongoing systemic failures of the prescription drug market that put the nation at risk for future health crises.