Governments have failed to learn the lessons of the American epidemic.
![Dr. Jennifer Stevens, a pain specialist, talks with patient Cheryl Rowley who is awaiting surgery at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia, on July 17, 2019. "We were just pumping this stuff out into our local community, thinking that that had no consequences," says Stevens, a vocal advocate for changing opioid prescribing practices. "And now, of course, we realize that it does have huge consequences." Image by David Goldman. Australia, 2019.](/sites/default/files/16_0.jpeg "Dr. Jennifer Stevens, a pain specialist, talks with patient Cheryl Rowley who is awaiting surgery at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia, on July 17, 2019. "We were just pumping this stuff out into our local community, thinking that that had no consequences," says Stevens, a vocal advocate for changing opioid prescribing practices. "And now, of course, we realize that it does have huge consequences." Image by David Goldman. Australia, 2019.")
The Associated Press is investigating how the opioid epidemic, once thought to be an American problem, is spreading worldwide. In Australia, reporter Kristen Gelineau spent months trying to get addicts and their families across the country to talk to her—a particularly difficult task because of the stigma around opioid addiction in the country. Those who finally agreed to talk to Gelineau did it for one reason: They wanted others to know about the danger and the pervasiveness of opioid addiction. Gelineau also painstakingly tracked down the role drug companies have played in the crisis in Australia, even as they face scrutiny in the U.S. for their aggressive marketing of opioids.
