Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America

Macy reports on what she discovered during her interview with Jones. Jones’s early life was one characterized by instability in his family and his impatience to achieve success quickly. Once he entered the criminal justice system, it seemed impossible for him to get the resources he needed to succeed. He tried to start businesses but was stymied by his record; at the time of his arrest, he was even working on an organic skincare line using drug sale profits.

During his interview with Macy, Jones references scholarly books about racial bias in the criminal justice system to argue that his imprisonment was a part of a system structured such that Black people, particularly men, made up a disproportionate part of those incarcerated for drug possession and distribution. Jones contends that the deck is stacked against him. Macy notes that 75% of the incarcerated will be back in jail after their initial sentence. Macy includes quotes from Thomas, Jones’s law-abiding, successful brother, to show that even he is subject to racial profiling that made it more likely for him to be swept up into the criminal justice system.

Macy argues that race and class shape the approach to addressing addiction. While many argue that arresting people with addictions isn’t a solution, Macy sees that “this sentiment seemed to apply only to the mostly white group of opioid users who were dealing or committing property crimes to stave off dopesickness” (253).