Knowledgeable Aging

Resources for the Aging Population

The War on Drugs

Overdose deaths and drug abuse are at all-time high. Drug wars are ravaging our communities: rural, suburban, and urban. Costs to healthcare, education, families, businesses, and taxpayers continue unabated. Narcoterrorism is destroying our neighboring countries. The economics are supporting overseas enemies while corrupting people and institutions domestically. How did we get here, and what can be done about this?

Dan Morhaim, M.D. brings a unique perspective to this compelling topic as a front-line emergency medicine physician for 40+ years, Maryland state legislator for 24 years, faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health for 16 years, and author of The Better End (www.thebetterend.com).

You won’t want to miss this powerful presentation from someone who’s seen this crisis from the trenches to the halls of government.

Listen to the Podcast

  • 3:41 – President Nixon and beginning of War on Drugs
  • 4:44 – President Reagan years War on Drugs
  • 5:04 – President Clinton years War on Drugs (One Strike and You’re Out)
  • 6:01 – Joaquin El Chapo Guzman
  • 7:25 – $$$ associated with drugs and impact on local economy
  • 12:06 – Money laundering
  • 13:01 – Economic cost of opioid epidemic
  • 16:28 – Connecting War on Drugs with Border Crisis
  • 18:08 – Treating pain
  • 22:34 – New policies
  • 26:38 – The rat study
  • 28:03 – References
Dan Morhaim, M.D.

Dan Morhaim, M.D. brings a unique perspective: Physician, state legislator, academic, author, consultant. As an emergency medicine physician, he’s been on the front lines of health care for over 40 years, including 13 years (1981-1994) as Chair of Emergency Medicine at Franklin Square Hospital (Maryland). After his election to the Maryland General Assembly in 1994, he joined the ER Team at Baltimore’s Sinai Hospital where he continues on staff. He was a physician volunteer for 3 years at a Baltimore homeless clinic and served on its Board, and he’s also worked on the Navajo Indian Reservation. As a state legislator, he served in the Maryland House of Delegates for 24 years (1995-2019), enacting 139 bills on a broad range of topics with a focus on healthcare, environment, public safety, and procurement reform. He has been and continues to be on numerous boards and committees including serving now as Chair of the Baltimore County Behavioral Health Advisory Council. He brings a clinical perspective to EagleForce, a health information technology company, and he is the medical director for commercial ambulance companies. As faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (16 years) he taught public policy, and his research on advance care planning led to numerous articles and two books: the first book in 2011 and his second in 2020 (“Preparing for A Better End, www.thebetterend.com) both from Johns Hopkins Press. The books have earned endorsements from a diverse group of distinguished people including Maya Angelou, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Dr. Leon McDougle, Dr. Leana Wen, and others from the medical, academic, faith, and business communities.

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