WJON's Award winning program "Health Matters" focused this week on opioids.  The nation has dealt with what is being called an "Opioid Crisis" for the past few years.  St. Cloud Doctor, Mike Massey from CentraCare described what opioids are, when doctors started prescribing them to patients and why doctros are pressured to not prescribe them as much now.

Dr. Massey says that in the 1990s the U.S. government encouraged doctors to prescribe opioids but in recent years that mindset has changed.  He talks about doctors' frustration and explains that there is a difference between addiction and dependency.

Listen to parts 1-4 of this week's Health Matters below.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

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