A Call to Return: The Oxycontin Story Soundtrack (2006)

Synopsis

Filmed in remote corners of Maine, this documentary explores how aggressive marketing and prescribing of the painkiller OxyContin led to a drastic spike in opiate addiction among rural populations beginning in 1996, the year of its introduction. Together, the stories of Sayra, a young woman who, not knowing what it was, first takes OxyContin as a teenager at a party; Larry, a wilderness guide who becomes addicted after sustaining injuries on a bear hunt; and Keya and Steve, a Passamaquoddy Indian couple who, due to their proximity to the Canadian border, support their habit through international drug smuggling, illustrate the profoundly corrupting influence of OxyContin addiction on the traditional lives of rural Americans. Connecting their stories is the Discovery House methadone clinic run by substance abuse counselor and community activist Marty O'Brian, who is committed to helping those who feel the 'call to return' to the normal lives that they never sought to leave. Soon demand for such support rapidly out paces the clinic's capacity, with some patients driving six hours each way for treatment. Yet efforts to open more clinics are fiercely challenged by communities afraid of the risks methadone users represent to the safety of their homes and schools. Battle lines are thus re-drawn for a new war on drugs, with no clear way to succeed. In the middle is OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharmaceuticals, which advises doctors not to prescribe its products 'improperly.'

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