As more people seek information about opioid addiction and its consequences, finding unbiased information is extremely difficult, according to a new report by Cat Ferguson for The Verge. In fact, some popular publications that distribute information about addiction and treatment are doubling as marketing arms for treatment centers. Ferguson, who is pursing a broader investigation into how rehab marketers manipulate addicts, reports that the connections between rehab operations and the sites are relatively well-known within the industry but less known by people going to the sites for impartial information. Prompted by Ferguson’s reporting, at least one site added disclaimers about its relationship with a treatment center.
[Funding for this project was provided by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.]