To call it an epidemic in the United States is not an exaggeration. Opioid-related deaths have risen more than five times in two decades. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that class of powerful drugs — which includes not only illegal substances such as heroin but also synthetics such as fentanyl and legally available pain relievers, such as oxycodone and codeine — in 2016 accounted for more than 42,000 deaths across the country: the most ever.