Opioids account for over three-quarters of deaths associated with prescription drug misuse. In late January, David Sheff and Vicky Cornell joined a panel discussion on addiction organised by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Mr. Sheff’s memoir about his son’s addiction has been turned into a major Hollywood movie, and Ms. Cornell was married to Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, whose suicide she has attributed to prescription drugs that altered his mental state.

Conor Lennon from UN News interviewed Mr. Sheff and Ms. Cornell for this episode of The Lid Is On, and heard how their experiences have led them to believe that changes to the health care system play a key role in addressing the crisis.