Over the last two decades, America’s opioid crisis has created grave social and economic problems that threaten the country. As examined in this article, it began with prescription opioids (first wave) in the 2000s, followed by heroin around 2015 (second wave), then fentanyl and super meth starting around 2020 (third wave), and now fentanyl-laced meth, heroin, and other opioids (fourth wave). Today, fentanyl and super meth are inexpensive to produce, easy to make, hide, and smuggle, and so highly addictive they create a captive market.

Over the last two decades, America’s opioid crisis has created grave social and economic problems that threaten the country. As examined in this article, it began with prescription opioids (first wave) in the 2000s, followed by heroin around 2015 (second wave), then fentanyl and super meth starting around 2020 (third wave), and now fentanyl-laced meth, heroin, and other opioids (fourth wave). Today, fentanyl and super meth are inexpensive to produce, easy to make, hide, and smuggle, and so highly addictive they create a captive market.

Over the last two decades, America’s opioid crisis has created grave social and economic problems that threaten the country. As examined in this article, it began with prescription opioids (first wave) in the 2000s, followed by heroin around 2015 (second wave), then fentanyl and super meth starting around 2020 (third wave), and now fentanyl-laced meth, heroin, and other opioids (fourth wave). Today, fentanyl and super meth are inexpensive to produce, easy to make, hide, and smuggle, and so highly addictive they create a captive market.

Over the last two decades, America’s opioid crisis has created grave social and economic problems that threaten the country. As examined in this article, it began with prescription opioids (first wave) in the 2000s, followed by heroin around 2015 (second wave), then fentanyl and super meth starting around 2020 (third wave), and now fentanyl-laced meth, heroin, and other opioids (fourth wave). Today, fentanyl and super meth are inexpensive to produce, easy to make, hide, and smuggle, and so highly addictive they create a captive market.

Over the last two decades, America’s opioid crisis has created grave social and economic problems that threaten the country. As examined in this article, it began with prescription opioids (first wave) in the 2000s, followed by heroin around 2015 (second wave), then fentanyl and super meth starting around 2020 (third wave), and now fentanyl-laced meth, heroin, and other opioids (fourth wave). Today, fentanyl and super meth are inexpensive to produce, easy to make, hide, and smuggle, and so highly addictive they create a captive market.

In February 2024, the Smith Research Fellows (SRF) interviewed Dr. Sammarco on the scope of the fentanyl crisis in Cincinnati. She also shared with us her experiences as Hamilton County Coroner and her work with the Hamilton County Heroin Task Force.

George Soros, 92, is a Hungarian-American hedge fund manager who has become synonymous with progressive American politics. With a net worth of over $8 billion, Soros often donates to political institutions and pursuits that further his view of an ‘Open Society.’ His philanthropic work has ranged from defending the liberation of Sarajevo in 1992 to the funding of American Super PACS. Soros is a figure of mass wealth and political philanthropy but, today, finds himself in the middle of an ongoing destruction of the American criminal justice system.

From humble beginnings to international renown, Antoni Gaudí has remained one of the most influential and fascinating architects of all time.

As the directors of Xavier’s annual program in the Holy Land, we have taken dozens of students to Israel each December over the past ten years. Sadly, we were forced to postpone our trip after the attack by Hamas on October 7 and the ensuing war. As educators and as students, we must learn to live with complexity and resist the urge to simplify moral, political, and intellectual problems.

Friedrich Hayek, a towering figure in 20th-century economic and political thought, remains a foundational figure in the realms of classical liberalism and free-market economics. His life, marked by intellectual rigor and a commitment to individual liberty, greatly influenced economic theory and policy.

The Smith Center Research Fellows have compiled a collection of recent news stories from around the globe that are important and/or interesting for readers to know.

The Smith Center Research Fellows have compiled a collection of fascinating excerpts from some of our favorite books, pamphlets, poems, and written publications. We have also compiled a list of inspirational, thought-provoking, and meaningful quotations.