The opioid epidemic in the United States continues to destroy American lives and families.
Over the past 25 years, more Americans have died from opioid abuse (over 750,000) than American soldiers killed in combat since World War I. It’s no longer a dirty little secret – the epidemic has been chronicled in books, articles, and films, including Dopesick, Painkiller, and The Crime of the Century.
Philip Eil’s new book Prescription for Pain tells the story of Paul Volkman, a disgraced physician who is now serving four consecutive life sentences in federal prison for dispensing opiates as part of a “pill mill” operation. Eil will be discussing his new book at Charter Books in Newport on September 10 at 6PM. The event is free, but attendees are requested to RSVP – Click here for details.
Eil, former editor of the Providence Phoenix, is a well-known local writer who has contributed to The Atlantic, Huffington Post, Men’s Health, and the Boston Globe. Published in April, his account is the result of over a decade of painstaking research that included interviews with Volkman, law enforcement officials, former patients, and their families. It’s a true crime story about a disease that continues to ravage America.
Prescription for Pain is Eil’s first book, one that he’s been working on for years. “It was pretty early on when I realized the size and scope of the story,” he explained in a recent phone call. “One of my inspirations is Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. I was inspired by true crime stories. Pretty early on, I got the sense that there’s a book here.”
In the early 2000s, Volkman’s pain clinics in southern Ohio dispensed opioid painkillers and other controlled substances to desperate clients. Before he was stopped, the once promising physician was linked to the overdose deaths of 13 patients and tied to an additional 20 other deaths. “He was an unlikely criminal, a high school valedictorian who went on to get an MD/PhD from the University of Chicago, and he is now serving four consecutive life terms in prison for prescription drug dealing,” said Eil.
Eil noted a personal connection with the disgraced physician. “Paul Volkman, the guy at the heart of this story, went to college and medical school with my dad, who is still a practicing physician here in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. There have been dozens, if not hundreds, of doctors who have been charged with and convicted of prescription drug dealing during the opiate epidemic,” he continued. “I’ve yet to find any case that resulted in a bigger sentence than his. It seems to be a high-water mark.”
“When I learned about Volkman, I got interested in how a guy who was once so promising, so bright, and who had this similar education to my dad, wound up going in such a dramatically different direction. That’s what sparked my interest; I’ve been following this story ever since.”
Eil learned about his case in 2009 two years before the trial, and met with Volkman soon after.
“I sent him a letter asking if I could interview him and expressed my interest in writing about it,” he continued. “Somewhat to my surprise, he agreed. In December of 2009, I drove out to Chicago for a series of in-person interviews. I returned the following summer, and over about five or six days, I recorded about 15 hours of personal audio interviews with him. I got to know him quite well, and we continued to correspond for years after his conviction.”
“In my research I track down people from his personal life, most of the people that knew him were surprised and shocked,” said Eil. Even after law enforcement began to investigate Volkman, he continued to dispense opioids. “This was a sustained period of activity that lasted over three years. That fascinated and alarmed me.”
The story is certainly tragic, but compelling, and important to share as the epidemic persists. Perhaps a film version would be a good next step for the book?
“The nature of the story is what initially pulled me in,” says Eil. “The first fact I learned about the case was that Volkman, at the time of his initial indictment and arrest, was living in a posh apartment on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago overlooking Lake Michigan. That’s where federal authorities arrested him. That image of this guy getting arrested at his doorman building, where he’s paying over $4,000 a month in rent, always struck me as dramatic and cinematic. I would welcome the adaptation of this into a docuseries or a film, we’ll see what happens.”
“ I’m just excited to have this book be out in the world and tell this story that I’ve been working on privately for so long.”
Meanwhile, the epidemic continues to impact Rhode Islanders. “Fatal drug overdoses, not specifically opioid-related, in Rhode Island have risen in recent years, and we’re still at over 400 a year,” Eil noted. “On average, at least one Rhode Islander is dying from a drug overdose every day; it’s horrifying, really.”
The event is free and open to all, but RSVP is required – Click here for further details.
