The stunning prevalence of painkiller use among unemployed men

The Princeton economist Alan Krueger started with a question: What’s keeping young people out of work? Over the last two decades, the share of employed Americans in their prime has steadily tumbled — even as the economy recovered and businesses nationwide struggled to fill openings. In a new paper, Krueger argues that opioids pose more than just a health threat: They’re benching workers across the country.

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