Flea Pens TIME Op-Ed About Opiate Addiction

Flea has written a new op-ed for TIME about drug addiction. In the piece, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist discusses his history with substance abuse, telling the story of how he went clean at age 30 in 1993. Flea then goes on to write about how easy it is for people to become addicted to opioids via painkiller prescriptions, detailing his own experience with Oxycontin following a snowboarding accident. “Perfectly sane people become addicted to these medications and end up dead. Lawyers, plumbers, philosophers, celebrities—addiction doesn’t care who you are,” he wrote.

Flea continues, “Part of any opioid prescription should include follow-up, monitoring and a clear solution and path to rehabilitation if anyone becomes addicted. Big pharma could pay for this with a percentage of their huge profits. Addiction is a cruel disease, and the medical community, together with the government, should offer help to all of those who need it.” Read the full op-ed.