In a 2018 CBC interview, Wendy Mesley asked Jordan Peterson, then at the zenith of his celebrity, what he thought lay ahead for him. The first benzos were called “tranquillizers” and were marketed in the 1960s as a safe and effective alternative to barbiturates. Canadian and international studies indicate that 20 to 50 per cent of all women over 60 may be prescribed benzos or sleeping pills and that long-term use increases with age. What Peterson experienced was a “prescribing cascade,” in which the withdrawal symptoms are not associated with the benzos, so more drugs are prescribed with even more deleterious effects. Perhaps when Jordan Peterson is fully recovered — and godspeed to him — he will help to lead that discussion.

Source: National Post February 11, 2020 16:07 UTC