Opioid painkillers have been at the forefront of one of the major public health crises of the 21st century, with hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths in the United States. However, humanity has turned to opium and its derivatives to relieve pain and seek pleasure for centuries. There is a millennia-long history of use and abuse, from the discovery of the psychoactive properties of the poppy in ancient times through the pharmaceutical industry’s lobbying for the use of oxycodone to the arrival of synthetic opioids like fentanyl. “Torpor” is a six-episode journalistic series that will bring science into the debate on opioids and attempt to answer two questions: why has our way of dealing with pain brought us to this point? And could this wave hit Brazil hard? The series is hosted by journalist Leonardo Aquino and scientific consultant Janaína Versiani dos Anjos, who holds a master’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences and a doctorate in chemistry.