WE'RE A GROUP Called, 'P.A.I.N'

Founded by Nan Goldin to address the overdose crisis in America, P.A.I.N is made up of artists, activists, and people who’ve experienced addiction. We target the Sackler family (whose company, Purdue Pharma, manufactured and fraudulently marketed Oxycontin), using direct action to confront the museums and universities that carry the Sackler name.

We're anti big-pharma,
not anti-opioid

We target the Sackler family: their company, Purdue Pharma, manufactured and fraudulently marketed Oxycontin. We use direct action to confront the museums and universities that still carry and celebrate the Sackler name.

Since 2018, our protests have successfully ousted the billionaire family from dozens of institutions around the world, including the Met, the Guggenheim, the Louvre, the Tate, the Serpentine Gallery, and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Uproot the Drug War
PAIN protest at Harvard Art Museums, 2018

Credit Emily Glick

Oxy Dollar

Credit PAIN

Protest at Harvard Art Museums, 2018

Credit Emily Glick

Die-in at V&A Museum, London, 2019

Credit Antje Mangeant

Oxy bottles at the Met's Temple of Dendur, 2018

Credit Thomas Pavia

Die-in at V&A Museum, London, 2019

Credit Antje Mangeant

In the United States, decades of racist, dehumanizing, prohibitionist drug policy spawned an overdose crisis that now kills over 100,000 people each year.

“WE HAVE TO HAMMER ON THE ABUSERS IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE. THEY ARE THE CULPRITS AND THE PROBLEM. THEY ARE RECKLESS CRIMINALS.” — RICHARD SACKLER [source]

We believe the only “criminals” are billionaires like the Sacklers, who exploited existing stigma against drug users to shield themselves from scrutiny while making a fortune. The way out of the overdose crisis is through the decriminalization of drugs and the expansion of harm reduction-based health services, like Overdose Prevention Centers. Get informed through the resources below, from Drug Policy Alliance and Harm Reduction Coalition:

Stay informed
it's how we win

While we continue to target the Sacklers, our group’s scope has expanded to fight the stigma that surrounds drug use and advocate
for models of treatment grounded in harm reduction. We continue to fight against Big Pharma and the War on Drugs while organizing
to pass legislation that provides life-saving treatment for
people who use drugs.

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