The artist Macklemore is not new to the music scene; he is also not a beginner when it comes to writing music about touchy topics. He began his rise to stardom making music that talked about issues such as marriage equality, and has since written about the ins and outs of drug issues, oppression, white privilege, and countless other social issues. He has become an artist whose art is about sending a message -- it isn’t always the easiest message to talk about, but he seems to never fail at portraying his ideas in a way that gets the attention of the people.

His latest song is called “Drug Dealer.” The music video depicts an addict in the throes of detox. Macklemore plays the main character -- he is sweating, tireless, flailing around his bed; he looks like he is in dire need of a cold shower and a good night's rest. But most importantly, the depiction is real. It's raw, and at times hard to watch, but it is the reality of millions of people worldwide who struggle with addiction.

He describes the prescription drug world and points a finger at pharmaceutical companies who have made millions by selling innocent victims a drug problem.

Sometimes your drug dealer is a guy in a black hoodie that pulls up beside the curb with a little baggie of an unknown substance. But more realistically, your drug dealer is a doctor in a white coat who gets his supply from “Big Pharma.”

The substance that fuels your addiction can probably be found in your medicine cabinet. That is what happens when our society is more interested in a prescription than prevention.

Pharmaceutical drugs are not what people often think of when they think about drug addictions -- and that is exactly why this music video is so important.

Addiction is a disease that affects every single aspect of who you are; it leaves nothing untainted and no part untouched. But what the disease takes away is only half the story. The song depicts the intensity of struggling with an addiction, but it also helps to eliminate some of the stigma. Every addict has the ability to recover -- if we could change the focus from judging the addict to encouraging the recovery, we would have a much healthier society.