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Wow..I don't know that I would go that far! Legalization of all these drugs...seems we are trying to open pandora's box..and what's hiding inside will NOT be pretty!
That's the logic of "if it's legal, we can tax it". And then we can use the taxes to NOT fund recovery for people who get addicted.
South Florida is notorious for pain clinics and the dispensing of oxycontin. People from other states go down as groups and everyone gets a script. They go back home and sell each pill for 40 to 80 dollars a pill, and also take them for themself. Then there are all the people of Florida who use their clinics too. Oxycontin is not a drug to take lightly, it is as addicting as heroin. It is a moneymaking venture for all who partake in the business.
Who wants to feel like that? I can be lazy all I want and be straight.
So then where are the people who sell these drugs on the street getting them? They have to be coming from somewhere, and NPR had a great special about it a couple weeks back, about there being crack downs and sophistications to alleviate the abuse that the system receives by people who get the drugs to resell.
Some doctors are very "generous" when giving out prescriptions. You have a little back pain - here's a bunch of Oxy's!
Most Oxy's on the street come from people with minor ailments who found a doctor to prescribe to them and they sell a little on the side to make some extra money.
here in canada codeine is sold in 8MG form without a prescription at any phramacy or drug store but they have to have 300MG of acetaminophen and caffiene added. so if people took it to get high they would overdose on the acetaminophen but it is handy if you need a stronger pain killer then regular aspirin. I think it's $3.99 for a bottle of 50 but I have never heard of anyone getting hooked on them but I bet there are a few who do I fell sorry for their liver that for sure.
Some doctors are very "generous" when giving out prescriptions. You have a little back pain - here's a bunch of Oxy's!
Most Oxy's on the street come from people with minor ailments who found a doctor to prescribe to them and they sell a little on the side to make some extra money.
I disagree. The amount of these drugs that is found on the streets is SO vast that they are 'falling off the trucks'. I cannot believe that the manufacturers are not getting some kickback. I know that sounds weird, but the sheer QUANTITY of the stuff is not from some ramdom patient or clinic here and there who choose to break the law. Somewhere in the shipping of this stuff things sort of 'get lost' in the shuffle.
Think about it. Even at the street price - that is money that would NEVER be made if all drug use were legal. The corruption is built into the system.
It's like - why was there not a huge inquiry when so many soldiers came back from Nam addicted? Don't tell me that can happen without the entire SYSTEM being corrupt? I'm talking about our government and not just the military. Some people really high up are getting some really big bucks over this.
How many times are CIA planes flying from South America or from 'war zones' crashing, revealing drugs? And these are just instances that happen to have a photographer nearby, stealing surreptitious pictures near crashes. Think of how much of this must be going on by the time we get one little picture in a paper and then it is heard of no more.
If anyone thinks legalizing the stuff would not make a HUGE dent in the income of these people in government and military they're just not thinking straight. I also think drugs are so prevalent today that anyone who is dumb enough to want them for recreation can get them. I think legalizing would make hardly a blip in sales, but it would increase tax revenue so maybe we would not have to lay off so many teachers. It would certainly help Social Security and Health programs.
I am even suspicious of some overseas charities that various presidents are involved in - an unlikely matching of presidents who are supposed to have differing ideals concerning helping the poor. Remember, one Congressman's wife started an overseas charity just so she could get her supply of drugs that she was addicted to, and once found out, she closed the charity.
How much do we spend on these gangs in the U.S. and why can't we stop them? Schools, hospitals, prisons, all for these thugs, most of whom are illegal or children of illegals. All supported by our tax dollars.
No, I think at least some degree of legalization of drugs and treating addiction properly as a medical problem would go a long way in the direction of solving some of our problems.
I so disrespect those in government who pretend to be on higher moral ground and proclaim how corrupting that would be. They are probably the very ones who are on the take.
Ask yourself why there are no countries using the "American system" of dealing with drugs? ALL say it doesn't work. It feeds into the hands of the very people we are trying to stop. Just think about that.
Reputable pain docs do have some safeguards against abuse in place...
I have recently gone to a pain management specialist for back pain. Thankfully, my pain is not so severe that I require narcotics. I was just unable to sleep very long before I had to get up because of pain. This propelled me into seeking some intervention for it. I now understand what my problem is, and I have been given a cortisone shot (technically called a selective nerve root block) to relieve pain which has helped. Regardless, I had to sign an agreement regarding narcotic pain pill usage indicating I would adhere to certain stipulations and I understand the doctor's limitations and rules as well. For example, my physician stated that if you LOSE your prescription before it is time for a re-fill, he will NOT give you a refill. There were other stipulations as well. You have to also agree to not take more frequently than what is prescribed. If you "run out" of your prescription too early, he also made it clear he will NOT refill before the time( They emphasize that the patient needs to CALL them, not just take more, if their pain is not sufficiently controlled.) I don't remember all the stipulations, but it seemed to me that they were strict enough to avoid abuse.
Of course, I guess someone without pain could go in, claim to have severe pain and then sell the stuff. But, realistically, if the dr is not overprescribing, I don't think most would be willing to jump through the diagnostic hoops you would have to submit to if you really weren't in pain. The amount he prescribes would not make it worth it. Sure you could doctor-shop maybe and work around it, perhaps, but my point is that the pain docs do seem to be trying to eliminate any possiblility for abuse. Maybe I'm just naive. Maybe there's more abuse around than I realize, but I haven't seen too many doctors who are just real liberal in handing out potent narcotics...at least not here in Texas that I've seen or heard about.
I don't feel like my doctor is in the minority either. I think most of the reputable pain mgtment physicians have such rules in place. At the end of the day, I do think people with intractable chronic pain should have some access to adequate pain relief even if some people will try to abuse it.
Just for the record, I used to go for many years to a family doctor who was excellent, but I often said I didn't think he'd give ya a pain pill if you cut off your leg!
Ok, I'm exaggerating...maybe! But seriously, not ALL doctors are lenient with pain pills. Some fall on the complete other end of the continuum.
I work in a medical facility and you would be shocked to know how LITTLE those facilities regulate the giving out of such meds. We've had a handful of patients who we realized were abusing, they go to any means necessary to get the drugs. Everything from hurting themselves and having an ER visit to creating chronic pain issues so that they can be referred to pain management specialists. Any patient smart enough to work over the system and a desire strong enough for those meds will find a way to get them and it's not difficult at all. They need heavier regulations and I see this first hand. We barely give out aspirin here at our facility.
We always drill into the heads of residents and fellows to be cognizant of pharma shoppers. It's certainly a growing concern, as we become not only caregivers but also lie detectors.
So then where are the people who sell these drugs on the street getting them? They have to be coming from somewhere, and NPR had a great special about it a couple weeks back, about there being crack downs and sophistications to alleviate the abuse that the system receives by people who get the drugs to resell.
JB, Yes there are many people on narcotic pain killers that sell there their drugs on the street for about 5 bucs a pill, pretty good profit. How would a doctor control this?
I have no idea, I am the farthest thing from a policy maker. I wonder the exact same thing, if it's a problem, it can be solved, but how.
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I don't know that I would go that far! Legalization of all these drugs...seems we are trying to open pandora's box..and what's hiding inside will NOT be pretty!
Reputable pain docs do have some safeguards against abuse in place...
But seriously, not ALL doctors are lenient with pain pills. Some fall on the complete other end of the continuum.
