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" It seems like a pretty big coincidence their hospitals and doctor offices were giving out all these opioids over so many years and then 'conveniently' there is a huge demand for 'treatment' of opioid addiction...Gee, seems like they made out pretty good."
First off. Dont take more than the prescribed dose. That taking one or two in between dose's to go beyond the pain is creating the problems. Your creating an addict. Some are more prone to addiction than others. Add in the type pf person you are, your friends, or society you hang out in, how your life is going, etc. All can add up to excuses to take. Then after a while you cant stop. For all the addicts, there are thousands and thousands that quit taking them and sought other measures for a cure in their pain. Yes there is a epidemic, many brought onto themselves.
Maybe they can move to Venezuela, or even France and England now. Come’on, I dare you.
The dead have a hard time moving. But you can perhaps start a charity and provide free burials in another country for the countless dead from all of our ills here.
Steven, you mention something that I've been thinking about lately. I don't think it was planned, but I certainly think they leapt in to capitalize on it.
And it's not just that suddenly the pharmaceutical companies are making big money on treatment. The really astonishing thing is that there is a push for ALL consumers to have Narcone on hand in case any emergency case happens to arise.
However if they commit crimes such as robbery to fund a addiction I still support punishment for said crime, but not for possession of a controlled substance and such unless they are caught dealing and selling it.
So, a 10 year jail stint will cost you about $700,000 (in taxes) plus the loss of the person who might benefit society...plus the harm to their family.
Take that times the many millions of drug addicts and it adds up.
Here is a perfect example of privilege. If My Daddy leaves me 5 Million dollars (tax free, these days....hey hey) and I am a drug addict I can buy all the drugs I want to feed my addiction.
BUT, if I - like MOST People, don't have a lot of money and I get addicted, I just might have to "commit a crime" by selling drugs or taking a piece of jewelry from a store or neighbors house, etc.
In a moral sense do you think that person should
1. Spend the 10 years in jails - while the person with the free money lottery spends none?
2. Cost you and I as much as a million dollars for that time period?
I guess - the story is proving out - we have the best justice here that money can buy. You could be the lowliest scum and if Daddy will pay the lawyers or support you with a trust fund you'll be free and clear, but God Forbid a person who REALLY has it bad gets addicted....LOCK "EM UP.
So, a 10 year jail stint will cost you about $700,000 (in taxes) plus the loss of the person who might benefit society...plus the harm to their family.
Take that times the many millions of drug addicts and it adds up.
Here is a perfect example of privilege. If My Daddy leaves me 5 Million dollars (tax free, these days....hey hey) and I am a drug addict I can buy all the drugs I want to feed my addiction.
BUT, if I - like MOST People, don't have a lot of money and I get addicted, I just might have to "commit a crime" by selling drugs or taking a piece of jewelry from a store or neighbors house, etc.
In a moral sense do you think that person should
1. Spend the 10 years in jails - while the person with the free money lottery spends none?
2. Cost you and I as much as a million dollars for that time period?
I guess - the story is proving out - we have the best justice here that money can buy. You could be the lowliest scum and if Daddy will pay the lawyers or support you with a trust fund you'll be free and clear, but God Forbid a person who REALLY has it bad gets addicted....LOCK "EM UP.
I think I'm being fair balanced when I propose that a addict not being jailed and a felony tagged on them for possession while if they commit a crime such as robbery or selling drugs they be punished.
There is a clear difference between being left a inheritance to squander compared to robbery to fund a drug habit. Even a addict knows it's wrong to steal and can ask for help before they do.
I am also opposed to mandatory zero tolerance sentencing it's a one size fits all approach that is short sighted.
I am a physician. I'm sure this was not a planned conspiracy to get a cohort of the population addicted, then treat them.
Physicians sincerely believed that prescribing opioids was the right thing to do. Now they know better.
I am giving a talk on that very subject at a large work comp meeting next month. The opioid epidemic was altruism gone wrong, fueled by the pharmaceutical industry and the media claiming pain was a "vital sign" and that pain was under treated in America.
Suboxone is no panacea, although the efficacy of such programs is about 30%, which is pretty good.
Welcome to this topic hawkeye. Good to know we have some professionals on this forum that can have a little better perspective on some of these topics.
That would have been my guess too, that the vast majority of physicians didn't realize the addiction potential of opiods, and surely did not deliberately set out to addict the masses for monetary gain.
With that being said, we can't give the healthcare providers a free pass. Physicians SHOULD have known the addiction potential and there SHOULD have been a far greater focus on this danger during med school and internship. It was part of the institutional mindset - because we are physicians and these drugs have been approved for use - we don't need to really put any effort into understanding the potential harm.
A lot of time, energy and money is being spent on developing exotic new treatments and drugs, all the while ignoring the importance of continually improving the day to day care of patients. In other words, arrogance. Not paying attention.
We can blame others, corporations, doctors etc until the end of time. At some point, people have to take personal responsibility for their choices.
Un PC but truth is scarce today.
If it's the same hospital's fault that people are addicted then maybe we should end (the usually endless; free to the addict on taxpayers dime) Suboxone treatment.
I guess - the story is proving out - we have the best justice here that money can buy. You could be the lowliest scum and if Daddy will pay the lawyers or support you with a trust fund you'll be free and clear, but God Forbid a person who REALLY has it bad gets addicted....LOCK "EM UP.
It is worth looking back in history at how we got here. The Harrison Narcotics Act was passed in 1914 because a huge number of Americans were hooked on over-the-counter heroin and cocaine. It was readily available so drug related crimes were not that high. But family members were freaking out that mom (a large percentage of people addicted then were women), or whoever was stoned all the time, and hooked to boot. People demanded that laws be passed to stop all of that.
I cannot see America returning to pre-Harrison days. I don't think drug use should be criminalized but legalizing is not going to be practical either. Humans are too weak, they (or we) easily cave in to drugs or alcohol to get through life. We can barely handle alcohol, now pot is on the verge of being legalized and adding heroin to that would be crazy.
I think I'm being fair balanced when I propose that a addict not being jailed and a felony tagged on them for possession while if they commit a crime such as robbery or selling drugs they be punished.
There is a clear difference between being left a inheritance to squander compared to robbery to fund a drug habit. Even a addict knows it's wrong to steal and can ask for help before they do.
I understand the attempt to be fair.
But, remember, our "system" set up much of the playing field. I feel that many people do not accept that. As an example...
The inheritance wouldn't have been that big if we didn't lower our top tax rates and inheritance taxes to almost zero. So the wealthy addict may have been a productive member of society if left 200K (maybe he or she would go to medical school) as opposed to 2 Million.
Our economic system breeds inequality - that is not in question. The US and UK have among the highest inequality measures. That puts the bottom 50% or more at a distinct disadvantage from birth...or before.
Probably most importantly, you seem to be falling into that Right-Wrong trap just as I am falling into the "like Justice" trap.
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Many cultures and religions (even ours) would tell you it is much worst to stick a needle into your arm and get high...than to shoplift (steal). Most people would say that it "less immoral" to steal a fallen apple to feed your ailing child (or your own body) than it is, for example, for Rick Scotts health care company to defraud the Taxpayers of Billions. But one gets arrested...one gets your scorn, while the other buys the Gov. office and then a Senate seat!
How can we discuss what is fair in light of all of this? We know full - I know from very personal experience, that all the "right people" see a completely different form of justice than others. I knew a wealthy teen who swallowed 10 seconals (heavy downer pill) a couple times a week. After doing this he'd end up all over the city and finally somewhere (he never remembered)....and then, at the conclusion, he'd wake up in bed the next morning in his luxe apartment.
We all seek some idea of order and justice in the world...but it is just not there. Remember, the addict may have "committed many crimes" just by possessing and buying the stuff. What is worse - the addict buying 10 days worth and reselling 3 of those to others to pay for his/her habit - or, the addict opening unlocked cars on the street and stealing things from them?
I don't want you to answer that....it really doesn't have an answer unless we adopt Sharia law.
I'm not the target demo. My people are generally older...our kids are upper middle class and they are generally "urban" at least to a degree (there may be deer in the backyard, but the Apple Store is nearby).
It's not ALL the fault of these addicts that Corporate American and DC (same thing, really) left them to rot and told them they were not worth anything.
The day we stop thinking "it can't happen to me" is the day we will start to properly deal with such problems. As long as so many feel they are morally superior, they will use their power to criticize the poor and weak and lock 'em up.
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