Lawmaker Wants To Stop Government Regulation of Painkiller Prescriptions
https://www.thefix.com/lawmaker-wants-stop-government-regulation-painkiller-prescriptions
Scottsdale representative Jay Lawrence Photo via YouTube
A Republican representative from Arizona has proposed legislation that will prevent state or local government from limiting the amount of prescription painkillers.
Scottsdale representative Jay Lawrence has said that regulating prescriptions should be a matter left to physicians and their patients, which stands in opposition to positions supported by Governor Doug Ducey and state health director Dr. Cara Christ, both of whom have either ordered or called to have initial opioid prescriptions restricted to no more than a week’s supply, with the exception of certain provisions, in the face of Arizona’s rising overdose death statistics.
While Lawrence agrees that prescription opioid dependency poses a serious threat to his constituents, he argued that “enough disciplines” already exist to adequately monitor prescriptions throughout the state.
“I want to see those disciplines in place so we know who is prescribing, how much they’re prescribing, and if someone is shopping doctors,” said Lawrence, who was quoted in the Arizona Daily Star. “I do not believe that government can step in to tell the medical profession and tell medical doctors what is correct to prescribe.”
For Daniel Scarpinato, a press aide for Governor Ducey, the representative’s stance runs contrary to logic about the current situation in Arizona.
“In the last year, we’ve had hundreds of people die from opioid-related overdoses,” he said. “That’s a huge number of people. So, absolutely, something more needs to be done here.” Scarpinato noted that medical professionals are not voicing opposition to Governor Ducey and Christ’s plans, which as the Daily Star noted, are also supported by the Arizona Medical Association.
He also pointed to recent data from the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program, which found that four doctors in a single small county prescribed nearly 6 million pills over the course of a single year.
“We’re not talking about blow-drying hair,” said Scarpinato. “We’re talking about drugs that can be miracle drugs for some but are very addictive and we’ve seen can lead to death. [So] we need to give law enforcement the tools in law to be able to hold [medical professionals] accountable.”
Under guidelines recommended by Ducey in September 2017, initial opioid prescriptions would be limited to five days for new patients, while maximum doses would also be limited. The guidelines would also require a tapering plan for pain medications and require prescriptions for such drugs to be filed electronically to limit diversion.
Cara Christ concurred with the decision, adding that the state recommended the five-day plan based on research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and restriction plans in other states.
Filed under: General Problems
We Chronic Pain Patients keep repeating the same scenarios, experiences and statistics, but to no avail. Our gvt has wasted millions of dollars chasing smokescreens and shadows trying to find the “solution” to the supposed “Opioid Epidemic”, which is, in actuality an illegal heroin/fentanyl recreational drug use epidemic, but there has still been no Presidential Task Force appointed, comprised of experts in this field, who do not have some vested interest in the outcome. Everyone is aware that illegal drugs are being imported into our country from places like China (through our own Postal Service BTW) and from across our southern boarder. We also know there is no verified research to support that legally prescribed opioid medications are the root cause of addiction. If anything, the record shows less than 1% of opioid prescribed patients become addicted. Are diabetics addicted to insulin or does it’s appropriate use with medical oversight give them a better quality of life? How about those on long term BP, cholestrol or thyroid therapy? Are they addicted or is their medication keeping their conditions under control? Instead of applying the protocol that one’s quality of life demonstrates whether a particular medication is enhancing one’s functionality or is a detriment to life, we are targeting pain management physicians and their law-abiding patients; blaming them, demonizing them and removing their only source of any kind of relief. Can you imagine this happening to any other segment of our society? We are also citing exceptions for those who have cancer, as if that is the only condition that causes unrelenting, debilitating pain, completely ignoring failed back surgeries, chronic illnesses for which there is no known cause or cure or chronic pain resulting from injuries and/or accidents. The mainstream media keeps pouring gas on the fire as well, by promulgating this false narrative ad infinitum and giving short shrift to any opposing opinion. I can’t imagine any other “war” being so marginalized; our strategy being dictated by the arms industry with a vested interest in the outcome (such as Andrew Kolodny of P.R.O.P.) As it stands now, we are blaming the patient for whatever disease, condition or injury he or she sustained which started us on the road to finding relief and we are being punished in our attempt to return to functionality.
Oh I pray that you succeed in this! We need to have doctor/patient relationships without interference. I will pray for this.
There are so many of us that have exhausted EVERY avenue out there to fill our tool box of so many alternatives. I have willingly, on my own, tried to funtion without these medications. Well, you see, my condition is degenerative. After 2 surgeries, it will get worse…no matter what i do. Lost bunch of weight, tried to exercise beyond my limits. I take care of other aspects of my life, such as blood work, cholesterol, liver function, flu shots, etc.
I just ask that everone look at the opposite side of this problem, and all the innocent folks being hurt and or denied a life once had with the help of long term opioids.
I do not want my life to be cut short….i want to live!
Vote out every senator and rep. that stand for restricting pain medication. Taking away their power is the only thing they will understand.
I have broken ever bone in my body almost including my sternum in 4 place I need them to function and to move when you take them away or you give us 30 mg then drop us to 10 mg just like that this is what is causing the problems because we end up needing more we run out so we look for some need to get from some else , you are making us like this if you take it away or cut us then we need to take them we don’t want to but you make us do it like that . Please fix this
But here’s the issue: he is still wanting to blame the Drs for this farce of an epidemic. The 4 Drs Rxing 6 million pills, well, we don’t have all the data on why it was these 4 Drs. Could it possibly be that every other Dr in the vicinity dropped their pain patients and quit Rxing, leaving these very sick Patients with nowhere else to go? That right there would explain the increased Rxing for those 4 Drs.
The government has made life for the severely ill an absolute nightmare and their Drs are either lone providers under scrutiny or they’ve have dropped them altogether.
This is a step in the right direction, but to continue to blame the very Drs that are still helping us? That’s asinine
Agreed!!
Exactly this was done so azz backwards. Stop the opiods asap without so much as a back up plan leaving chronic pain patients without help. I too am a chronic pain patient with 19 diagnosis, and I am.in this for the fight not only for me but for ones who are unable to.
Finally, an intelligent person that is Not bias! Thank you.
The CDC has Not given us (the public) any Truthful information other than the grossly Skewed. The DEA enforces the “guidelines” as Law for All drs. Even though the CDC tried to say it’s aimed at primary drs only, the DEA has Been going after and (in a lot of cases) prosecuting pain management drs! That’s why NO drs want to prescribe Any opioid meds at all. They Have to be afraid. The worst part is that Less than 2% of all Legally prescribed opioid meds are abused in any way. Less than 1% of patients prescribed an opioid ever get addicted. Only 4.5% of all overdose deaths are related to opioid Pills. That includes all the illegal phentynal (which is all over) and chronic pain patients committing suicide because their meds were taken away. These are only a few True Facts that our government Refuses to tell us! It’s mainly the street drugs and addiction that are our problems! Our society refuses to own up to their mistakes as well, they just blame everyone and everything else! Throughout all this people with chronic pain (innocent people that did nothing to deserve or bring the pain on like addict’s do) are the Only one’s being Forced to Suffer Horrifically!
Finally we’re hearing the opposing views to the “war on drugs”!! It’s about time!