Those in the bureaucracy has been pushing this war on drug abuse for over a CENTURY. The Joint Commission (JC) made a sizable dent in the denial of care in declaring the 2000-2009 period as the “DECADE OF PAIN”.. declaring pain as the FIFTH VITAL SIGN. When a pt was hospitalized, if a pt’s pain wasn’t attempted to be properly managed… the hospital’s accreditation with JC could be placed at risk as well as the hospital’s ability to bill Medicare/Medicaid.
The whole war on drug has been built on a law The Harrison Narcotic Act 1914 The law was influenced by a societal mindset of racism and bigotry and created the black market that the DEA has been fighting a war against for 45 yrs… few would suggest with any success. At around the same time, our court system determined that opiate addiction was a CRIME.. making it ILLEGAL for prescriber prescribe opiates to addicts – FOR ANY REASON, even though it is well understood that addiction is a chronic mental health issue.
The early part of our 20th century was considered our PROHIBITIONIST PERIOD.. in 1914 .. the FDA had been around for EIGHT YEARS.. “Snake oil” medicine was still fairly readily available. the Wright Brothers had made their first flight just 10 yrs earlier.. women were still years away from having the right to vote as was alcohol prohibition. The discovery of Penicillin was still 18 years away. It would be 40+ yrs before the first Polio vaccine dose was provided.
Addiction is still a mental health condition and maybe better understood today than 100 yrs ago. Most addictions are non-violent, victim less situations… should those addictions continue to be a crime and deserve incarceration ? A alcoholic who stays “three sheets to the wind” in his/her house will most likely never have to deal with the judicial system.. however… drive under the influence and then victims can be involved and people should be held accountable for their decisions/actions.
Should the efforts and resources of those trying to help chronic pain pts get their medications redirect their efforts towards getting the court ruling that addiction is a crime over turned. If accomplished, all of a sudden the DEA’s hands would be tied on viewing that anyone taking a opiate is a addict/criminal. It would allow prescriber to treat addicts and chronic painers without concern of consequences. The DEA can still arrest those diverters/people who sell legal drugs on the street… which is still ILLEGAL..
We have the highest per-cent of our population incarcerated of the civilized world .. the vast majority for non-violent drug crimes. We are spending 51 billion on this war on drugs.. How much are we spending on supporting families with Medicaid and other governmental aid for the families of these prisoners for non-violent drug offenses ?
How many chronic pain pts could be – with appropriate pain management – productive, working, tax paying citizens.. not to mention… better spouses and parents. Life.. Liberty.. and the pursue of happiness ?
Filed under: General Problems
So frustrating. I have a drug dealer neighbor that I have been calling the sheriff about for over a year and still nothing has been done about it! Erghh!
Steve thank you for that detailed background information about the war on pain patients. I did not know that the court actually made it illegal for a doctor to prescribe opiates – so-called addicts or anyone who may have used pain medication in the past. This is unfathomable. Say someone had a problem with pills 10 years ago and it’s in their health record and they no longer have a problem. So if they have kidney stones they can’t have opiates to help them with the pain? Status completely inhumane and insane. Even to the point is the Tristan had cancer it would be illegal for them to be on pain medication because they had a past or even a current abuse problem. Are you really telling me that and Dr could go to jail for writing an opiate prescription for a current cancer patient if that patient…past or present abused opiates? I find that unbelievable. Well that should encourage anyone who has a problem abusing painkillers or heroin to never let that get into a medical record. If they wanted to stop taking end of using opiates, they wouldn’t even do that on their own or hopefully with the help of a friend. Just so that never becomes part of their health record as an insurance against being untreated in the future should that person ever get stricken with any disease or illness that requires strong pain medications.
I meant to say abused pain medication in the past.
I wasn’t aware of this either- how outrageous! I’ve had horrible Fibromyalgia for fourteen years, most of that time I’ve not been prescribed any good pain meds- I have kids to care for myself, so I had to find something that worked- I also have a son with Fibro, and a son with Rhumetoid Arthritis…I found a miracle herb called KRATOM. It kills pain and also gives energy! It’s been a lifesaver for myself and my adult son! GOOGLE IT…get it now while you can, they have already made it illegal in Tennessee, Indiana, and Wisconsin, and Florida is to come…it’s non-addictive and safe- they don’t want the American people to be able to take care of themselves! These hypocrites that make these laws get anything they want, whether they are in pain or not!