Vermont Governor Proposes Limits on Painkiller Prescriptions
www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/us/vermont-governor-proposes-limits-on-painkiller-prescriptions.html?
I wonder how many of the 45 million “Nicotine addicts” and 35 million “Alcoholics” live in Vermont and I wonder how many of the 540,000 people that die every year from the use/abuse of those two drugs live(d) in Vermont ? Didn’t read anything in this article about RATIONING either of these two drugs ?
They blame prescription opiates – particularly Oxycodone – on the opiate epidemic… No one seems to have a answer as to what is the “gateway drug” for Nicotine and Alcohol addiction ? Maybe because of the 15%-20% of those addicts are ALSO POLITICIANS AND BUREAUCRATS… and they would not begin to pass laws that deal with the addiction of those two drugs…. because it would affect them directly/personally ?
Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont on Wednesday announced proposed limits on the number of painkillers that could be prescribed, the latest measure his administration has taken to combat the opioid crisis that has ravaged the state in the last five years.
At a news conference outside the Vermont Department of Health in Burlington, Mr. Shumlin and Dr. Harry Chen, the state’s health commissioner, spoke for about half an hour about proposed regulations, which they said represented a cutting-edge approach to combating the crisis.
Under the proposal, the severity and duration of pain would be used to determine the specific limit for a prescription of opioids. For example, for a minor procedure producing moderate pain, a provider would be limited to prescribing nine to 12 opioid painkiller pills, depending on the medication. The limits would be higher for more complicated procedures, and there would be exceptions for the treatment of severe pain.
The limits are proposed amendments to an existing rule and would be official in December if approved after a period of public comment and review by a state legislative committee, said Scott Coriell, a spokesman for the governor. Mr. Shumlin proposed the rule in his State of the State address in January, and he set its passage as one of the chief priorities in his final year in office.
The governor, who announced last year that he would not seek a fourth term, spoke in a phone interview about Wednesday’s announcement in the larger context of his battle against the flood of opioids. He said that when he took office in 2011, he very quickly realized that “we had a full-blown health crisis on our hands.” Three years later, in his State of the State address, he pledged to fight that crisis.
He said that limiting the number of opioid pills that could be prescribed would be an effective way to cut down on addiction.
Asked whether he hoped his successor would continue the fight, Mr. Shumlin said, “This is not a hard problem to solve.”
“We didn’t have a heroin crisis in America before OxyContin was approved and started being handed out like candy,” he said. “If politicians would lead a more rational conversation about how we manage pain in America, we could fix the majority of this problem with a click of our fingers.”
Dr. Chen stressed that the rule announced Wednesday was designed to combat the prescription of opioids for cases of “acute pain.”
“These are people who don’t normally take opioids,” he said. “We want to reduce the variability in terms of what prescribers are prescribing.”
Some critics said Wednesday’s proposals might backfire. Liz Evans, the executive director of the New York Harm Reduction Educators, a group that works to promote access to safe equipment and health care for people who use drugs, said that although she was “sure that the governor is motivated by kindness,” she was worried that the proposed regulations might not have the intended effect.
“I think prohibiting access to pain medication can result in pushing people to using more illicit drugs in a more dangerous way without being paired with existing evidence-based public health strategies that are known to work,” she said.
Dr. Chen agreed that a public health approach was necessary and said it was something that Vermont aimed to employ.
“It’s a community problem,” he said. “It needs to be solved on a communitywide basis.”
Filed under: General Problems
The governor’s ignorance on the cause of addiction is commonplace. And until people understand the REAL Cause of Addiction, the efforts for the chronic pain patients in America will fall on deaf ears. People can be introduced to the REAL Cause of Drug Abuse through my webinars that you can sign up for on my website http://www.doctorsofcourage.org. The full information is available on my DVD available on my website http://www.sevenpillarstotalhealth.com. I am offering a special, almost 50% off, in celebration of the Rally Against Pain that was held in DC this past Friday.
Obviously, he must have a cut into the drug dealers money. Because people who have surgery can not live on 9 pills. There will be an increase of very wealthy drug dealers since this jerk does not understand pain at all. Cut off his arm and just give him 1 pill for the day. Bet he changes his mind.
I want to know from this jerk off if they enjoy the drug dealers getting richer. There has to be something in it for him…of course there is…MONEY!
Mr. Governor,I have a better ideafor you.How about leaving medical decisions up to medical professionals? You make the statement that if politicians would lead a more rational conversation about how we manage pain.Do you not realize how foolish that statement is? shouldn’t it be up to doctors,medical professionals to lead a conversation about how to manage pain?
You also speak of addiction,but do not take into consideration the fact that even professionals find it hard to define.Medical dependency on a substance to treat a chronic condition is not the same as a true addiction.Did you know that? I see nowhere in this article where it is stated that you have sought the advice of medical professionals,who are trained in how to treat chronic pain conditions,and in many cases the opioid medicine,long term is the only effective way.
I think this whole issue has become a political issue,and has been exaggerated as to this supposed crises.In other articles I have studied, when the percentages of deaths and addictions has been broken down properly,it is not the crises that many think it is.
You sir are dealing with the wellbeing of patients,whose only relief from miserable pain conditions,is the opioid medicine.It should not be up to political committees to determine how much medicine a suffering human being needs to function in life.I read nowhere in this article,where you have consulted with the real patients in the real world,or the doctors who treat them.You gov.mention solving this so called crises,in the snap of a finger.In the snap of a damn finger? You will make a decision that should be made by medical professionals,in the snap of a finger,with the result quite likely to be causing millions of legitimate patients untold misery.
I repeat,medical dependency is not addiction,and until you are briefed on that true fact,you should leave medical decisions,to the doctors!
There is a full blown health crises says a politician? Yet nowhere does he mention the statsin perspective to the actual percentages.In other articles,where this ,”full blown” health crises is broken down into percentages,it is always much lower than the hysteria and political spin makes it out to be.Nor does he define what is meant by “addiction.”Even health professionals,struggle to define the meaning of addiction.Medical dependency to alleviate a chronic pain condition,is not equal to an “addiction” in those using this medicine illegally.I am afraid they are not taking those differences into consideration,but are in a rush to look like they are solving a problem that they have overblown due to reelection political reasons.
If the results of what they intend to do deprive those in chronic pain of an adequate amount of medicine to help them function,then they are throwing the baby out with the bath water,as the old saying goes.Unfortunatly people’s well being is at stake.
The gov. Also makes the statement;” If politicians would lead a more rational conversation about how WE manage pain in America we could fix the majority of this problem with the click of a finger.”That statement is foolish at so many levels that it is laughable.First of all saying politicians should lead the way about how we manage pain,is not a sensible statement at all.Shouldnt medical professionals,doctors,be leading the conversation about how “we” manage pain? And politicians to the rescue,in a “click of the finger” the politicians will solve a problem that wasn’t a problem until it became the new political football.
Article also states that the governor and an actual Doctor,spoke for 30 minutes about proposed regulations.Wow,a whole 30 min. Discussion with an actual Doctor.Now that’s a snap of the finger there governor,isn’t it?
There will be a period of public comment and review by a state legislative committee.In other words again a political committee will make a decision that will affect thousands of patients living in chronic pain,who can find no relief from there misery in any other way.Will this period of “public comment” include the actual patients whose lives will be negatively affected by a damn committee of government workers? Will it include health care professionals who have experience in doing what they are there to do,and that is treat real suffering human beings?
They have had me on low doses of hydrocodone for 7 years.Nothing else has been effective at alleviating the pain for a chronic condition I suffer from,and that worsens every six months.Am I medically dependent?Yes.Am I addicted in the true sense of the word?No.If doctors decided to change treatment would I go out and buy illegal pills? Hell no.Nor would I touch heroin with a 10 foot pole.So if I lived in the governors state and they took from me the only medicine that has helped me function,and given me some quality of life,what would I do? Suffer,and suffer immensely unless they could replace it with something just as,or more so,effective.And I Don’t think the governor or some committee,would be capable of giving me an adequate answer.
You best tread lightly mr.governor.Your interference in a medical issue,can affect the lives of others.Real people,just like you governor,with real needs that should be left to doctors,not politicians!
One can only hope that governor Shumlin will soon require opioid pain medication at a much higher number than he reccomendations for a severe chronic disease and that he will suffer for a very long time!