http://youtu.be/bThGHRErBrY
Addiction is a mental health issue, doesn’t matter if it an addiction to alcohol, nicotine, controlled substances, gambling.. each has their own specific ICD9 ( International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision ) billing code.
You can be addicted to gambling and in fact there is a wide assortment of gambling venues that are licensed by various states.. collecting taxes on every dollar wagered
You can be addicted to alcohol and again.. the State/Fed bureaucracies take their share of every dollar spent on alcohol. Of course, being “drunk ” in public and driving while being drunk can cause some legal consequences, but you can drink your liver into submission in your own or a friend’s home.
You can be addicted to Nicotine and you can satisfy your “cravings”… otherwise known as withdrawal.. in a lot of public – but decreasing number of places…
Does this mean that the Fed/State bureaucracy is the “dealer” for these addicts ?
All of these addiction issues can be legally treated by licensed healthcare professionals.
But as of 1914 and the Harrison Narcotic Act and a court ruling… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Narcotics_Tax_Act the use/abuse of opiate products was considered a CRIME and healthcare providers could not legally help these mental health pts.
In 1914 the average life expectancy was 52 for men and 57 for women.. meaning that half the population died before those ages
and population of the US was < 100 million and it had been reported that since that time the US has had between 1% -2% of the population were using/abusing opiates.
During what is now known as our prohibitionist period.. it was before the infamous alcohol prohibition Amendment and women still did not have the right to vote.
So should we consider that the first the Harrison Narcotic Act 1914 and secondly the Controlled Substance Act 1970 was a formal declaration of the denial of care of a recognized chronic medication condition ?
Has our society’s puritanical roots and opium phobia morphed in just a fear of the 1%-2% of the population that is using/abusing opiates spreading to believe that anyone – even those who have a valid medical necessity – should be denied access to opiates ?
Filed under: General Problems
Both of those drug control acts were based on racism initially and alot of people know it and I would absolutely love to win alot of moola and challenge both in court!