Disclaimer: These are my opinions. I am not being critical of the blogger. I am not trying to denigrate their concerns. They are entitled to their opinions, feelings, beliefs and statements. They may be justifiably concerned, if someone is selling any kind of drugs at their child's school.
A blogger, who shall remain nameless, posted a 'rant' against narcotic analgesics and the people that use them. The 'rant' was precipitated by their child alleging that a classmate was offering a "wide variety of narcotic pain killers" for sale.
This type of 'rant' really annoys me. They seem, almost universally, to be based on fear rather than reality.
Some declarative statements were made in the post. I find these statements to be fairly common in these types of rants. Let's look at the (paraphrased) statements:
Prescription drug abuse is new and didn't happen in the past.
Prescription drug abuse is as old as the history of drugs. The DEA would like us to believe that prescription drug abuse is new. It isn't.
Prescription drugs ruin lives.
People ruin their own lives. People make decisions to use, or not use, a substance.
"Drugs" are inanimate objects. By themselves, they have no positive or negative value. Describing 'drugs' as ruining people's lives shifts the emphasis from the person - who can, with help, work, effort, etc change their behavior - to inanimate objects. Nothing you can do will change inanimate objects. Blaming the medicine, while holding the user blameless, is not particularly helpful nor does it constitute a solution.
Other people can, without any further information, know that people don't need narcotic analgesics.
To some, the use of narcotic analgesics is disturbing and frightening. One person's fear does not justify a blanket condemnation of these substances or the denial of their use to people who need them. People do need narcotic analgesics,(see here and here). People do need them over the long term. To deny people the use of substances required to allow them to function in society without pain is cruel. Moreso, if the denial of the medications is based on prejudice.
Go to a chronic pain clinic and watch the people who come there for relief. The people who live, day in and day out, with severe chronic pain. These people are not any more 'terminal' than anyone else. Denying them the opportunity to control their pain, because something 'bad' might happen, is barbaric and unspeakably cruel. We don't choose objects over people in our society. We don't let some suffer to ally the fears of others.
I can appreciate that 'drugs' scare some people. Fear mongering helps keep people 'in line.' Generally, I find that education is the best solution for fear.
Prescription drug abuse is more prevalent than illicit drug abuse.
Setting aside the reality that abuse of drugs prescribed by medical practitioners is as old as prescription drugs: The current 'myth' of prescription drug abuse was written by the Drug Enforcement Administration in the late '90's. The DEA was having trouble quantifying the effect that $8.5 billion was having on the trafficking and use of illicit drugs.
Since the couldn't quantify the effect that they were having on illicit drugs, the DEA decided to shift their emphasis to prescription drugs. Doctors and pharmacists keep records, illegal drug dealers don't. Viola! The myth of prescription drug abuse is born and the government starts throwing money at it.
Oxycodone, (the active ingredient in 'OxyContin' like drugs), converts into 'morphine' in the blood.
Oxycodone breaks down into online congeners of oxycodone – it breaks down into free oxycodone, oxycodone, conjugated oxymorphone and nonoxycodone. It doesn't break down into morphine.
I am not so sure what the point is to this statement; although it is frequently made. The word, 'morphine' seems to strike fear into the hearts of many uneducated people. I have no idea why.
Doctor's who prescribe narcotic analgesics are being irresponsible.
I worked in emergency medicine for 30 years and took care of thousands of patients, I couldn't make that statement with any degree of confidence. In my experience, generalizations aren't helpful, nor practical, in the practice of medicine.
If one rejects the reality that some people legitimately need narcotic analgesics, then there might be a basis for this statement. However, the standard of practice requires that pain relief be a consideration when creating a patient care plan(1). Failing to adequately address a patient's need for pain relief is below the standard of practice - i.e.; negligent. Failure to address a patient's need for pain control is not just irresponsible, it is negligent.
And barbaric.
As an aside, the Food & Drug Administration recently allowed manufacturers of oxycontin-like medications to increase production of these medications by 1,200%. Rendering this either the largest conspiracy in history to push prescription meds, or proof there is a legitimate use for this product.
As to the issue of a 12 year old showing up with a variety of prescription narcotic analgesics to sell. Why would someone who had prescription narcotic analgesics, which can be very valuable, give them to a 12 year old to try to sell to other kids around the same age who don't have any money?
Did the blogger actually see the medications the child alleged he was offered? Were the child's statements supported by any objective evidence or statements from adults? Or was he just exaggerating? Was anything done to determine whether the child's story was true...
(1)
"...pain “is undertreated in the American health-care system at all levels: physician offices, hospitals, longterm care facilities. The result is needless suffering for patients, complications that cause further injury or death, and added costs in treatment overall.”
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