I grew up in the late 60s and early 70s when pharmaceuticals were abundant because it was still an unknown secret to most people that there were drugs available in mom and dads medicine cabinets all across the country while physicians were able to write unlimited prescriptions this being pre-DEA times. I have watched the opioid pendulum swing back and forth for about 50 years. During the CIA backed heroin epidemic of the 70s when our Secret Agents brought in pure heroin to fund their illegal over throws of those dastardly Reds which were everywhere or so they thought, if thought and CIA can be used in one sentence, they in their infinite wisdom did not know that when addicts are used to heroin that is no more than 15% pure and you dump tons of 90% pure heroin on the streets of America people tend to overdose and die so the Honorable Richard Nixon created another nightmare agency called the Drug Enforcement Agency and the war on drugs began. Mr. Nixon was so in tune with drugs that he actually made Elvis Presley an honorary member of the DEA because i must suppose he did not realize Elvis was helping the war on drugs by trying to single handedly consume them all himself thereby ending the war. With all the deaths came more controls and with more controls people in need could no longer get relief. Thus the pendulum swung and every 7 to 10 years it swings back. When we as a species come to grips with the fact you can not legislate morality but you can help your brothers and sisters to overcome their addictions then opioid addiction will wane. America is my country but I have to say along with instant gratification of every other desire we have forgotten pain is a natural process and as with every natural process it must be accepted as a unpleasant part of life. I fully realize that there are people in unbearable pain who should be given all the pain meds they require “with out fears of addiction due to death being the end result anyway” but we have been trained that medicine can fix everything so bottles of morphine seem perfectly logical for a paper cut.
I have dealt with addiction for half a century, mine and hundreds of others so i believe i am qualified to explain some things most people can’t and some people won’t. We “the American people” have been lied to by Madison Avenue executives who serve their pharmaceutical giant money machine as if it is a GOD that rains money which of course it does at your expense. You may have forgotten that it was they who coined the phrase “mothers little helper” to sell Valium to stressed out mothers. Parenthood is stressful so if you need a pill to do it maybe parenthood is not your best choice in life but being as you learn that only after having a child have you ever wondered why “Big Pharma rainer of money” did not ever ask you to try meditation or other natural forms of stress relief? There’s no money in it for them.
I will end this with a few pointers to our elected officials who make archaic laws to punish people that fell into a very well prepared trap by the pharmaceutical industry. You “elected officials” were hired to protect us from corporate rape of our bodies, minds and money and it is you who have failed to stop this epidemic of death because of your greed. It is not the fault of soul less manufacturers, advertisers, doctors and especially lobbyists it is your responsibility to protect your constituents from these monsters who for the love of money maim, kill and enslave people due to their ignorance. It is your job to inform them and protect them because if you don’t why are you there? Stop blaming the addict and stop the enablers of addiction. Pharmaceutical companies and doctors who in almost 100% of all cases start them down that road.
For those that don’t know middle aged women are the people being hit the hardest “yes your mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts” because they are the group that uses the most opioids. How do think it comes to be your mother gets caught buying heroin because the DEA has limited their ability to get more from their doctors and their doctors are so busy writing prescriptions they don’t even know your mothers name because it’s already printed on the prescription by a computer. When heroin is cheaper and easier to get than a prescription and there is no treatment centers available mom is going to do whatever she has to. Get lobbyists out of Washington or demand they match dollar for dollar the amount they contribute to politicians to treatment centers and stop incarcerating people who through their own ignorance end up there over addiction provided by your friendly neighborhood doctor. The amount of money given to politicians by lobbyists would provide free treatment for every addict in this country. I did not make one dime for this and i provide free counseling to anyone who asks me because people are more important than money. I love America so let us see if Congress does too. Send a copy of this to your representative and ask them what they are doing about it. Peace and Blessings