Punishing Pain

New York Times ^ | July 19, 2005 | John Tierney

[headsonpikes]

"We've become mad in our pursuit of drug-law violations," he said. "Generations to come will look back and scarcely believe what we've done to sick people."

[headsonpikes]

Unspeakable.

[headsonpikes]

Very rough justice ping.

(but Federal-compliant!)

[mysterio]

Drug laws are insane. We conduct no knock searches to make sure that someone isn't hiding a plant that grows naturally in America. We are willing to trade the Bill of Rights to make sure someone doesn't grow that plant.

[Sirc_Valence]

Can you post the rest of this article for those of us that don't care to register at the NYSlimes site?

[frogjerk]

Whether these efforts have done any good is debatable (and a topic for another column), but the harm is clear to the millions of patients who aren't getting enough medicine for their pain.

So millions of patients are in the same condition and predicament as this man? I don't think so.

The real problem in this particular case is the lack of common sense on the part of the police, DA and judge.

[frogjerk]

use bugmenot.com

[frogjerk]

We conduct no knock searches to make sure that someone isn't hiding a plant that grows naturally in America

Where in America can I go to find this plant in the wild?

[headsonpikes]

Another excerpt:

Scott Andringa, the prosecutor in the case, acknowledged that the 25-year mandatory penalty was harsh, but he said Mr. Paey was to blame for refusing a plea bargain that would have kept him out of jail.

Mr. Paey said he had refused the deal partly out of principle - "I didn't want to plead guilty to something that I didn't do" - and partly because he feared he'd be in pain the rest of his life because doctors would be afraid to write prescriptions for anyone with a drug conviction.

[headsonpikes]

And another....

Mr. Paey is merely the most outrageous example of the problem as he contemplates spending the rest of his life on a three-inch foam mattress on a steel prison bed. He told me he tried not to do anything to aggravate his condition because going to the emergency room required an excruciating four-hour trip sitting in a wheelchair with his arms and legs in chains.

[Sirc_Valence]

Thanks! Very handy.

[headsonpikes]

The real problem in this particular case is the lack of common sense on the part of the police, DA and judge.

But not the law itself?

Let me just say that I find that counter-intuitive. Presumably, these agents of the court are simply carrying out their respective duties.

The law itself is unjust. Period.

[Capriole]

So millions of patients are in the same condition and predicament as this man? I don't think so

Actually, yes: millions of Americans are in chronic, intractable pain. They can't get necessary medication, even while they are dying of cancer, because doctors are terrified that the patients will become addicted. As if 60-year-old cancer patients whose spines have crumbled are likely to go out and hold up a 7-11 so they can buy street drugs! The doctors who are sane about this are somewhat hamstrung by drug laws.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I worked for Mallinckrodt, Inc. of St. Louis, Missouri for quite a few years as a chemist. At the time, Mallinckrodt was one of only two legal manufacturers of bulk medicinal narcotics (codeine, morphine, fentanyl, cocaine, etc.) All dosage form manfacturers obtained their bulk narcotics from these two sources.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s Mallinckrodt multiplied their prices by a fact of four (400%) each year because the DEA wanted them to raise the price of MEDICINAL narcotics to the street price to discourage diversion.

In other words, the prices of these drugs are now thousands of percent higher than necessary.

Health care costs have risen from 1.5% of GDP in the 1950s to 15% of GDP today because of the monopoly on health care granted to the federal government by the controlled substance laws.

[headsonpikes]

I think we all know what sort of interests are involved in the crafting of drug laws.

None of them respectable.

[nmh]

Something smells here:

"What followed was a legal saga pitting Mr. Paey against his longtime doctor (and a former friend of the Paeys), who denied at the trial that he had given Mr. Paey some of the prescriptions. Mr. Paey maintains that the doctor did approve the disputed prescriptions, and several pharmacists backed him up at the trial. Mr. Paey was convicted of forging prescriptions."

If a doctor DOES prescribe pain medication there is no rational reason to deny to a friend and patient in pain. It doesn't make sense. With all the emphasis on "pain" I suspect the handwriting test for the scripts didn't match the doctor and a pharmacist isn't going to notice the difference.

The man also refused a plea bargain that would have kept him OUT OF JAIL. NO doctor is going to refuse to write a pain prescription but WOULD be leery of a patient that FORGES prescriptions.

[nmh]

"So millions of patients are in the same condition and predicament as this man? I don't think so."

I agree. This article stinks to high heaven.

I don't ny it. The guy was a forger of prescriptions. There is no reason a FRIEND and also his doctor would deny this to the patient. If he didn't like that doctor he could have changed to another one.

[headsonpikes]

If a doctor DOES prescribe pain medication there is no rational reason to deny to a friend and patient in pain. It doesn't make sense

Well, ONE rational reason is to keep his medical license.

[headsonpikes]

Your child-like faith in the goodness of mankind is truly touching.

[mlc9852]

Out in the woods - but they are usually pretty well guarded so be careful. LOL

[nmh]

"Well, ONE rational reason is to keep his medical license."

Dear, a license allows you to prescribe what is needed to relieve pain for a patient. Again, there is NO reason for a licensed doctor to NOT prescribe what is needed. If the patient is not happy with the doctor the patient can ALWAYS get a second opinion.

Knowing the NYT, it's a pack of lies. They ALWAYS promote the WRONG side. I find this to be no exception.