[grumpygresh]

As usual, federal government almost universally makes things worse. This repeated malfeasance argues for the stripping of federal authority to the States. At least at the State level, the people have a chance of dealing with issues instead of decisions being made by uncontrolled actors.

[babble-on]

If you’re putting opioid crisis in scare-quotes when they’re killing 50,000 people a year, you’re an asshole.

[dblshot]

I just finished reading Robert B. Parker's/Reed Farrel Copeland's The Bitterest Pill a very scary look at opioid addiction and the black market for pain killers. The characters in this novel are very real and very addicted in a pretty short time. I have no idea how we will ever get a handle on this problem.

[eyeamok]

addiction is not a predictable outcome of prescribing and addiction in medical patients is rare

Rare? my doctors told me right up front in 1978 that I was going to become addicted to opiates, but I would be in the Hospital for 3 weeks after surgery to go through a managed withdrawl.

Obviously the First Step to stopping this Crisis is to make it a FELONY to Prescribe, offer to Prescribe, or administer ANY OPIATE to ANY Public Employee, Public Servant or Officer of the Court.

[tsomer]

Make no mistake, opioids are a gift from God.

If you’ve ever needed them, you know what I mean.

William Burroughs once said a smart thing:
“ After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn’t do it...”

[Mariner]

“The factors which cause people to be increasingly vulnerable to addiction and suicide are largely socio-economic.”

And the country awash in opioids has nothing to do with it!

[allendale]

Face it. A significant percentage of the American population has embraced decadence and hedonism. Historically this is nothing new. Rome rotted from within as its middle and upper classes embraced crass epicureanism. Post Christian, vile neo paganism is eroding the American nation. Simply look at the Democratic Party and realize that it does not exist in a social or cultural vacuum.

[fproy2222]

“America’s opioid and suicide crises”

They took away my pain pills because the might harm me.
Now they tell me I can take a death pill because of terminal pain.

[Glennb51]

I equate the “opioid crises” with the “firearms crises”. Blaming the inanimate object for the actions of the human are nonsensical.

I have had to take opioids many times due to my surgeries. Sometimes the tylenol and ibuprofen cocktail don’t do it.

Where I think the doctors may fall short is if they do not tell the patient that the pain killer is only to take the edge off, not to totally remove the discomfort.

Everyone has a different level of pain tolerance. I think it needs to be discussed with the physician and the patient has the ultimate responsibility of not over dosing.

[RicocheT]

“The factors which cause people to be increasingly vulnerable to addiction and suicide are largely socio-economic.”

I disagree on the “largely” term. Some people are genetically prone to addiction, whether it’s alcohol, opioids or other pleasure stimulants. I’ve had dental and other surgery and been Rx opioids and they didn’t give me a buzz or even much pain relief. I threw them away and just went to Advil or similar over the counter pills. I’m a member of the flower child generation but didn’t do illegal drugs then as I knew the dangers weren’t worth trying them. Cheap wine or beer was enough to get a buzz and I knew when to stop before I got too drunk. I’m middle-class social-economic, my parents and religion taught me right from wrong.