Senators are hoping to combat the opioid addiction crisis by limiting initial pain prescriptions to just a week's worth of medicine.The Opioid Addiction Prevention Act of 2017, introduced before the Easter recess by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.),
Why am I not surprised McStain is on this?
would amend the Controlled Substances Act to limit the quantity of prescriptions for acute pain, excluding chronic pain, end-of-life care and cancer treatment.
Great idea! Let's make it really difficult for those that have a hard time getting around and getting to the doctor!
Gillibrand argued that the change "would target one of the root causes of the opioid addiction crisis, which is the over-prescription of these powerful and addictive drugs for acute pain" like a tooth extraction or a broken bone.
To continue to remain licensed to prescribe schedule II, III, or IV controlled substances, medical professionals would have to certify to the the Drug Enforcement Agency that initial prescriptions for acute pain don't exceed a seven-day supply and don't include refills.
You already can't exceed a 30 day supply and can't have a refill. Also you can't call it in, need a paper script and have to pick it up yourself. Easy to do for those in acute pain or at end of life.
McCain cited the "over-prescription of highly addictive opioids" increasing 300 percent over the past 15 years as a root cause of the crisis.
No. A combination of government idiocy and pharmaceutical companies telling doctors to hand these out like candy, then realizing they made a mess and doing knee jerk reactions is the fucking problem.
"In fact, people who are addicted to prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to become addicted to heroin," he said in a statement. "In Arizona alone, heroin and opioid overdoses have skyrocketed, with the Arizona Department of Health Services reporting that more than 1,000 people required emergency room treatment for drug overdoses in 2014 while heroin-caused deaths increased by 44 percent between 2013 and 2014."
That is because it is so hard to find a doctor now to prescribe this stuff and it is such a pain to get that going to the local dealer for heroin and morphine is easier
McCain said the legislation "builds on the important steps taken by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey last fall to tackle a root cause of this epidemic by limiting the supply of an initial opioid prescription for acute pain to seven days."
Adding to the black market and drug trade in AZ. Well done.
As someone who has dealt with the idiocy surrounding the pain med market, having family members that needed them because they had cancer or chronic injuries, making this shit tougher to get legally isn't the answer. Those that truly needed are being fucked royally and those that want it can get it other ways (thanks Mexico!) The best way to handle it would be to allow two factor authentication so they doctors can electronically submit the script and the pharmacy has a service that can deliver it to the patient. These patients would be in a contract with the doctor and that pharmacy so any other request for that patient would immediately be detected by the electronic system and rejected.
The people that need it can get it and it reduces the fake prescription problem. This would also help stop the DEA would stop spamming doctor offices with entrapment patients to try to get the doctor to prescribe them something, which is why most doctors now don't prescribe opiates.