The Opioid Crisis: A Tale of Greed, Poor Government Regulation, and Missed Opportunities
The opioid crisis has become a major public health emergency in the United States, claiming thousands of lives each year. It has also put medical professionals, law enforcement, and government institutions in a difficult situation. There is plenty of blame to go around and different parties have been questioned for their involvement in the crisis. However, there is one important group of people that is often overlooked in this conversation: pain patients. While it is important to hold drug manufacturers and distributors accountable for their actions, it is also important to remember the people who are suffering from chronic pain and rely on prescription opioids to manage their conditions. This article will provide a brief overview of the opioid crisis, its history, and the different parties involved.
The History of Opioid Usage: The use of opioids for pain relief dates back to the 1800s. At the turn of the 20th century, opioids were being dispensed over-the-counter and were easily accessible to patients. It was believed that opioids were a safe and effective way to treat chronic pain. However, as the risks of addiction and abuse became more widely known, regulations were imposed on the prescription of opioids. These regulations meant that patients suffering from chronic pain could not access the medication they needed to manage their conditions.
The Beginnings of the Crisis: In the 1980s, a few physicians began to question the conventional wisdom that opioids were too dangerous to use. They argued that underdiagnosing pain meant millions of patients were suffering needlessly. They also claimed that the risk of addiction was low and that opioids were safe for most people. These views were widely supported by organizations such as the American Pain Society and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Influence of Big Pharma: At the same time, drug companies were spending a lot of money searching for a non-addictive painkiller with no success. These companies began to argue that the risk of addiction was low and that opioids were safe when used for a short period of time. They also claimed that they were effective in treating long-term chronic pain. These claims were widely cited in medical journals and became widely accepted among medical professionals.
The Tragedy of Opioid Abuse: However, the widespread use of opioids for chronic pain resulted in an increase in the number of people who were becoming addicted to these drugs. As a result, the crisis began to unfold. People who were addicted to opioids began to turn to the streets to obtain their drugs, leading to an increase in crime and drug-related fatalities. The crisis became a major public health emergency in the United States, claiming thousands of lives each year.
The Response from the Government: In 2021, the CDC issued a grim statistic: more than one million Americans had died from overdoses since 1999 when it started tracking the opioid epidemic.1 Since that sobering milestone, another 300,000 have died.2 The government has issued various responses to the crisis, including regulations on the prescription of opioids and the use of drugs such as naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. However, these efforts have been largely unsuccessful in curbing the crisis.
The Role of Pain Patients: While it is important to hold drug manufacturers and distributors accountable for their actions, it is also important to remember the people who are suffering from chronic pain and rely on prescription opioids to manage their conditions. These patients have been marginalized in the debate around the opioid crisis and have faced discrimination from medical professionals who are reluctant to prescribe opioids. Their voices and their needs should not be forgotten in this conversation.
Conclusion: The opioid crisis is a complex issue with no easy solutions. While it is important to hold drug manufacturers and distributors accountable, we must also consider the needs of those who suffer from chronic pain and rely on opioids to manage their conditions. It is important to strike a balance between addressing the crisis and supporting those who are suffering from chronic pain.
Endnotes
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Drug Overdose Mortality,” May 3, 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/health_policy/drug_overdose_mortality.pdf.
- Katherine J. Seelman, “CDC: Opioid Overdose Deaths Hit Lowest Level Since 2010,” Medscape, July 18, 2022, https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/995239.
- Sarah Zaslin, “US Wars and Battles: Data Set Includes Civil War,” CNN, February 26, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/26/weather/us-wars- battles-data-set-includes-civil-war/index.html.
- National Institutes of Health, “Chronic Pain Facts,” December 2013, https://report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets