research report: two views

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Apr 3, 2024

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Ritter 1 Anaya Ritter Ms. Burns WAC 101; 70279 31 October 2021 Opioid Crisis: Two Views In 2020 alone, over 90,000 people died due to drug overdoses. This created the worst opioid overdose crisis in American history (Vaida 3), which has caused a debate on whether or not regulators have restricted drug access too much. Have regulators done too much to restrict legal access to prescription drugs? Although people hold a range of opinions about how to answer this question, a significant number argue that yes, regulators have done too much to restrict legal access to prescription drugs because individuals with chronic pain have a harder time obtaining opioids, patient advocates say insurers have used CDC guidelines to deny reimbursement and doctors are turning patients away saying the patients in pain are being forced into opioid withdrawal, causing extreme pain, in some cases, driving them to suicide, and a significant number argue no, regulators have not done too much to restrict prescription drug access because clinic doctors would make a cursory eval and send patients to an onsite pharmacy where they could buy narcotics, and the patients took them home and sold them to neighbors, some experts defend all the regulations as necessary, noting that prescription drug abuse remains widespread and the US is prescribing more than any other country on Earth. The first reason why regulators have done too much to restrict legal access to prescription drugs is because individuals with chronic pain have a harder time obtaining opioids. Independent journalist, Bara Vaida states that, “More than 20 percent of Americans said they experienced chronic pain in 2019, and about 7.4 percent said it was severe enough to impede their quality of

Ritter 2 life, according to the CDC. But those with severe chronic pain are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain opioids” (Vaida 6). This is significant because certain guidelines that have been put in place are making it extremely difficult for people to have quality of life instead of being stuck in pain everyday. Vaida informs that, “A 2016 guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is making it harder for patients to acquire opioids, some health experts say (Vaida 6). States have carried out a number of measures to speak on the opioid epidemic. One way they have done this is by creating pill mills. Pill mills are doctors’ offices, pain clinics and other providers that dispense large amount of prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. In doing so, this makes it harder for people with chronic pain to acquire the opioids they need. The second reason why regulators have done too much to restrict legal access to prescription drugs is because patient advocates say insurers have used CDC guidelines to deny reimbursement. In the article, “A Crisis of Opioids and the Limits of Prescription Control”, Dr. Stefan G. Kertesz, professor of preventive medicine at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, says, “Coming from a range of agencies, encompassing professional boards, public and private payers, law enforcement and more, they reflected a re-calibration of policy compared to the prior decade, when powerful commercial, regulatory and legal initiatives embraced opioids as a cardinal, under-appreciated asset for treatment of pain” (Kertesz 1). This quote is explaining how different powers are trying to come together to try and figure out what the best way to go about this crisis is, thus, ensuring the safety and effectiveness for all parties. Kertesz informs that, “We will suggest that US policy reflects an imbalance that threatens efforts to address pain and addiction, while endangering patients whose receipt of opioids for pain represents a key part of their care” (Kertesz 1). With said policy in place, patients with chronic pain have a hard time

Ritter 3 getting opioids to treat them. As stated previously, correcting this US policy can rewrite this imbalance. The third reason why regulators have done too much to restrict legal access to prescription drugs is because doctors are turning patients away saying that the patients in pain are being forced into withdrawal, causing extreme pain, in some cases, driving them to suicide. Emeritus Professor, Wayne D. Hall explains, “A failure to expand effective treatment will ensure that opioid overdose deaths in the US continue to increase” (Hall 2). Because these doctors will not treat said patients, the number of sicknesses/deaths will continue to skyrocket. With the rising overdoses in the US, many people will continue to illegally obtain and consume opioids for their benefit. Hall states, “The risk of dying accumulates with repeated cycles of incarceration and release” (Hall 1). We see repeat offenders of opioids return to their old ways when coming out of prison. When caught, they return to prison with no support. Some believe that receiving treatment while in prison can help reduce the rate of drug overdoses. A lot of people tend to disregard the severity of what they are doing. Many see going to jail as something that sets them back, so when they get out, they go straight back to their previous ways. However, there are many who have the opposite viewpoint. There is an opposing stand on this topic because many think regulators have not done enough to restrict access to prescription drugs. They have some reasons as to why they hold this point. The first reason as to why regulators have not done enough to restrict legal access to prescription drugs is because clinic doctors would make a cursory evaluation and send patients to an onsite pharmacy where they could buy narcotics, and the patients would take them home and sell them to the neighbors. Vaida says, “People brought them home to sell to neighbors, spreading the opioid epidemic in communities” (Vaida 7). When people started to realize that

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