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No one knows why the DEA suddenly withdrew its own rules
— the Agency isn't talking. But it may have been the fact that
the guidelines protected doctors from prosecution if they unwittingly
prescribed opiates to addicts who deceived them. The government is
currently prosecuting several physicians for exactly that conduct.
Over 30 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. A
great many may need
double or triple the normal amount of medication — and they are
almost always under-treated. These people could legitimately get relief
with opioid drugs but they can't find doctors willing to prescribe
enough to kill the pain. Taking opioids for pain relief rarely leads to
addiction but
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physicians fear that prescribing large doses will attract the attention of
over-zealous federal agents, a risk that includes lengthy prison terms. So
victims of severe accidents, failed surgery, terminal cancer, and the like
are often left to writhe in agony.
Over the last two years the DEA tried to address this
crisis, working with medical specialists from the University of
Wisconsin's Pain and Policy Studies Group. They set guidelines that
would both instruct and safeguard physicians, allowing them to prescribe
adequate levels of pain medication without fear of harassment.
These guidelines or something like them should be
reinstated so that no one has to suffer needlessly.
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