“The Prescription Opioid Crisis Is Over”?

That was the title of the article that appeared May 6, 2019 on the Pain News Network. It was written by Roger Chriss.

Here was my response:
While they continue to attack medical providers which leads to more and more of them refusing to prescribe medications and forcefully tapering chronic pain patients off those medications, drug abusers (the true addicts) are being rewarded with health-monitored drug-use sites, medication assisted treatment, ongoing state and federal assistance and food stamps while they don’t work. Do those chronic pain patients who lose their ability to function and work once they are off their medications get those type of benefits? Heck no! They have to fight with multiple appeals to get their disability benefits that they worked for over the years. The addicts just walk up and say “I’ve got this or that (mental condition usually)” and they get signed up on many assistance programs. What’s wrong with this picture? The police are failing to go after the drug pushers and suppliers who are out there in record numbers. Maybe they should start doing their jobs better and leaving the doctors alone. They fail to investigate doctors in our town that have employees writing their own pain medication prescriptions. No pharmacy reports the illegal activity when they become aware of it because they don’t want to be investigated. The doctors fail to report the activity also because they fear the same thing. So what happens? Nothing. These drug-abusing employees move on to other “pastures” looking for more ways to abuse the system. The Oregon Medical Board could care less about any such issues. They won’t take any complaints unless it comes directly from those involved; like that’s really ever going to happen.