I don't pretend that's what Portugal does. Or anyone else. I have suggested that overall the Portugal model looks attractive; that doesn't mean I think we should do exactly what they do.
That's exactly my point. People invoke someplace far away like Portugal where it's implied drugs are legalized and everything works great. Only the implication isn't accurate. This leads me to think legalization advocates aren't approaching the issue seriously or with a lot of thought.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_country
there will always be black markets for other drugs. If you provide drug maintenance and replacement therapies and get control of Rx drugs, you'll substantially reduce demand on the street for opiates and benzos. The Meth problem is more difficult.
That means the common assumption we can save $100B or whatever number is thrown around and 'end the drug war' and do away with drug-related crime and drug-related incarceration just isn't true. The only way to really 'end the drug war' would be crack and eightballs in convenience stores beside the beer, FourLoco and cigarettes.
It sounds like you want to expand the war on painkiller abuse. Why?
Because I believe it is the biggest single problem we've got, and it can be improved without a lot of effort. When you cut off supply of Rx drugs, you'll have a bigger problem with imports, but painkiller abuse can be effectively treated with Suboxone & Methadone replacement therapies.
I still don't get where the problem is from the standpoint of someone who thinks addiction is no bar from working, including in professional jobs, and functioning in society as addicts. Why cut off the supply of Rx drugs?
And aren't methadone etc replacement drugs just that .. replacement drugs? BTW methadone and suboxone are also painkillers and I think doctors can already prescribe them to those who want to substitute it for the prescription painkillers they may be using. ??
. drug addicts don't have money to pay for health care. As a result, addiction medicine isn't a popular specialty. There is plenty of money in the system to compensate these individuals.
I guess it's a problem of convincing legislators, paying for addict's drug addiction medical specialist treatment is a good use of taxpayer money.
>> Does this mean we'd spend money developing less dangerous ways for opiate addicts to use drugs? How would we get them to use them and distribute them to addicts? This sounds like we'd actually be getting the government involved in drug use in a new way.
You can make it more difficult for painkillers to be abused. A little tax credit money would do it.
I thought this was about 'development of limited- and non-abusable alternatives to opiates.' Which means new methadones and new suboxones (which are both prescription painkillers too). I think it's likely any new alternatives will themselves have the potential to be abusable drugs too.
You would never get past the AMA to control physicians. But you could provide for physician education, which would help. By creating a national database of painkiller Rx, pharmacies could do more to control the problem.
I'm not quite sure how you do it, but if you could somehow insure that the person receiving the Rx is the person taking the drugs you would solve a lot of problems. The competent pain clinics I work with do drug testing at every visit to insure the patient pisses hot for the drug they're on; however, insurance doesn't cover it and there is no "requirement" they do this, so many pain clinics don't.
Painkillers are a huge problem but the wholesale prescription of benzos is out of control as well. It is just that they don't tend to kill many people and they're not as addictive for most people, but it isn't good that we're raising generations of people who can't function without them.
Somehow the 'end the drug war' thing is turning into a let's crank up the war on prescription abuse. Kind of amazing.
In those states with medical marijuana, doctors write marijuana prescriptions for EVERYTHING:
A study done by Craig Reinarman surveyed among why people in California used cannabis and it found many reasons why people had used cannabis. It was used to relieve pain, muscle spasms, headaches, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, depression, cramps, panic attacks, diarrhea, and itching. Others used cannabis to improve sleep, relaxation, appetite, concentration or focus, and energy. Some patients used it to prevent medication side effects, anger, involuntary movements, and seizures, while others used it as a substitute for other prescription medications and alcohol.
en.wikipedia.org
Should we crack down on the prescription abuse of marijauna too? |
