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There are, not surprisingly, persons who actually truly really have chronic pain, and who benefit from use of opioids -- and miracle of miracles, some of those persons use the opioids responsibly and as directed. They may become tolerant of the medication (this is a biochemical/biological response to exposure to opioids and is NOT the same thing as addiction), but the medication can give the patient very significant relief from suffering. This type of patient should have access to opioids under the guidance of a knowledgeable physician, at whatever dose is necessary for relief of suffering. However, this same medicine produces a sort of a buzz or feeling of euphoria desired by persons who are not truly suffering from chronic pain. Since in the USA (and many countries) opioids are restricted to prescription only and are not legally usable for the 'buzz', persons who seek this effect of opioids have 2 choices: (1) see a medical doctor and pretend to have pain that requires treatment with opioids, or (2) purchase an opioid through non-legal pathways, and assume all the legal and medical risks of doing so (arrest, incarceration, violence, inadvertent overdose via unknown content of purchased supply). Also, in the good old USA, treatment for addiction is expensive and not available for those w/o medical insurance or other source of funding -- it is not a right or benefit of citizenship, but a private matter for negotiation with the service provider. So many persons who might benefit from addiction treatment are never treated. So the 'blame' for the opioid crisis goes beyond drug manufacturers, and includes addicts themselves, the medico-legal system that drives addicts into doctor's offices to pretend to have pain to get an opioid prescription, the lack of treatment for many addicted persons, and the legal (public health) decision to treat use of opioids in the context of addiction as a crime and not a disease. So don't just blame drug manufacturers. there is plenty of blame to spread around to other actors! JMHO. |