[MFogleman]

An ad to prop up big pharma by suggesting that people cut their opioid use by 75%?

Lets assume that this is an ad to prop up big pharma. Something between 1 of the 2 following extremes happens.

1. Every opioid user takes up meditation, and is able to reduce their opioid use by 75%. This would generally be considered a very good thing, even though it would cost big pharma 75% of their opioid profits.

2. The woman in the article is the only person in the world with this reported success, nothing changes.

Are you suggesting that forces at play are hoping that the second happens, yet all the lawsuits and criminal investigations against opioid manufacturers and distributors will go away, in part due to articles like this, despite the lack of change in numbers?

[hinkley]

It's easier to coax people into a trap when they believe there's an escape.

It's a big part of pressure sales dark patterns, I believe.

[yabadabadoes]

I'm afraid you aren't jaded enough.

For medications under patent, it really doesn't matter if the standard dose is 10mg or 100mg, the standard dose will have the chosen price. Since they sometimes have to sell both dosages at two different prices per mg, they also need bribes to try to make pill splitting illegal either in general or at least in medicare. With opioids "additives to prevent abuse" are also a great way to prevent pill splitting.

I should probably add that no matter how jaded one is, the field of applying meditation to pain in Western medicine predates any newer interests by big pharma. Jon Kabat-Zinn has some good research stretching back to 1980.