In recent years, in the press and legislatures of every level, there has been a lot of talk about the opioid crisis. However, this so called "crisis" was made by government. Further government involvement will only make it worse.
Let me be clear. The loss of life to drug overdose is a tragedy. However, in the rush to do something an approach was chosen that makes matters worse. Let's look at it.
While the number of drug related overdoses are increasing the prescriptions for pain medications is decreasing. Government efforts to cut down on prescriptions by threatening doctors and pharmacies with fines and incarceration has worked. And this has left many people in legitimate need of pain management without any relief. At the same time the number of overdoses continues to rise. Consider the mechanics in a world without government intervention.
You are in pain. Perhaps you are using pain drugs responsibly. Or perhaps you have a problem with addiction. So you go to your doctor and ask for some pain medication. Your doctor advises you that he is concerned about your drug use. He offers you resources such as his assistance and drug rehab treatment. But you decline his advice and ask him to give you a prescription. He accommodates you giving you a modest supply of pain meds and instructing you to return to see him in a few weeks.
Let's look at the results. First, you are under the supervision of your doctor. So he is watching for any possible dangers such as negative drug interactions. And he is working to limit the amount of drugs you are taking. You are getting the drugs from your pharmacist, from a legitimate pharmacy, from a legitimate drug company. The content, concentration, quality, and quantity of the drugs you are taking are all consistent. You have access to a wealth of professional resources. You will be going back to your doctor every so often. So he can assess your condition and try again to persuade you to quit or seek treatment.
Now let's look at the results of government intervention. You go to your doctor. Your case is borderline. You have legitimate pain. But the doctor has some concerns. Since the doctor is scared of being fined or imprisoned he refuses to give you a prescription. You have the following choices.
(1) Quit immediately (unlikely)
(2) Seek a substitute (can be more dangerous)
(3) Buy your drugs from a criminal (most likely)
So you buy the drugs from a criminal on the street or from a rogue internet site. Neither puts any limits on your drug use. Neither offers addiction treatment. In fact, they try to get you to use more. And they offer you even more dangerous drugs. The drugs you get are from criminals. They may vary in quality, concentration, amount, and so on. There are no professionals to protect you against negative drug interactions. And you won't be visiting your doctor anytime soon since you have an alternative supply. There will be no second or third chance to persuade you to seek treatment for your addiction.
In effect, government policy merely moves drug users from the care of doctors where there are relatively small number of overdoses to criminals where the dangers are much greater. It is bad for abusers. And it is bad for those in legitimate need of pain treatment.
But that is only the beginning of the problem. Government policy has hurt abusers and legitimate patients. But it also hurts innocent bystanders as well.
The criminals who sell pain drugs cannot go to the police or to the court system when they have disagreements with patients, suppliers, or other drug pushers. So they settle their disputes with violence. Since bringing more people and weapons to a fight increases the chances for victory we see the rise of well armed, vicious gangs. Their violence often spills over injuring and killing innocent victims.
With gangs we also see the concentration of profits. When the profits become concentrated they can be used to corrupt police, government, and other institutions. Good people are disgusted and leave public service and those under the power of the criminal element take their place. The people become aware of the corruption and lose confidence in and respect for the law. And society decays.
The correct public policy is for government to get out of the way. Give doctors, patients, and interested groups (professional associations, community groups, consumer groups) the liberty to find solutions. Yes. Tragically there will still be some overdose deaths. I doubt there is a perfect solution. If there is it certainly does not include government involvement.
It would be wise if we do not let the perfect become the enemy of the good.
