Controlling painkilling drug abuse: A double-edged sword

The fact that generic vicodin has topped the list of most commonly prescribed drugs reflects a growing national drug abuse problem. As an administration spokesman pointed out opiate drug overdose has surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the most common cause of injury-related death in 17 states. To combat this worrisome public health trend, President Obama has proposed an “unprecedented” initiative, instituting a government-wide approach to counter prescription drug abuse. The federal plan would allocate $123 million for drug prevention and an additional $99 million for treatment programs next year. The administration is also seeking congressional approval to establish mandatory physician training on the proper use and prescription of narcotics. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration estimates that the number of Americans aged 12 and over who abuse prescription pain relievers increased by 20 percent between 2002 and 2009. Drug abuse expert and Vice President of treatment for the New York drug treatment facility Daytop Village John Challis told Reuters that the two most at-risk populations are young people (who then often move onto harder drugs), and the aging baby boomer generation.

ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross points out, “The proposal to push advanced educational training for doctors for the proper evaluation of patients seeking a narcotics prescription sounds a lot like taxing ‘junk food’ to solve the obesity epidemic — a simple solution to a complex problem and unlikely to help significantly. Distinguishing drug seekers from patients in true need of pain relief is more of an art than a science, and I’m not sure there’s a way to adequately teach this to doctors. Many will say ‘I’m too busy to take this course’ and find a way to avoid it. I also worry that medical professionals will become less willing to prescribe adequate medication as a result of more stringent regulations — even though perhaps nine-out-of-ten patients asking for them have a legitimate reason to be on them.”