The Never Ending Nanny State
Jacob Sullum has two short pieces in Reason magazine on a couple recent nanny state developments:
First, he looks at attempts to regulate or even ban e- cigarettes. National Public Radio has been covering this a bit lately. I find the whole issue so typical on the nanny stater: Every new development needs to be regulated. Doesn't matter if the regulation helps or hurts anyone. It's the regulation that's important.
Next, the Food and Drug Administration's recent decision to reschedule hydrocodone to make it harder to legally use. To hell with the pain patients. Someone might abuse the drug and they're here to protect us.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 6:46 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Fred, when it comes to prescription drug usage, the US has a big problem, especially when the US represents only 4 percent of the world's population, but uses 80 percent of the marketed pain pills.
I've seen first hand the downward spiral effects of easily accessible pain pill prescriptions on family members, and how quickly physicians will prescribe pain medication after some of my surgeries without even consulting me on whether I needed it or not.
Personally I welcome stricter regulations on pain medications, especially when more people die in the US from drug overdoses than automobile collisions, which doesn't surprise me in the least.
As a three time wounded combat veteran, I can't imagine life without pain medication. My injuries and wounds left me 100% service connected disabled. Pain is my constant companion. Sitting, lying down, walking, it never ends. Sure, let's make it harder to obtain pain medication legally. I'll just have to go south of the border and by 500 pill jars, two or three at a time.
That anonymous commenter sent this to my inbox. I think what he does is post it here, then delete it so no one can trace him. Now that's paranoid:
It's an interesting issue. Do people have a right to harm themselves? Do businesses have a right to sell products that, through their intended usage, harm people?
My short answer would be yes and yes, so long as there is no force or fraud involved.
History should have tought us that prohibition and increased restrictions increases usage. what they should do is make it illegal for pharmaceutical companies to give doctors kickbacks based on how many pills they prescribe but a last are Supreme Court has ruled that money is equal to free speech...
THC
Post a Comment
<< Home