DEA Won't Save Us From OxyContin PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE DrugSense FOCUS Alert #212 Thursday Jun 14, 2001 Anti-drug hype usually focuses on illegal drugs, but for the past several months, the legal painkiller OxyContin has been the subject of many drug scare stories. Like most drug hysteria, this crisis has been fueled by the media and the drug warriors. See http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n794/a04.html for an excellent analysis from the Cleveland Free Times. USA Today this week took a sensible editorial position on a possible crackdown on OxyContin by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (see below). Editorialists at the paper note that enhanced enforcement proposals by the DEA will cause unnecessary suffering for those who really need the drug. A DEA official was allowed to respond (also below) with typical DEA tactics - obfuscation and misinformation. Please write a letter to USA Today to cheer the paper's stand for people in chronic pain, and/or to highlight the DEA's deadly mix of incompetence and hypocrisy. If you don't do it, who will? Thank you! PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID Please post a copy your letter or report your action to the sent letter list () if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to Your letter will then be forwarded to the list so others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit. This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is the only way we have of gauging our impact and effectiveness. Contact Info Source: USA Today (US) Contact: ARTICLES US: OPED: DEA Overreaches In Effort To Stop Abuse Of Painkiller URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01.n1054.a01.html Newshawk: Jane Marcus Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 Source: USA Today (US) Copyright: 2001 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc Contact: Website: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nfront.htm Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/466 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?186 (Oxycontin) DEA OVERREACHES IN EFFORT TO STOP ABUSE OF PAINKILLER The headlines are enough to scare any user of prescription painkillers: ''OxyContin addicts, crime wave linked.'' The numbers scarier still: 120 dead from abusing the powerful drug along with thousands treated for overdoses, mostly in a string of Eastern states from Kentucky to Maine. Now the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is stepping in to curb what law enforcement describes as ''epidemic abuse'' of ''poor man's heroin,'' with its first-ever plan to attack abuse of a specific brand of prescription. But the public isn't likely to applaud the DEA's heavy-handed solution, if it goes into effect. It would set up needless bureaucratic hurdles that could limit access to other painkillers. Worse, it threatens to undermine the decade-long fight to reform pain treatment. OxyContin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December 1995 to treat moderate to serious pain in a host of medical conditions. While the active ingredient, oxycodone, has been around for a half-century, OxyContin's innovation, and the reason it was prescribed by doctors 6 million times last year, is its timed release of ingredients that allows the drug to work for 12 hours, twice the normal range. Like other painkillers, OxyContin also is popular with drug abusers who crush the pills and snort or inject the powder. That's why the DEA wisely requires pharmacies to maintain detailed records on OxyContin prescriptions and other drugs with the most potential for abuse. Similarly, it forbids the refill of such prescriptions and imposes limits on supplies provided to manufacturers. Even so, the DEA claims that OxyContin abuse has become such a powerful threat that it requires new interdiction efforts. For instance, the DEA has asked Purdue Pharma, the drug's manufacturer, to restrict those writing OxyContin prescriptions to pain specialists and other doctors who regularly deal with chronic pain. But there are fewer than 4,000 certified pain specialists in the USA. If the restrictions move forward, millions won't have access to the specialists who can prescribe a medicine they need. The DEA also has told Congress that it is considering limits on supplies of the painkiller, even though it's used by more Americans than Viagra. Unless the Bush administration steps in and stops those plans, thousands of Americans in serious pain from devastating illnesses could be deprived of the painkiller their doctors believe is most appropriate. The DEA argues that such efforts are justified because of OxyContin's high potential for abuse. But 40 other prescription drugs contain oxycodone, and the DEA isn't seeking to restrict their use. At least six other prescription drugs are linked to more deaths and emergency-room visits than oxycodone but don't face similar DEA attention. And regardless, 90% of deaths blamed on oxycodone involve other drugs as well. More importantly, there's little evidence that restricting patients' access to painkillers will do much to fight drug abuse. Only last year, The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study, based in part on the DEA's own data, concluding that increased prescribing of powerful painkillers did not increase drug abuse. The DEA has plenty of law-enforcement tools to fight the illicit use of prescription painkillers. There's no reason that its war against one drug should interfere with the legitimate practice of medicine. US: DEA Goal - Protect The Public Newshawk: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/ Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 Source: USA Today (US) Copyright: 2001 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc Contact: Website: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nfront.htm Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/466 Author: Donnie R. Marshall Note: Donnie R. Marshall is administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA GOAL - PROTECT THE PUBLIC Recently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has become aware of the increasing abuse and diversion of the powerful narcotic OxyContin. For those suffering from intractable pain, it provides critical relief. For others, it is a powerful substitute for heroin. The DEA's responsibility is to prevent the diversion of addictive pharmaceutical controlled substances while ensuring adequate supplies for legitimate medical needs. Since its introduction in 1996, the number of OxyContin prescriptions has increased 1,800% to 6 million in 2000. There are also increased reports from medical examiners, drug-abuse treatment centers, law enforcement personnel and pharmacists about the abuse and diversion of this drug. Emergency department and coroner reports involving the active ingredient in OxyContin have increased 200% and 400% respectively since 1996. For the year 2000, the DEA has also received 291 coroner reports from the six states most affected. Treatment programs in such states as Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia reported between 50% and 90% of new patients said OxyContin was their primary drug of abuse. In some cases, entire towns have suffered the effects of illicit OxyContin abuse. The DEA responded to this critical public-health problem in a measured and reasonable manner by establishing an ongoing dialogue with the health-care community, pharmaceutical industry and other government agencies to ensure OxyContin is appropriately prescribed and available to those who truly need it. There is consensus within the pain-management community that many doctors don't have the training to properly treat chronic pain, leading many to prescribe this powerful narcotic to individuals who seek the drug for non-medical reasons. The DEA appreciates the attention given to this issue, as it has increased the awareness of the medical community and the public about the potential dangers of potent narcotics such as OxyContin. However, it has also served to unfairly raise concerns that the DEA may place undue restrictions on the availability of this drug, depriving those with a legitimate need. This is untrue. Americans should be confident that the DEA will not only ensure that OxyContin is adequately supplied, but also that the public will be protected from injury or death associated with the diversion and abuse of OxyContin. SAMPLE LETTER To the editor of USA Today: I applaud USA Today for defending people suffering from chronic pain. Challenging the DEA's new proposed restrictions on the painkiller OxyContin is the right thing to do ("DEA Overreaches In Effort To Stop Abuse Of Painkiller," June 13). The response from DEA Administrator Donnie Marshall, stating that new regulations won't hurt legitimate OxyContin users while restricting recreational use, is both unbelievable and hypocritical. A look at DEA efforts to "protect" us from illegal drugs like Ecstasy indicates his assertions don't add up. Ecstasy is much more widely used and infinitely more profitable since it was outlawed in the mid-1980s, but impossible to obtain through legitimate channels for therapeutic use. As for the DEA's compassion for people suffering with chronic pain, ask a medical marijuana user how helpful the DEA in addressing their problems. Like all drug crackdowns, the DEA's proposed get-tough rules means that a black market catering to recreational users will grow, while people who really need the drug will find it tougher to obtain through legal means. This pattern is so frequently repeated, it's hard not to wonder if this isn't the ultimate goal of all drug wars. Stephen Young contact info IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone number Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please modify it at least somewhat so that the paper does not receive numerous copies of the same letter and so that the original author receives credit for his/her work. TARGET ANALYSIS USA Today With a U.S. circulation of over 2.3 million, the readership demographics are: Total Adult Readers 4.3 million. Male/Female 66/34%. Median Age 41 years. Attended College 80%. Median HH Income $71, 661. The average published letter would cost over $5,000 if purchased as an ad. The MAP published letter archive has 45 letters from USA Today. A recent sample shows they tend to be short - about 40% being under 100 words. The average published is 169 words, and the largest about 300 words. The published letters can be viewed here: http://www.mapinc.org/mapcgi/ltedex.pl?SOURCE=USA+Today ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts 3 Tips for Letter Writers http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htm Letter Writers Style Guide http://www.mapinc.org/style.htm TO SUBSCRIBE, DONATE, VOLUNTEER TO HELP, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL SEE http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm TO UNSUBSCRIBE SEE http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm Prepared by Stephen Young - http://www.maximizingharm.com/ Focus Alert Specialist

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