Pubdate: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 Source: USA Today (US) Copyright: 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc Contact: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nfront.htm Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/466 Author: John P. Walters Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?232 ( Chronic Pain ) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John) Opposing view: GOAL IS TO HALT ABUSE The Bush administration, working with the medical community, is responding to the threat of the diversion and abuse of controlled substances (particularly narcotic painkillers) that cause addiction in adults and, increasingly, in young people. Our initiatives are crafted carefully to do three things: protect our communities by stopping abuse, direct abusers to treatment and help the medical practice keep these drugs accessible and safe for those who need them. The threat is not minor. Prescription drug abuse is the second largest illicit drug problem in America -- only marijuana is more widely abused. In fact, 6.2 million Americans reported abuse of these drugs last year, while one in 10 high school seniors admitted abuse of a single brand of prescription narcotic: Vicodin. The number of people abusing OxyContin has doubled every year since we first asked the question on national surveys and now is approaching the number who have abused heroin -- while the addictive potential is comparable. Our response includes state-level prescription monitoring and electronic tracking systems that alert doctors and pharmacies to those who acquire drugs through fraud, "doctor shopping" or unscrupulous pill mills that hand over narcotics without even a doctor's examination. We also are forcefully responding to the illegitimate use of the Internet to traffic drugs to families. Fears of a misdirected "crackdown" are groundless. Few physicians face law-enforcement scrutiny. Last year, out of nearly 1 million physicians licensed to prescribe controlled substances, 50 were arrested: 0.005%. They were engaged in practices such as trading drugs for sex or selling multiple prescriptions for cash without any medical treatment. For those addicted, the response will be drug treatment, not punishment. An educated medical community will support our efforts, knowing that abusers will be given help and that legitimate prescribing practices will be vindicated by careful records more easily maintained. The effect will be to liberate physicians who today fear being entrapped by manipulative addicts, letting them prescribe appropriate medical treatment (including pain management) more confidently to real patients. Combining education, monitoring and enforcement will enhance good medical practice and protect more from addiction. - ---------- John P. Walters is director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake