Pubdate: Sun, 05 Feb 2012
Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL)
Copyright: 2012 News-Journal Corporation
Contact:  http://www.news-journalonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/700
Author: Alan Kaye

DON'T FORCE PEOPLE TO SUFFER

This letter is in response to a letter written a few weeks ago by a
nurse with chronic pain. Some people have spoken out on the state of
Florida's crackdown on the pain mills. As the nurse stated, her doctor
will no longer prescribe pain medication, due to the state's knee-jerk
reaction. Now any doctor who writes pain medication prescriptions is
subject to scrutiny by the state, forcing them to choose between the
comfort of their patients or having officials looking at all scripts
they have written. Some may choose to let the patient suffer with
debilitating pain.

Here are the statistics on chronic pain in the U.S.: 25 percent of the
U.S. population suffers from chronic pain (about 75 million).
Three-fifths of Americans 65 and older say they have had chronic pain
for over a year and 50 percent of cancer patients are in pain, but I
am guessing they get the pain meds they need, and rightfully so. What
about the other 75-million plus?

If you have never been in chronic pain, it can be debilitating.
Sometimes all you can do is try to find a comfortable place to sit.
Your ability to participate in even the most simple of tasks, such as
going out to eat dinner or shopping, has been taken away. With pain
management (medication) those in pain can live a somewhat normal life,
but the government and doctors do not seem to care about those folks.

It's not rocket science to weed out the pill mills and leave the
doctors who care to relieve their patients' pain alone, to practice
without fear of losing their license.

Maybe it's time for the state to legalize medical marijuana -- I hear
it's a wonderful drug for many ailments aside from pain. Those of you
in pain with no medication, take note.

Alan Kaye

Edgewater
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.