Re "Treating pain no longer a gamble," Dec. 5: The DEA says there are 6.2 million Americans who "abuse" prescription drugs. That appears to be a statistic without much substance in reality. Who or what was Rush Limbaugh "abusing" when he so famously deceived physicians into prescribing for him the drugs he said he needed? Do he and the other 6.2 million intelligent, responsible, hard-working "abusers" constitute a "public health problem"? If they abuse anything, it is only their physicians, whom they "deceive" into prescribing pain medicine the DEA knows they don't really need.While "addiction" may be a "huge public health problem," untreated pain is a bigger private health problem. [continues 80 words]
Re "Hike in state smoking age to 21 sought," June 4: In their eternal search for new ways to manage the individual's pursuit of happiness, our rulers are now proposing to raise the "smoking age" to 21 -- just a small step toward prohibiting tobacco altogether! A reasonable reading of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution would make it legal for each adult to pursue happiness in ways he or she deems suitable as long as others are not threatened or harmed. [continues 67 words]
