Look At It This Way

Seeing old things in new ways.

by Stephen Mason, Ph.D.

Suffer Before You Die (Part 1)

How the Bogus Drug War Hurts Pain Patients

Published on April 30, 2010 by Stephen Mason, Ph.D. in Look At It This Way

About a year ago, I wrote a column dealing with The Bogus War on Drugs. Unfortunately, nothing has changed since then and the carnage continues. In fact, I call it a "bogus" war because it's been waged so ineffectively that the people in charge must be either very dumb or very dishonest. Give it some thought and you'll realize there really is no other option.

Personally, I tend to lean toward the sheer stupidity side but with the black market in pain pills alone bringing in $500 billion a year, even I have to wonder. That's a really big chunk of change and still it's only one small slice of the pie. But that's where I'm going to focus because, if you or a loved one have ever been in horrendous, intractable pain, you will appreciate - far beyond any dollar figure - the true magnitude of the crime I'm about to describe.

I should begin by saying that I've been involved in pain research and pain management for many years. One thing you learn very quickly is that it's far better to under-medicate patients in pain than it is to have the government investigate your practice. Here's a typical example of a run-in with the law:

Agent Jones: Why so much medication for this woman?
Dr. Smith: She has cancer and she's in great pain.
Agent Jones: But she can get addicted.
Dr. Smith: She has no more than two or three months left.
Agent Jones: What does that have to do with it?

I changed the names but you get the point. Then, just last week, I received the following note from Paul Volkman, MD, PhD:

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Your assessment of the War on Drugs is spot on. I wish to contribute some information about the associated War on Pain Doctors. I have intimate information, since I was a pain doctor and am now facing 23 bogus felony drug charges and life in prison, all for prescribing real pain medicine to pain patients who clearly needed it in order to be able to function, even to continue their life. The govt is desperately frightened that 600,000 doctors will commence prescribing effective pain meds to 100 of their patients who require them, providing legal relief to the estimated 50 million pain patients in this country. Most importantly, these 50 million chronic pain sufferers will not have to obtain pain pills from street venders controlled by the DEA, since they can get their meds from a pharmacy. Many pain patients spend up to $1000 per month buying street pills (for meds which would cost about $100 at a pharmacy), which adds up to a staggering $500 billion per year black market, serious money even by today's Wall Street bailout standards. This explains why the govt is willing to throw innocent doctors in jail for life, to end their threat to the cozy govt-controlled black market, and to terrorize all other doctors who might consider actually treating their pain patients with real medicine.

After reading what Dr. Volkman had to say, I asked if I might follow up with a few questions. He agreed and I invite you to share in his insights by going to Suffer Before You Die (Part 2)