Typical government trying to regulate. What happens with this particular endeavor, which was sold as War on Drugs, only punishes the people who are seeking legimate ways to treat their pain. A study showed that the folks obtaining the medication legally are less likely to abuse the medication. Meanwhile others are shooting up on the streets and littering the street with syringes.

Well put. Watching the numerous media stories about the "opiod crisis" is so upsetting. It's never about us, those in need. My internal medicine doctor and orthopedic surgeon both refuse to prescribe me anything for pain. My primary care physician argues with me about how well the hydrocodone help. He says they don't do anything for your pain after 2 weeks! Whatever studies came out to support the forces withdrawl of what I'm sure is millions of paties are bogus. Ibruprofin doesn't do it. Since I haven't been able to get anything for my failed TKR revision surgery, I cannot walk without crippling pain. My leg has began to atrophy. All we can do is hope. If I thought a protest would help here in rural Wyoming, I'd do it.

Your comments are very cogent! I am almost 69 and have been taking OPIOIDS for over 30 years. Straight and simple, I would’t be alive today without them. It really infuriates me that so many people and entities directly involved with treating moderate, severe and intractable pain are so far removed from the facts and realities of utilizing OPIOIDS safely & effectively. The FACT that all the governmental agencies continue to include poisonous Fentanyl on the streets in the same exact category as physician prescribed and trustworthy patients utilizing OPIOIDS to manage chronic pain is a disgrace and dereliction of duty. Frankly, it’s absolutely “MORONIC” that this gross disinformation and misinformation persists while adversely affecting the legitimate patients and physicians who responsibly use and prescribe them.
Even worse, if there were medications that were more effective than OPIOIDS than patients would gladly utilize them. As almost every legitimate, authentic chronic pain patient will tell you……..”We don’t take OPIOIDS to get high or achieve a buzz!” More often than not, there isn’t enough efficacy as it is to successfully treat the pain. When my multiple pain symptoms were 10+ I could reduce the level of pain down to about a 7 or 6 at best. I’ve never received or experienced any kind of psycho active reaction to OPIOIDS! At most, they relax me sufficiently enough so I am not dominated by my pain. I feel embarrassed to be considered a human being and affiliated with these so called authorities who are so far off course and idiotic that having to be adversely affected by their complete incompetence is inhumane!!!!!!