Solving the "opioid crisis"

[Arwon]

No. Not heroin. Although it often ends there, that's not where it starts.

Short version, US drug makers got sufficiently deregulated that they were allowed to say for themselves how bad their drugs were. So, of course, they lied. They came up with a series of synthetic alternatives to opium, called opioids, which they claimed were sufficiently different that they were not addictive.

Turns out they're about the most addictive substances known to man.

But since they were officially 'not addictive', and they were profitable as all hell, they are massively over-prescribed. Leading to a massive addiction problem to something which is effectively heroine in a pill form. Meaning much easier to transport and use. And it is as deadly as heroine. But since it comes in a pill, you can't even cut the dosage. So it is both addicting, and killing, a lot of people.

But, because the American medical establishment is racist, white people 'feel real pain, and so need real pain medication', while black people are just looking for a fix. So white people, particularly white working class people, and frequently that overlaps with white rural people, can get a prescription for an opioid far more easily than a black person can. As a result we have a drug epidemic which is hitting white people hardest. And therefor, is 'a problem requiring medical attention', rather than 'a bunch of scumbags that should be locked up'. Which is what happens when a drug epidemic is mainly non-white people.

So we have to DO SOMETHING!

So we're talking like overprescription of codeine, morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, etc? Claiming those aren't addictive certainly seems like it should be straightforwardly criminal behaviour.

 

[Lexicus]

I actually still have some painkillers that I got when my wisdom tooth (yeah, luckily I only had one) was extracted. They have only 5g Hycrocodon, which is a pretty weak opioid. I think I took two out of ten pills total, so I still have eight, but they were not particularly enjoyable - they certainly numbed the pain in my jaw but they made me extremely drowsy and mildly nauseated. So I'm not really into the idea of using painkillers recreationally.

So we're talking like overprescription of codeine, morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, etc?

Correct.

 

[Cutlass]

So we're talking like overprescription of codeine, morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, etc? Claiming those aren't addictive certainly seems like it should be straightforwardly criminal behaviour.

Not to "free market" politicians.

 

[Arwon]

Which is stupid of course (hence your quote marks). Firstly, there's not much evidence that medication works as a market good (the state as monopsony buyer is the better model), but secondly, even if a market did work, accurate and thorough consumer information is an essential precondition of a functioning market.

 

[Cutlass]

Which is stupid of course (hence your quote marks). Firstly, there's not much evidence that medication works as a market good (the state as monopsony buyer is the better model), but secondly, even if a market did work, accurate and thorough consumer information is an essential precondition of a functioning market.

Crony Capitalism is the Only Capitalism.

 

[Zkribbler]

Crony Capitalism is the Only Capitalism.

I'm interested to see what Raul Castro does with the Cuban economy. First, he allowed family farms, and they were a raging success. Now he's allowing family-owned-and-operated restaurants and shops. It's the free market without corporations.

--Returning to the opioid thread:

Spell check does not recognize the word "opioid."

 

[Lexicus]

Now he's allowing family-owned-and-operated restaurants and shops. It's the free market without corporations.

Are you under the impression that family businesses don't abuse their workers, pollute the environment, etc?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Are you under the impression that family businesses don't abuse their workers, pollute the environment, etc?

Not the way corporate business does. It makes a big difference when the owner has to actually look at the employee when they hand them their paycheck.

 

[FriendlyFire]

So we're talking like overprescription of codeine, morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, etc? Claiming those aren't addictive certainly seems like it should be straightforwardly criminal behaviour.

Technically because they made it in a pill form, ingested and released in a very slow mild controlled manner.
What happen as people found out you could by-pass this by crushing the entire pill up into a powdered form and having the pain killer take immediate effect.

The problem became pretty obvious and the US government was pretty slow to bann / restrict them.while big pharam was making massive profits and denying that it was addictive
The other issue is that this drug culture already existed in Rual areas its was just unreported and unseen. Combined with a Pro business Republican state government it was devastating

Now like all drug addicts, it takes more and more to get to the same high and Fentanyl is killing the drug users.

Solutions: The Red states are considering not reviving OD victims and allowing them to die because the cost is being paid by the state. The Feds have just gotten a large sum of cash for dealing with the epidemic since then.

Maybe doctors can run clincs to get the users off drugs, law enforcement to stop the flow of fentanyl as well as look at ways of trying to change the drug culture.

 

[Arwon]

Not the way corporate business does. It makes a big difference when the owner has to actually look at the employee when they hand them their paycheck.

I realise this phrase isn't meant to be taken 100% literally but now I'm wondering if direct deposit bank transfers are ruining social bonds

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I realise this phrase isn't meant to be taken 100% literally but now I'm wondering if direct deposit bank transfers are ruining social bonds

Probably not, because it wasn't necessarily the literal 'hand over the paycheck.' When a manager making half a dollar an hour above minimum wage looks at their minimum wage earning 'underling' there is great empathy, and absolutely no sympathy. Neither of them is really making ends meet, and neither of them has any access to doing anything about it. They are both screwed, and they never come within a hundred miles of whoever is screwing them...as if the faceless 'ownership' could even be identified. That isn't the case in a small business.

Sure, owners are frequently 'squeeze every dime' types. But they generally find out that when their employees are underpaid and hate them for it it hurts. They aren't a faceless mass entity that has oppressive power. They are a live person that can be stolen from, obstructed, cheated, abandoned at the most painfully critical time, etc etc etc.

 

[Zkribbler]

Are you under the impression that family businesses don't abuse their workers...

I'm under the impression there are no employees, just family members.

 

[Perfection]

My plan would lead to more reasonable addicts getting the rehabilitation they seek while allowing unreasonable addicts to die.

It is wrong to assume that addicts who OD are unreasonable. Many opiod deaths are caused by lower potency opiods (like heroin) being laced with extremely potent opiods (like fentanyl). The result is people who intend to use opiods in a measured controlled way are still at significant od risk because they are accidentally taking a much more potent opiod.

 

[Perfection]

Also for the record, I am irritated by the people who are flipping out over "the opioid crisis" as if the consequences of addiction are somehow brand new just because they've come to the white bread suburbs.

opiod addiction is as old as the hills, but ready availability of much higher potency opiods like fentanyl has lead to a real spike in od deaths. There really is more of a crisis as of recent beyond merely white people bring more affected. The drugs got s lot more dangerous.

Nonetheless most of you polemics against bigotry when it comes to these lublic health crises are well warranted.

 

[Lexicus]

I'm under the impression there are no employees, just family members.

You are under the wrong impression, then.

Not the way corporate business does. It makes a big difference when the owner has to actually look at the employee when they hand them their paycheck.

Yeah, see, I've been screwed over by too many "friendly" bosses who looked me in the eye to buy this.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Yeah, see, I've been screwed over by too many "friendly" bosses who looked me in the eye to buy this.

You only get overtime if you work more than 80 hours in 2 weeks hobbsyoyo, it doesn't matter if you worked 50 one week because I scheduled you for 30 the next week.
I'm just 'correcting' your time card.
Sorry I threw that pan and it hit you in the head. Take the rest of the day off, but I'm not paying you if you do go home.
You see this smudge on the pan you were supposed to clean? I'm docking your pay for it. It doesn't matter if it was left over from last night's shift, it's your responsibility.
Yeah sorry, this tip you got was actually the delivery fee and you have to give that to me.
Look, I know the cooks have said some nasty things but that's just the way they are. It's not sexual harassment if they don't touch you.
Oh so you talked about how much you are getting paid? You're fired.
I know you're the lead cook but I just hired these ex-felons with no experience for a dollar more than you because they're older.
It doesn't matter if he's drunk on the job if he does the job.
I know you hurt yourself in the kitchen and I have workmen's comp insurance for this but I'm not paying it. You're responsible for the hospital bill.
Does Stewie do any drugs? I need to know so I can have him tested to get his workmen's comp claim overturned.
Just because I told Steve to get out and never come back, I didn't fire him. He quit. So he doesn't get unemployment.

 

[Azem.Ocram]

You only get overtime if you work more than 80 hours in 2 weeks hobbsyoyo, it doesn't matter if you worked 50 one week because I scheduled you for 30 the next week.
I'm just 'correcting' your time card.
Sorry I threw that pan and it hit you in the head. Take the rest of the day off, but I'm not paying you if you do go home.
You see this smudge on the pan you were supposed to clean? I'm docking your pay for it. It doesn't matter if it was left over from last night's shift, it's your responsibility.
Yeah sorry, this tip you got was actually the delivery fee and you have to give that to me.
Look, I know the cooks have said some nasty things but that's just the way they are. It's not sexual harassment if they don't touch you.
Oh so you talked about how much you are getting paid? You're fired.
I know you're the lead cook but I just hired these ex-felons with no experience for a dollar more than you because they're older.
It doesn't matter if he's drunk on the job if he does the job.
I know you hurt yourself in the kitchen and I have workmen's comp insurance for this but I'm not paying it. You're responsible for the hospital bill.
Does Stewie do any drugs? I need to know so I can have him tested to get his workmen's comp claim overturned.
Just because I told Steve to get out and never come back, I didn't fire him. He quit. So he doesn't get unemployment.

Most of those can be reported and the boss would get in major trouble. There are different departments and organizations for different violations but most of those are violations that can be punished.

 

[Synobun]

You'd also lose your job.

 

[BvBPL]

Most of those can be reported and the boss would get in major trouble. There are different departments and organizations for different violations but most of those are violations that can be punished.

Not if the libertarians get their way.

 

[rah]

Yeah, in Illinois one place I was at got in considerable hot water for less evil things.