Senate Dems demand Trump take action on opioids

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill




BY NATHANIEL WEIXEL - 09/11/17 11:33 AM EDT

A group of Democratic senators is demanding President Trump take action to combat the opioid epidemic, nearly a month after the president declared it a national emergency.

In a letter sent Monday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and nine other Democrats asked Trump how the administration is evaluating the emergency declaration recommendation and the steps it will take to end "the opioid use disorder and overdose crisis."

On Aug. 10, Trump said the opioid epidemic was a national emergency, but nothing has happened since. No paperwork has been issued formally declaring an emergency, and no new policies have been announced.

“Regardless of whether you choose to declare a state of emergency, continued inaction on this issue is deeply concerning,” the senators wrote. There’s no established procedure for an emergency related to opioid abuse, which is new territory for the federal government.

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/medical-devices-and-prescription-drug-policy/350059-senate-dems-demand-trump-take

[nycbos]

1. I hate to say it but...

...it is only a "crisis" because white people are dying.

[dalton99a]

2. Bingo.

[logosoco]

3. That thought has occured to me very often the past few years.

There are probably plenty of people sitting in jail right now because of their involvement with the crack cocaine "crisis" in the 80s and 90s. I wonder what they think when they see news like this.

[mr_lebowski]

4. What exactly does 'doing something' look like to our Congress-folk?

Main problem here is ... a distinct paucity of 'simple answers to the problem'.

Simply 'tightening Rx supplies further' isn't going to have much positive effect, esp. not short term. And will really hurt the people who need them legitimately. Actual addicts will turn to heroin, compounding the problem.

What we REALLY need are new drugs that work as well to kill serious pain as opioids ... without the addictiveness.

We also need drugs (or some combination of older ones) that will help ease people off of opioids (that aren't basically just as addictive themselves like buprenorphine or god-forbid, methadone, are), and effective programs that really help them do so, even going so far as providing financial support to compliant patients. Until we figure that out though, getting people (who can't quit on their own) onto buprenorphine will definitely HELP SAVE LIVES. So we should be doing what we can to make that happen.

Truth here is, Trump considers those who 'use drugs' to be scum and he doesn't care if they suffer and/or die.

Also, I'm so sick of the stupid commentators falling over themselves to proclaim fentanyl as '200 times stronger than heroin!' as if that means it's more desirable/addictive ... then heroin. All 200x stronger means is 'by weight, you need 200x less for equivalent analgesic effect'. It does NOT mean 'way stronger high', or 'way more addictive'. It means 'easier to accidentally OD on', and that's about it. No heroin user WANTS fentanyl, they want heroin (though most also like hydro or oxymorphone). It's simply NOT a good high, and very short-lived.

In the opioid-user world, Fentanyl is like dried-out, stem-fill, seedy dirt-weed from Tijuana that came over in a friggin' spare tire.

[FairWinds]

5. Wouldn't it be great if the Senate Democrats . .

stopped taking money from those murderous Big Pharma thieves?

https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=H04&cycle=2016&recipdetail=S&mem=Y&sortorder=U

In addition to Blue Dogs, north and south, on that list - so is Bernie.

I'd like an explanation from all of them - and a pledge to go and sin no more.

i.e., no more corporate whore-dom

[CountAllVotes]

6. Suits me just fine

I wish they'd back off.

If you want to do drugs, you'll find a way to get them and a way to use them too!

It makes life for those with severe chronic pain a living hell! They drug test you, analyze you to death and criticize and criminalize you even though you have done nothing wrong except develop a chronic pain problem for whatever reason being it a serious injury or illness/disease.

Do they think about this group of people that are trying to STAY ALIVE and live their lives with the damned pain and the need for something called "treatment"? If not, why not? In some cases, as is the case with peripheral neuropathy, the only viable treatment for many cases is opiate MEDICATIONS, yes, MEDICATIONS.

It is a horrible problem to live with. As the day wears on it worsens and by the time it is bed time, you need that solitary pill to keep alive. Yes, alive. You need to sleep and you cannot sleep when you are in severe pain and your life will be seriously compromised!

[bitterross]

7. Good Grief No! - The only thing worse than Trump inaction is Trump Action

Seriously, we're better off with him and Sessions ignoring it. Their solutions won't include anything helpful. They'll just want to increase punishment and send people to jail.

[IronLionZion]

8. Maybe Trump will appoint Rush Limbaugh to lead an opiod task force

They'll do lots of thorough "research"

[sandensea]

9. And laundering the proceeds doesn't count, Cheeto.

Besides - that's what Wall Street is there for.

[Egnever]

10. What action should be taken?

Just curious.

Not sure how you legislate away addiction.

[BadgerKid]

11. If only we knew where to find some lawmakers

To create some laws address the abuse. Hmmm...

[Akoto]

12. I hope any action taken is carefully thought out. Millions have a legitimate need.

I'm a chronic pain patient and have been on my medications through university treatment for many years now. They're the only thing that takes a bit of the edge off and makes my day bearable enough. Prior to going under pain management treatment, I was frankly on the brink of ending it, and my syndrome can't be cured.

Mind you, the cocktail of meds I take is more non-opioids than opiate, but they do have their place. They do for many people, which is why chronic pain is now regarded by the medical community as a disease in and of itself with a need to be treated.

[Sunlei]

13. Make sure the Insurance Corporations cover everyone treatment under the ACA laws, Mr. Trump.

And make the drug seller Corporations pay for pushing $35.00 a tablet addictive medicines as part of 'high insurance' premiums.