Thread by @ravensspirit68

Let's break down #TheGreatOpioidLie.
1-"Over-prescribing was the cause of the opioid crisis."
First according to the Medical Board of CA, there is no legal definition of 'overprescribing'.
Second, it is a THEORY that the mandate to treat pain led to the overdose crisis
cont...

2-The Gov's own stats disprove the access theory. As access to RX meds declines we continued to see a steady increase in drug deaths.
Seems something else might have been a the heart of why we saw a rise in ODs and continue to see record numbers of PEOPLE dying.
#ChornicPain

3-Could it have been the collective trauma we all experienced after 9/11, then we sent our loved ones off to war, and they were being sent home with broken bodies, then the financial collapse, outsourcing of manufacturing jobs, people losing homes, retirement, investment accts...

4-Then enter PROP's RX opioid 'guideline' published through CDC and the PDMP. THE foundations for #PROHIBITON in medical practice re: controlled substances, beginning with #OPIOIDS, but it didn't end there.
Now we see ADHD & anxiolytics on the chopping block.
#Adderall

5-We saw how the 'opioids are dangerous drugs' narrative morphed into 'polysubstance is killing people' as we pushed back. At first the 'illicit' part was left out a lot, but as illicit Fentanyl became the lead cause of drug deaths, facts have slowly been coming to light.

6-Let's now the 'RX opioids are dangerous drugs' part of #TheGreatOpioidLie.
Truth is, opiate class medicines are no more 'dangerous' than most prescribed, and even some OTC medicines.
In fact when taken as RX's opioids are very safe and effective for MOST people.

7-We could take a lot of meds and examine 'safety'.
Let's take drugs on the market to treat arthritis for instance. Biologics.
Drugs like Remicade, Humira, Enbrel, to name a few.
These meds can be deadly when taken EXACTLY as prescribed. Yet no 'crisis'. jsonline.com/story/news/inv…

8-We could discuss our nation's more obvious hypocrisy about alcohol, legally available at almost every corner market and grocery store yet just as deadly in numbers as illicit #Fentanyl.
Yet no alcohol crisis.

9-Might as well move on to the whole, "But those #opioid drugs CAUSE #addiction!"
Fact is, drugs don't 'cause' addiction.
Nor does alcohol, sex, food, gambling, or thrill seeking.
MOST people who drink, are exposed to drugs, eat food, gamble, etc. have NO issues w/addiction.

Addiction/SUD is a far more nuanced problem and is very individualized, driven and made worse by various factors like social determinants, mental health issues, despair...
#DeathsOfDespair

10-This was just a brief overview of how the misguided & deadly #WarOnDrugs became a #WarOnPainPatients, all based on the #GreatOpioidLie.
We MUST demand that the CDC publicly announce that they got this whole 'crisis' WRONG and return sanity to the practice of medicine.