1-Objective: SAVE LIVES.
Recently I said a #SafeSupply is the pinnacle of saving lives but I realized it's not; it's the FOUNDATION, upon which we build policies to actually save lives.
I'm going to refer to this moving forward as the GOLD STANDARD in reducing #DeathsOfDespair.
2-Drugs would be legalized. A safe, known potency supply of substances created by existing drug manufacturers. It would include supply for RX'd medicines as well as for OTC public, adult, sales and consumption. Similar to how alcohol is sold & consumed now. #SafeSupply
3-The BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS being funneled into the #DrugWar and the 'opioid crisis' would be put into improving efficacy and access to AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE, including mental and dental health, while bridging gaps in regard to other #socialdeterminants of health.
4-In regard to #HarmReduction, that becomes a platform and practice for ANY & ALL health issues as the tenet for wellness and healing has always hinged on the directive to healers:
FIRST DO NO HARM.
5- Education on drugs, drug use, & possible health effects would be approached in a SANE & RATIONAL manner-free from bias, shame, or antiquated patriarchal, moralistic, interpretation.
Risks benefits decided through informed consent-whether use is medical or non-medical.
6-All of this would ultimately SAVE LIVES, which is the objective right?
Honestly given the EPIC FAILURE we're seeing right now with the old #DrugWar approach to the #Overdose issue, it's obvious it's time to try something NEW-
The old paradigm is doing NOTHING BUT HARM.
The Pain Care Crisis: A Call for Compassionate Policy
The majority of people who rely on RX opiate medicines for chronic pain are being unfairly penalized and harmed due to policies aimed at 'misuse'.
Thread...1/
#PainCareCrisis
2-Deadly policies-touted as well-intentioned-have led to unintended consequences across the board, leaving millions of chronic pain patients struggling to access the medications they desperately need.
3-Personal responsibility plays a crucial role in in the safe use of medications. Patients should be empowered with informed consent, understanding risks and benefits of treatment options, rather than subjected to restrictive, gatekeeping measures.
1-Thread about the barriers to care for people in pain and what needs to change.
I. Addressing Chilling Effect
End Morphine Milligram Equivalent (MME)
Prescribing must reflect individualized patient need, considering benefits/risks for each patient.
#PainCareCrisis
2-Regulation of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs):
Define clear & limited circumstances under which law enforcement can access PDMP data.
Protect healthcare providers from unjust prosecution based on PDMP data and require warrants for any LE investigation.
3-Rescind CDC Opioid Guidelines: Transfer oversight and guideline development to a specialized body of pain management and chronic pain experts, separate from the CDC and focus solely on medical health issues and pain management.
Thread: Denying opiate medications to individuals who genuinely need them for pain management can lead to many serious health issues and so much more...
#PainCareCrisis #TheOutlawAdvocate
2-Increased Pain and Suffering:
The most immediate effect is an increase in pain, which can severely degrade the quality of life, making daily activities unbearable or impossible.
3-Mental Health Deterioration:
Chronic pain can significantly contribute to or exacerbate conditions like depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. The psychological toll of unrelieved pain can be profound.
Kolodny laid out a detailed plan in how to reduce opioid Rxing in a meeting in NY, before guideline was even published.
@jmkillingnyc has so much information on how insidious this anti-opioid agenda was from inception in early/mid 2000s and even earlier I believe.
#PainCareCrisis
2-In order to fight back against draconian prescribing protocols, we need to understand how we got here & what's preventing change.
Changes in Standard of Care requires MDs to stay withing the bounds of restrictions.
Law enforcement in medicine has created a chilling effect.
3-With changes re: opioid Standard of Care, if MDs stray, Medical Boards can target them, DEA can charge them, jailing at worse, destroying their reputation and financial standing at the very least. Pts claiming harm by opioids have increased ability to sue for malpractice.
Thread...1-Prescribing practices should never have gotten to the point where some of the most vulnerable people in our society-the sick/injured/elderly-are left in agony, driven to the point of desperation with little to no hope in sight of things changing.
#PainCareCrisis
2-People with serious illnesses and injuries have been being told every year for over a decade to 'hold on', that change is coming. I know from having boots on the ground in the chronic illness community that for most, things have only gotten worse.
#PainCareCrisis
3-Right after CDC/PROP's unrolling of the 'opioid guideline', I and others watched medical professionals convene boards to change the Standard of Care in managing pain in EVERY aspect of medical care, with an anti-opioid, 'dangerous drug', directive driving those changes.
1-What I've noticed over 14 years of advocating for people in pain is when you make it clear you're not anti-opioid, MDs, legislators, media, and GOV officials become rude then dismiss you. If you still don't go away, they'll then attack your character/ignore you.
#PainCareCrisis
2-Even when presenting facts-like the extremely low incidence of 'addiction by prescription'.
Or if we explain the safety/efficacy of opiate medicines when taken as prescribed, or the real dangers of leaving someone without effective pain control, including death- we are ignored.
3-More often than not, a pain patient advocating for themselves is automatically judged as ignorant and having no credibility. We are usually labeled as people 'just wanting THOSE drugs', called junkies or pharma shills, or bots.