A friend was in constant pain, but his doctor wouldn't prescribe anything useful. He was recovering from major cervical spine surgery, and the medicine was on par with what you'd get for a toothache. His comment as he fired his doctor, "are you a doctor or a priest"?
I talked with a pharmacist about the Drug Enforcement Agency - I wanted to know how often they ran fishing expeditions on the store's books. He only said, "you wouldn't believe!" Yes I would.
I can walk into a store and buy bullets after showing my ID. I can't walk into a pharmacy and buy pseudoephedrine without showing my driver's license and waiting five minutes while the pharmacist writes down the details of the transaction that associate my name with the quantity and type of formerly over the counter decongestant. I asked the pharmacist, "how do you like working for the State Police"?
Doctors are afraid to prescribe useful types and quantities of medications because of the police looking over their shoulders. The result is that people are under-medicated, especially for pain. Pain is diagnostic, and beyond that only serves to hinder the healing process if it is not controlled.
Abuse of drugs is a medical problem, and it is not widespread.
I don't care what John Calvin said. Suffering is NOT good for the soul.
