US states fight back against Purdue Pharma's bid to stop opioid lawsuits

originally posted by: lakenheath24
When have you ever been prescribed alcohol? Or smokes? Im going with never.

a reply to: Blaine91555

Alcohol is a drug is it not? An incredibly addictive one at that and it's killed countless people and destroyed countless marriages and families.

My point is easy to see. Do you go after the company that produces the product or the person who abuses the product. If it's right to go after big pharma, then it's right to go after the companies producing alcohol.

Don't get me wrong here, I have a couple of drinks now and then but I do not abuse it and I'm not an alcoholic. If I did I would not blame others or even the companies making that alcohol. I would look in the mirror and say you sir are the problem.

Our society has become too quick to divert blame for bad behavior from the person engaging in it.

I have by the way been told by a doctor to have some hot lemonade with honey and a splash of whiskey for a cough.

I was on prescription pain killers for over two years by the way. Took them exactly as prescribed, never abused them and when I got off them, I had no withdrawal symptoms at all. Imagine that, followed the instructions and nothing went wrong.

Personally, on this topic it seems to me that people take off their thinking hat, because they envision themselves suing some company for billions and winning the lottery.

The lesson from the addiction epidemic should be if you abuse drugs, YOU pay the price.

You havent read one link, so you dont really understand my premise.
And please show me some stats to back up.your claim or refute mine.

And there were drugs before oxycotin and fentanyl.


a reply to: jrod

a reply to: lakenheath24


the pills do what they're designed to do to stop pain.
Doctors know they're addicitve but keep on passing them out.
people know they're addictive but keep on taking them
no one person deserves all the blame here

Our point is misplaced....mostly due to only reading the headline.

I will summarize for you.....
Company makes pain pill.
Company lies about addiction rates and uses influence to get doctors to proscribe pills.
Doctors and companies alike dump 76 billion pills on the market.

Cdc declares an emergency cuz of massive deaths.

www.drugabuse.gov...


Your argument is severely flawed bec ause doctors do not prescribe alcohol. Booze is a personal choice. Get the diff? I will repeat....x goes to the doctor for a broken rib and said doc PRESCRIBES oxycotin cuz they are not aware of the addictive qualities that the manufacturer has hidden. The doc didnt PRESCRIBE a beer. The patient didnt request oxy.
Surely you can see the difference. Of course not reading any links severely hampers ones ability to argue against the OP.






a reply to: Blaine91555

originally posted by: contextual
a reply to: AndyFromMichigan

I wonder how much of that opium comes from Afghanistan

Oxy is a synthetic so none.

Not correct. Oxycodone is made from a special species of poppy that produce mostly Thebaine instead of morphine, and it cannot be synthesized without using those opium poppy plants as a source. Some new bio-engineering techniques using yeast have been discovered but are not yet advanced or efficient enough to work commercially.

Just because drugs and other things are "synthesized" does not in any way mean they no longer need ingredients from those natural sources.

a reply to: lakenheath24

Another difference is Oxy is specifically for pain. Not everyone is supermen, while under pain people's ability to resist things that eliminate that pain is greatly diminished, especially with greater pain. Some on oxy are in excruciating pain. Is it any wonder they become addicted? Is it really fair to blame them? In such conditions, if it's so damn addictive, a person should be monitored, not sent on their way expecting them to be some kind of supermen and suck up any pain that falls outside their dosage no matter how bad it is. Now here we can in theory blame doctors and insurance for not keeping such patients monitored to save money and hospital beds. Point I'm making comparing people taking more than prescribed because of mind numbing pain, to someone getting drunk because they like the buzz and both becoming addicted is a poor comparison.

The oxy addict becomes an addict because a doctor prescribed the pill for their insane pain, and in moments of weakness while in tears, the person takes more than prescribed for just a bit more relief.

vs.

The alcoholic becomes such through choosing to indulge for pleasure, and having an addictive personality.

Is not a fair comparison.

I just think everyone's # the addicts, they're entirely to blame, personal responsibility bitches, is cold, callous, and a bit sick demonstrating a complete lack of empathy for others in desperate situations.

The OP is not about the addict, but how they got addicted in ghe first place.


Im not sure your response was meant for me because the comparison to alcohol is stupid at best.


a reply to: Puppylove

a reply to: lakenheath24

It was a conversational response. I was agreeing with you and adding some points against some arguments made by others.

Thought so....one can never tell. Based on a 60 minutes expose and all this other stuff i can believe the consliracy goes very high in the gubment. Just like the housing crisis....peeps at the sec got cushy jobs with the companies they supposedly oversaw. Same with this....the DEA, CDC and even the WHO are involved. I wish i had the resources to know who the Sacklers contdibuted too...and vice-versa.



a reply to: Puppylove

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: lakenheath24

Should we start suing Ford for motor vehicle deaths?

How about Smith & Wesson for shootings?

Michelin Tires for bad drivers?

Taco Bell & McDonalds for obesity deaths?

Jim Beam for alcohol-related deaths?

When does personal responsibility happen?




BTW, I'm blaming Dell Computers for this post.

I tend to agree with you on your general point, but in the case of opiods as a pain management solution, it was forced down patients throats.

I dont only blame big pharma. FDA is equally liable for the epidemic.

I hate govt regulation and the above is just another reason why......

a reply to: Puppylove

The healthcare for profit is a problem, for profit health insurance puts profits over healing.

I'm sure there is a correlation between kids being prescribed Adderall and having addiction issues later in life.

With Opioid pain killers, the addiction/withdraw problems are widely known way before Oxycontin came out. Here is the big thing, it works when used as directed. Just because a small fraction of its users abuse does not mean those who use it responsiblely should have to suffer.

And there is the problem....a lot of doctors were unaware due to the lies told by the company.

Another issue is the distributors. There are very few of them and they are supposed to be highly regulated. Yet somehow 30 MILLION pills were shipped to just 3 pharmacies in West Virginia.....in a town of 3000 people. Seriously...how can anyone read this article and go...woah.....wtf


www.google.com...









a reply to: jrod

a reply to: jrod

Problem is, it's not a small fraction. If it was there wouldn't be an epidemic.

You take people in excrutiating pain, give them a solution to that pain, but tell them to limit their use of it, no matter how much pain they are in, then send them on their way trusting them to follow orders.

Pain is a ridiculously strong motivator. One that if bad enough, very, very few people can resist. The expectation that every person has that level of self control, and blaming them if they do not is not only unrealistic it borders on sociopathic.

Yeah people may know about the risk of addiction long term, but short term they are in mind numbing pain and the solution is in a bottle a few feet away, given to them by their doctor and sent home with them unmonitored.

You didn't endure ridiculous levels of torture, you weak minded fool, take personal responsibility.

a reply to: lakenheath24

Are already addressed the pill mill issue. That is what your link is about.

I have a difficult time believing that any competent doctor would discount the risk of addiction of any opioid painkiller.

a reply to: Puppylove

It is a small faction. Millions take the drug responsibility, less than 10%abuse it. Most that abuse it get from the black market not doctors.

a reply to: jrod

10% is not a small fraction. Also the abuse from the street is due to addicts no longer being able to get the meds from their doctors. It didn't start from the street.

Stats to prove your post? Thought so.

And lets say 10% of lettuce had ecoli. Whatcha think would happen then?





a reply to: jrod

You provided zero stats on so-called pill mills so your argument lacks merit.
On the other hand....the DEA kept stats on every pill. Perhaps you can actually read one link for a change.

www.washingtonpost.com... 6dd-d7f0e60391e9_story.html


a reply to: jrod

Here is a treasure trove of info....not that anyone will read it.......

www.themarshallproject.org...
a reply to: jrod