The New York Times has a short piece on how medical disputes over proper forms of pain treatment have effectively been criminalized by a phobic and overzealous DEA. Reason Magazine has a longer piece on the subject, and has been covering this topic for quite some time.
“We are unable to refer patients to doctors who will treat pain, if only because once a name gets out there, patients understandably flock, and then the doctor is targeted,” said Siobhan Reynolds of Pain Relief Network, a patient advocacy group based in New York. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, based in Tucson and dedicated to the concerns of private practitioners, has gone so far as to warn doctors against managing chronic pain, lest they face of years of harassment and legal fees, even prison. “If you do,” the association enjoins, “first discuss the risks with your family.”
Scattered evidence confirms these impressions. A 1998 survey of more than 1,300 physicians by the New York State Medical Society found that 60 percent were moderately or very concerned about the possibility of being investigated by regulatory authorities for prescribing opiates for noncancer pain.
A third said they prescribed lower quantities of pills and lower dosages “frequently” because of the possibility of eliciting an investigation. When asked how often they avoided prescribing a preferred drug for noncancer pain, because doing so required triplicate forms, half said “frequently.”
(Sally Satel, M.D., “Doctors Behind Bars: Treating Pain Is Now Risky Business”, New York Times, Oct. 19; Maia Szalavitz, “Dr. Feelscared”, Reason, Aug/Sep.; Jacob Sullum, “Pill Stoppers”, Reason Online, Aug. 20).
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