I strongly disagree that the opioid crisis was caused by legal over-prescribing by physicians, due to misleading marketing.

I am a soon-to-retire criminal attorney and have represented close to 100 heroin addicts. I can’t even think of one addict whose addiction began with a legal prescription. Most simply purchased Oxycontin on the street, and then switched to heroin. They took opioids because they wanted to feel good. I do feel addiction must be treated as a public health crisis, but the theory of liability is a big lie.

The problem with the theory that addiction begins with legal prescriptions is that now people who really have chronic pain, and sometimes depression, cannot get a legal prescription or they have to beg. It is no doubt convenient to blame a deep pocket to hopefully fund addiction programs. Politicians and many self-righteous physicians have no empathy for people, especially elderly people whose lives are made functional with opioids. They just want to go with the hysteria and cover their butt.

This same hysteria is now being directed also toward vaping. It is almost certain that people getting ill from vaping were using knockoffs with THC. Of course the physicians and politicians have little empathy for those who depend on vaping to stop smoking.

Thankfully Maine has not yet followed Massachusetts in banning the sale of all vaping devices. We’ll see.

In the meantime, elderly people who need opioids should not have to beg a provider for a prescription.

Larry Goodglass

Princeton

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