Yes, of course my assertions are subjective and based upon personal experience. However, here is a very objective thing: you're a US doc and your patient is in

Yes, of course my assertions are subjective and based upon personal experience. However, here is a very objective thing: you're a US doc and your patient is in pain. Very simple, you prescribe oxycodone and it solves the immediate problem. Then, your patient dies of overdose. But most of the time, you won't even be aware of the cause of death and simply archive the file. And, most important of all: _the patient did not overdose on your prescription, but on self-medication/street drugs_. So in fact the difference is how MDs solve the immediate pain problem. In the US, they would try to suppress the pain (and legal threats with it). In Europe, they would try to make it bearable while keeping the patient functional, because they are not afraid of their patient. Everyone benefits from a less tense relationship.