3 ms·

Opiods are only legal in some circumstances: We've known about opium addiction for centuries. Heck, we had the Opium Wars. That's not really what happened with

Opiods are only legal in some circumstances: We've known about opium addiction for centuries. Heck, we had the Opium Wars. That's not really what happened with the current pills, though. They were touted as not being addictive in the same way as opium. And then we prescribed them, didn't (and don't) offer realistic talks about how addiction starts with them, aren't giving people sick time so they are less likely to need them, putting folks in jail for using things like pot instead, and aren't giving folks affordable and medicine-based help if they do happen to get addicted. And then, if they do happen to get addicted, we treat them like a pill-seeking addict for many years, if not for life. We know other things cause dependency - it isn't just opioids - but we are better at having conversations around them and better at making sure to taper folks (and so on).

legitster 3y ago
Sure. But there are all sorts of negative side effects we should also be worrying about besides just dependence. And we've also known about problems from psychedelic abuse for centuries. And we're talking about dumping them on the market with way less oversight than we did opioids! It's like that truism about the military always fighting past wars...
- mhitza 3y ago
  > And we've also known about problems from psychedelic abuse for centuries. Such as?
  - SequoiaHope 3y ago
    Dancing, having parties, questioning authority, having a good time, etc etc
    - DiggyJohnson 3y ago
      I love psychedelics, but this list shouldn’t include psychotic breaks or detachment from reality. I say this from first (second?) hand experience of friends I’m close with. Not that I disagree with the contents of your list, but the effects of psychedelics are not always positive.
      - TaylorAlexander 3y ago
        > I love psychedelics, but this list shouldn’t include psychotic breaks or detachment from reality. Well great because it doesn’t!
    - achenet 3y ago
      your comment made me laugh, but - you could say the same thing about alcohol, and I think you'd agree that alcohol is not an entirely benign substance.
refurb 3y ago
> They were touted as not being addictive in the same way as opium Oxycotin was never touted as "not being addictive". Hell they had (and still have) a big "WARNING: OxyContin is an opioid agonist and a Schedule II controlled substance with an abuse liability similar to morphine." in their label. It was a confluence of medical professionals being taught "pain is the 5th vital sign", "pain is routinely undertreated" and "controlled release opioids have a reduced abuse potential". This was not necessarily bad because many of those things were true and the pendulum had swung back from "just tough it out", "Tylenol is enough for most people", "just one dose of opioids will make you an addict". Then layer on top pill mill clinics popping up where doctors were dispensing scripts for 120 sixty milligram Oxycotin without so much as a physical examination, the DEA doing nothing despite having ample data in front of them that some doctors were dispensing milions of pills each year and the massive amounts of money doctors made writing the scripts by charging addicts cash.

legitster 3y ago

Sure. But there are all sorts of negative side effects we should also be worrying about besides just dependence. And we've also known about problems from psychedelic abuse for centuries. And we're talking about dumping them on the market with way less oversight than we did opioids! It's like that truism about the military always fighting past wars...

mhitza 3y ago
> And we've also known about problems from psychedelic abuse for centuries. Such as?
- SequoiaHope 3y ago
  Dancing, having parties, questioning authority, having a good time, etc etc
  - DiggyJohnson 3y ago
    I love psychedelics, but this list shouldn’t include psychotic breaks or detachment from reality. I say this from first (second?) hand experience of friends I’m close with. Not that I disagree with the contents of your list, but the effects of psychedelics are not always positive.
    - TaylorAlexander 3y ago
      > I love psychedelics, but this list shouldn’t include psychotic breaks or detachment from reality. Well great because it doesn’t!
  - achenet 3y ago
    your comment made me laugh, but - you could say the same thing about alcohol, and I think you'd agree that alcohol is not an entirely benign substance.

refurb 3y ago

> They were touted as not being addictive in the same way as opium Oxycotin was never touted as "not being addictive". Hell they had (and still have) a big "WARNING: OxyContin is an opioid agonist and a Schedule II controlled substance with an abuse liability similar to morphine." in their label. It was a confluence of medical professionals being taught "pain is the 5th vital sign", "pain is routinely undertreated" and "controlled release opioids have a reduced abuse potential". This was not necessarily bad because many of those things were true and the pendulum had swung back from "just tough it out", "Tylenol is enough for most people", "just one dose of opioids will make you an addict". Then layer on top pill mill clinics popping up where doctors were dispensing scripts for 120 sixty milligram Oxycotin without so much as a physical examination, the DEA doing nothing despite having ample data in front of them that some doctors were dispensing milions of pills each year and the massive amounts of money doctors made writing the scripts by charging addicts cash.