US Needs Drug Education More Than Gun Laws

by: Mike Miller
5/2/2018

All the recent hoopla is about gun laws. People are worried there are too many guns, too dangerous of weapons, and it is too easy to obtain a weapon. They wants laws created to limit all of these. I am neither in favor or against these laws. If criminals want a gun, I am sure they are readily available – probably a lot easier than a law-abiding citizen obtaining one legally.

Am I the only one who thinks drugs are more dangerous than guns? I think congress needs to put its two cents in on getting laws changed to make prescription medication abuse from happening. They could mandate all physicians consult a prescription database to make sure their patients are not receiving the same medications from another physician. As reported in bdtonline.com.

Congress can help force changes in the classification of some drugs. Hydrocodone is a perfect example. The Safe Prescribing Act of 2013, a bipartisan measure that seeks to re-classify hydrocodone combination products as schedule II controlled substances, is a step in the right direction when it comes to fighting the deadly scourge of prescription drug abuse. It merits full support and passage by Congress.

Hydrocodone combination products are currently classified as schedule III drugs — making their distribution more widely accessible and easier to be abused. Under the proposed new rules, a written prescription would be required in order to receive hydrocodone painkillers except in cases of emergency. Pharmacists would require patients to present an original prescription for refills, and traffickers would be subject to harsher fines and penalties.

How can this be a bad thing? All lawmakers — Democrats and Republicans alike — should support this well-intended and critically needed measure in both the House and Senate. Reclassifying hydrocodone from a schedule III to a schedule II narcotic will help. And anything that can help stem the deadly tide of prescription drug abuse should be done as quickly as possible.