New at Reason

David Weigel | June 2, 2006

Maia Szalavitz reports on a doctor who was accused of drug-dealing, but beat the rap.

Comments

Warren|6.2.06 @ 1:02PM|#

He beat the rap, hooray. Still, he had to mount a lengthy and expensive defense. There's reason to hope, but none yet to believe, that the persecution of doctors who dare care for chronic pain patients will subside. In the mean time, both doctors and patients have been made to endure real suffering.

I'm seeing more and more signs that the people are loosing patients with the Drug War. Then again, the next, crack/OxyContin/meth-type panic will send them scurrying for the protection of the drug warrior's skirts.

|6.2.06 @ 1:39PM|#

The doctor is found not guilty, but still the prosecutors and drug warriors got him out of the practice of medicine.

It's what you call a win-win situation, except for the patients in pain.

Larry A|6.2.06 @ 2:54PM|#

Sorry, I can't resist.

I'm seeing more and more signs that the people are loosing patients with the Drug War.

That's been going on for quite a while. Hopefully they will begin losing patience as well.

|6.2.06 @ 3:16PM|#

"He beat the rap, hooray. Still, he had to mount a lengthy and expensive defense."

Baby steps at least. What I'm looking for is some way to do serious damage to the goons in the DEA who continue to harrass doctors and patients. There have got to be some good ideas out there. DEA agents of this ilk (is there any other type?) to be marginalized and somehow forced to undergo the same sort of chronic physical pain they are responsible for increasing among the patients they fuck with. These stories are heartbreaking and I'm beginning to think the fight against these jackboots needs to get extremely dirty if any progress is to be made.

|6.2.06 @ 3:36PM|#

New bumper sticker:
"If you don't like doctors, next time you're in pain call a narc!"

Robert|6.2.06 @ 6:05PM|#

What I always wonder in cases like this is why desperate pain patients don't buy narcotics thru the Internet or on the "street". If Oxycontin is being diverted, you'd think some of it would get back into the hands of pain pts. And if they can't find that locally, then heroin or whatever's around.

|6.3.06 @ 11:14AM|#

This is one of the worst things about the drug war: the paranoia about any 'drugs' it creates. As a result tons of people who could be living better, more fulfilling lives are not because they are undermedicated due to our simplistic 'all drugs bad' approach.