It's often used inappropriately, which is one reason to use less of it and use other better alternative.
It's a significant cause of death in suicide so that's another reason to use less of it. It accounts for a lot of accidental death, so that's yet another reason to use less of it.
Right, that's the moralistic part. However, physiologically it remains an actual treatment path. How are opiates a significant cause of suicide? How do they compare to the antidepressants I see advertised on TV that mention an increased likelihood of suicidal thoughts?
There are actual people with actual suffering involved here, remember that. Don't let your misconceptions of junkies determine public heath policy.
>There are actual people with actual suffering involved here, remember that. Don't let your misconceptions of junkies determine public heath policy.
Go to any treatment facility and actually talk to the patients there. Your attitude will change. I used to volunteer at one so I knew a lot of people who went from pain patients to addicts who were still in pain. Amputees, people with disfiguring injuries, chronic diseases. These aren't people who are seeking drugs on the streets - these are doctor prescribed drugs. The effects of the medication are terrible for quality of life and they just plain stop working!
We know in the UK that self poisoning is the second most common method of suicide after hanging, strangling and suffocation. (and that's likely to change with the next release of numbers - self poisoning is likely to overtake hanging strangling and suffocation).
the list of meds used in self poisoning is something like
> However, physiologically it remains an actual treatment path
But that's the point, it doesn't.
> are actual people with actual suffering involved here, remember that
That's entirely the point! Opiates are not effective for most of those people. Opiates work in the short term, but the patient develops tolerance and needs to take more. Opiates are not suitable for long term use. A patient can very quickly build up to dangerous harmful levels of opiate use, and they're not getting pain relief.
Calling a medication dangerous and ineffective, and pointing out safer more effective alternatives, is not moralising, unlike your "remember there are people suffering" comment.
(Watch out. They count slightly different things. But they should both be clear enough about what they're counting).
Here's a map showing medications that are prescribed across England. You can noodle around with the data to see what's prescribed or not, and how much, and by what doctors offices: https://openprescribing.net/
It's a significant cause of death in suicide so that's another reason to use less of it. It accounts for a lot of accidental death, so that's yet another reason to use less of it.