Krauthammer on Opioid Epidemics: ‘It’s a Classic Example of Good Intentions Gone Bad’

EXCERPT:

KRAUTHAMMER: “It is s a classic example of good intentions gone bad. I do think there are obvious malefactors here, those producers of the drug who pump them into places where they know it is being abused. You are absolutely right. These pills were intended to do good. I remember being struck early in the week when you had this explanation for how the epidemic began. Part of it goes back to two articles which appeared a couple of decades ago including one in 'The New England Journal of Medicine,'  the most prestigious of all journals, implying that these new opioids were less addictive than the ones before. Now, as a former doctor, whenever I hear that, I know it’s not going to be true. Every 20 years, ten years or so, they always announce a miracle drug that relieves a pain and that is not addictive. In the end, they all are, except the low impact ones like Advil or Aspirin. Once you are talking about a narcotic, they are inherently addictive. Again, it was in pursuit of doing good. We are going to have to have a lot of restrictions on how they dispense and how much you can give your patient at the beginning. But in some ways, people are going to get hurt on the other side who are not going to get access where they should.”