It's so very disappointing, this "war on drugs." Don't we have enough REAL problems to deal with? If the government were *truly* interested in protecting its citizens from the "evils" of substance abuse, then the target would be alcohol (again), not pain meds. Like, when was the last time you heard about a domestic violence problem from someone on pain meds?

I don't like the direction ANY political party in this country is going anymore. There's just so much brouhaha about minor problems, and their noses are too much in our business and pockets and not enough in what (I believe) government should be doing.

Was anyone else alarmed by this from the article: "The Drug Enforcement Administration and Justice Department have become more aggressive in targeting and prosecuting doctors and pharmacists who they say are improperly prescribing and distributing prescription narcotics, and a dozen health practitioners have been charged in recent years for their prescribing practices and several are in prison. But pain doctors and some advocates for patients with chronic pain say the government has become overzealous and has created a "chilling effect" that keeps many doctors from prescribing painkillers that patients need. The most pressing problem involving painkillers, they say, is that so many Americans in pain remain untreated."

The government is presuming to tell doctors how to handle their business -- effectively rendering them powerless! I'm outraged.