Pain Control and Drug Policy: A Time for Change

by Faguet, Guy B.

• ISBN13: 9780313382802
• ISBN10: 0313382808
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-04-01
• Publisher: PRAEGER AGENCY ACCOUNT

Summary

Over 70 million adult Americans suffer from chronic pain, which costs the US economy $61 billion a year in lost productivity, not counting medical bills. Left untreated, chronic pain gradually kills its victims while ruining their lives. The only effective way to manage many cases of chronic pain is with opioids, yet fewer than half of all chronic pain sufferers in America get adequate pain relief from their doctors. Why? Physicians fear that if they prescribe Schedule II opioids in accordance with AMA-approved standards of titrated pain management, they will be hounded and criminalized by the DEA.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
History and Politics of Mind-Altering Drugs	p. 1
Prohibition: An Historical Precedent	p. 3
Alcohol Manufacture and Consumption	p. 9
Health Effects	p. 10
Crime and Corruption	p. 11
The Lure of Mind-Altering Substances	p. 15
Poppy and Opium through the Ages	p. 16
Antiquity	p. 16
The Ancient Greeks	p. 17
The Muslims	p. 18
India and China	p. 20
Drugs in the 21st Century	p. 23
Worldwide Drug Consumption	p. 23
Trends in Global Drug Consumption	p. 25
Trends in U.S. Drug Consumption	p. 27
The Politics of Drug Legislation	p. 39
A Convoluted American Political Saga	p. 39
Global Drug Control: International Conventions	p. 58
Medical Aspects of Mind-Altering Drugs	p. 67
Current Theories of Addiction	p. 69
The Disease (Victim) Model	p. 70
The Behavioral (Choice) Model	p. 77
Pain Control: Narcotics and the DEA	p. 83
The Specter of the DEA	p. 83
DEA's Infringement on Standard of Care	p. 98
Painkillers	p. 105
Narcotics (Opioids)	p. 108
Mechanisms of Action	p. 109
Efficacy	p. 110
General Principals of Administration	p. 113
Side Effects	p. 114
Nonopioids	p. 119
Mechanisms of Action	p. 119
Efficacy	p. 121
General Principals of Administration	p. 121
Side Effects	p. 122
Geopolitics: Casualties of the Drug War	p. 127
Colombia	p. 129
From "La Violencia" to Self-Defense Armies	p. 130
Guerrilla and Counter-Guerrilla Armies: Origins and Evolution	p. 132
Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)	p. 133
Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN)	p. 146
Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) or Paramilitares	p. 151
Afghanistan	p. 165
The Early Days: Prying by the British Empire	p. 166
Events Leading to the Soviet Invasion	p. 168
The Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)	p. 169
The Aftermath of the Soviet-Afghan War	p. 172
The Rise and Fall of the Taliban	p. 174
National and International Implications	p. 174
Opium Production and the Taliban	p. 179
Reforming Drug Policy	p. 185
Reform Proposals	p. 187
Framing the Discussion	p. 187
Illustrative Reform Proposals and Positions	p. 189
The RAND Corporation Proposal	p. 189
The Senlis Council Proposal	p. 190
The Cato Institute's Stance	p. 193
A Rational, Evidence-Driven Drug Policy	p. 195
Conclusions	p. 201
References	p. 207
Index	p. 231
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