Chris Christie in charge of Trump's Opioid Commission

[Emergent, RN]

I just read that Christie will be heading the opioid commission. I thought his actions in New Jersey were an overreaction that punished responsible prescibers and patients for the failures of the careless and the addiction prone.

We do have a drug problem in this nation, not just opioids. The drug companies have a stranglehold on our over medicated nation. The first thing that needs to go is direct to consumer advertising that started under Reagan, and helped create the problems we have today.

I don't have much faith that the government, nor either political party, has the guts to get to the root of this problem.

Trump's opioid addiction commission lauded by relatives of overdose victims | Fox News

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

Emergent said:

The first thing that needs to go is direct to consumer advertising that started under Reagan, and helped create the problems we have today.

Drug companies can't give us a ballpoint pen or a paper clip holder at informational dinners because that might be undue influence on prescribing, but they can put ads on television saying, "Ask your doctor if XXX is right for you." Doesn't make any sense.

[quiltynurse56, LPN, LVN]

I don't agree with that either. We need someone who is a middle of the road type person who uses common sense. While it needs to be harder for seekers to get the drugs, we can't shut down those who really need it.

I have ben working through a per diem staffing agency and I am glad to see that there are fewer in the narcotic drawer.

[MunoRN, RN]

While I don't generally agree with Chris Christie, I have no problem with him heading an opiate addiction commission. The steps New Jersey has taken have been pretty reasonable, they've shut down a number of "pill mills" and taken away the license of doctors who were churning out scripts for these places. I think getting rid of use that has absolutely no therapeutic basis is an obvious start, but actually I think we need do more to limit what is considered acceptable for chronic therapeutic use as well.

[heron, ASN, RN]

What worries me is the potential for yet another War on Drugs that uses draconian, inappropriate and ineffective measures to create big drama (and big $$ for enforcers and pushers alike) and little benefit to those suffering from substance abuse.

[MatrixRn]

They have to start somewhere. Putting together a commission to what they can do, before they do it makes sense.

Clearly what we are doing now is not working, as the problem has exploded through out the nation.

[pro-student]

Christie is a particularly poor choice to lead efforts to combat opiate addiction because, as a former federal prosecutor, he approaches this issue strictly from a criminal justice issue. We all know addiction is a public Heath issue and decades of criminal justice responses are completely ineffective (from the decades long war on drugs we have HIGHER rates of drug use and addiction). When one views addiction and drug use and strictly a criminal problem, it ignores all the interventions that actually work including treatment instead of incarceration and harm reduction. His appointment signifies an adversarial relationship between drug users and addicts rather than a population desperately in need of outreach and our assistance.

[Neats, BSN]

better life through Pharmaceuticals

We are replacing narcotics now with an increase of orders that include Ketamine/DHE. This medication is what the military gave service members in Vietnam, this medication side effect is Schizoid episodes.

Pain is your body's way of saying stop do not do that anymore. Why pain is considered a vital sign I will never agree with, however as a professional I will always write down what the patient tells me. If they have an order I will try mental diversion at first i.e is there anything you do that makes the pain better... what are you reading, your family that just came for a visit...., if that does not work then I will follow protocol of pain management

[K9lover, ASN, RN]

No one wants to own their own addiction and after decades at making any difference in street drugs the DEA found doctors a nice, soft target. They don't shoot back.

Only hurts chronic pain patients, I am in corrections and Meth is still by far still #1.

[K9lover, ASN, RN]

The thing is people who have lost children to addiction want to blame someone and addiction is a disease (IMHO) not a blame game. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child and my adult son is not clean and sober but I would hope if something happened to him I would recognize it was the disease of addiction. One of the big cases an East coast legislator going after doctors cites his son who died of an overdose. His son never was prescribed anything by any doctor nor did he have an Rx in his system. He was hospitalized after a bout of alcohol intoxication and dad placed him in rehab. @ a year later he had a lethal overdose of heroin + stimulants. Dad is pushing for laws concerning medical practice in memory of a child whose addiction involved alcohol and street drugs and in the midst of parental sorrow it would seem facts don't come into play at all, facts are easily overlooked it would appear.

[K9lover, ASN, RN]

Pain is peoples' way of saying "do no do that anymore?" Really? You would tell people in pain not to have rheumatoid arthritis et al diseases?

I hope you don't work in pain management...