The opioid crisis has negatively affected millions of Americans. Chronic pain patients can no longer get access to much needed medication and are left to suffer. Doctors are being harassed by agencies like the DEA. Other doctors, afraid of harsh repercussions, have abandoned their patients, which is immoral and unethical. Pharmacies are blacklisting doctors deemed to be 'high prescribers', thereby denying vital medications to chronic pain patients. Also, the constitutionality of some of these federal regulatory agencies is called into question. It is important to note that these regulations were put in place to curb addiction, even though addiction rates from opioid use are less than 1%. We share several stories of the effects of these regulatory actions, and conduct an interview with Dr. Mark Ibsen of Helena, Montana, who's medical practice was affected by actions taken by the DEA.  This devastation has been mostly attributed to the guidelines for prescribing opioid medication set forth in 2016 by the CDC. 

Sources:

http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_3210/ShortReport-3210.html

https://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/opioid-addiction-disease-facts-figures.pdf

https://www.statnews.com/2019/06/28/stop-persecuting-doctors-legitimately-prescribing-opioids-chronic-pain/

https://www.heritage.org/courts/report/who-will-regulate-the-regulators-administrative-agencies-the-separation-powers-and

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/opinion/sunday/gundy-united-states.html

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/rr/rr6501e1.htm?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fmmwr%2Fvolumes%2F65%2Frr%2Frr6501e1er.htm

https://www.facebook.com/groups/supportibsen/