From the Rose Law Group Reporter Growlery
By Phil Riske | Senior Reporter/Writer
(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are published for discussion purposes only.)
When I read the almost daily stories about the opioid “epidemic,” I question how officials determine the extent of abuse and overdoses that justify the outcry.
State Health Director Cara Crist wants daily reports of suspected cases of deaths from both prescription and non-legal forms of opiates. Christ tells Ducey it would “allow for real-time tracking of the severity of the epidemic.”
Right there, she is saying the severity of the problem is really not known.
What about the epidemic that is alcoholism? Should the names of people treated for alcoholism be turned over to the government?
Whether the number of opioid cases is less or greater than any other medical or psychiatric illness, those afflicted must be treated, not tracked by government directive.
To turn the names of those afflicted to the government is, in my opinion, a violation of privacy and of doctor-private confidentiality.
And could it be a backdoor way of cornering physicians who might be overprescribing?
I don’t doubt we have an opioid abuse problem, but let’s place it in perspective with other health problems. And let’s deal with it in ways that respect individual rights.
The latest plan to deal with opioids is just another case of the government practicing medicine.
