Posted on 11/20/2017 4:48:29 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
The White House says the true cost of the opioid drug epidemic in 2015 was $504 billion, or roughly half a trillion dollars.
In an analysis to be released Monday, the Council of Economic Advisers says the figure is more than six times larger than the most recent estimate. The council said a 2016 private study estimated that prescription opioid overdoes, abuse and dependence in the U.S. in 2013 cost $78.5 billion. Most of that was attributed to health care and criminal justice spending, along with lost productivity.
(Excerpt) Read more at kstp.com ...
And lets not forget the mass shooters on meds or addicted also.
they can't take 'em
Seems to me that would be the biggest money saver.
The opioid crisis is real. How can I tell? There’s still people here that think Sessions, Rosenstein and Mueller are working with Trump to bring down the swamp.
NutsOnYew wrote: “if you don’t make ‘em, they can’t take ‘em”
They serve a very useful purpose if used correctly. I’ve had two neck fusions, two shoulder repairs, and a major hand surgery. I know. Of course, I switch to tylenol after a day or two.
If, indeed, they have spent that much of the taxpayers’ money on this, then there should be some indictments, trials, and convictions.
This is not what Trump was elected to fix.
Why not? He campaigned on it.
Either we make it legal - and provide absolutely no government money to users for any reason - or we execute users and dealers without mercy.
This in-between ‘war’ is worse than useless.
They overdose all the time.
DNR.
Much of the problem we have with opioids is legally prescribed by doctors.
All of the local ones were potheads years before they got into meth, Xanax, opioids, etc.
The “Opioid Crisis” — another great idea brought to you by the Federal centralized control center in Washington DC. “We’re the Swamp!”
“Pain is the fifth vital sign.”
“Make sure you give then some IV narcotics right away in the ER if anything hurts at all, and then send them home with some.”
“As long as they really have pain, they won’t get addicted.”
“It’s patient abuse if you don’t treat their pain as much as they think they need as soon as possible. In fact, if they are old we will prosecute you for elderly abuse if you don’t treat pain as much as they want!”
JCAHO is a minion of the Feds, that strikes fear into hospitals when they come around to make hospitals toe the line. When JCAHO says jump, hospitals do.
JCAHO was the instrument that the Feds used to MAKE much of the “Opioid Crisis.”
Will they apologize for their monster now that they are desperately trying to swing the pendulum the other way? Nah...
A BC Power and chase it with a Dr Pepper and the pain goes away....lol
Hell, why not make it a cool trillion why we’re pulling numbers out our nether regions?
Is this really the best, most wonderful crisis this crack team (pun intended) can come up with? No killer asteroids, or exotic disease scares? What about the incalculable cost of potholes that are ravaging the country?
The only thing worse than the endless rants or the Never-Trumpers are the pronouncements by a Justice Department that overlooks corruption at the highest levels to waste time and money on junkies and sentencing those with chronic pain to a life of suffering because of misplaced government concern.
How is it conservatives who rail against Obamacare praise the drug warriors who want to get between a patient and their doctor when it comes to pain medication? As Reagan famously said, the most terrifying words in the English Language: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help...”
If you wanna get rid of the bullshit opioid crisis, stop subsidizing it. The government should immediately cut off all medical payments for opioid treatment. If a hospital treats an opioid patient, they or the patient are stuck with the bill. Economics 101: When you subsidize something you get more of it.
It is a heroin and fentanyl epidemic and it all about open borders and not defending the country from the gangs roaming around, terrorizing cities and towns.
Best way to get rid of it is to build a wall, police the borders, arrest and execute all gang members who are in our cities and towns. This problem would be over immediately.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.