I don't drink, smoke or do drugs, but I think this is a narrow-minded view. Most of the "narcotic" painkillers abused recreationally today were developed for very specific purposes like easing the suffering of terminal cancer patients. They also have therapudic uses in other areas like burn victims and chronic pain sufferers. That being said, they are, of course, fraudulently perscribed to drug addicts. Doctots who get caught doing so should be barred from practicing medicine. But discriminating against these drugs all together employs the exact same logic as those who seek to outlaw firearms.
I agree that narcotics have a use in some cases... but the point is, I have freedom to seek out a doctor who will prescribe them, should I have a medical condition that would be helped by them. My general practitioner is well-educated on why and when that class of drugs would be used, and has no problem consulting with or transfering care to a provider who will do so, as well.
So, I get the best of both worlds, because my doctor is free to practice within the dictates of his beliefs. I can take advantage of his education regarding non-narcotic pain therapies and relief (his treatment for persistent plantar fascitis was brilliant, and had me walking out pain free in one treatment), or, I can choose someone else.
In college, I had persistent atypical migraine. I saw neurologists and specialists and had thousands of dollars of test to verify that yes, I had bad headaches, and no, they didn’t know why. Their solution was lots and lots of experimental medication.
Not being keen on that, I talked to another doctor who didn’t like to prescribe drugs very often (and also did not agree with euthanasia or abortion or routine vaccination). She worked with me eliminate a whole lot of processed foods and chemicals from my life, I got a back adjustment and some physical therapy to correct a muscle/alignment issue, and three months later, I was back to normal and healthy, without drugs.
I know that doesn’t work for everyone, and I certainly won’t begrudge a medication for anyone who will be helped by it, even just emotionally helped.
But if the law mandates that doctors MUST provide X, Y, and Z treatments for Symptoms A, B, and C, I’m never going to hear about treatments L, M, and N, which might have been ideal solutions for me.
Liberty applies to more than just governmental models.