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Just personal observation here - Around the first of every month, I've noticed a number of people showing up at the local beer joint with prescription opiates for sale. It was such a regular thing that even though I know better than to use them, I was curious about the phenomenon, so I asked several people what was up.

It was explained to me that a lot of people get their prescriptions for painkillers refilled at that time and they sell them to make money on the side.

These aren't necessarily people who need monthly prescriptions - they may have needed them at some time, but the doctors seem to have forgotten that they are for the TEMPORARY relief of pain, and will continue to write refills as long as the patient asks for it. The VA is notorious for this, and have probably been more responsible for spreading addiction than anybody.

The doctors who over-prescribe are responsible in large part for the problem, and it will continue until this process is checked.

The doctors who over-prescribe are responsible in large part for the problem

Do you even read what you write? In the paragraph just before you said this, you wrote:

but the doctors ... will continue to write refills as long as the patient asks for it.

So in your mind it's the doctors' fault for writing the prescription, NOT the fault of the person who is asking for the medication. How does this make sense to you? How is the doctor to know if the person is in pain or not?