Urgent Need for Public Health Policy Consistent and Complaint with Controlled Substance: Suggestions To Stem Morbidity and Mortality From Prescribing Opiate Medications

1. 1) Revisit the intent and meaning of the controlled substances laws for purposes of developing viable public health policy to protect the public from risks of opiate prescribing by physicians

2. 2) Incorporate concepts of dangerousness inherent in the intent and meaning of controlled substances laws in legislation for public health measures

3. 3) Pursue a policy and course of vigorous litigation against drug manufactures who fail to warn and deceive the public on the dangers of controlled substances to enforce controlled substance laws

4. 4) Enforce Controlled Substance Laws according to established legal theories of negligence, product liability, expressed and implied warranties, and fraud and failure to warn of risks

5. 5) Review the extent of individual and class action litigation against physicians for negligently and illegally prescribing opiate medications

6. 6) Develop a health policy that requires physicians to comply with controlled substance laws to protect patients from dangerous and adverse consequences from addicting medications, including opiate medications

7. 7) Revise health policy for prescribing opiate medications for clinical conditions of pain, in either in acute or chronic management, to include an analysis of risks and benefits of prescribing addicting medications including opiate medications

8. 8) Recommend and require undergraduate medical schools and graduate medical education programs to meet core requirements of addiction medicine for adequate knowledge and skill in prescribing controlled substances in compliance with controlled substances laws.