Back when I was at the clinic most of our customers had felony records. One guy got 5 years in a Federal prison for vandalizing a vending machine at a post office in search of money to support his habit. While busting into a stamp dispenser is definitely a crime I’m not sure it warrants 5 years in prison and felony on your record that makes it extremely difficult to find employment forever after - do you?
Yes, people who rape and murder need to be dealt with in a manner that first and foremost protects the rest of society but honestly, I have trouble with the notion that busting up a vending machine is a “serious felony” - but it was treated as such because it was done by an addict. If he had busted into the snack machine in a Wal-Mart breakroom he probably would have gotten a fine for both that and trespassing (presuming he’s not an employee) rather than a 5-year sentence Federal felony.
I think there may be a better way of handling some problems, starting with some consistency in how we treat people and secondly with proportional punishment.
The ongoing opiod crises is just a bow wave forming for what is yet to come from decades of big pharma abuse, as described in the accompanying quote from the 5th post on this thread. The problem will be difficult to address until another lucrative end-game in new pain management therapies becomes available. There was/is no economic incentive pointing to that approach as long as big profits from cheap, easily refined opiates are rolling in. The danger I see is a hard-line reaction from the pharmaceutical companies, where they decide to just circle the wagons, clamp down (under DEA pressure) and raise prices, delaying or even (conspiracy theory time!) intentionally DE-railing research in that area.
Selling expensive patented drugs to indigents and people who would prefer their fix to keeping the lights on is not exactly the greatest business plan ever envisioned.
Maybe one of the medical experts around here can illuminate the research and clinical trials areas better? Perhaps they might name just one new analgesic drug approved in the past 30 years that is not some narcotic combination, NSAID, COX-2 or other “not really a painkiller painkiller” class of medication(s)?