OPIOID ABUSE CONTINUES TO BE A BIG PROBLEM IN THE UNITED
STATES, MEANING THAT PAINKILLERS ARE BEING OVERPRESCRIBED
AND PEOPLE ARE ADDICTED TO THEM.
A NEW PLANT THAT TALK TO EMPLOYERS FOUND THAT MANY
OF THEM ARE EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH PAINKILLERS AT THE
WORKPLACE.
"A DECEMBER SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL
FOUND THAT EIGHTY PERCENT OF EMPLOYERS IN INDIANA SAY THEY'VE
OBSERVED AN ISSUE WITH PAINKILLERS AMONG THEIR
EMPLOYEES ñ AND A WHOPPING FIFTY PERCENT SAY THEY'VE OBSERVED
SOME KIND OF ISSUE WITH THE USE OF PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS AT
WORK."
KEEP IN MIND THAT NO ONE DRUG TESTS FOR PAINKILLERS.
A LOT OF COMPANIES DRUG TEST FOR THINGS LIKE MARIJUANA, WHICH IS
CERTAINLY NOT AS ADDICTIVE AS
OPIOIDS.
ALTHOUGH SOME PEOPLE DO HAVE A DEPENDENCY TO IT, IT IS NOT
A CHEMICAL ADDICTION.
IT IS JUST INTERESTING TO SEE THAT DOUBLE STANDARDS.
IT CONTINUES TO GET WORSE BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE
EMPLOYERS FEELING IT ñ AND THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM UNIQUE TO
INDIANA ñ SO WHAT DO WE DO TO COMBAT IT?
THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES ARE SO POWERFUL AND SO UNDER
REGULATED THAT THEY CAN WORK WITH DOCTORS TO ENCOURAGE
THEM TO OVERPRESCRIBE THESE DRUGS.
YOU JUST BROUGHT IT UP, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE COST MAKES IT
VERY ACCESSIBLE.
ANOTHER PART OF THIS STORY DOES NOT INCORPORATED IN THESE
ARTICLES IS THE CONDITIONS OF THE 9-TO-5
LABOR ARE EXTREMELY HORRENDOUS ON THE BODY.
I KNOW A LOT OF THESE OPIOID CASES COME FROM WORKERS
COMP INSURANCE SITUATIONS.
THEY MAY NOT BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO SOME OF THE HARMS OF A 9-TO-5
DAY WHERE YOU ARE SITTING IN
YOUR CHAIR ñ SITTING IN HER CARE IS ABILITY BAD FOR YOUR
HEART, YOU HAVE TO GET UP EVERY FORTY-FIVE MINUTES ñ SO IT IS
HARD TO HAVE A COLLECTIVE STUDY ON THE OVERALL HEALTH EFFECTS OF
BEING AT A 9-TO-5, SITTING DOWN AND BEING TRAPPED ON A DESK.
BUT I CAN PROBABLY ASSUME THAT THIS MAYBE CONTRIBUTES TO
SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT PEOPLE ARE FACING.
I USED TO WORK IN AN OFFICE, 9-TO-5, AND EVERY PERSON HAD
AT LEAST FIVE OR SIX PILLS THAT THEY WOULD TAKE DURING LUNCH.
IT WAS COMMON.
WITH A PAINKILLERS?
THAT IS THE INTERESTING THING TO ME.
BEFORE READING ABOUT THIS, IF SOMEONE HAD ASKED ME, WHAT
TYPES OF DRUGS DO THINK PEOPLE ABUSE IN THE WORKPLACE, I
WOULD THINK THEY WOULD BE STIMULANTS.
BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT PAINKILLERS TEND TO BE MORE
OF AN ISSUE.
WHAT KIND OF DRUGS WERE THEY?
IT WAS A COLLECTION OF EVERYTHING.
PEOPLE GETTING OLDER, OBESE, AND I ASSUME PAINKILLERS WERE
TIED INTO THAT.
I DID NOT DO AN EXHAUSTIVE STUDY, BUT THIS IS NOT
SURPRISING TO ME.
AGAIN, LIKE YOU SAID, WITH THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES PUSHING
ON THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY THEIR PRODUCTS WITH A ZEAL TO SELL, TO
CONSUMERS, TO CUSTOMERS, AND THIS WAS THE MORE SHOCKING THING
IN THE STORY WAS THAT FORTY-FIVE
PEOPLE PER DAY DIE FROM OPIOIDS.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER FOR MARIJUANA, FOR VITAMINS, FOR
ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD BE
TURNED INTO IN TERMS OF THE HEALTH INDUSTRY, INSTEAD OF THE
ASPIRIN OR THE OPIOIDS.
LIKE YOU SAID, IT IS UNREGULATED, IT IS RAMPANT,
BUT IT IS GENUINELY ñ GENERALLY ACCEPTED INTO OUR
LIFESTYLES WITHOUT ANY OPPOSITION.
MARGARET, WOULDN'T YOU ARGUE THAT ONE OF THE REASONS IT
IS SO TOUGH IT IS THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE ILLICIT DRUGS
CONSTANTLY IN THE PRESS.
PEOPLE FEAR MONGERING ABOUT IN THE PRESS?
WHEN IT COMES TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, THERE IS THIS SENSE
THAT IT IS LEGAL, AND IF IT IS LEGAL IT IS HARMLESS.
WE SHOULD ASK RUSH LIMBAUGH THIS QUESTION.
I LAUGH ABOUT THIS, BUT HONESTLY OPIOID DEPENDENCE IS SO SERIOUS.
WITHDRAWALS CAN KILL YOU.
OXYCONTIN IS SUCH A MAJOR ISSUE RIGHT NOW.
I COME FROM A STATE WHERE PEOPLE ARE VERY POOR, AND THIS
TYPE OF HYPER DEPENDENCE, IT IS SO RAMPANT WHERE I AM.
IT MAKES ME SICK INSIDE AT THE SAME TIME, BUT WE ARE NOT
NECESSARILY DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF DEPENDENCE, WITHDRAWALS
CAN KILL YOU, THIS IS SERIOUS SHIT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS.
I DON'T THINK GOING AFTER DOCTORS IS THE RIGHT MOVE.
I THINK TAKING THIS OUT OF THE CLOSET ñ
I THINK THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO TARGET PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANIES, AND THE TIES THAT THEY HAVE WITH DOCTORS.
I THINK THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF REALLY GREAT DOCTORS OUT THERE
THAT REMAIN PRINCIPLED, BUT THERE IS A VERY CLOSE, FRIENDLY
RELATIONSHIP AMONG SOME DOCTORS AND PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES.
THERE IS ALSO A VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP AMONG
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES AND THE BOARD THAT COMES UP WITH THE
DIAGNOSTICS IN THE STATISTICAL
MANUAL.
THESE ARE ALL VERY CORRUPT ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE
ADDRESSED AND TALKED ABOUT, BUT OFTEN TIMES THEY ARE NOT,
BECAUSE WHO HAS THE MOST POWER IN THIS COUNTRY?
THOSE WITH THE MOST MONEY, AND PHARMACEUTICAL COMING
OBVIOUSLY FABULOUSLY WEALTHY, AND THEY CAN GET ANY TYPE
OF REGULATION OR DEREGULATION PASSED THAT THEY WANT.
I WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH ONE MORE STATISTICS TO GIVE YOU
A BROADER SENSE OF WHAT IS GOING ON.
"A STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL PAIN MEDICINE FOUND THAT
PRESCRIPTION OPIOID ABUSE COST AMERICAN EMPLOYERS MORE THAN $25
BILLION IN 2009 ñ AND THAT NUMBER IS MUCH LIKELY ñ IS
LIKELY MUCH HIGHER NOW."
REMEMBER, THIS IS ABOUT OPIOIDS.
THIS DOESN'T EVEN INCLUDE HEROIN ADDICTION.
MARGARET MADE A GOOD POINT, A LOT OF PEOPLE DO GET CUT
OFF FROM THE PAINKILLERS BECAUSE THEIR DOCTORS REALIZE THEY
HAVEN'T AN ADDICTION.
THEY ARE SO ADDICTED AND THE WITHDRAWALS ARE SO BAD THAT
THEY SEEK HEROIN ON THE BLACK MARKET.
OR THE PRESCRIPTION RUNS OUT.
OUR FOCUS SHOULD SHIFT AWAY FROM NO ONE IT TO THESE
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS THAT ARE BEING ABUSED.