The FDA this week is making a move to reclassify drugs containing hydrocodone from Schedule III to Schedule II, meaning they are considered to have a greater potential for abuse and may become more difficult to obtain. Many are in favor of the change; others oppose it, saying “legitimate pain patients will suffer”. This is yet another example of trying to negotiate the balance between ease of access and preventing abuse. What do you think?
While the decision-making process we need to navigate that balance is always changing, here is some proof that some methods of navigating it really do work. A study in Canada found that raising alcohol prices was very effective in preventing alcohol-related deaths.
And, on the other side of that balance, plans to increase distribution and training in the use of naloxone as an “antidote” to some kinds of overdose may change the way drug addicts get treated in emergencies.
Researchers at the University of Illinois are beginning a study to see how young adults use electronic cigarettes and other “safer”, newer alternatives to traditional tobacco products. Of course, whether these products are actually safer, let alone widely-used, remains to be seen.