News / Education
Lack of Training for Health Care Professionals Increase Drug Addiction
The dark ages
In a recent press conference Joseph A. Califano Jr., the National Center on Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University’s director and president said:
"Aggressive marketing of controlled drugs to physicians . . . is designed to increase profits with little regard for abuse potential, Our nation is in the throes of an epidemic of controlled prescription drug abuse and addiction."
The ease by which many Americans can get a prescription for powerful pain medications and psychiatric drugs is alarming.
Drug seekers are people that are trying to get high. They will say or do almost anything to get what they want. Health care professionals who are just trying to help are unfortunately easy prey for these individuals.
Very few physicians receive any training in spotting drug seeking behavior. Pharmacists report more training but it is not they that actually write the prescriptions.
More than 15 million Americans abuse controlled substances—double the amount from a decade ago, according to a report issued by CASA. This represents a clear problem for America because there is virtually no increase in drug treatment available.
Califano said, “I am disturbed that more than 28 percent of pharmacists say they fail to regularly validate the prescribing physician's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number when dispensing controlled substances.Today more people are abusing controlled-prescription drugs than the combined number who abuse cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, and heroin.”
Without educating pharmacists and physicians who prescribe these drugs on the signs for potential abuse, drug companies are guilty of criminal negligence.
Unless there is a dramatic increase in the availability of drug treatment for those already addicted, the epidemic will only increase.
History will view this era as a dark age – if civilization exists long enough to move into a more enlightened age.
Narconon of Georgia provides drug treatment and education for the entire southeast region. Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia is a non-traditional drug abuse treatment program.
