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If ALL prescription medications were allowed to become OTC,would we really see a major increase in drug abuse?

mike9626 asked:

First off, a certain percentage of the population will always abuse some sort of drug legal or illegal. The controlled prescription drugs, (Vicodin, Oxycontin, Xanax, Valium etc), if these drugs were available at the local Wallgreens but without a prescription, would we then have a nation of drug addicts? It seems to me that, yes, initially we would see an increase in problems, but because of the now OTC status of these drugs, we would not see the major criminal aspects involved with obtaining the illegal variety, because people would now have a steady supply, and not need to go on the streets. Now obviously this is similar to just legalizing all curentlly illegal drugs,(cocaine, METH etc.), but these drugs have no acceptable medical value,and are very dangerous, so they shouldn’t be legalized. But the medications that DO have medical value, could perhaps be available OTC, and maybe this would cut down on the abuse of the illegal variety. What do you think?

is drug addiction a choice

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Written by Admin on April 21st, 2009 with 2 comments.
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2 comments

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Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com FredHH
#1. April 24th, 2009, at 4:44 AM.

we would see a large increase in abuse…. of the narcotics that you can leglly get by prescription now.

We would also see a lot of people self-prescribing the wrong medications and killing themselves by accident.

Let the Doctor tell you which drug you need to cure your illness. (unless its obvious such as mild indigestion)

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Steve C
#2. April 25th, 2009, at 8:19 AM.

You’ve overlooked narcotic drugs such as Morphine, Demerol and so on.

I think we’d be much better off if antibiotics were available OTC. It used to be done that way until the AMA lobbied for a monopoly in health care. At one time your local pharmacist did most of the presribing right there “over the counter.”

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