Solution for people with legitimate pain issues to be prescribed opiates needed quality of life improvement!

The opioid "epidemic" is being blown way out of proportion. Yes, people overdose, yes it's a tragedy, one of the dead was my oldest, treasured nephew. When you compare the amount of deaths you have involved with Alcohol (#1 killer, 20 times the rate of opioid overdoses, and I've seen no study, but my educated guess is 50% or more have lethal levels of alcohol in their systems, at least any deaths involving pills, IV heroin is a different story. There are two groups, people looking for a "high", with no necessity for pain. Then you have people who require opiods as a basic matter of quality of life, to be able to be a productive member of society or increased higher function as a result of pain relief. I have eight or nine MRI's, all showing damage. Eleven bulging discs. A herniated disc in my neck. A recent hip replacement, with three subsequent dislocations. What I see, and really believe is media hype, billboards, commercials, news, TV shows so beating this "epidemic" like a dead horse. People who are opioid tolerant have their faculties about them and they require higher doses, TO A REASONABLE LIMIT. Because a substance is addictive is no reason for non prescription, or more plainly a flat out denial of a doctors hypocratic oath to do no harm. The new laws act as a deterrent for people like myself who wake up in pain, get up and ready for the day in pain, walk in pain, drive in pain. Opiates are the medication for my condition and millions of others going through ridiculous therapies in lieu of pain medication. Cortical steroid shots are an extreme measure that can only be done a few times, only provide a minimal relief, for a minimal time, if at all. At this rate, you are forcing people with legitimate pain issues to do extreme measures, heroin is cheaper than anything you can find for pain relief on the streets. If pain medication is prescribed properly for patients with chronic pain the jump from "oh, this Vicodin isn't working so I'm going to go search the streets for heroin and then inject something in my arm", that is a foolish claim that cannot be substantiated because the dead don't speak.

Okay, I know that was a lot that I felt needed to be said. I am not in my experienced field (IT Work) because my pain makes it very difficult to concentrate, sit, stand, bend over, on and on. We don't need people thinking that we can will away our pain or, "just don't think about it". If you are in pain, then you are in pain, it's not a choice and we are being discriminated, harassed, bullied, and looked down upon.

This is a civil rights issue, and it needs to be addressed and what is being done, taking away everyone's medication indiscriminately is a crime and violation of many existing laws that superceed laws being enacted on a whim. Why aren't we banning alcohol, or tabacco? With almost 50-70 times the mortality rate? People, have used,abused drugs since the beginning of time. Why is the heroin rate increasing the more strict legal prescribing is being controlled? Is there more heroin?, is it new? Are you the ones advertising it in this campaign against it?