Why Trump's Troubadour Has Turned Against Him NowThis

[Quixote1818]

[Honeycombe8]

1. There goes a big, big man.

It takes a big man to see the truth and then admit you were wrong. Interesting that he likes Elizabeth Warren, now. What a switch.

I didn't know opioid treatment centers had been closed. The Republicans have been busy wiping out Obamacare advances more than I thought. That is so cruel to the people, when they don't replace them with something else.

And he saw the Republican health care bill for what it is. And the tax cuts for what they were. So they DO see. The diehard Trumpers just don't care. Like this man said, he's their guy, and they'll follow him no matter what he does or doesn't do.

[2naSalit]

10. ...as long as the money's there

to fund their favorite subsidies.

[Honeycombe8]

11. That's true for everyone, I've learned over the years.

On both sides.

But very few people admit to themselves that they were wrong, and even fewer do so publicly.

[Stuart G]

2. k and r...Thank You for posting...

[dlk]

3. A Powerful Story from the Heart-Thanks for Sharing

The opioid crisis is decimating our country and seems invisible to those not directly affected. Urgent action is required, as the problem will only increase over time. This father’s pain was so evident. It broke my heart. We can and should do so much better for each other.

[Power 2 the People]

4. Sounds too analytical and objective to be a Republican Trump supporter.

I want to hope there are more like him out there. Glad he can see through the fog and recognize somebody genuine like Elizabeth Warren.

[mountain grammy]

5. Elizabeth Warren

He’s been listening.

[Quixote1818]

6. I caught that too. nt

[bitterross]

7. Idiot. All the evidence Trump is a grifter/ con-man/user was there then.

I feel bad for him for his loss. I've lost friends to the opioid crisis and it hurts.

The reality is all the evidence that Trump was going to do exactly what he did was there. The evidence that Trump was only saying whatever people wanted to hear was there. So I don't feel bad for him that he got taken. That's his own fault.

[onit2day]

8. It's not an "opioid" crisis. It's an oxycotton crisis. Law suit was against oxycotton makers

and suppliers. Those elderly people who depend on maintenance pain meds and have for years proven stability are severely suffering from this 'one size fits all' opioid panic resulting in holding back much needed medication.

[bitterross]

9. You have some valid points.

Yes, the makers and suppliers of Oxycontin are to blame for the way opinion and perception of opioids changed. Their marketing campaigns are directly responsible for over prescribing and misuse.

I know people on maintenance medication who have a hell of a bad time getting their meds now because of the Oxycontin makers. When I had my complete shoulder replacement you would have thought I was asking for the nuclear codes given the hoops I had to jump though to fill my pain-killer prescription.

I sincerely hope the GOP-packed courts don't give the makers a win but I don't really hold much hope.

[kag]

13. Wow. So many things wrong with what you wrote.

First of all, it's OxyContin. "Oxycotton" sounds like a fabric softener.

Second, it is absolutely an opioid crisis. OxyContin is just a brand name for a line of medication that provides--if used as directed--an extended release of oxycodone. The "crisis" to which you refer was when Perdue Pharmaceuticals (as well as the public, law enforcement, the government, etc.) realized that people were abusing it by crushing the pills in order to get all of the doses at once. Perdue fought tooth and nail to keep it on the market, and to hide any studies that proved how devastatingly addictive it is. So, yes, the company definitely exacerbated the problem, but they didn't cause it single-handedly.

Third, the "one size fits all" approach to which you refer was mostly just patients and pharmacies having to follow rules that were already in place but had been largely ignored for years. Also, the DEA began keeping a closer eye on doctors, patients, and pharmacies who conducted "suspicious" transactions involving lots of opioids--ANY opioids, not just OxyContin.

Frankly if all OxyContin disappeared from the face of the earth today, we would still have a horrific opioid crisis. (Read Dreamland by Sam Quinones.) In fact, when the crack down began on OxyContin and other pharmaceuticals, heroin dealers gladly stepped in to the void to supply addicts with a cheaper, more potent drug that is easier to get if you don't mind breaking the law.

Now, I don't disagree that more is needed to combat the crisis. And I also don't disagree that people who need opioids to control pain (and they're not all elderly) have been negatively affected by some of the measures that have been taken. But as a chronic pain patient myself, I have learned to navigate the rules, and to appreciate them for their part in the attempt to keep people from abusing opioids.

Sorry this got a bit long, but I felt the need to push back on your comment. Nothing personal, of course. It's a tough problem, and people get understandably passionate about it.

[kag]

12. BIG K&R.

Sad story; good man. My heart aches for him.