Thursday, January 27, 2011

misleading headline of the day

misleading headline of the day: 35% of wounded soldiers addicted to drugs.

if you read the story, it refers not to all wounded soldiers, but to a subgroup of soldiers badly wounded and who will soon be discharged, and they are not "addicted" but :

Most case managers and nurses interviewed by investigators said 25% to 35% of soldiers in warrior units "are over-medicated, abuse prescriptions and have access to illegal drugs."

But are they doing so to get high? Or are they merely requiring narcotic medicine to relieve their pain? Or both?

Are the "demanding" drugs because they hurt, or because they want to get a stash to get high, or to sell?

The story not being addressed is that after years of letting people suffer because no one was supposed to prescribe narcotics, we now recognize that sometimes an oxycontin is the difference between someone home bound in pain from an injury, and someone able to function normally pain free. The fact that druggies buy the oxycontin, grind it up to get high and then some die of overdoses is not the same thing.

But don't blame the wars for the problem:

"...About 10% of the soldiers in these units are wounded in combat. The rest are there for injuries, illness or mental health issues. The report says most people "generally" feel the units are the best place in the Army to heal..."



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