Assignment task: Opioids:
1 - Medical management of pain with opiates has often been controversial because of the risks of diversion and abuse. Considering the recent problems with OxyContin in this regard, what do you think about public policy, pain management, and opiate drugs?
2 - Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) occurs when babies are born of mothers who are depending on prescription opioids and heroin. There was a five-fold increase in NAS births between 2000 and 2012 coincident with the increase in prescription of opioid painkillers. I ask that you view the YouTube video When Babies Are Born Withdrawing From Opioids (PBS)
YouTube Video: When babies are born withdrawing from opioids
(7:49) and answer the following question: Should pregnant women who abuse drugs be prosecuted?