by #TroyFarah in #Salon:

"The kernel of the DEA's authority rests on the puritanical view that some drugs are 'good,' while others are 'bad.' Not only is this a deeply moralistic view, but also it's an unscientific one. With few exceptions, every illicit drug sold on the streets has medical value in the right context. Cocaine is useful as a topical anesthetic in nasal surgeries; methamphetamine is prescribed for narcolepsy, ADHD and extreme obesity; and fentanyl is used daily in hospitals across the country for surgery and cancer pain. It's not the chemicals themselves that are the issue, but rather how they're applied."

https://www.salon.com/2023/07/09/thanks-for-nothing-dea-fifty-years-later-are-deadlier-and-more-abundant-than-ever/

#DEA #WarOnDrugs #drugs #narcotics #PublicHealth #overdose