Robert Charles Kaupie - Comment

Sirs: Your proposed on the prescribing of opiods is going to have a disastrous effect on the patients of the United States. Your rules will result in many/most primary care physicians not being able to care for hospice patients, cancer patients and patients will legitimate long term pain syndromes. There are not enough pain clinics and pain physicians to take care of the millions of patients involved and they will be condemned to having severe unrelieved pain. It will drive the cost of care sky high and will drive down the quality of life for millions of the most needy patients. The idea that government bureaucrats are going to "teach" physicians instead of being taught by medical schools and residencies is absurd! Every time government and bureaucrats insert themselves between the doctor and the patient, the patient suffers. This is yet another example of over-reaching by government. Every state has a medical board that oversees practicioners and if practicioners are selling scripts or not practicing to standards those boards are empowered to take appropriate action. To limit and hinder legitimate physicians is absolutely wrong and destructive!