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Subject: Pain Patients' Rights

Dear Senator/Congressman:

I am writing to make you aware of a terrible health care crisis in the United States regarding the use of prescription pain medicines. Despite International medical acceptance of the safe use of oral pain medicines, the DEA and State Boards of Pharmacy regularly prosecute physicians who treat chronic pain, and has revoked the licenses of over 900 doctors in the last 30 months. This has created enormous intimidation within the medical community, causing many doctors to under treat pain because they fear losing their medical licenses. The patients are suffering needlessly, and the doctors are afraid to treat them.

In the last two decades studies of the effect of opiates on terminal and non-terminal cancer patients, as well as patients with chronic, non-malignant pain, have dispelled many myths. Less than 1% of legitimate pain patients treated with opiate-derived pain medicines experience addiction. Patients do not build up tolerances

Continued use of pain medications does not destroy the liver or cause respiratory depression. Oral pain medicines, when monitored by a licensed physician trained in contemporary pain treatment, are remarkably safe. The DEA appears to be unaware of these important findings and equates physicians who prescribe Schedule II controlled substances with Illicit Drug Traffickers.

The National Foundation for the Treatment of Pain is presently developing a suggested, educational model for a Federal Pain Patients&Mac226; Bill of Rights, based on the California Senate Bill 402. Please learn more about these issues and become a leader in supporting the passage of new Federal legislation protecting the rights of pain patients and their physicians.

You may be interested in visiting the NFTP web site for further information, www.paincare.org. Please read, under the Pain Management section a comprehensive medical study on pain treatment entitled "Perspectives in Intractable Pain Management." Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Your Constituent