General Practice NZ ‘concerned’ after Government quietly changed opioid drug access legislation
A medical professional is stunned and concerned by the Government quietly changing legislation that would allow greater access to opioid painkillers.
Opioid drugs contributed to 333 overdose deaths in New Zealand from 2017-2021, according to NZ Drug Foundation.
Chair of General Practice New Zealand Bryan Betty said the figures are “absolutely tragic” but could’ve been worse.
The Government made an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations in November that authorised prescriptions for three months instead of one, with up to a month’s worth doled out at a time.
This means patients are now allowed to pick up three times as many pills as Pharmac’s current 10-day limit.
Betty told AM on Thursday the amendment, which didn’t go through consultation, is a “real, real concern” because of the amount of opioids it allows a person to have possession of at one time.
“We’ve gone from a regime of prescribing opioids every month that is restricting the amount that a person can get to three monthly,” Betty told AM co-host Ryan Bridge.
“This change was brought in by the Ministry of Health and the Government prior to Christmas with no consultation and we only became aware of it when Pharmac notified us that they were going to consult over the changes, so this is a real, real concern.”
The painkillers Kiwis have more access to are oxycodone, morphine and fentanyl, Betty said.
“This again is a real concern because it just opens up the amount of opioid that a patient can have, especially for what we call non-cancer pain,” he said.
Thanks to Guyon Espioner’s journalism, we now know this is the exact same MO of consultants interfering in social policy.
A last minute decision seen by no one else that is quietly passed, that stinks of Consultant interference.
So the question that needs to be asked now is, who was the opioid pimp?
Who contacted Officials and pushed to get this changed so that the legal drug pimps could legally push more opium?
Who?
Which consultant was pimping legal smack?
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“Legal drug pimps push more opium.” It doesn’t change the volume of usage it just stops patients going back to the pharmacy as frequently. If GPs are concerned don’t right a script for three months worth then. Why does no one look at the prescribers in these situations.
So your happy to tie up doctors doing more paper work than looking after patients . At the moment it takes 5-6 weeks to see my doctor for a none urgent check .There was nothing wrong with the system of dispensing these drugs so why was it changed if not to satisfy the drug companies . I am not against the drug companies as I am only alive due to their skills .
So Trevor how does it change consumption? One script for three months or three scripts for three months. In fact your argument is suggesting less scripts equals more paperwork. How does that make sense? It’s not more paperwork for GPs at all. Once again no one is telling a GP they have write a script for three months. They are the ones in control.
During COVID agencies like PHARMAC were encouraging longer scripts to stop patients having to go to pharmacies so frequently. That was nothing to do with big pharma.
It’s such bullshit. Makes me suspect that Cannabis and party pills were only banned because Big Pharma demanded it.
Again how does it change quantity consumed?
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