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?
Increasingly having independent opinion in a mainstream media environment which mostly echo one another has become more important than ever, so if you value having an independent voice – please donate here.
If you can’t contribute but want to help, please always feel free to share our blogs on social media
Yes, yes, we’re getting a little closer everyday. After being asleep at the wheel all these years, a ‘journalist’ starts asking questions that might ruffle some feathers. Regulatory capture? Health professionals conflicting interests? Another tick in the
‘Told you so’ column for the ‘conspiracy theorists’. But hey, no doubt those opioids are safe and effective and saving lives, including the lives of your neighbours and the elderly. We have to do the right thing for each other. Actually, no, no more questions.
Regulatory capture, a conspiracy theory? Hardly. It’s been happening for eons. Big pharma, oil, sugar, alcohol, you name it. Almost accepted as best practice. But as you say OW, most journalists have been asleep at the wheel. Calling it out and demanding transparency has been a long time coming.
Off White, forever the optomist conspiracy theorist. Ticking your own box doesn’t make it right.
Right, Im off to get those magnets taken out of my arm..
Gus, I’m not sure why you’d have magnets in your arms, but whatever floats your boat. I was called a conspiracy theorist in early 2021 for pointing out that people vaccinated were catching Covid too. Sounds crazy, right? Being big pharma skeptical used to be a left wing attribute and I always thought that made sense.
“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.
“Which consultant was pimping legal smack?”
I don’t know but I’d like their number…
0800 845 1818 😉
Minister of Health at the time,the one and only Andrew Little.
By joves he’s done it again.
You don’t even know why the change was made Bob. As stated if Brian Betty is concerned why is he not advising his colleagues to not write a script covering three months? It’s not a direct order to prescribers to do so
Ok Wheel but it was Little’s ultimate responsibility being the Minister of Health.
Bob has a very unhealthy continual fanatical dislike for Andrew Little. It’s almost like Little himself has said no to increasing Bob’s clozapine for his delusions. He’ll be so pleased now Verrall is in charge.
Rose are red,
violets are blue
I am a schizophrenic
And so am I.
Sorry, Bob
Jove is singular only. Get it correct rather than Right.
Joves is the plural of Jove.
the thing is the cutting off of people in pain drives consumption of heroin and adulterated heroin derivatives then you you do have a sappurating sore of a problem…of course overdoses are tragic but if you want to make a problem 10x worse crack on
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?
it doesn’t wheel but it adds buraucracy….HUZZAH
Have you ever required opiates long term?
After a month they stop working, the dopamine receptors in your brain get used to it and you require more to get on top of the pain.
This is what leads people to overdose on opiates.
But here, have a 3 month box of the stuff!
Totally screwed access to cannabis, then make it open market for opioids. Corruption through and through.
War on Drugs – War on what drugs you can purchase….
These guys, through intimate inside knowledge gained over years of working in govt, know how to make million of dollars the easy way. Where is Wayne Brown when we need him! He’d fuck them over just like he fucked over that underhand organisation called Local Govt NZ. Serves them right doing underhand 3W deals with Mahuta against the wishes of their pay masters.
Wayne Brown is an idiot
So very true Wheel.
Wheel,Wayne Brown is doing things which is a marked improvement on the previous Mayor.
His intention to stop wasteful spending is not a bad thing.
He’s up and running at least in his first year whereas the Labour Government in their sixth year are flat out reversing their own policies.
What Bob, by increasing his own mayoral budget well beyond what Goff used? Did Goff get everything right? Not at all, but Brown is losing it.