Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard about how AI is being used in so many ways.
Currently, I am probably -at best – maybe at the upper end of the novice stage in using AI. English was never my best nor favorite subject in school. My interests were around Chemistry, Math and Science in general.
In college, I never had to generate a “wordy report” in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Quantitative Analysis, Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology, Pharmacogenomics. I wouldn’t know a dangling participle if it hit me between the eyes. As a Pharmacist, the vast majority of my interactions is verbal dealing with pts and other practitioners
Below are two things that I was able to coordination using a AI program. The first is recommendations of what anyone trying to reach out to their member of Congress or the media. What they should say, what they should not say. In order to get your message read.
The second is a press release that I am going to use as I start reaching out to members of Congress and the media. Feel free to share it, please do not remove my name,etc. I don’t want any entity receiving it to be viewed as a form letter, that may reduce its potential to be read.
The DEA is starting to post some of their propaganda on LinkedIN.com. Below is something that they posted today. Maybe it is just me, but their press release only talks about PREVENTION. Are they talking about PREVENTING ANYONE/NO ONE getting their hands on a Rx opioid? Reading the last two lines, IMO – suggests trying to get new practitioners to JUST SAY NO, TO PRESCRIBING ANY OPIOIDS. Since most people who need to be prescribed controlled meds are probably DISABLED. So is the DEA blatantly promoting DISCRIMINATION of DISABLED PEOPLE?
GLAD YOU ASKED: what happens to your correspondence sent to Congress
The Silent Crisis for Chronic Pain Patients and Pharmacists: A Call for Congressional Oversight
For more than five decades, pharmacists and chronic pain patients have witnessed the transformation of the U.S. healthcare system into a maze of bureaucracy, regulatory overreach, and corporate control—endangering patient lives and eroding the heart of compassionate care.
As a pharmacist licensed in the same year the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) became law, I have had a front-row seat to regulatory expansion that started with wise intentions but has since developed into a system that burdens both patients and practitioners. In my early years, pharmacy practice was centered on the patient, not on compliance with complex, ever-changing mandates from agencies and middlemen.
The Opioid Policy Pendulum
Decades ago, Congress and federal regulators pushed aggressive pain treatment—pain was labeled the “Fifth Vital Sign.” But later reforms, especially the 2016 CDC Guidelines, led to sweeping opioid restrictions, rigid dosage caps, and a climate of fear. These rules—adopted and codified by dozens of states and agencies—ignore individual patient needs, pharmacogenetics, and safe, stable long-term care.
Devastating Human Impact
Today’s chronic pain patients are often elderly, disabled, isolated, and financially at-risk. Forced tapers, pharmacy shortages, and the collapse of provider access (due to retirement, legal raids, and regulatory scrutiny) leave them unable to obtain needed medication. Many are cast aside as “untouchables,” suffering withdrawal, unmanageable pain, medical emergencies, and in far too many cases, loss of hope and even suicide.
Bureaucracy Without Accountability
Crucial healthcare decisions are often made or dictated by agencies, attorneys, or law enforcement—who in effect “practice medicine without a license” but face no responsibility for the outcomes. Meanwhile, practitioners like myself risk our licenses, careers, and even our freedom for technical errors or for trying to advocate for patient health.
Pharmacy and PBM Nightmares
The PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) industry, originally created to control costs, now dominates the prescription supply chain, imposing opaque pricing, onerous administrative tasks, and reimbursement policies that drive up costs for patients and threaten the survival of local pharmacies. Billions are siphoned from the system with little value added for real patient care.
The Result
Chronic pain and medically complex patients suffer needlessly. Pharmacists and prescribers are forced into roles as gatekeepers, rationers, and witnesses to preventable tragedy. The real cost is paid in patient health, dignity, and lives.
CALL TO ACTION
Congress must investigate and reform:
The harmful effects of rigid opioid policies and pharmacy rationing on legitimate pain care
The unchecked influence and business practices of PBMs
The need to restore professional and patient autonomy in clinical decision-making
The gaps in oversight and accountability for those who shape—without owning—medical outcomes
This is not a fight about ideology, but about restoring compassion, safety, and evidence-based care for millions of Americans living in pain, and for the professionals dedicated to helping them.
Contact:
Steven R. Ariens, PD, BSPharm
Pharmacist, Patient Advocate
502.938.2414
www.pharmaciststeve.com
steve@steveariens.com
Filed under: General Problems
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