Last week, drug enforcement officials and members of Congress appealed to a federal drug advisory panel requesting the sale of the popular painkiller OxyContin be dramatically restricted. The panel rejected this plea, despite the fact that OxyContin is widely abused and responsible for between 500 and 1,000 deaths a year.
OxyContin, introduced in 1995, is extremely popular among patients in severe pain. Instead of frequently taking multiple pills, patients only have to take one OxyContin, which releases painkillers steadily for 12 hours. However, if OxyContin is crushed, snorted or injected -- releasing 12 hours worth of narcotics almost immediately -- it could easily lead to overdose and death. The panel also discussed the potentially dangerous release of the new painkiller Palladone. The drug, created by Purdue Pharma, is pending FDA approval and is more powerful than OxyContin and therefore could have more devastating effects if abused.
With more than two million people using narcotics recreationally, the sale and distribution of OxyContin, Palladone and other highly powerful painkillers should be monitored more closely. Because OxyContin is currently approved for patients with moderate to severe pain, it is crucial to know when a prescription for the drug is needed and is appropriate. By holding more doctors accountable for what they prescribe, perhaps OxyContin and other strong painkillers will not as easily fall into the wrong hands.
Before being permitted to write prescriptions for such potent painkillers, physicians should be properly educated. Frequent education about prescribing controlled narcotics should be mandatory for physicians, as well as the need to inform the patients with information on the drug they are being given. It is much too easy to abuse prescription drugs, and patients should be well informed of not only the side effects, but also the consequences of misusing prescribed medicine.
Clarett's exemption must be denied
The NFL currently requires players to wait at least three years after graduating high school before entering the draft, but Maurice Clarett has requested they change the rules so he may be eligible for the 2004 NFL draft.
Clarett, a sophomore running back, scored 18 touchdowns and rushed for 1,237 yards last season, helping lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to a National Championship. However, despite his unquestionable talent as an athlete, Clarett's request to the NFL should be denied, and he should be required to wait another year before entering the draft.
The NFL established the waiting period between high school and professional football for a number of reasons, and that should be respected. If Clarett, who last week was suspended by the NCAA for one season for lying to investigators and accepting benefits, does overturn the NFL's three-year rule, he will open the gates to other young athletes hoping to turn pro. This could be a grave mistake.
Currently the graduation rate of college football players is high, especially when compared to the rates of other sports that allow athletes to turn pro without any type of waiting period. If Clarett convinces the NFL to do away with their three-year rule, the graduation rates of football players surely will drop. In such an extremely physical and dangerous sport where one injury could be career-devastating, the three-year rule is wise. It encourages athletes to pursue a college education and earn a degree, thus making them employable in more than just the football field once their professional career has ended.
Secondly, players should be given a few years to mature both as a person and as an athlete before they are handed lucrative million-dollar contracts. The size and strength of a player's body occupies a crucial role in football -- more so than most other professional sports. It would be reckless to allow athletes fresh out of high school to compete against seasoned NFL veterans. The younger players' bodies simply are not ready to contend against the older players of the NFL who have had the luxury of professional weight rooms and trainers. And let's not forget the wisdom and experience gained by competing at the collegiate level.
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue told the Associated Press that he thought it would be better if Clarett stayed in school. Hopefully, Tagliabue will remain true to these thoughts and the NFL will continue the use of its three-year waiting period.
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