DENVER — A nationwide rally on Tuesday aimed to elevate another side of the hot button opioid debate - people who say they rely on those strong drugs to manage their chronic pain.
The third annual Don't Punish Pain Rally and Protest happened at the Colorado State Capitol and in several states in the United States. The group's message is simple, but its mission is tougher - regulate opioid abuse without having those regulations affect those who suffer from chronic pain.
The opioid epidemic, as it's been referred to across the country in recent years, has led to the nationwide conversation of overprescription and drug abuse.
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According to the Mayo Clinic, a number of people who are addicted to opioids eventually migrate onto other, more dangerous and illegal substances.
"Some opioid users who believe they need an increased supply turn, at this point, to illegally obtained opioids or heroin," the Mayo Clinic's website says. "Some illegally obtained drugs, such as fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora), are laced with contaminants, or much more powerful opioids."
It's this slippery slope - paired with a growing number of associated deaths - that has led to aggressive opioid regulation nationwide. However, the Don't Punish the Pain group said the publicity has just led to confusion.
"Media hype and false information has the public confused about the difference between legitimately prescribed opioid pain medications, and illicit illegal street drugs, such as imported fentanyl," a release from the group read.
Although federal numbers paint a dire picture of America's losing battle to opiods, supporters of Don't Punish the Pain said there is a large subset of people who are being, well, punished.
"This has left millions who suffer from chronic illnesses such as Crohn's Disease, Colitis, Sickle Cell, Fibromyalgia, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Chiari Malformation, Arachnoiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Degenerative Joint Disease, Cancer, and thousands of other painful illnesses, 'homeless' in the medical community," a release from the group read.
Colorado law that went into effect last May now limits how many opioids a new patient can be prescribed. It limits a prescription to a max of seven days worth of pills for a person who hasn't been prescribed opioids in the last 12 months.
Laws in our state wouldn't affect those who use opioids for chronic pain - they are mainly aimed at people who have been newly-prescribed these drugs.
Exceptions to the rules laid out in Colorado's newly-revised Guidelines for the Safe Prescribing and Dispensing of Opioids include people determined to have chronic pain, people diagnosed with cancer and those in hospice.