Monday, December 04, 2006

Liberty or Doctor knows best?

Alex Singleton in The Liberty Log writes that he believes we should all be able to buy our own drugs over the counter. I am an instinctive libertarian, but I'm not so sure about this. Maybe its just that I have been brought up in the NHS of prescription-only medicines, but I am concerned about the safety issues. Many people will have the necessary common sense or responsibility to be able to take responsibility for their decisions, but many will not. I agree with Alex, though that this is an issue we need to look at-has the health and safety bar been set too low as with so many aspects of life in Britain today?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm apprehensive that if you buy prescription drugs OTC you don't just run the risk of harming yourself. Overuse of antibiotics will ultimately contribute to antibiotic-resistant strains of various bugs that will harm you or others in the future.

There was an interesting piece in the Times about prescription-drug swapping. I do wonder how many people would unwittingly find themselves on the 'slippery slope' of addiction to various pain-killing or mood-altering drugs. Or how many people would inadvertently find themselves 'driving under the influence'.

Has reducing our access to paracetamol decreased the number of accidental deaths associated with it? I've often wondered if the inconvenience for some is being validated by a corresponding reduction in harm/deaths.

Regards - Shinga

Mens Sana said...

Dont forget the easiest way to prevent paracetemol overdose is to sell it in a compound formulation with the "antidote" methionine, as in the USA, not to sell it in packets of 8.

Some people would abuse open access to mood altering drugs, for sure. It would be a very interesting social experiment to see if they were the same people who abuse drugs at present. I don't think its a risk we as a society can take, but equally I'm sure there are many drugs currently only available on prescription which could be made more openly available.

Don't forget the role of the pharmacist in this-they could be gatekeepers