Author: Robin Vaughn

The US is in the throes of a drug overdose crisis. “Morphine [an opiate] and other prescription-painkiller abuse is more of a problem than heroin or any street drug,” hospital pharmacist Ray Murphy said seven years ago. “The prescribers are part of the problem. Some doctors don’t investigate their own patients enough before refilling a prescription,” he said, adding that if a patient is requesting that a opioid prescription be refilled, it’s possible the patient now needs morphine to support a habit. In that case, the doctor might consider treatment for an opioid-use disorder (OUD). “Morphine can be a wonderful…