Hi Hockeytown, you state "Just because some people can't control themselves shouldn't make it impossible for people who require pain meds to make them functional."  Another salient point to make here:  there is a hefty toll on society for 'some people [who] can't control themselves'.  There are whole families that are destroyed, jobs lost, criminals afoot - stealing, burglarizing to feed the addiction, other crimes being committed - all these result in incarceration costs and more costs to the an already clogged judicial system.  It's not about just taking the drugs, it's about the tidal wave of destruction that is left behind.