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CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY OF MEDICAL WORKERS FOR ISPENSING NARCOTIC DRUGS TO REDUCE THE SUFFERING OF PATIENTS
Corresponding Author(s) : Oleg N. Dunin
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 7 No. 6 (2019): November
Abstract
Purposes: This article is devoted to the analysis of the problem that has been developed in the Russian Federation with the access of patients with severe pain to narcotic painkillers.
Methodology: The legislation of the Russian Federation recognizes that patients have an unconditional right to pain relief, which is reflected in the Federal Law No. 323 dated November 21, 2011 “On the Basics of Protecting the Health of Citizens in the Russian Federationâ€. However, the procedural rules governing the receipt of narcotic painkillers by patients establish strict bureaucratic rules that impede the timely access of patients to the only effective narcotic drugs in their case.
Results: Deviation from these procedural rules threatens medical and pharmaceutical workers with criminal liability for illegal drug trafficking. As a result, Russian patients do not receive painkillers on a significant scale. The quality of life in the patient, who is forced to endure severe pain, is significantly reduced, which often leads to suicide. Various legislative solutions to this problem are proposed.
Implications/Applications: Liberalization of the rules for dispensing narcotic painkillers are effective in the long term, but it has several problems. Slight liberalization is not able to fundamentally improve the situation of patients with severe pain.
Novelty/Originality: Significant liberalization can create a negative narcotic situation due to market saturation with legal narcotic drugs. In the short term, an effective measure will be the exclusion of the criminal liability of medical and pharmaceutical workers for the prescription and dispensing narcotic painkillers to patients with severe pain syndrome in violation of the existing procedural rules, but for medical reasons.
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- World Health Organization. Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, International Narcotics Control Board, United Nations Office on Drugs, & Crime. (2009). Guidelines for the psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment of opioid dependence. World Health Organization.
- Lohman, D., Schleifer, R., & Amon, J. J. (2010). Access to pain treatment as a human right. BMC medicine, 8(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-8-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-8-8
- Frankel, L. H. (1966). Narcotic Addiction, Criminal Responsibility, and Civil Commitment. Utah L. Rev., 581.
- Cherny, N. I., Baselga, J., De Conno, F., & Radbruch, L. (2010). Formulary availability and regulatory barriers to accessibility of opioids for cancer pain in Europe: a report from the ESMO/EAPC Opioid Policy Initiative. Annals of Oncology, 21(3), 615-626. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdp581 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdp581
- King, R. G. (1952). The Narcotics Bureau and the Harrison Act: Jailing the healers and the sick. Yale LJ, 62, 736. https://doi.org/10.2307/793503 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/793503
- King, R. (1972). The drug hang-up: America's fifty-year folly (p. 16). New York: Norton.
- Taylor, A. L. (2007). Addressing the global tragedy of needless pain: rethinking the United Nations single convention on narcotic drugs. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 35(4), 556-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-720X.2007.00180.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-720X.2007.00180.x
- Mokri, A. (2002). Brief overview of the status of drug abuse in Iran.
- The World-Wide Case of Pain // Novaya Gazeta. [Electronic resource]. - URL: https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2013/09/09/56260-delo-o-boli-mirovogo-masshtaba (Access date: 30.05.2019).
- Brennan, F., Carr, D. B., & Cousins, M. (2007). Pain management: a fundamental human right. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 105(1), 205-221. https://doi.org/10.1213/01.ane.0000268145.52345.55 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1213/01.ane.0000268145.52345.55
- Golden, D. L. (1971). Criminal Law: Watson-The First Step towards More Humane Treatment of Narcotic Addicts in the Courts of the District of Columbia. Howard LJ, 17, 188.
- Lohman, D. (2009). " Please, do not make us suffer any more-": access to pain treatment as a human right. Human Rights Watch.
- Lohman, D. (2009). " Please, do not make us suffer any more-": access to pain treatment as a human right. Human Rights Watch.
- INCB, “Availability of Opiates for Medical Needs: Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for1995,†p. 1Available at: https://www.incb.org/documents/Publications/AnnualReports/AR1995/AR_1995_E.pdf (Accessed May 30, 2019)
- INCB, “Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 1999†Available at: https://www.incb.org/documents/Publications/AnnualReports/AR1999/AR_1999_E.pdf(Accessed May 30, 2019)
- INCB, “Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2007†Available at: https://www.incb.org/documents/Publications/AnnualReports/AR2007/AR_07_English.pdf(Accessed May 30, 2019)
- WHO, “Achieving Balance in National Opioids Control Policyâ€; ECOSOC resolution 2005/25 on Treatment of pain using opioid analgesics (36th plenary meeting 22 July 2005) Available at: https://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/AccessControlledMedicinesProgr.Framework.pdf(Accessed May 30, 2019)
- Talan M.(2018), Dunin O. Importancia legal penal de la negligenciamédica//RevistaDilemasContemporáneos: Educación, PolÃtica y Valores..Año: VI Número: Edición Especial ArtÃculo no.:18 PerÃodo: Diciembre 2018, P. 1-12
- Shapiro, R. S. (1994). Legal bases for the control of analgesic drugs. Journal of pain and symptom management, 9(3), 153-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-3924(94)90124-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-3924(94)90124-4
- Mosoiu, D., Ryan, K. M., Joranson, D. E., & Garthwaite, J. P. (2006). Reform of drug control policy for palliative care in Romania. The Lancet, 367(9528), 2110-2117. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68482-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68482-1
References
World Health Organization. Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, International Narcotics Control Board, United Nations Office on Drugs, & Crime. (2009). Guidelines for the psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment of opioid dependence. World Health Organization.
Lohman, D., Schleifer, R., & Amon, J. J. (2010). Access to pain treatment as a human right. BMC medicine, 8(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-8-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-8-8
Frankel, L. H. (1966). Narcotic Addiction, Criminal Responsibility, and Civil Commitment. Utah L. Rev., 581.
Cherny, N. I., Baselga, J., De Conno, F., & Radbruch, L. (2010). Formulary availability and regulatory barriers to accessibility of opioids for cancer pain in Europe: a report from the ESMO/EAPC Opioid Policy Initiative. Annals of Oncology, 21(3), 615-626. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdp581 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdp581
King, R. G. (1952). The Narcotics Bureau and the Harrison Act: Jailing the healers and the sick. Yale LJ, 62, 736. https://doi.org/10.2307/793503 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/793503
King, R. (1972). The drug hang-up: America's fifty-year folly (p. 16). New York: Norton.
Taylor, A. L. (2007). Addressing the global tragedy of needless pain: rethinking the United Nations single convention on narcotic drugs. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 35(4), 556-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-720X.2007.00180.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-720X.2007.00180.x
Mokri, A. (2002). Brief overview of the status of drug abuse in Iran.
The World-Wide Case of Pain // Novaya Gazeta. [Electronic resource]. - URL: https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2013/09/09/56260-delo-o-boli-mirovogo-masshtaba (Access date: 30.05.2019).
Brennan, F., Carr, D. B., & Cousins, M. (2007). Pain management: a fundamental human right. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 105(1), 205-221. https://doi.org/10.1213/01.ane.0000268145.52345.55 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1213/01.ane.0000268145.52345.55
Golden, D. L. (1971). Criminal Law: Watson-The First Step towards More Humane Treatment of Narcotic Addicts in the Courts of the District of Columbia. Howard LJ, 17, 188.
Lohman, D. (2009). " Please, do not make us suffer any more-": access to pain treatment as a human right. Human Rights Watch.
Lohman, D. (2009). " Please, do not make us suffer any more-": access to pain treatment as a human right. Human Rights Watch.
INCB, “Availability of Opiates for Medical Needs: Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for1995,†p. 1Available at: https://www.incb.org/documents/Publications/AnnualReports/AR1995/AR_1995_E.pdf (Accessed May 30, 2019)
INCB, “Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 1999†Available at: https://www.incb.org/documents/Publications/AnnualReports/AR1999/AR_1999_E.pdf(Accessed May 30, 2019)
INCB, “Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2007†Available at: https://www.incb.org/documents/Publications/AnnualReports/AR2007/AR_07_English.pdf(Accessed May 30, 2019)
WHO, “Achieving Balance in National Opioids Control Policyâ€; ECOSOC resolution 2005/25 on Treatment of pain using opioid analgesics (36th plenary meeting 22 July 2005) Available at: https://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/AccessControlledMedicinesProgr.Framework.pdf(Accessed May 30, 2019)
Talan M.(2018), Dunin O. Importancia legal penal de la negligenciamédica//RevistaDilemasContemporáneos: Educación, PolÃtica y Valores..Año: VI Número: Edición Especial ArtÃculo no.:18 PerÃodo: Diciembre 2018, P. 1-12
Shapiro, R. S. (1994). Legal bases for the control of analgesic drugs. Journal of pain and symptom management, 9(3), 153-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-3924(94)90124-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-3924(94)90124-4
Mosoiu, D., Ryan, K. M., Joranson, D. E., & Garthwaite, J. P. (2006). Reform of drug control policy for palliative care in Romania. The Lancet, 367(9528), 2110-2117. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68482-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68482-1