Should pharmaceutical companies and/or executives/employees be held responsible for any part of the opioid crisis? Should the marketing of prescription medication be regulated, and how should it be regulated?

DISCUSSION

Topic: As medicine advances, questions come into play regarding the ethics surrounding use, marketing, and distribution. In Module Two, we used the opioid crisis to discuss ethical dilemmas and liability surrounding addiction. Using this example, research and create a thesis surrounding the liability of the opioid crisis. Use the Critical Thinking Compass Points handout to guide your process.

Some questions to consider might be as follows (these are suggestions, not requirements, and students may add their own):

Should pharmaceutical companies and/or executives/employees be held responsible for any part of the opioid crisis?
Should the marketing of prescription medication be regulated, and how should it be regulated?
Should addiction studies be required for all prescription medications (or certain types of medication) prior to their release? Who is responsible for these studies?
What responsibilities do prescribers (doctors) of opioids hold?
What responsibilities do individual communities (towns, counties) have regarding this crisis? What responsibilities do states have?
Should governments have the right to regulate this type of medication? If you answered yes, how so?
Should opioids exist?
What responsibility do individuals bear?