The so-called upscheduling had been controversial, with public opinion weighing in pro (52 percent) and con (41). Chronic-pain patients complained loudly about the added cost and inconvenience. “Just because the DEA cannot figure out how to control the illegal use of these drugs should not be a reason to penalize millions of responsible individuals in serious pain,” one critic wrote in a published letter to pharmacist Joe Graedon, The People’s Pharmacy columnist. On a website set up by the DEA for public feedback, several patients warned that rescheduling the drugs would limit their
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