A doctor’s take on pain management

In a recent article discussing the possible merits of cannabis as a tool in pain management, used to avoid or diminish the use of opioid medications, I — a retired family physician — was infuriated to read Dr. Jay Joshi’s paternalistic comments regarding proper pain management (“Can expanding the state’s medical cannabis program help curb the opioid crisis?” April 2).

He seems to imply that all patients with pain issues should be “treated by true experts” to avoid perpetuating the “epidemic of stupidity” relating to the current opioid crisis.

There is not a practicing general physician who would not give his soul for even ONE satisfactory pain management consultation. In my experience, there either is no pain management specialist available, whether for reasons of sheer numbers or insurance issues. Either that or the pain management consultation is so superficial it proves to be a waste of my time and the patient’s.

I completely agree that adequate, competent, thorough pain management consultation is ideal. Where does that exist, Dr. Joshi? Whether he knows it or not, so- called pain management specialists were on the front lines of the dispersal of highly addictive medications, the consequences of which will continue to plague us far into the future. Steve Menhennett, Berwyn