JUDGE NOT LEST .

One in seven people in this country suffers from chronic pain caused by
conditions such as cancer, rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis, neuropathy and
musculo-skeletal back problems, a survey announced yesterday.

Other developed countries are similarly afflicted. Not surprisingly, with
persistent pain so endemic in modern societies, a battery of drugs has been
developed. Prime among these are the synthetic opioids that assist those
plagued by everything from a slipped disc and toothache to terminal cancers.

If painkillers merely killed pain they would be an unalloyed benefit to
humankind. But that is not the end of the story. They can also become
addictive, and in their role as little helpers to get you through the day,
painkillers have become a multimillion pound industry with major dependency
problems.

Taken quickly and in large doses, some of these drugs can affect the brain
in ways that are said to mimic narcotics. This problem is especially severe
in the United States, where the private healthcare system actively
encourages excessive drug use and where almost 2 million Americans have
admitted to non-prescribed use of the oxycodone painkiller OxyContin. In
some parts of rural America, the drug is even known as "hillbilly heroin".

Last week, the foremost rightwing radio talk show host in the US, Rush
Limbaugh, admitted on air that he was an oxycodone addict. At the weekend
he booked into a clinic to try to rid himself of his dependency. Few people
in the UK can have any idea of the sensation that Mr Limbaugh's confession
has caused. No one in modern America has done more than him to promote
intolerance of liberal ideas about race, sexuality and lifestyles. This
week he was forced to give up a sports commentary contract after suggesting
that a football player was persistently overrated because he is black.

One of the favoured targets of Mr Limbaugh's pernicious broadcasts has been
drug-users. There is no joy in his misfortune. But it is a striking
reminder that pain and painkillers are no respecters of politics, race, or
nationality.