DRUG LAWS SHOULD APPLY TO SICK PEOPLE

Editor: My husband, Richard Paey, the disabled chronic pain and multiple
sclerosis patient who was found guilty of trafficking in pain medication, is
waiting in jail to be sentenced.

He was found guilty of copying his own pain medications and taking them at a
time when he couldn't get a doctor willing to risk taking on a high-pain
patient like Richard.

He never sold anything. Yet, he will be sentenced to 25 years in prison
because it is the mandatory minimum for this crime.

Why do the authorities want to use these tough drug laws on sick people who
need medical help instead of the real drug traffickers? They were not
created to be used in this way. Maybe it is easier to prosecute this type of
crime in this area. They may next move onto senior citizens with similar
problems or those with terminal cancer who are desperately seeking pain
relief.

Their efforts to scrutinize doctors who overprescribe pain medication and
threaten their medical license has created a situation where they are afraid
to write pain-relieving medications for their patients. This is leaving many
people suffering needlessly and can lead to creating the type of situations
similar to those seen in my husband's case.

Better referrals to chronic pain specialists need to occur. Richard was a
threat to no one but himself. Our community now must share the burden of the
costs associated with caring for him in prison. Thank you for exposing this
injustice in your article on July 21.