by Emma Whelan, Mark Asbridge
Abstract:
Background OxyContin® (Purdue Pharma, L.P., Stamford, CT) is now widely regarded as a drug of abuse fueling a larger opioid health crisis. While coverage in the North American press about OxyContin overwhelmingly focused upon the problems of related crime and addiction/misuse and the perspectives of law enforcement officials and police, coverage in those fields of medicine most intimately concerned with OxyContin—pain medicine and addiction medicine—was more nuanced. Methods In this article, we draw upon the constructivist social problems tradition and Hunt's theory of moral regulation in a qualitative analysis of 24 medical journal articles. We compare and contrast pain medicine and addiction medicine representations of the OxyContin problem, the agents responsible for it, and proposed solutions. Results While there are some significant differences, particularly concerning the nature of the problem and the agents responsible for it, both pain medicine and addiction medicine authors ‘take responsibility’ in ways that attempt to mitigate the potential appropriation of the issue by law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Conclusions The responses of pain medicine and addiction medicine journal articles represent strategic moves to recapture lost credibility, to retain client populations and tools necessary to their jobs, and to claim a seat at the table in responding to the OxyContin crisis.
Reference:
The OxyContin crisis: Problematisation and responsibilisation strategies in addiction, pain, and general medicine journals (Emma Whelan, Mark Asbridge), In International Journal of Drug Policy, volume 24, no. 5, 2013.AbstractBackground OxyContin® (Purdue Pharma, L.P., Stamford, CT) is now widely regarded as a drug of abuse fueling a larger opioid health crisis. While coverage in the North American press about OxyContin overwhelmingly focused upon the problems of related crime and addiction/misuse and the perspectives of law enforcement officials and police, coverage in those fields of medicine most intimately concerned with OxyContin—pain medicine and addiction medicine—was more nuanced. Methods In this article, we draw upon the constructivist social problems tradition and Hunt's theory of moral regulation in a qualitative analysis of 24 medical journal articles. We compare and contrast pain medicine and addiction medicine representations of the OxyContin problem, the agents responsible for it, and proposed solutions. Results While there are some significant differences, particularly concerning the nature of the problem and the agents responsible for it, both pain medicine and addiction medicine authors ‘take responsibility’ in ways that attempt to mitigate the potential appropriation of the issue by law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Conclusions The responses of pain medicine and addiction medicine journal articles represent strategic moves to recapture lost credibility, to retain client populations and tools necessary to their jobs, and to claim a seat at the table in responding to the OxyContin crisis.KeywordsSocial problems ()
Bibtex Entry:
@article{Whelan2013402,
title = "The OxyContin crisis: Problematisation and responsibilisation strategies in addiction, pain, and general medicine journals ",
journal = "International Journal of Drug Policy ",
volume = "24",
number = "5",
pages = "402 - 411",
year = "2013",
note = "",
issn = "0955-3959",
doi = "http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.01.007",
url = "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095539591300008X",
author = "Emma Whelan and Mark Asbridge",
keywords = "OxyContin",
keywords = "Pain medicine",
keywords = "Addiction medicine",
keywords = "Moral regulation",
keywords = "Social problems ",
abstract = "Background OxyContin® (Purdue Pharma, L.P., Stamford, CT) is now widely regarded as a drug of abuse fueling a larger opioid health crisis. While coverage in the North American press about OxyContin overwhelmingly focused upon the problems of related crime and addiction/misuse and the perspectives of law enforcement officials and police, coverage in those fields of medicine most intimately concerned with OxyContin—pain medicine and addiction medicine—was more nuanced. Methods In this article, we draw upon the constructivist social problems tradition and Hunt's theory of moral regulation in a qualitative analysis of 24 medical journal articles. We compare and contrast pain medicine and addiction medicine representations of the OxyContin problem, the agents responsible for it, and proposed solutions. Results While there are some significant differences, particularly concerning the nature of the problem and the agents responsible for it, both pain medicine and addiction medicine authors ‘take responsibility’ in ways that attempt to mitigate the potential appropriation of the issue by law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Conclusions The responses of pain medicine and addiction medicine journal articles represent strategic moves to recapture lost credibility, to retain client populations and tools necessary to their jobs, and to claim a seat at the table in responding to the OxyContin crisis. "
}