Prescription Requirements

I liked this article because it takes normative concepts and applies them to a specific, real-world scenario. It also challenges conventional wisdom and common practice. Sections 7, 8, and 9 in particular were interesting because they outlined a potential way to implement a prescription drug system that respected the right to self-medication and immediately addressed the two most obvious objections to that proposal. In Section 8 and 9, the author points out that people have the right to do things that are risky, but that does not mean that the government should be able to prevent them from doing it. She also points out that concerns about mixing dangerous drugs and potential addiction to pharmaceuticals are far greater than the actual incidence of those things, similar to the murder-suicide questions from Mindbugs. We think people would mix drugs and get addicted because of media coverage and pop culture, but the author correctly points out that many people illegally using pharmaceuticals are doing so for legitimate medical reasons.

One thought on “Prescription Requirements

  1. Marisa Daugherty

    I think that you make a good point when you say that it is a mind bug when we say people will abuse this, but in this case, I think that that is something that would actually happen. I agree that the pharmaceutical system is not perfect, but I think that people should need doctor approval before getting potentially addictive or dangerous drugs. Even if it is just to talk about the side effects and its interactions with other drugs.

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