I found Dr. Flanigan’s article extremely insightful about how self-medication should be society’s aim over prescription drug laws. As someone who is a minority and whose race has been historically neglected and exploited by the medical community, the points made in this article did lead me to believe Dr. Flanigan’s ultimate conclusion, which is that prescription drug laws violate patients’ rights to self-medication and that a non-prohibitive drug system should be implemented alongside prescription-grade drugs being made widely available to patients without a physician’s consent or knowledge. I did, though, have doubts about prescription-grade drugs being made available to patients without their physicians’ consent or knowledge. This is because of the high rates of substance abuse in the United States that disproportionately affects some communities more than others, such as Appalachia and low-income persons. In light of this, Dr. Flanigan adds the clause that patients who are informed and freely consent to pursue self-medication over treatment options recommended by their physician essentially waive their rights against any risk or harm done to them through their pursuit of self-medicating activities.

Nonetheless, the ethical arguments Dr. Flanigan uses to support her ultimate conclusion does cause me to wonder how other factors will affect people’s ability to self-medicate. For instance, I believe that Dr. Flanigan wrote this piece under the assumption that people who choose to self-medicate must also have the ability to consistently purchase and access self-medicating products or treatments. Of course, this is a highly idealistic perspective. Our healthcare system in the U.S. is not as effective as other nations’ healthcare systems, such as Canada or Denmark. For years, many individuals, especially if they were minorities, have expressed apprehension over going to the hospital mainly because of the exorbitant fees and insurance costs one could incur from simply being transported to a hospital in an ambulance. In response, these individuals might choose to self-medicate over a physician’s recommended treatment, but what of those who don’t have insurance or are not making a livable wage to support themselves and their families? How will they be able to self-medicate? Who is responsible for regulating the prices of self-medication products and treatments to prevent price gouging among pharmaceutical suppliers?