The right to health and international drug control, compulsory treatment for drug dependence and access to controlled medicines 2010, para. 46
Paragraph
Paragraph text
Many myths exist surrounding the use of controlled drugs: that they lead to addiction, do not treat pain adequately, or that chronic or terminal pain is untreatable. Health-care workers themselves often are undereducated in palliative care and feel uncomfortable prescribing opioid analgesics for fear they will lead to dependence, to the contrary conclusions of scores of studies. Where inadequate training is the norm, health-care workers may be unsure of the legal implications of their prescribing practices - especially in relation to patients who use illicit drugs - and may avoid prescribing these medications altogether, which further limits the supply of essential medications.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Body
Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Means of adoption
N.A.
Topic(s)
Health
Person(s) affected
N.A.
Year
2010
Paragraph type
Other
Reference
SR Health, Report to the UNGA (2010), A/65/255, para. 46.