Columnist likens pain docs to drug pushers and loan sharks

Doctors at some pain management clinics are the equivalent to modern-day drug pushers, writes Richmond business columnist Don McNay in a piece entitled, "Making money in businesses that are supposed to (and should) be illegal."

"People spend a few minutes and lots of money to get a 'physical'," he writes. "They skip insurance and pay the clinic with cash or a credit card. The 'medical staff' will then arrange for you to get a large order of the highly addictive pain medicines prescribed by the clinic doc. You can often get the prescription filled right at the clinic."

McNay points out such clinics are "perfectly legal" in Kentucky and owners do not have to have a medical background. (A bill in the legislature would change that.) "I'm not a lawyer, but would love to own a law firm," he writes. "I'd like to own a plumbing contracting firm but not be a licensed plumber. . . . None of those options are available to me. But owning a pain management clinic is."

He likens the clinics to payday lenders, which he likens to "legalized loan sharking." He also takes issue with the "Super PAC" concept, which allows corporations to make unlimited contributions to political campaigns. "With super PACs allowing corporations to give unlimited amounts to fund campaigns," he writes, "the big corporations control the political process."

McNay concludes, "As a society, it would seem logical that we would want drug pushing, loan sharking and corporate influence peddling to stop. At the very least, we could go back to making it against the law." (Read more)