With regards to the opinion expressed by Tom Sharples in his Sept. 28 letter, “Treatment disabled by new law,” the new regulations, championed by Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, were not his sole creation, but designed by many individuals in the medical community to help primary care providers, who were being overwhelmed by individuals claiming to have chronic pain. Having worked in primary care for nearly 30 years, it is not an easy task to tell individuals with real pain problems from those who are drug seekers. Therefore, these regulations are there to help provide relief for the family physicians, internists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, who provide the majority of primary care, a better way for managing individuals with complex pain problems and block out those individuals who are just working the system for their addictions or for profit.
Steve Engard
Ridgefield
