Cracking Down on Neighborhood Pharmacies Fails to Solve America’s Drug Crisis

Yesterday, the federal government announced a major settlement with Walgreens for improperly dispensing pain medications since 2012. Walgreens filled prescriptions from "pill mill" doctors, fueling addiction for many patients. This was a serious issue, and states responded by cracking down on pill mills and enacting sensible regulations, which have helped. However, the settlement’s requirements for Walgreens seem excessive and misguided. I know this firsthand: my 72-year-old mother, who suffers from spinal stenosis and degenerative arthritis in her neck, fills her pain medication prescription at Walgreens every month. She’s been on the same dose for 16 years, never requests early refills, and never runs out early. Yet, she’s treated like a drug addict. This over-policing of pharmacies and doctors punishes legitimate patients like her, making it unnecessarily difficult for them to access vital medication.

Walgreens Agrees to Pay Up to $350M for Illegally Filling Unlawful Opioid Prescriptions and for Submitting False Claims to the Federal Government

🔗: https://t.co/kbrNTXwSeu pic.twitter.com/EOKfsBal0F
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) April 21, 2025

This settlement infuriates me because pharmacies like Walgreens are already paralyzed by fear of the Department of Justice. This will only make things worse. My 72-year-old mother saw the settlement on the news and immediately knew her next pain medication refill would be even more burdensome than usual. The blame doesn’t lie with Walgreens or its pharmacists—they’ve been cornered by a government adopting a frantic 'do something, anything' approach, even when those actions are ineffective. Let legitimate doctors treat their patients. Pharmacists know the reputable doctors in their communities—the ones who prescribe narcotics only when absolutely necessary. There’s no justification for treating doctors, patients, or pharmacists like criminals.

The opioid crisis was undeniably tragic. My ex-husband, who has a history of alcoholism, was prescribed excessive amounts of oxycodone. He’s never fully recovered, cycling through periods of sobriety that never last. His doctor shouldn’t have prescribed oxycodone to someone with his history, but at the time, doctors were misled about the drug’s risks, initially told it was non-addictive. Most doctors, outside of pill mills, were doing their best with the information they had. Pharmacies were simply filling prescriptions from licensed physicians. Fining Walgreens and burdening them with excessive training, paperwork, and quotas won’t address today’s drug crisis—it only punishes those already struggling within a broken system.

I’m not a junkie. I don’t take pain meds. You may want to consider reading comprehension class. I was speaking about my 72 year old mom who has spinal stenosis, debilitating arthritis in her spine and neck who takes meds prescribed to her by her physician for the last 16 years so… https://t.co/ef7GY5aMDc
— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) April 30, 2025

When you try to have meaningful conversations on Twitter about legitimate patients who rely on long-term narcotic use, you’re met with absurd responses. This stems from the media and government portraying everyone who uses pain medication as a drug seeker, unfairly stigmatizing those with genuine medical needs.

she has a full life with friends and family and would like to not be in pain ever moment. I think she looks great! Hardly a junkie. pic.twitter.com/HAsOFvp3yD
— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) April 30, 2025

My mother is nothing like the drug-seeker stereotype. She takes her pain medication to live a fuller life with less pain, though she’s never entirely pain-free—a reality most people don’t grasp. For many patients like her, these medications simply dull the pain enough to allow them to exercise, tend their garden, dine with friends, or enjoy their grandchildren. That’s my mother’s story. It’s infuriating to watch the government target pharmacies like Walgreens because it’s an easy fix, while ignoring the real crisis. Kids are dying from fentanyl, not from prescription pain pills dispensed at Walgreens.

Many people do not realize how bad it can be for a lot of people especially those who do not have addictive personalities. The elderly are forgotten about and really need pain medication just to help themselves move and take care of their basic needs. https://t.co/ufXhaigegn
— RallyG (@Rallyg84) April 30, 2025

No one is dying from rx pain medication taken as rx. https://t.co/zbsdh1Z9lv
— Dr Hoss T, PhD (@hoss_tagge) April 20, 2025

In 2025, patients taking pain medication as prescribed face relentless scrutiny. They must visit their doctor monthly, undergo frequent drug tests to prove they’re not selling their medication, and bring their prescription bottles on demand to verify compliance. After enduring all this, they still have to hope the pharmacist on duty will fill their legitimate prescription. My mother once visited seven pharmacies before one would dispense her valid prescription. Pharmacists rarely refuse outright—they just claim they’re 'out of stock,' which is absurd. These patients are monitored like criminals and treated like outcasts, despite posing no threat to the drug problem.

The real culprits fueling the drug crisis are far more complex: open borders allowing fentanyl to flood in, the breakdown of family structures, parents failing to secure their legitimate prescriptions from their children, and gangs and cartels thriving at the border. These are daunting challenges to tackle. Instead, the government targets pharmacies, doctors, and pharmacists—professionals who value their careers and are easy to intimidate with excessive regulations. It’s 'doing something,' but it accomplishes little of substance.

Cracking Down on Neighborhood Pharmacies Fails to Solve America’s Drug Crisis

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