Dying patients protest looming telehealth crackdown

An Associated Press story featured David Herzberg in a report the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed a rule that would reinstate long standing requirements that doctors see patients in person before prescribing narcotic drugs such as Oxycontin and amphetamines such as Adderall. The DEA aims to reduce improper prescribing of these drugs that became extremely popular during the pandemic. Herzberg believes the balancing act between the DEA and desperate patients is extremely tricky. He said, “The clash between desperate patients who need treatment and DEA’s efforts to bar telehealth companies from overprescribing dangerous medications was inevitable.”