Bring Back Torture!

I have long been against the death penalty, but I've changed my mind about torture. This was brought on by executives of Purdue Pharma L.P. pleading guilty to misleading the public about the addictive power of OxyContin.

According to the US Department Health and Human Services the growth of pain killer (opiate) addiction is staggering.

Over the past decade-and-a-half, the number of teen and young adult (ages 12 to 25) new abusers of prescription painkillers such as oxycodone (OxyContin) or hydrocodone (Vicodin) has grown five-fold (from 400,000 in the mid-eighties to 2 million in 2000).

These are lives of children! Children! I think these men should be forced to spend 60 days on a Young Adult residential rehab unit and witness the youth they have stolen, experience the suffering that has been endured, and look into the eyes of family members whose loved ones have been kidnapped by addiction.

Then we'll torture them. It won't do a damn thing for them, but it'll sure make us feel better. A little electricity, some mental exhaustion, a bit of humiliation, and all will be well. And after the torture, I think some long term shame would be in order. Maybe being forced to wear a T-shirt everywhere they go for a year that says "I deal drugs to kids". Or maybe something a little more creative, like having to clean Cheryl Crow's guitars.

Actually, forget the torture and all the rest. Instead, every time an Oxy addict dies, these folks should have to fly to the funeral, and offer their condolences to the family. That's not torture. That's just sharing the hell.