The ‘Opioid Crisis’, which originated in Western countries, has been misrepresented and is misinforming the global public. For 20 years, since the advent of the synthetic opioids, 25,000 Americans, on average, have died annually from opioid-related overdoses. The United States produces and consumes by far the greatest amounts of opioids. National regulations introduced to curb overdoses and restrict opioid availability have condemned many Americans, such as cancer patients or those in need of palliative care, to a life of extreme pain due to lack of access to adequate pain management. As is often the case, US-driven laws have informed and guided international regulations. Worldwide, 83% of countries have low or non-existent access to opioids for pain relief. Over 25 million people are at the end-of-life stage, with eight million people dying annually in unnecessary pain and distress. Ineffectively controlled pain is a global public health issue blighting the lives of billions of people worldwide with immeasurable human and socioeconomic costs. International conventions regulate the trade and use of controlled medications, including many opioids. The goal is to balance widespread access to optimal forms of pain management with restrictions to govern the use and prevent the misuse of controlled substances. Those conventions are failing to meet their goals. International guidelines to inform national legislation have been compromised and withdrawn, thanks to undue interference from US-based opioid manufacturers. The new goal must be to ensure equitable access, for all, to opioids and ensure that optimal pain management becomes a central component of Universal Health Coverage.

中文翻译：

---

阿片类药物：过多或不足的“危机”——或者仅仅是你有多富有和你住在哪里？

起源于西方国家的“阿片类药物危机”已被歪曲并误导了全球公众。自合成阿片类药物问世以来的 20 年里，平均每年有 25,000 名美国人死于与阿片类药物相关的过量服用。迄今为止，美国生产和消费的阿片类药物数量最多。为遏制过量服用和限制阿片类药物的供应而出台的国家法规使许多美国人（例如癌症患者或需要姑息治疗的人）因无法获得足够的疼痛管理而过着极度痛苦的生活。通常情况下，美国驱动的法律为国际法规提供信息和指导。在世界范围内，83% 的国家很少或根本没有获得用于缓解疼痛的阿片类药物。超过 2500 万人处于生命终结阶段，每年有 800 万人死于不必要的痛苦和痛苦。无法有效控制疼痛是一个全球性的公共卫生问题，给全世界数十亿人的生活带来了不可估量的人力和社会经济损失。国际公约规范管制药物的贸易和使用，包括许多阿片类药物。目标是在广泛获得最佳疼痛管理形式与限制使用和防止滥用受控物质之间取得平衡。这些公约未能实现其目标。由于美国阿片类药物制造商的不当干预，为国家立法提供信息的国际准则已被破坏和撤销。新目标必须是确保所有人都能公平获得