Pharmaceutical Freedom: Why Patients Have a Right to Self Medicate

Argues that patients possess a moral right to self-medicate, encompassing both therapeutic and recreational drugs. She contends that current prohibitive regulations, such as prescription requirements and premarket approval systems, are unjustifiably paternalistic and violate individual bodily autonomy. Flanigan draws a direct parallel between the doctrine of informed consent in clinical settings and a patient's right to access medication, suggesting that if people are permitted to refuse life-saving treatment, they should also be allowed to pursue risky medical choices. The text challenges the idea that public health officials are better positioned than individuals to judge acceptable levels of risk. Instead of total prohibition, the author advocates for a certificatory approach where the state provides information and warnings while leaving final medical decisions to the patient. Ultimately, the source asserts that liberal values and medical ethics require respecting a person's authority to govern their own body, even when their choices appear imprudent to experts.Get the Book now from Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Pharmaceutical-Freedom-Patients-Right-Medicate-ebook/dp/B073RLDDQK?&linkCode=ll2&tag=cvthunderx-20&linkId=7305ad8153def3f730f5312e72240a11&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tlYou can listen and download our episodes for free on more than 10 different platforms:https://linktr.ee/pharmacy_simpleProduced by:https://www.podcaistudio.com/