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September 15, 2008
Article discusses Cindy McCain's past abuse of prescription painkillers
On its front page, the Washington Post (9/12, A1, Kindy) reports that Cindy McCain, wife of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) "often cites...her battle with -- and ultimate victory over -- prescription painkillers."
McCain says that her "struggle...taught her valuable lessons about" prescription-medication "abuse that she would pass on to the nation," were she to become first lady. She "has said that she became addicted to Vicodin (acetaminophen/hydrocodone) and Percocet (acetaminophen/oxycodone) in early 1989."
According to McCain, "she hid her addiction from her husband...and stopped taking the painkillers in 1992 after her parents confronted her." But, McCain's "journey through this personal crisis...had more consequences for her and those around her than she has acknowledged."
For example, "her misuse of painkillers prompted an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and local prosecutors that put her in legal jeopardy," and the doctor "who supplied her with prescriptions for the" medications "lost his license, and never practiced again."
Related Links:
- "A Tangled Story of Addiction: Consequences of Cindy McCain's Drug Abuse Were More Complex Than She Has Portrayed, Kimberly Kindy, Washington Post, September 12, 2008.
Posted by admin at September 15, 2008 12:06 PM