Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

(JNS) — Harvey Milstein’s introduction to chronic pain, and to opioids, began in 2006 when he attempted to wrestle a shotgun cartridge filled with shot out of the barrel of his gun. The gun accidentally fired, shattering his left kneecap and filling it with shrapnel. At the hospital, Milstein was given OxyContin and Percocet, opioids, to ease the pain.

“The first few years they gave me medication whenever I needed it,” he recalls. “In later years they began putting limits on how much I could get.”

As his walk became affected by his injured knee, Milstein developed spinal stenosi...