# #93 - You Shouldn't Need a Prescription for Drugs | Jessica Flanigan

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ethical-frontier-6723630/93-you-shouldn-t-need-a-prescription-for-drugs-jessica-flanigan
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ethical-frontier-6723630/93-you-shouldn-t-need-a-prescription-for-drugs-jessica-flanigan.md
Podcast: [The Ethical Frontier](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ethical-frontier-6723630)
Published: 2026-05-10T13:01:44+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theethicalfrontier/episodes/93---You-Shouldnt-Need-a-Prescription-for-Drugs--Jessica-Flanigan-e3j5evh
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/e94a01fc/podcast/play/119765425/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-4-10%2F423853472-44100-2-7fc35ed83c6c3.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3658

## Resource

You can support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/chenphilosophy Jessica Flanigan is the Richard L. Morrill Chair in Ethics and Democratic Values at the University of Richmond. Website: https://jepson.richmond.edu/faculty/bios/jflaniga/ Book: https://a.co/d/3iv1vpm Summary:In Pharmaceutical Freedom, Jessica Flanigan defends patients' rights of self-medication. Flanigan argues that public officials should certify drugs instead of enforcing prohibitive pharmaceutical policies that disrespect people's rights to make intimate medical decisions and prevent patients from accessing potentially beneficial new therapies. This argument has revisionary implications for important and timely debates about medical paternalism, recreational drug legalization, human enhancement, prescription drug prices, physician-assisted suicide, and pharmaceutical marketing. The need for reform is especially urgent as medical treatment becomes increasingly personalized and patients advocate for the right to try.

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## Transcript

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