From the 1/29 Show – The FDA – al Qaida – Zogenix and ZoHydro – Homeland Security

Since September, 11 2001, an organization few in America had heard of changed the course of world history.  While al Qaida has brought death and destruction to tens of thousands in the world, the FDA has become the al Qaida equivalent in our country.  Since the FDA allowed the release of OxyContin tens of thousands of innocent victims have been lost to the heroin equivalents.  The Florida Examiners Report for 2010 lists over 1500 deaths from oxycodone (OxyContin’s ingredient) and over 300 deaths from hydrocodone (active opioid in Vicodin).

The FDA’s secret march to bring more death and destruction appears to be continuing forward.  An unfathomable thought: is the FDA leadership an operative for al Qaida?   Ok, maybe crazy, but I need an explanation on why the FDA remains silent as the destruction from the opioids continues to grow.

It was recently reported that a “24 hour timed release” version of hydrocodone is being considered by the FDA.  The Associated Press was the first to report on it nationally. http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/zohydro_new_powerful_painkille.html

“The new pills contain the highly addictive painkiller hydrocodone, packing up to 10 times the amount of the drug as existing medications such as Vicodin.  Four companies have begun patient testing, and one of them — Zogenix of San Diego — plans to apply early next year to begin marketing its product, Zohydro.”

A product with ten times the amount of hydrocodone that is in a Vicodin tablet may be on our streets within the year!   Homeland Security continues to monitor the airline traffic and ports of entry in our country and have turned a blind eye to “our enemy within” this country, the FDA!

Advocates for the Reform of Prescription Opioids (ARPO) http://www.rxreform.org/   is leading the awareness campaign to bring a stop to the FDA’s most recent actions.  The President of ARPO, Peter Jackson, states “Hydrocodone has been implicated in the deaths of thousands” and “you have a recipe for disaster similar to the tragedy that has happened to OxyContin”.

Erich Curnow from the Examiners.com recently wrote: “it’s not okay to get people hooked on pain medication for profit.” http://www.examiner.com/addictions-in-pittsburgh/arpo-takes-aim-at-fda-over-latest-rx-madness    The reporters in our country are beginning to understand the complicity of the FDA.

The beginning of the effort to let the FDA know they are no longer working in secrecy has begun.  We need to stop the FDA from allowing a “super dose” of hydrocodone to be on our streets.  Please contact ARPO at http://www.rxreform.org/contact/

If you have a lot of extra time, contact Homeland Security and ask them if they know of the FDA’s actions to help addict and kill tens of thousands of individuals?

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From the 1/22 Show – Dr. Scott Fishman and The University of California Davis

Most of the people reading this have signed the BanOxyContin Petition. The following message went to the BanOxyContin signers earlier this week.

BanOxyContin Update/Re: Dr. Scott Fishman

Many people responded to our last request to send messages to the Dean of the University California Davis Medical School concerning Dr. Scott Fishman and his close affiliation with the legal drug cartels in our country. The University of Davis Health System issued a public response.
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/publish/news/newsroom/6112    In part: “Dr. Fishman is a highly ethical, socially responsible physician who has advocated for the responsible use of pain medicine. He is an excellent physician who practices the highest standard of medicine and always acts in the best interest of patients. We are proud to have him as a member of the UC Davis faculty. The ProPublica story is an inaccurate and misleading representation of Dr. Fishman.”

This statement comes after our collective request to the University of California to publicly make a statement concerning Dr. Fishman for being the past President of the American Pain Foundation who received 88% of their funding last year from the legal narcotic manufacturers http://www.propublica.org/article/the-champion-of-painkillers     (including the maker of OxyContin-Purdue Pharma).

Fishman also apparently has a close affiliation with our United States Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin. Dr. Benjamin was the former Chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States whose organization has been supportive of sending out tens of thousands of copies of Fishman’s book that promotes and supports more unhindered narcotic distribution by our doctors: RESPONSIBLE OPIOID PRESCRIBING – A Physician’s Guide http://www.fsmb.org/pain-overview.html

Please send another message to the UC Davis that you expect them to retract their recent press release and Fishman remains a disgrace to the University campus. Fishman has been a part of destroying thousands of lives and this is our chance to let America know we are not going to sit silent any longer.

If your time is limited, please feel free to use this one short paragraph to the University Chancellor – Linda P.B Katehi:
I am concerned that you have allowed Dr. Scott Fishman continue to work at the University of California after tens of thousands have either died or been greatly affected from his leadership of The American Pain Foundation. Dr Scott Fishman is an embarrassment to your fine institution.

This is Chancellor Katehi’s contact page. http://chancellor.ucdavis.edu/contact.php

Finally, please send a note of support to http://stoppnow.com/STOPPNOW/WELCOME.html
Their next rally in front of a pain clinic in South Florida is Monday Jan 30.

PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND SEND A SHORT MESSAGE OF SUPPORT TO STOPPNOW AND LET CHANCELLOR KATECHI KNOW THAT IT IS NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL ANY LONGER FOR THE DRUG COMPANIES.

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From the 1/15 Show – Ron Paul and Rand Paul – “Like Father, Like Son”

Pinellas County, Florida lost a 19-year old to drugs last week. Another death from a “legal product”. http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/police-safety-harbor-teen-had-smoked-synthetic-drug-before-drowning/1209812   The damages from the designer drugs continues to increase.

The challenge for the radio show is trying to understand why most adults don’t know and understand the products being sold to our young people on the streets. The designer drugs have been sold freely as “bath salts” and “plant foods” and have the ability to create dangerous mind altering experiences. Every parent should be outraged that the ability to obtain the designer drugs from the local convenience store or head shop continues. Every parent should be knowledgeable of what is available to their child on the street.

Fortunately, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and many state leaders around the country have recognized the dangers of the designer drugs. The DEA has made many of the drugs illegal and many states (Florida included) has pushed for official legislation.

The designer drugs offer a challenge because when a specific chemical entity is made illegal, another chemical replaces it on the shelves that the government has not had a chance to address.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation to both make the existing designer drugs illegal and help the DEA remove future designer drugs more quickly. This is a common sense measure to help protect individuals from personal damage, families from burying their loved ones, and communities from paying for the collateral damage from the drugs.

It is astonishing to this radio show host that the U.S. Senate has not passed the final legislation that would remove the dangerous and absolutely unnecessary designer drugs from the local store shelves.

According to news reports, it is one lone Senator that is holding up the legislation. It is Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/01/09/gvsb0109.htm

It is widely reported on Rand Paul’s father: Ron Paul’s inane stance on “The War on Drugs”. With 70% of the drug deaths and majority of the community’s problems from legal drugs in our country, the experiment on “legalization” is clear. We lost a 19 year old young man this week because an unnecessary product was on a store shelf.

Rand Paul, apparently following in his illogical father’s footsteps, has decided that destruction and deaths from unnecessary products makes sense.

What makes it more incomprehensible is Rand Paul is listed as a medical doctor. A sad commentary on the medical compatriots that remain silent on Rand Paul’s uncaring decision.

Ron Paul is also listed as a doctor. Like father, like son?

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From the 1/8 Show – Time Magazine Becomes a Champion for the Legal Drug Cartels

Special interests influencing the written word are nothing new to journalism. Powerful entities will hire a journalist to write a story within a major publication without revealing the influence or monetary incentive the journalist may have.

It appears to this writer that Time Magazine may have succumbed to some biased journalism. I am assuming that Time has seen its print sales continue to deteriorate in recent years and catering to large money interests may have become a reality not envisioned in the great and influential past history of Time Magazine.

I am referencing the recent article in Viewpoint: “Champion of Pain Relief, Siobhan Reynolds Dead in Plane Crash – The pain community loses a pioneering activist” on January 3, 2012. http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/03/champion-of-pain-relief-siobhan-reynolds-dead-in-plane-crash/

Siobhan Reynolds was a strong and often quoted spokesperson for the increased distribution of legal narcotics. Reynolds paraded around the country defending the most egregious and public examples of the drug fiasco. Reynolds strongly advocated for the unhindered and unregulated prescribing of narcotics by any charlatan who had access to a prescription pad. Reynolds represented a phony organization called “The Pain Relief Network” which was nothing more than a mouthpiece for the legal drug cartels. I am not aware of her ever being questioned or reprimanded publicly by any drug producing entity.

I had long questioned Reynolds sincerity in helping people because she refused to come on the radio show. She accused me some untruths and knew she couldn’t take the scrutiny of a knowledgeable person in an open interview.

Unfortunately, Reynolds died in a recent plane crash. While this writer adamantly opposed the viewpoints of Reynolds and didn’t have much respect for her, I am always saddened by a violent death. It is now in the hands of our maker how her destructive actions will be judged.

The positive quotes on Siobhan Reynolds within the Time Magazine article are numerous. The drug company cartel influence came through strongly within the halls of Time Magazine.

Tens of thousands of people are suffering from the over distribution of legal drugs, and the radio show can’t get a single advocate who speaks of the accolades of Siobhan Reynolds to openly discuss the drug fiasco.

May Siobhan Reynolds rest in peace and her advocates consider the legacy she left behind.

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From the 12/25 Show – ProPublica Steps Forward

The truth is that the 12/25 show was a repeat of a “best of” show from October. However, I couldn’t let two tremendous articles published last week go without immediate notice.
ProPublica published the article: “The Champion of Pain Killers”.

http://www.propublica.org/article/the-champion-of-painkillers  The article exposed The American Pain Foundation which for years has promoted the concept that “The risk of addiction is overblown, and the drugs (opioids) are underused.” The American Pain Foundation claims to be an advocate for “patients in pain” and fails to reveal their extensive funding from the legal narcotic drug companies. Unfortunately, too many uneducated journalists continue to use the Foundation for information and quotes.
The second impressive article from ProPublica is equally disturbing.    

http://www.propublica.org/article/two-leaders-in-pain-treatment-have-long-ties-to-drug-industry   The article reveals that Dr. Scott Fishman, chairman and president of the American Pain Foundation and Dr. Perry Fine, a prominent board member of the Foundation are less than candid in their financial ties to the opioid industry. Both Dr. Fishman and Dr. Fine have extensively presented themselves as experts in pain management and narcotic pain therapy in many venues without openly revealing their financial ties to the legal drug cartels they have directly or indirectly represented.
ProPublica indicates that both Fishman and Fine have been less than honest with their respective employers, the University of Utah and The University of California, Davis. It is a sad commentary when two faculty members of respected universities can parade as experts in narcotics when tens of thousands of loved ones and individuals suffer from the biased information Fishman and Fine have expressed. It is sadder if the university administration is not aware of the financial ties both men have to an industry this radio show host believes has no moral conscience.
Take a minute and send a short message regarding Dr. Fine to the Dean of the University School of Medicine of Utah, Dr. Vivian Lee ( vivian.lee@hsc.utah.edu  )
Regarding Dr. Scott Fishman, contact the Dean of UC Davis School of Medicine Dr. Claire Pomeroy ( Claire.pomeroy@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu  )
In essence, the message should be clear that you have been affected from the misuse of the opioids and you are requesting that the doctors are stopped from receiving outside funding from the drug companies that have misrepresented the true dangers of the narcotics. Dr Fishman and Dr. Fine need to be stopped and the University Dean’s told that their faculty member’s actions are an embarrassment to their respective institutions.

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From the 12/18 Show – PETA and The Humane Society Inhumane – Pets Neglected

I remain amazed at the love many people claim to show their animals when in truth the animals are being psychologically neglected. It is time to better focus on the needs of our pets and learn from how we are treating our children.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is being diagnosed with increasing frequency. Recently, 4.5 million of our children have been diagnosed with ADHD http://www.adhdchildparenting.com/facts-about-adhd.php  All are candidates for the powerful amphetamine based drugs that the American Pediatric Society is recommending for children as young as four years old. http://healthland.time.com/2011/10/17/new-adhd-guidelines-include-kids-as-young-as-4/
The symptoms of ADHD are many. In part, WEBMD http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-symptoms  lists the following:
• difficulty paying attention to details
• easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli and frequently interrupting ongoing tasks to attend to trivial noises or events that are usually ignored by others
• inability to sustain attention on tasks or activities
• frequent shifts from one uncompleted activity to another
• fidgeting, squirming when seated
• getting up frequently to walk or run around
• running or climbing excessively when it’s inappropriate
• having difficulty playing quietly or engaging in quiet leisure activities
• being always on the go
• impatience
• frequently interrupting or intruding on others to the point of causing problems in social or work settings
In our quest to standardize and stabilize the children’s movements, we have been increasingly drugging our children with powerful amphetamines and cocaine mimicking drugs. Sales levels continue to increase for Adderall and Vyvanse.
The radio show has come to the conclusion that we are mistreating our animals. Puppies and dogs have the exact same symptoms our children have. I advocate for the drugging of our animals. The playfulness and innocence of a puppy should be curtailed. Amphetamines work at home and in the classroom for our children and using the logic of helping create a well adjusted child should be used on our pets.
Our pets have the same symptoms of our children at a young age. I say it is time to drug the puppies starting at an early age. If it’s good for our children, then logic dictates that Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Vyvanse and Focalin makes sense for our animals too.
To every person who loves their pet – Contact your local PETA group and Humane Society and advocate for the same treatment for your pet that we give our children.

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From the 12/11 Show – David S. Craig and St. Pete Times – Racial Bias Revealed

The radio show has long lamented the ignorance my local newspaper continues to display regarding the growing drug epidemic. The home of the St. Pete Times, Pinellas County, has the highest reported drug related deaths in Florida http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/9256e6e4-67bf-4a02-a7c6-3f1e93fde6c1/2010DrugReport.aspx While the Times will report on the deaths and destruction from drugs that are interchangeable with the heroin drug trade, it appears the paper continues to support an unhindered legal narcotic distribution.

On December 1st, after a major drug chain was to have reported to not fill prescriptions for some doctors in Florida, the Times followed up with an editorial that included: “With drugstore chains now dominating the prescription drug market, any mistake that stigmatizes legitimate doctors’ prescriptions has the ability to greatly hinder their patients’ ability to obtain the drugs they medically require.” http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1204174.ece The phrase “legitimate doctor” has never been defined in the scientific literature. The Times succumbed to a marketing term used by the legal drug mavens.

On Thursday, December 8th, David S. Craig, a pharmacist associated with The Mayday Fund http://www.maydayfellows.org/ submitted an article to the St. Pete Times. Craig’s article displayed how desperate both the pain maven industry has become and the Times remained a willing participant. http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/cancer-patients-denied-needed-pain-treatment/1205203

In the beginning of Craig’s editorial: “Jane is a 40-year-old married woman, a veteran of the Marine Corps and a mother of two small children.” I am assuming Jane is Caucasian. Jane has been diagnosed with cancer and has had a difficult time finding a pharmacist who will dispense her large quantities of oxycodone. While Craig takes issue with a drug chain making a positive decision for the communities in Florida, he ignores that possibly the pharmacists refusing the prescriptions are concerned about the safety of Jane’s children while on the large doses of narcotics.

Craig later states the drug cartel mantra of an “estimated 116 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain and are finding it harder to get the treatment they need.” Publishing a statement implying over a third of the adult population are candidates for derivatives of the opium plant is beyond common sense, but the pain industry and the St. Pete Times have become comical in their plight to protect the industry.

Craig states: “The reality is that many health care professionals, including physicians, pharmacists and nurses, do not receive appropriate training in pain management and how to effectively identify risk factors or common behaviors associated with drug addiction. As a pharmacist, I understand these challenges and have an important role in keeping patients safe and their pain adequately treated.”

It is clear that Craig has put himself in a superior category of identifying individuals who will have a potential problem from the dangers of an opioid drug. From his article, Craig has identified that 40-year-old-married-white women – with children are safe candidates for the lifelong dependence opioids create. For Craig and the Times, it would appear that minorities, men, homeless, unemployed and anyone on a lower socio-economic scale are not safe candidates to dispense narcotics to.

A racially biased and derogatory statement towards who The St Pete Times thinks are susceptible to drug addiction should be retracted by the paper. David S. Craig is an embarrassment to a fellow pharmacist who views every individual with the same concerns regardless of their background or economic standing.

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From the 12/4 Show – Gray Swoope – Assignment – Save Florida

Almost two weeks ago an article revealed Florida’s President and CEO of Enterprise Florida, Gray Swoope.  To this radio show host, Gray Swoope has been a well kept secret in our state.  http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020423&docId=l:1547932439&Em=7&start=1 Swoope has been in his job as “Florida Job Czar” since March 21st.  It is Swoope’s mission to bring jobs to Florida.  Governor Rick Scott is depending on Swoope to fulfill his $300,000 salary for the best interests of our citizens in this state. 

The radio show has continually reminded its listener that Florida will not grow and prosper unless business and elected officials begin to understand the scope of the drug problem in our state and the economic ramifications.

Dependence, addiction, crime, incarceration, drug related deaths, drug testing, fraud, homelessness related to drugs and alcohol (the list is considerable)  combined with the head in the sand attitude of the leaders in our state will prevent Swoope from succeeding. Globally thinking forward thinking business CEO’s and planners need communities whose police are not chasing an inordinate amount of drug deals all day long.  Pinellas County has had to add fifteen drug diversion investigators to the payroll over the last three years. Every police chief in the state can share what drugs are doing to our communities. 

It is preposterous to believe that as the drug distribution and corresponding incapacitation of too many young people continues in our state major business entities will invest in our state.  Corporate tax breaks without a restructuring of our tenets of preparing our work force in what should be their most productive years is doomed for failure.  Focusing on education must include educating our schools that Florida cannot succeed unless we get the drug epidemic under control. 

My hope is for Gray Swoope to succeed.  Presently, he doesn’t have all the tools he needs for long term success.

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From the 11/27 Show – A Higher Standard of Care for Bartenders Than Doctors

A milestone show again Sunday night. Florida State Representative Jim Frishe started out the show with me. It appears the silence from our elected officials is being broken. It was evident and refreshing that Rep Frishe clearly understood the scope of the growing drug culture in our country and understands more has to be done moving forward. With Rep Frishe’s example, I hope we can all expect that more elected officials will be stepping forward to help the radio show bring business, church and community leaders together to discuss the huge economic damage being created by the increasing proliferation of drugs into our communities, both legal and illegal.

Later in the show the sentencing of David Laffer, the man who killed four people in a Long Island pharmacy last summer was discussed http://www.newsday.com/long-island/records-show-laffer-shopped-for-doctors-1.3330619 Laffer was sentenced to life in prison and his wife for 25 years. Prior to the June 19th killings, Laffer had received 400 pills from five different doctors from June 7th to June 17th. New York State has a “drug data base” available to the medical profession. In a four year period Laffer and his wife had legally obtained 12,000 narcotic containing pills from a number of doctors. It appears that New York’s drug data base was created for cosmetic purposes only.

The radio show found it ironic that most states have what are called Dram Shop Laws. A bar (bartender) can be held liable for a patron’s actions if they are served alcohol while visibly drunk. The bartender has a civil obligation to not serve someone who may be exhibiting dangerous behavior to themselves or possibly someone around them.

This radio show host questions the logic of holding a bartender liable for a person’s safety and the medical profession has a carte blanche on haphazardly passing out narcotics in a cash transaction.

The system has become so upside down that attorney’s have a hard time presenting evidence contrary to the existing “Standard of Care”. The doctor’s cash transactions for the narcotics has effectively become a part of the “Standard of Care” in medicine.

The “Standard of Care” for a bartender is higher than the “Standard of Care” expected from today’s doctor!

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From the 11/20 Show – Legitimate Patient Defined (Denial) and the Price of OxyContin

Two major topics come to mind this week. Last week’s blog explained the creation of “legitimate use”, legitimate prescription”, “legitimate doctor”, and “legitimate patient”. The word legitimate has been a catch word created by the masterminds of pharmaceutical marketing.

On Sunday night, the radio show explained what a legitimate patient is. The legitimate patient is the person who trustingly goes to their doctor looking for help with a painful condition. The doctor, “in their wisdom”, puts the person on a regimented dose of a hydrocodone or oxycodone containing product. To the person’s credit, they become “legitimized” by not taking more than the doctor prescribed.

As the physical, psychological and emotional effects from the opioid continues to become a factor in the person’s life, they slowly reach the reality that they will suffer severe withdrawal, pain and emotional effects from the discontinuation of the narcotic. The reality of what the narcotic is doing to them moves into the realm of denial.

The legitimate patient becomes a soldier for the drug companies in their denial phase. The drug mavens have convinced the legitimate patients suffering from the legal narcotics and in denial that people want to take their drugs from them (A.K.A. – A radio show). The myth of the legitimate patient is a powerful force in continuing the unhindered proliferation of an uneducated media and future patients.

Educating the public will prevent many from falling into the black hole narcotics create.

It was reported that the price of OxyContin has dropped on the street by 28% from last year to present. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20111116006249/en/StreetRx-Study-Year-OxyContin-Shows-Black-Market-Price StreetRx.com is apparently directly or indirectly associated with Purdue Pharma. The information on recent OxyContin pricing was presented to imply that the street demand is less for the newest version of OxyContin.

The reality is that oxycodone is oxycodone. With the easy ability to heat the OP OxyContin in the oven, the price for OxyContin is now on a level with the instant release oxycodone products. The reduced price of the OxyContin should frighten every person, business head, and community leader in our country. Prices are based on supply and demand. The lower the price, the greater the supply!

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