There was a recent article in the Hartford Advocate http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/featured-news/connecticuts-drug-war-is-a-bust-6    lamenting “the drug war” and how it has failed.  The advocates for legalizing all drugs continue to use the 1970’s term “drug war” crafted by Richard Nixon.  Nobody but disingenuous individuals use that term anymore.  The reality is the phrase “drug war” was dropped many years ago by the government and the incarceration rates started to increase after the democrats pushed stronger legislation for incarceration in 1986.  The terminology "drug war" started to fade from our government. 

In summary, the drug mavens and advocates for creating more availability of drugs to every man, woman and child in our country use the statistics of incarceration rates, law enforcement expenses, tax payer costs, probation and  parole costs and the loss of revenue from possible taxation of drugs.

When a law enforcement officer is told by a family member, “thank God my loved one is in jail where I know they are safe” should tell volumes on the lunacy for legalization.  When minimal public costs for treatment for a loved one is $1500 to $2000 a month how can legalization be considered?  Who is going to pay for the additional treatment individuals will need from legalization?   Private treatment approaches $30,000 a month! 

 The argument of taxation makes no sense when alcohol brings in a minimal amount of revenue in comparison to the costs of alcohol to our society.  To believe that “taxing drugs” will balance the damage and destruction drugs create has no basis of fact. To make drugs legal because the challenge to prevent the damage and destruction to people is an inconvenience to society and is measured in pure economic costs has to be challenged.  The families who have loved one hopelessly addicted need to be heard on the logic of legalization.  I have no problem keeping someone in jail so they can’t introduce children to drugs.

The legalization advocates need to be challenged concerning their true agenda.  The cost for legalization of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine needs to be revealed.  The radio show delves into the human factor more than the legalization advocates can answer to.  The mass distribution and growing damage the legal prescription narcotics and amphetamines are creating is evidence that it is time for the advocates for legalization to be challenged. 

Sunday night’s show was both a milestone show and symbolic of where the radio show is going.   While the silent epidemic continues to grow the radio show remains the only vehicle in America that consistently discusses what almost every person in America sees but remains blind to.  The growing acceptance of the destruction drugs are doing to this country needs to stop.  I await for  business and industry to step forward to realize the economic destruction that the legal distribution of narcotics, amphetamines and mind altering psychotropic drugs are doing too far too many of our loved ones and acquaintances.  What starts as an original office call to a doctor for much needed help ends as a monthly visit that is necessary to make sure withdrawal and depression do not set in.  Too many monthly visits are putting too many drugs out onto our streets!

Sunday night was a milestone because in studio were two high school students who helped display that the adults  do not understand the epidemic in our community.  When a student lays their head down on a desk because of drug use and not because of being tired from working too late the night before should scream volumes to this community.  When a good student can “score” an Adderal without looking very far it is time for the legal  drug dealers in this community to account for it. 

Sunday’s show should bring outrage from the community.  The drug mavens sanctioned by our FDA and government have infiltrated our schools and children.  Are the adults going to continue to sit idle or are they going to listen to what the reality in our schools are today?  I hope Sunday’s show is the primer that starts America to listen to the high school students in our communities.   

Sunday’s show was a reminder to  me that the adults are failing our children.  We will never have “drug free schools” if  the adults don’t get it.

The radio show recently reminded it’s listeners of FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg’s foibles and shortcomings concerning the growing legal narcotics fiasco in this country (7/25).  As the epidemic of dependency, addiction and death continues under the silence and tacit approval of the FDA, Margaret Hamburg will also have Joshua M. Scharfstein as her companion in the  ongoing debacle. 

Sharfstein apparently has impressed all as “young, energetic, and capable”.   After graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1996 he soon became head of the Baltimore Health Department.   The FDA web site states Scharfstein’s accomplishments in part:  “and expand access to effective treatment for opioid addiction.”    http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CommissionersPage/ucm162062.htmnd  Scharfstein gained enough attention to be appointed as the interim Commissioner of the FDA for about two months in 2009 prior to Hamburg’s appointment. 

The gig is up for Scharfstein.  If he wants to continue his “meteoric path” to public recognition on being a leader on health care he can no longer hide out within the FDA incompetence.  The radio show is asking if Scharfstein has succumbed to the “corrupt” complicity of the entrenched FDA brass along with Hamburg?   Scharfstein is well aware of the  continuing hoax and destruction being wrought by the legal prescriptions within this country and the radio show asks the question:   If Scharfstein is sincere in helping America on bringing about “better health care”, why  his sudden silence on the opioid epidemic?  

The radio show was impressed by Scharfstein’s accomplishments prior to joining the FDA and now asks publicly why Scharfstein is taking the path of becoming part of the most inept FDA leadership in history.  Historians will be writing about the opioid debacle in much the same way that heroin was legalized over 100 years ago and Scharfstein has to make a decision on where his name will be placed in the ongoing historical medical fiasco created by the introduction and marketing of OxyContin.

The radio show asked why people who have lost loved ones from the disease of addiction or the misuse of a prescription narcotic continue to support the company that was instrumental in helping create the growing epidemic of dependency, addiction, death and family turmoil.   The statistics support the fact that Purdue Pharma, with the introduction of OxyContin in late 1995, promulgated the distribution of a substitute for heroin that most in the country were not aware of.  The phony marketing of the “under treatment of pain” helped hydrocodone (Vicodin), fentanyl (Duragesic), alprazolam (Xanax), carisoprodal (Soma) and methadone increase in distribution as well.  As a result, millions of people in this country have been affected by the masterful hoax of needing addictive narcotics for chronic pain that used to be treated with an aspirin tablet. 

On July  23 the FDA held a public meeting concerning the “extended release” (aka – OxyContin) products under the guise of creating new “safety guidelines”.  The guidelines were presented under the auspices of REMS – Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy.  REMS was initiated in 2007 to bring greater information to the public if a “DRUG’S BENEFITS OUTWEIGH ITS RISKS”.

The radio show revealed the hypocrisy and  continuing disingenuous efforts by the FDA.  Thousands dying, tens of thousands addicted and millions dependent and the FDA continues to allow the unencumbered marketing of the long term opioids for “moderate to severe pain”.  The lunacy of the public meeting was missed by all in the media.  The psychological, emotional and brain altering results from the opioids should have been the first order of discussion at the meeting.  The inept and insincere efforts of the “corrupted” FDA officials leading the proposals and meeting should have been revealed.  The quote by John Jenkins, the director of the  FDA’s office of  new drugs, said “the agency’s plan was designed to address legitimate use of the drugs, not deliberate abuse”.   Volumes can be written on Jenkin’s misunderstanding of “legitimate” use, but to publicly state that abuse is not under the auspices of the FDA’s concerns should immediately create the dismissal of Jenkins.

Margaret Hamburg, the Commissioner of the FDA, is allowing the ineptness of Woodcock, Throckmorton, Rappaport, Jenkins and Hirsh to be remembered as  the most ineffective FDA Commissioner in History.  Millions of individuals and families continue to be affected by  the inaction of the FDA and the clock is ticking on revealing Hamburg’s ineffectiveness in representing the safety of the American people.  The fiasco of the July 23^rd meeting was a glaring reminder of Hamburg being out  of touch.  Hamburg should become familiar with Napoleon at Waterloo.

As reported in the Florida Medical Examiners Report for 2009 deaths from alcohol and drugs continue to increase in Florida     http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/daa6ef40-6b68-4770-b0b7-cc496a715b6b/2009-Drug-Report.aspx      In particular, the inclusion of prescription drugs as the cause of death is a growing trend that our leaders appear to have little regard for.  The legal drug cartels and pain management industry continue to feed the citizens lip service while the dependency, addiction and deaths are afterthoughts.  Except for a few courageous ones, the public officials are "owned" by the medical and industry associations and their "paid silence" continues. 

The radio show has written prior that the marketing against the kids taking prescription drugs is misplaced.  The drugs are not prescribed to the young people.  How long is it going to take for America to realize the ruse being perpetrated by the leader of "drug phoniness", The Partnership for a Drug Free America (PDFA)?  Other groups and organizations follow the lead of PDFA.  "Let's protect our children" is the battle cry.

FACTS:  In Florida 62% of the alprazolam deaths, 64% of the oxycodone deaths, 62% of the methadone deaths, and 77% of the hydrocodone deaths are people over 35!

The adults are the conduit to begin the drug distribution.  How long can the secret be kept on the phoniness of the PDFA's intentions to not directly educate the person who is being prescribed the drug!  How long can the mainstream media remain clueless on the hoax that is slowly taken down our country "one pill at a time"   http//www.banoxycontin.com      

The radio show believes it is time to save the adults as well.

The radio show enjoyed a week off and played a "best of".  This has opened up the opportunity for a topic preview for next Sunday (7/11).   

The State of Florida probably has more drug related deaths in the country due to the influx of narcotics being shipped from the legal drug cartels and distributed by the unscrupulous pain management doctors and pill mills in this state.  I am still waiting for the logic from our state officials on why we need over 1000 registered legal drug dealers in this state who don't cure anything and promulgate dependence, addiction and death.  I still wait for a family member to contact me and tell me that their loved one is better three years after being treated monthly by a pain management doctor.  I continue to wait for a loved one to tell me their special person is bright and alive after months of visiting a pain management doctor.  I continue to wait for a loved one to tell me that the person they care about has a thirst for literature and not a longing for a couch and a TV day after day until the next doctor's visit.

Last week the Florida Medical Examiners report for 2009     http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/daa6ef40-6b68-4770-b0b7-cc496a715b6b/2009-Drug-Report.aspx    indicates the growing fiasco from legal narcotics continues to grow.  Papers all across Florida reported the increase in deaths last year.  From the report:

- 5,275 (7.1% more than 2008) individuals died with one or more prescription drugs in their system.

- 2,488 (13.9% more than 2008) individuals died with at least one prescription drug in their system that was identified as the cause of death

- Oxycodone occurrences increased by 23.8% and deaths caused by Oxycodone increased by 25.9% when compared with 2008

On this coming Sunday's show the recent Examiners report will be discussed.  The biggest question this radio host will have is how the silence on the dangers of the legally distributed narcotics remains a mystery to the national conscience? 

Thousands of lives, billions of dollars and the drugs remain "safe as prescribed". 

The show wants to thank Pinellas School Board member Robin Wikle for joining us.  Pinellas County encompasses over 100,000 students, including 17 high schools, 21 middle schools, and 74 elementary schools.  Pinellas County is listed as the 25th largest school district in the country out of over 16,000.

Ms. Wikle shared some astonishing numbers concerning my home town school district and it appears the issue of prescription drugs within my local schools is larger than even this show host had envisioned.  I received the impression that almost every middle and high school student can share a negative story concerning a drug that was not prescribed for the person in possession of the drug.

I have long said the bigger problem in our society is the lack of understanding the adults have for prescription drugs.  More adults are being killed from the misuse of prescription drugs than young people. 

It is my hope that administrators, principals, counselors, teachers and finally students will be coming to the show soon.  I envision a show that has the students speaking and the adults listening. 

Robin Wikle opened up a huge opportunity for our community.  Can this community create a radio show that will have open dialog with our young people without the constraints the special interests from the drug companies and medical "professionals" create in our schools and media?

It is my hope that Ms. Wikle has started moving the momentum of awareness for our community to another level. 

The radio show began because of the egregious actions of Dr. Jeffrey Prosser who the medical board in Florida decided to protect in April 2006.  http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/FinalOrders/05-09-06/DOH-06-0640.pdf   A small fine and cursory actions didn't stop Prosser from continuing the freedom to distribute narcotics.

The intent of the radio show was to expose the exploitation by the pain management industry on the American public.   However, the radio show has evolved into discussing every aspect of the increasing demand for drugs in our country, both legal and illegal.  Part of the growing awareness for the radio show is the unfathomable actions "quietly" being promulgated by the psychiatry profession and germinated from the drug companies.

Sunday night, a discussion of the Dr. Allen Francis article in Psychology Today June 2 http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dsm5-in-distress/201006/psychiatric-fads-and-overdiagnosis  took place.  I encourage all to read it for a few comments here does not do the entire article justice.

Paraphrasing the article from the radio show perspective puts the Manual for Mental Disorders (aka - DSM-IV) under scrutiny for present day use.  What appears to be started as an endeavor to help people suffering from psychological, emotional and mental anguish has become a tool for exploitation and additional suffering.  The DSM manual has evolved into hundreds of definitions for various "mental disorders" all created by subjective observations with no help from x-rays or laboratory results.

A major assault from the psychiatrists and drug companies has been our children.  Dr. Francis ascertains that there is no environmental or genetic shift that would support the increasing diagnosis of childhood mental health diseases. 

The radio show emotionally asked the question how our society has evolved into drugging our children?  How have parents become convinced by the multi-billion dollar drug industry that the solution to easy child rearing is drugs for their child.   Methamphetamine (speed) has been proven to cause brain damage and a parent has been convinced to willfully bathe their child's brain for many years in drugs chemically similar to speed. 

Conspiracy theorists may come to the conclusion that our government is methodically drugging our children for future control and using the school administrators as a conduit.  It is easier to control a drugged child and a potentially drugged nation. 

As for the radio show, no conspiracy here.  Only the question on how did we allow the potentially dangerous drugs to be thrust upon our children and possibly create in an insidious fashion long term brain damage to our children?