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?

On Sunday, The St. Pete Times ran a story about a man who overdosed.  Aside from quoting a bereaved parent who said "but I think he was weak" in reference to his son, The Times didn't stop there from furthering the agenda of the pain management industry. 

A list of 21 prescriptions was published that the deceased man received from a pharmacist.  The final prescriptions were sold to the man after his father asked the pharmacist to stop dispensing the dangerous narcotics to his son.

Michele Weizer, Chairperson of the Florida Board of Pharmacy was quoted, "We are required to fill the prescription unless there is a really good reason not to fill it".  "This is health care.  It's a patient safety reason more than anything else".

As a pharmacist, I am both outraged and embarrassed by the quotes.  The Florida Pharmacy Statute is clear.  Sec 64B16-27.831- 4.    An order purporting to be a prescription issued not in the usual course of professional treatment nor in legitimate and authorized research is not a prescription and the pharmacist knowingly filling such a purported prescription shall be subject to penalties for violations of the law.  The following criteria should cause a pharmacist to question whether a prescription was issued for legitimate medical purpose".

As of this writing, I am assuming the Chairperson was misquoted.  To insinuate that there was a good reason to fill all 21 prescriptions for the deceased man should call for the immediate removal of Ms. Weizer from her position.  Is it possible that Ms. Weizer was placed in the Chairperson position by affiliates of the pain management organizations?

If Ms. Weizer reaffirms the quotes, then I would encourage her to review the Florida Supreme Court ruling that entrusts pharmacists with the duty to warn.   

NOTE:  Shortly after this posting, Leonora Anton LaPeter, the author of the article responded: 

Why would you take a quote and not give it it's context? This is what she said:

 >>>But they are in a delicate position. Pharmacists have an obligation to help the people who walk in their door.

"We are required to fill the prescription unless there is a really good reason not to fill it," said Michele Weizer, chairperson of the Florida Board of Pharmacy and a pharmacist from Palm Beach County. "This is health care. It's a patient safety reason more than anything else."

Many newspaper reporters have a different psychological make-up.  My apologies ahead of time to those in the industry who display rational human behavior.  It appears too many reporters write stories and enjoy the criticism of missed facts and reality.  It appears to be a badge of honor for too many writers to create negative attention which translates that the article was read.  Although short term attention is achieved, credibility within the press continues to decrease with circulation.   

Those who support the radio show message know we have a serious epidemic within the midst of our country.  The sensational atrocity of the pill mills highlights the most egregious ramifications from the uncontrolled legal narcotic distribution.  I am sure most of the legal drug mavens would prefer to see the pill mill activity curtailed so the "legitimate" and lesser scale legal drug dealers could continue to create their damage under less scrutiny. 

Recently, the St. Pete Times (my home town paper) covered the raid of a pill mill and the continued distribution of narcotics by a doctor who has been arrested.  It has taken over two years for the paper to report on the over distribution of the drugs.  The St. Pete Times has an affiliated publication that accepts ads from the pain management gurus (aka drug management gurus) but that is immaterial to this piece.   

My ire is directed at running editorials that contain the same information that the pain management organizations have been spewing for years.  The same pain management organizations that are funded by the drug companies.  There were recently three letters published with no rebuttal that the equivalent of heroin (my words) will become too hard to obtain, people in pain need help (narcotics?) responsible people know how to take the addictive drugs (my interpretation) and there is a movement to pull all narcotics from medicine and even those in dire terminal need will be affected (translated). 

The question for the listener of the radio show is why does the media continue to support the wholesale distribution of narcotics that are damaging individuals, families and our community?  Why would editorials be allowed with no substantiation of fact or logic?  Why would editorials be printed that encourage another individual to consider the dangerous and deadly oxycodone before every other avenue is attempted?   

The education must continue.     

The misgivings of the FDA, the government agency whose task is to protect the American people, continues to build as the opioid (aka pain pills) fiasco continues to grow in this country.  The big splash of a pain clinic raid in Florida will not stop the growing dependency too many people are developing from the "pain pills" until the FDA stops facilitating the distribution of narcotics onto the streets in our country. 

The fundamental question of why people become dependent on the legal narcotics is continually evaded.  The fact is that if an individual takes the narcotic opioids for a period of time they will have withdrawal when getting off of the drugs.  The FDA is complicit in holding back that information from the American public.  For a few, the withdrawal is minor, for some major and for too many people they never want to face the consequences of throwing the narcotics away.  As long as the FDA does not reveal and attempt to stop the distribution of the legal narcotics dependence, addiction, crime related drug stories and death will be the mainstay in every morning newspaper. 

The report that Dr. Bob Rappaport, Deputy Division Director - Division of Anesthetic Critical Care and Addiction Drug Products from the FDA appeared on the podium with David Haddox from Purdue Pharma, makers of OxyContin, on May 8th in Baltimore at the American Pain Society's Meeting is a travesty for this country.  The bigger travesty is the meeting was billed as "a scientific meeting"   http://www.ampainsoc.org/meeting/annual_10/downloads/APS_LngBro-Final.pdf  The distribution of narcotics by the charlatans of the pain management industry is not a scientific endeavor.  Selling legal narcotics is an endeavor on how does one learn to compete with the street corner heroin and cocaine dealers?  The drugs all are selling offer the same results!

Obama was to usher in a new openness and change of our government agencies.  The appointment of Margaret Hamburg to head the FDA has been a disaster.  Like Obama, Hamburg can no longer blame the previous administration for the past blunders.  Each passing day that brings more addiction, destruction and death from the legal narcotics rests in Hamburg's hands and the present FDA.  Allowing Rappaport to be standing next to Haddox is a telling tale as the disregard the FDA has for the American people. 

At various times I have heard from frustrated individuals that the schools are not doing enough to educate the children about the dangers of drug and alcohol use.  I have many times asked why a society that can raise a child to be afraid of strangers cannot raise that child to be afraid of drugs.

The school administrators have their frustrations on drug education as well.  What should the message be, who should tell it, and how should it be delivered?   A "politically incorrect" person in the classroom will bring criticism to the school and valuable time wasted.  People in recovery are not welcome locally, but if you are a policeman you have access.  There is no question from the radio show as to the sincerity, desire and time anyone who faces a classroom or assembly has committed.  If not for law enforcement our communities would have many more people fighting the disease of addiction.   

As the drug epidemic continues to grow, the schools will be forced to discuss the issue more.  The speakers joining the sincere police will be speakers endorsed by organizations being funded by special interests who prefer the status quo.  Little progress will be forthcoming from our schools if this avenue proceeds.

The smart administrators will begin to introduce the BanOxyContin Petition http://www.banoxycontin.com   to their students.  As of this writing, almost 7000 signatures and comments.  A perfect assignment is for a student to read the comments and choose one to bring to the classroom for discussion.  The present educational perspective on drug education has been "the adult will talk and the child will listen".  The BanOxyContin Petition allows for a new approach to drug education.   "The child will talk and the adult will listen".