Good news for pain patients in Australia

http://www.thecannabist.co

CANBERRA, Australia — Australian lawmakers committed on Wednesday to legalize the growing of marijuana for medical use…

The government introduced a bill to Parliament that would amend the Narcotics Drugs Act 1967 and create a licensing scheme for growing medicinal cannabis. Marijuana is currently illegal throughout Australia, but two states are considering making the drug available for therapeutic uses.

“This government understands that there are some Australians suffering from severe conditions for which cannabis may have applications and we want to enable access to the most effective medical treatments available,” Health Minister Sussan Ley told Parliament.

The bill is guaranteed to become law, with the main opposition party immediately pledging support…

Thanks, Senator Warren

http://www.thecannabist.co/

Can pot help with the opioid crisis? This U.S. senator wants to know more

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is urging the CDC to look into marijuana as a possible antidote to painkiller deaths

My comment:

I thank Senator Warren for bringing up this issue. Hopefully, it will save the lives of some pain patients — at least, in the long run. Maybe she can also make a request to Medicare, asking it to cover medical cannabis. Too bad these actions weren’t taken before the CDC and FDA decided to join PFROP and the anti-opioid advocacy crowd, and BEFORE doctors began refusing to treat pain patients, forcing many into cold-turkey detoxes and suicide.

When more people die from suicide than from opioid-related causes, which is the epidemic?

It’s obvious that Senator Warren doesn’t understand what it means to suffer from chronic pain. Patients need equal and affordable access to ALL treatment options, not just the ones that politicians think we should have. Restricting access to one drug, while showing favoritism to another, is not really how medical science is supposed to work. After all, tens of millions of pain patients benefit from taking opioids, yet it’s only thousands who suffer from drug abuse and addiction.

The failed drug war has taught us that when restrictions are placed on one drug, it just results in the increase of more dangerous drugs. (For example, cannabis and Spice. And, of course, opioids and illegal heroin.)

We all know that drugs don’t cause addiction — it’s not that simple. And when you discriminate against one drug, you discriminate against all of them.

Thinking of you, Christine Lucas

http://www.inquisitr.com

(1/20/2016) Maryland Police Shoot Christine Lucas After Woman Points Airsoft Gun At Troopers In Suicide Plan

A Cecil County Maryland woman, 45-year-old Christine Lucas, was shot to death by Maryland state troopers early this morning after she made a report of an intruder in her home sometime before 2 a.m., according to Fox Baltimore. When the troopers arrived, they found Lucas brandishing what they thought was a real gun, but which turned out to be an Airsoft gun, which resulted in her tragic death.

A suicide note with an “explanation for her actions” was said to be found in the house after a warrant was later obtained by police…  Perhaps exacerbating the situation, Lucas was reported to have stopped taking prescription medication in the preceding weeks, the family was suffering from financial problems, and the home had been without electricity for as long as four months…

Lucas’ 15-year-old son was reported to have been asleep in his room upstairs when his mother’s encounter with the police took place. The boy stated that, earlier in the night, his mother had prepared a bag with his clothes and told him to stay upstairs…

http://www.thebaynet.com/articles/0216/unitedstatesreaches8millionsettlementagreementwithcvs.html

Baltimore, MD – CVS Pharmacy, Inc. (CVS) has agreed to pay $8 million to the United States to resolve allegations that its Maryland pharmacies violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by dispensing controlled substances pursuant to prescriptions that were not issued for a legitimate medical purpose…

According to the settlement agreement, CVS acknowledged that between 2008 and 2012 certain CVS pharmacy stores in Maryland dispensed controlled substances, including oxycodone, fentanyl and hydrocodone, in a manner not fully consistent with their compliance obligations under the CSA and related regulations…  This settlement caps off an investigation that began as part of the DEA’s crackdown on prescription drug abuse in Maryland…

The Yellow Brick Road To Nowhere

Photos taken in 2015.

Upside Down

“Newman’s first law: It is useless to put on your brakes when you’re upside down.” Paul Newman

“When life gives you a rainy day, play in the puddles.” Internet meme

(Photo taken 8/16/2015.)

An Awesome Woman

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/erica-garner-bernie-sanders-ad_us_56bd19b7e4b08ffac124949a

Eric Garner’s Daughter Hails Bernie Sanders’ Activism In Powerful New Campaign Ad