“I believe I am a danger to the public working for CVS.” – Anonymous CVS Pharmacist — Part ONE

http://pharmacistactivist.com/2019/June_2019.shtml

They Must be Anonymous, But They Will Not be Silent!

The title for the editorial commentary in the May issue of The Pharmacist Activist is, “I believe I am a danger to the public working for CVS.” That is a quote from a letter from an anonymous (but known to me) CVS pharmacist to a board of pharmacy. I have received so many responses to this issue, the majority of which are from current or former CVS pharmacists, that I am using this June issue to include excerpts and examples from the responses. With several responses, I have made minor editing changes to prevent the identification of the pharmacists who voiced the concerns, but the importance and strength of their concerns are not changed.

I would also reiterate that there are thousands of excellent pharmacists who work in CVS stores, and the concerns identified are not a criticism of them but, rather, are to support them by increasing awareness of conditions and situations that they can’t even communicate within CVS because of their fear of being terminated. It is the CVS management-imposed metrics, working conditions, and understaffing that place consumers at risk and are the basis for this criticism.

Responses

From current CVS pharmacists:

“Subject: CVStress. All of what the anonymous pharmacist said is true, but there is more. Recently, CVS started a program where electronically sent prescriptions may be verified by another CVS store within the state. It is my feeling that eventually pharmacies will be operating without pharmacists. Everything will be done by some communications methods. I firmly believe this is what the chains want. Imagine the profits then!! This is part of the reason they are pushing to get their employees to be named to state boards of pharmacy. I’ve worked in hospitals, independents, and chains. My hours were cut and I didn’t know about it for 2 weeks until after the starting date for the change. There is no more profit sharing. No more premium pay for covering extra shifts. Our health insurance premiums have skyrocketed. Working conditions are worse than you can possibly imagine.
    While all of the above causes a financial and emotional hardship for me, the real people who suffer are the patients (customers to CVS). They are not getting the care and attention they deserve. They get bombarded by text messages and phone calls almost begging them to come in and spend their money. I have no time to do anything that I know I should be doing. I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait until my retirement. I truly enjoyed being a pharmacist but now I’m just a highly paid robot who feels more like a liability than an asset to my employer.
    What am I doing about it? I recently spoke with a pharmacy student with whom I work who was planning on working for CVS following graduation. I explained my experiences and feelings about working for CVS, and the student obtained another position and will be much better off. It may not be a lot, but everyone can do something. You may use any of this information you wish and I know you will respect my request for anonymity.”

“I am losing my full-time status in my store and will have to pick up a shift elsewhere to stay full-time. Cuts and closures are happening everywhere. As pharmacist cuts occur, more techs are added and the tech: pharmacist ratio is far beyond the limit allowed in my state.”

“I am aware of a pharmacist who is opening an independent pharmacy that will be near a CVS store. However, Caremark is purposely delaying the application into its provider network. Because this is a heavy Caremark provider area, a new pharmacy would have great difficulty opening without Caremark plans. Caremark is doing everything they can to delay the opening of new independent pharmacies, so that they can keep their profits in-house.”

“Another scam, or as CVS would like to say ‘patient care calls.’ Added to our duties are 10 or 15 calls per day designated as pharmacist special message calls. We are to call patients and tell them that the pneumonia shot the doctor ordered is waiting for them at the pharmacy and to come on in to get the shot.”

(Editor’s note: I contacted this pharmacist and asked whether there were doctors’ orders for the vaccine for specific patients. His response is below.)

“There are no doctor orders. We use one doc, as for all injections. CVS selects patients who are age appropriate and may be at risk. The way I have been handling this is asking them if they have any questions about meds and that this is a general call and that we appreciate them as a customer. I also tell them that we are offering pneumonia shots, and many respond that they have already had the shots.”

“We get screamed at by customers because their prescriptions are not ready when promised. We get behind and the CVS response is ‘too much red in this store today.'”

From pharmacists previously employed by CVS:

“I was let go from the company for ‘business purposes’ when district revenues were down. At least that’s what I was told. However, I and others believe that CVS and some other chains are looking for reasons to fire older pharmacists. The work environment, stress, and inability to keep up with company metrics are only a few factors which contribute to an unsafe environment. I have many stories. Even when I was let go, I had to fight for my final paycheck and stock purchase withholdings.
    Although I no longer work for CVS, I choose to remain anonymous at this time because I am concerned CVS will find a way to retaliate. However, there is a need to expose the truth. I once heard a sermon in which it was stated: ‘To sit and watch evil IS evil.’ Somehow, that thought keeps going through my mind.”

“Since the time I retired from CVS, I have stayed in touch with my friends there. CVS lost a number of pharmacists in our area in just two months. They still can’t find technicians and many who have been there for years are leaving. Customers are extremely unhappy with service and prices. There is no help.”

From a board of pharmacy member:

“I will be bringing this up at the next board meeting.”

From a former hospital pharmacist:

“What you describe in the May issue of The Pharmacist Activist is not unlike what occurs thematically in hospital pharmacies. I am SO glad that I’m out of that mess! I feel (and am) betrayed by our profession after all the work I put into it.”

From an executive of a company that works closely with pharmacists:

“I empathize with all these pharmacists. Many of these chains and supermarkets have their performance metrics. That is bad news. There is even worse news!! Many State Boards of Pharmacy are CONTROLLED by the chains and supermarkets!! They have ‘their own people’ in place to knock down any and all complaints that come in that would adversely affect anything that the chains and supermarkets are doing!! I was shocked to learn that it does no good at all to complain to the Boards of Pharmacy.”

From customers:

“I am so grateful to be back at Skippack Pharmacy! Between Express Scripts and CVS, I had enough. I was so tired of having no eye contact. Made me wonder if one of my pills fell on the floor, would they pick it up and put it in the pill bottle? Mayank (the new owner who reopened Skippack Pharmacy after CVS bought and closed it) is great and we love having him here.” (Editor’s note: Please also see the separate commentary about Skippack Pharmacy in this issue.)

(Editor’s note: I also received many other responses voicing criticisms regarding CVS, but the comments provided above are representative of the concerns communicated to me. The comment below is the single response I received that is complimentary of CVS.)

“My experience at a local independent pharmacy was unsatisfactory, and I went to a CVS that I now patronize exclusively. The pharmacists and techs all wear white uniforms. When I have new prescriptions, the pharmacist, without being asked, always presented me with the new drug and asked if he or she could explain. I have found the personnel at our local CVS to be very professional.”

From a producer of a television news program:

“Do you think the CVS pharmacist you wrote about would go on camera?”

I informed the anonymous pharmacist I quoted, as well as several other current CVS pharmacists who have voiced concerns to me, of the television producer’s question. They declined to be interviewed on camera because they anticipate CVS would terminate them and there are not other positions for pharmacists available in their areas. I then contacted pharmacists who have voiced concerns, but who no longer work for CVS. Even these pharmacists are not willing to be interviewed on camera because they are concerned that CVS would find a way to retaliate against them. I responded that I understood their concern and assured them I would not place any pharmacist at risk by disclosing their identity. Another pharmacist with whom I communicated had been a pharmacist manager with CVS for several decades before he was terminated. He sued CVS and, following an extended legal battle, was successful in receiving a large settlement from CVS. I do not know the specifics of the settlement because CVS insisted that the terms of the settlement be confidential as a condition for the agreement. Therefore, the information is not publically available and the pharmacist is restricted from disclosing any information.

I asked the television news producer if interviews could be conducted in a manner that would disguise the identity and voice of those interviewed. He did not anticipate that this would be done, but is looking into it and the outcome is pending.

I wish to express my appreciation to the pharmacists who have had the courage to communicate their concerns to me and for their trust in me to protect their identity.

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https://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Andrew_Kolodny/reviews

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Johnson & Johnson profited from both sides of opioid crisis, says epidemic expert

www.stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2019/06/13/johnson-johnson-profited-from-both-sides-of-opioid-crisis-says-epidemic-expert/

The first case in a flood of civil litigation against opioid drug manufacturers is in its third week in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter’s suit alleges Johnson & Johnson, the nation’s largest drugmaker, helped ignite a public health crisis that has killed thousands of state residents.

Johnson & Johnson is the sole defendant in the case. Two other companies — Teva Pharmaceuticals and Purdue Pharma — both settled with the state before the trial began.

Oklahoma’s lawyers say the company did more than push its own pills. Until 2016, the state says Johnson & Johnson profited from the prescription opioid crisis by cultivating a highly potent poppy in Tasmania. The narcotic refined from the plant was sold to other companies to make opioids. One of the customers was Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, one of the most prescribed drugs and a leading driver of the epidemic.

This case has brought to light another aspect of the company’s business. Johnson & Johnson also produced the active ingredient for opioid treatment drugs including Naloxone, which is used to reverse overdoses.

“You would be able to profit off of a drug that’s causing addiction and overdose deaths as well as profit off of drugs that are used to treat addiction and overdose deaths,” said Andrew Kolodny, a psychiatrist and opioid crisis expert who testified for the state.

He said Johnson & Johnson’s marketing of opioids, in general, was pervasive in the medical industry, beginning in the 1990s. He claims they downplayed opioids’ addiction risk, knowing that almost any opioid prescription would benefit the company’s bottom line.

“From every direction, we were hearing that if you’re an enlightened doctor in the know, that opioids are a gift from mother nature and should be used for almost any complaint of pain,” Kolodny said.

The state says those misleading sales tactics created a “public nuisance’’ which refers to actions that harm members of the public, including public health.

Sue Ogrocki / AP

Defense attorney Larry Ottaway gestures as he speaks during opening arguments Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Norman, Okla., as the nation’s first state trial against drugmakers blamed for contributing to the opioid crisis begins in Oklahoma.

“Janssen’s conduct was not a nuisance,” said Larry Ottaway, representing Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals. “They provided medically necessary medications … They were lawfully subscribed by doctors in the state of Oklahoma.”

Ottaway read from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in his opening statement.

“States, as regulators of healthcare practice have the responsibility and authority to monitor and correct inappropriate and illegal prescribing,” he said.

Ottaway said the company’s goal was to help patients.

“Serious, chronic pain is a soul-stealing, life-robbing thief,” he said.

In a written statement, John Sparks, Oklahoma counsel for Johnson & Johnson criticized Kolodny’s testimony.

“His comments on the production of medical-grade pharmaceutical ingredients under the regulation and authorization of the DEA and FDA are offensive, sensationalist and baseless.”

Burden of proof

Both sides agree that Oklahoma is experiencing an opioid crisis. About 6,100 Oklahomans died from overdoses from 2000 to 2017, and the state has one of the highest rates of babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome.

But Richard Ausness, a law professor at the University of Kentucky who has been following the case, says the burden of proof is on the state.

“You gotta connect some dots. The fact that you have an opioid crisis is not necessarily caused by the promotional efforts of the drug companies, that’s, of course, the issue,” Ausness said. “If they can’t prove that, then they are going to lose.”

Initially, Hunter’s lawsuit included Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceuticals. In March, Purdue Pharma settled with the state for $270 million. Soon after, Hunter dropped all but one of the civil claims, including fraud, against the remaining defendants.

Ausness says that decision could backfire and cost the state billions of dollars.

“[The state is] seeking money damages for the secondary losses that they incur by virtue of being the government, such as health and police protection and things of that sort. That’s a real stretch for public nuisance,” he said.

The bench trial — with a judge but no jury — is the first of its kind to play out in court.

Oklahoma’s case sets the stage for about 2,000 other civil lawsuits around the country trying to hold the opioid companies accountable.

Attorneys for the state still have one more week to present to Judge Thad Balkman, who will decide the case. After that, its Johnson & Johnson’s turn.

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Former CDC Director Arrested And Charged With Sexual Misconduct

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/640992992/former-cdc-director-arrested-and-charged-with-sexual-misconduct

It has been reported that Frieden and Dr AK were friends in their early careers working for the NY health dept.  Maybe this is why AK was how he got the CDC to create the opiate dosing guidelines without having legal authority.  After the FDA told AK to “take a hike” with his proposal.

Also have the CDC released those guidelines… Frieden made several public announcements that the guidelines “did not bear the weight of law”, but seemingly not many – especially the VA and the DEA was not listening nor paying attention.

After all in a few months (Jan 2017) one way or another we were going to have a new President and Frieden would most likely be out of a job and maybe this was his final “swan song” ?

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Who Can Afford the Cost of Living with Chronic Pain?

www.nationalpainreport.com/who-can-afford-the-cost-of-living-with-chronic-pain-8840082.html

Most chronic pain patients do not expect their lives to be a picnic. Chronic pain inflicts psychological and physical damage that can drain the resources of the strongest and most resilient among us. What most of chronic pain patients don’t always anticipate is the additional personal pressure created by the combination of the almost inevitable loss of income and the added expenses not covered by insurance or our savings. It is difficult enough to have been living a normal life to suddenly be inflicted with chronic pain, perhaps for the rest of your life. But to add more insult to injury, the concerns as to where we are to find the financial resources needed to obtain the correct equipment, treatments, transportation, medication, etc. adds unneeded stress to a difficult life to learn to accept.

It seems particularly unfair when one is unable to have the coverage for treatments proven effective for a particular condition. This adds stress which then negatively impacts a patient’s health. Here are some examples I have to face and I am sure many of you will be able to post other circumstances you have had to face:

• I have to have most of my medications compounded to remove the ingredients of fillers that my body can’t metabolize – but due to being compounded, insurance offers no coverage. Although I could buy that drug with the regular fillers included with coverage, yet I totally have to pay out of pocket for my medication.
• I need to travel many times to get to the knowledgeable doctors for my condition, EDS and there is no reimbursement for travel, lodging, food, etc.
• And heaven help us trying to turn to safe alternatives in attempts to prevent surgery. We are traveling soon to Ohio to see a jaw specialist to see if I can avoid surgery by instead using a mouth guard to keep the jaw from subluxing/dislocating. Again, there is no coverage since it doesn’t match their insurance codes for the mouth guard, but yet surgery on the jaw would be covered.
• Co-pays sure to add up, too. Living with my medical condition, Ehlers-Danlos, manual PT is a lifeline and a way to reposition the constantly subluxing bones. But for many of us, we have a limit of money for the year for coverage so we either suffer or have to pay out of pocket to address our issues.
• Insurance does help with some of the equipment needed, for instance, a power chair. However, co-pays can get really exorbitant. For some, it becomes too much to take on so the person suffers without the needed assistance.
• I happen to only be able to metabolize a few medications and for pain, all I can turn to is ketamine or cannabis. I am lucky to live in the state of Rhode Island that has allowed the medical program into our state since 2006. However, as you all know, we don’t get reimbursement to buy the product or grow it. Others get to go to a pharmacy and fill their script, while we have to grow, fight mites, mold, the waiting process of growing to get our help along with no help financially.
• Our life and house have been dedicated to trying to keep me alive. The money spent to travel to twenty-four surgeries, equipment like the hospital bed, power chair, manual chair, oxygen converter, bi-pap machine, etc. gets overwhelming and makes me feel guilty to have been the reason our retirement money is being frittered away. The dreams of traveling are pretty much shot, vacations are rare to none and we have learned to make trips to doctors and try to make them like mini vacations, but this attitude doesn’t always work!
• Even food costs me extra. I am so restricted with food sensitivities, that I have to buy good, unprocessed, pesticide-free healthy food and that cost adds up.

I am shocked at how expensive it is to be handicapped and living with pain. I try so hard not to dwell on it, but there are times it feels overwhelming, along with unfair. I didn’t ask to have my conditions, didn’t do anything wrong to be born with them, and have had to pay the financial price. And I am a lucky one for there are times we have been able to swing the cost of things I need. But having recently downsized and still awaiting the money from selling our farm, I have had to again make those hard decisions and weigh out what can wait and what has to be down now. It is not fun to know there are things out there to help but one can’t afford to turn to them. I hope that someday the medical system will function as it should. The healthy majority should accept the responsibility for ensuring that the best care is available to all as I am sure that the vast majority of individuals and families will at some point in their lives, need costly care. Treating the chronically ill with the best comprehensive medical care may in fact save money by. For example, minimizing the anxiety from conditions such as depression and ulcers helps to provide the chance to live the best one can with what they have been inflicted with.

How Can Others Help?

• Consider donating, when you are able, to go-fund me pages of those trying to cope with medical expenses. It is amazing how small amounts do add up and help others.
• Consider donating to someone trying to cover the cost of a service dog. Many reached out and helped me that I didn’t even know.
• Consider paying it forward with information of resources that one might qualify for but are not be aware of.
• Consider donating used equipment to a program that refurbishes them or give directly to one in need. A simple post on Craig’s list can be effective. Many of us are experiencing the loss of family and friends who have had medical issues and have equipment that others could make use of.
• Consider seeing if you can donate flying mileage points to one that needs to travel for medical needs.

May life be kind to you,

Ellen Lenox Smith

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I Am: An Un-apologetic Opioid Patient

www.nationalpainreport.com/i-am-an-un-apologetic-opioid-patient-8840127.html

I take opioids. I have been taking them now for almost 4yrs. Opioids don’t eliminate my pain completely, and there are some days that I still can’t function, but they have allowed me some semblance of a life. I can not emphasize semblance, strongly enough. My world absolutely changed when I began experiencing pain and the symptoms of my chronic illness, that I did not know at the time. I pushed myself through it brutally, until I couldn’t do that anymore either.

Before I became sick and plagued by pain, I was an active mother and student, trying to finish my degree at the University of Houston. I loved yoga and while I still practice, it is very cautiously and with different expectations than what I do now. My dream was to continue school and either get a Master’s or a certification that would allow me to work in public health. I love contagious disease. That sounds grim, I know, but it was a passion of mine to be able to protect people from unseen killers, of endemic diseases. I wanted to protect my community. I never got to finish school, one class shy of a degree, because my health hasn’t been very cooperative and my pain makes it difficult to focus.

Liza Zoellick

I take opioids regularly throughout the day in order to blog and participate in my family without the pain preventing me from enjoying life. I still need help with every aspect of my life, and without my children and husband there to assist, I am not certain what kind of life I might be living. It’s easier asking my children for help now, but when they were younger, I often didn’t and pushed through the pain which would leave me useless for days. How do you ask children who are in trying to juggle a full-time job and college courses, or high school classes which include dual-credit, to take time out to help you with chores that are your responsibility? As a mother, you want them to excel and do better than you did and while having them do their own chores like: cleaning their room or cleaning their bathroom and doing their laundry is acceptable, things like: taking me to doctors appointments because I can’t drive, or making dinner because I can’t, or picking up and taking siblings here and there because again, I can’t drive, make you feel guilty. I didn’t have children so they could take care of me. My chronic pain took away some aspects of motherhood, and also took away some aspects of my kids’ childhood.

I’ve taken other pain medications. A whole bunch that I either didn’t tolerate in some fashion or simply didn’t work as well as the opioids. Do I want to take opioids? Not especially. I take a lot of medication. I often worry about the effect these medicines are having on my liver. After taking them for nearly 4yrs., I also know their effectiveness is beginning to wane. They are just not doing what they used to which leaves me in pain again, more often than when I first began taking them. This, of course, makes me wonder what next? What drug will they eventually try that will also wane too after a few years? But the flip side, the person still dwelling within me who wants to experience as much life as I possibly can and enjoy it without being in crippling pain, doesn’t care. Whatever the next opioid may be, I will try it because to not take these drugs means to give up and die. I’m not ready yet. Sorry.

Which brings me to this opioid war. I get it. I get that people have lost loved ones and I understand how tragic and senseless it is. What I do not understand and what I read and hear time, and time again, is how opioids should be abolished. But which opioids exactly? This is the blurry line which is affecting all pain patients and which angers me. For example this quote from CBS News: “Approximately three-fourths of all drug overdose deaths are now caused by opioids — a class of drugs that includes prescription painkillers as well as heroin and potent synthetic versions like fentanyl.” [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/opioids-drug-overdose-killed-more-americans-last-year-than-the-vietnam-war/] You see information like this and the average reader is only seeing the first part: three-fourths of all drug overdose deaths are being caused by opioids. Lost in this message is the latter part, explaining that these drugs include prescriptions, heroin and synthetic versions like fentanyl. Neither do you hear things like: Synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, are the main driver of drug overdose deaths, making up more than 28,000 of opioid-related deaths in 2017.” And then even less are you hearing this: “Opioid prescribing has also been on the decline since 2010 and the number of prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies is at a 15-year low, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.” [1]

These missing parts are an incredibly important part of the bigger picture. The bigger picture which includes patients who are suffering and needlessly dying because they aren’t receiving adequate pain treatment. We’ve gone from a period back in the 90’s which (and no one argues this), people were being over-prescribed opioids, to a period now, on the opposite of the spectrum, where people are being under-prescribed. Both sides of these extremes have consequences and we are seeing them now, in the preventable deaths of patients who were under-prescribed pain medication. You are hearing about cancer patients being denied morphine, until their final weeks after terrible suffering before their deaths. [2][3]

You are also hearing about post-surgical patients being given only Tylenol for hip replacement surgeries, despite the amount of pain afterwards. I’ve had total left hip replacement and I can’t imagine being able to do the required physical therapy without the opioids I was given, and the unnecessary suffering truly boggles my mind. [4]

I say you are hearing and seeing this information, but the truth of the matter is that you aren’t hearing or seeing about it as much as you should be and because of that, chronic pain patients are suffering out there. People in my community are dying because of the lack of information and the mis-information regarding opioids. Every time I am on social media, I will find articles being discussed about deaths caused by opioids. Just skimming through comments, I will read things like: It’s big pharma’s fault, all they care about is money; There’s a lack of morality within society when kids are dying from opioids and they continue to be doled out; Opioids need to be abolished; There wouldn’t be addicts if the drug was taken away. Comments like these, make my heart sink because of the black and white nature with which this Opioid Hysteria is being viewed. Opioids are not the enemy. Patients who need these drugs are not the addicts (though admittedly, a small percentage from this group do become addicts) and people who need these drugs are dying, because doctors are being criminalized for prescribing them, losing their jobs and making it more and more difficult for pain patients to be treated. The world had gone crazy and those suffering are being made to suffer more.

I am a pain patient. I take opioids and I’m un-apologetic about taking them. I’ll also continue to fight for those who may not be able to themselves, to end the needless deaths and suffering which have become the cost to this ridiculous war waged on opioids.

[1] https://www.superiortelegram.com/news/government-and-politics/4574090-advocate-opioid-crackdown-had-chilling-effect-those-chronic

[2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cancer-idUSKCN1PP26X

[3] https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/6033839-151/opioid-limits-hit-hospice-cancer-patients

[4] https://www.acsh.org/news/2019/03/13/oral-and-iv-tylenol-work-equally-well-hip-replacement-pain-do-they-work-all-13877

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Young holds Tobacco 21 Press Conference in Lafayette

https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/photos-young-holds-tobacco-21-press-conference-in-lafayette-

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Today, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined doctors and public health officials for a press conference at IU Health Arnett Hospital in Lafayette regarding his new Tobacco to 21 Act. The bipartisan legislation would prohibit the sale of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to anyone under the age of 21.

“With smoking and vaping on the rise, we can no longer ignore tobacco’s detrimental side effects. By raising the smoking age to 21, we can save more than 220,000 lives and prevent countless individuals from suffering the damaging side effects of tobacco usage,” said Senator Young.

Senator Young recently introduced the Tobacco to 21 Act along with Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah). The bipartisan bill has received widespread support by health organizations and advocates, and recent polling shows that 75 percent of Hoosiers support raising the legal age.

The South Bend Tribune, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Terre Haute Tribune-Star, Indiana Business Journal, and KPC Newspapers in northeast Indiana have all endorsed the Tobacco to 21 Act. Senator Young also penned an op-ed for CNN and issued a video regarding the need for this legislation.

The Tobacco to 21 Act is supported by the Academic Pediatric Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American College of Preventive Medicine, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Pediatric Society, American Public Health Association, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, First Focus Campaign for Children, National African-American Tobacco Prevention Network, Pediatric Policy Council, Society for Pediatric Research, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, National Association of County and City Health Officials, and Trust for America’s Health.

who believes that changing the age at which a person can smoke moves up BY THREE YEARS COULD SAVE 220,000 lives.. of course they don’t mention a time frame that this will happen over.  If you consider the typical smoker will do so for 40 yrs … so that would break down to 15 lives a day… there is reportedly 450,000/yr deaths from the use of tobacco. On the positive side, maybe Congress has become “smart enough” to understand that prohibition doesn’t work or maybe they just can’t figure how to replace all the “sin tax money” that comes from tobacco ?  Of course we have 22 veteran that commit suicide EVERY DAY, but not much seems to move forward on trying to address this issue.

None of us really know how many people die from illegal opiate OD’s or commit suicide from lack of proper pain management.. but since abt 40% of Congress is attorneys they continue to treat opiate abuse as a CRIME that the judicial has considered it since 1917.   Isn’t it reassuring that the DOJ is still functioning under a 100+ year old opinion ?

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Researchers Are Creating New Vaccine to Target Opioid Addiction

https://www.drugtopics.com/vaccination-and-immunization/researchers-are-creating-new-vaccine-target-opioid-addiction?rememberme=1&elq_mid=7310&elq_cid=740438&GUID=9B8F9F37-85BB-43FB-9637-C2C4134B59EC

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https://www.facebook.com/markmusheribsen/videos/10218388775846116/?notif_id=1560792857146105&notif_t=live_video_explicit

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