Archive for: March 2008

In this full text medical journal article, Joranson, in response to Paulozzi (below), describes a basic public health approach to the ‘drug abuse crisis.’ One wonders whether the combined brain power of the NIH, CDC and FDA would not have accomplished this, except for the imperatives of the drug war. Hurwitz 2005 (see below) is an example of the sort of creative analysis we should expect, but never get, from our academic and federal patriarchs.

Associated Press story about pressure being put on the Pain Relief Network, it’s president, Siobhan Reynolds, because of PRN’s involvement in helping the abandoned pain patients of Dr. Schneider which has interfered with Kansas AG Tanya Treadway drug war prosecution of that physician.

Former patients of a federally indicted Haysville doctor say they are being intimidated by the federal government. Stephen and Linda Schneider, of Haysville, are behind bars facing federal charges of over-prescribing narcotic pain medications. The US Attorney is linking the couple to the overdose deaths of 56 patients. Now several Schneider patients say federal agents are forcing their way into their homes without warrants, asking a lot of questions, and even taking items that don’t belong to them.

Testimony of Siobhan Reynolds, President of the Pain Relief Network (PRN), to Senator Biden and the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, March 2008. Concludes:

Well, I guess [PRN has] hit a nerve, huh? I had to read todays AP article (linked to) three times to figure out what good ‘ole Tanya Treadway, federal prosecutor, thinks we did wrong here. I mean, it is clear that she is angry, and clearly wanted the opportunity to call Siobhan and the Schneiders\’s names and get all the usual buzzwords in the paper – “parasitic”, “pill mill” – but I think this is the beef [...]

AP article about vague and silly allegations by federal prosecutor Tonya Treadway against Siobhan Reynolds, president of the Pain Relief Network. Reynolds said, “There is nothing wrong, unethical, illegal, immoral about any of this. … This is an attack on my fundamental liberty to do our work,” Reynolds told The Associated Press. “I’ve developed some opinions after 15 cases of seeing innocent doctors going to prison for doing absolutely nothing but practicing medicine.”

The Pain Relief Network has a webpage at which pain patients of Dr. Schneider\’s can sign up so that we can stay in touch with them. As part of that contact info form, there is a space for optional comments. Below are comments extracted from the ten most recently received forms.