Posts Tagged With: csa

Dr. Sharon Johnston comes to this Court having been convicted of a crime that does not exist, by a court without jurisdiction to enter a conviction, and affirmed by a court that did not confirm that it had jurisdiction to do so and – worse yet – blatantly attempted to “bury” its decision through depublication… This entire proceeding has been indelibly painted with the bright and unmistakable color of unconstitutional outcome-driven caprice.

Many physicians are concerned that prescribing opioid analgesics in chronic pain treatment is accompanied by an unacceptable risk of unwarranted prosecution. The validity of this fear is evaluated by examining the standards through which physicians are targeted and prosecuted. Prohibition law is identified as an error in social policy that distorts medical standards.

There are so many who need opioid pain medications and can not get them… These people have their lives destroyed every day as they drag themselves from doctor to doctor being lied to, verbally and sometimes physically abused, forced into unnecessary rounds of expensive testing… They are sneered at by pharmacists, called addicts by doctors, drug tested, called “frequent-flyers” and other derogatory names by emergency room nurses and doctors, denied reimbursement…

Dr. Schneider’s pretrial motions to dismiss on constitutional grounds, and his motions for abstention have been filed, as has the Government’s opposition to those motions, and Dr. Schneider’s response to the Government’s opposition. As I understand it, now we wait for rulings by the Judge. The relevant briefs, and the Order releasing Dr. Schneider on bond and setting conditions on that release, are linked to, below.

This Resource Is a peer-reviewed analysis of Gonzalez v Oregon. “If the U.S. Attorney General had won this case, DOJ, through the DEA, would have been given the authority to make decisions about the legality of prescriptions in all situations, not just end-of-life care.” After analyzing the Supreme Court decision, Brushwood reviews DEA identification of physicians and pharmacists despite information obtained from a Freedom of Information Act by Joranson documenting DOJ knowledge of massive theft and loss of controlled substances having nothing to do with the doctor – patient relationship. He also reviews the DEA FAQ debacle, the “Myth of …

This Resource Is an article discusses the failure of the ‘barriers to pain care’ literature to analyze those barriers from an ethical POV. The author relates this to ‘the collective failure of the profession to recognize the ethical implications of undertreated pain.’

Blog post about an example of war on doctors Trash Journalism, which is analyzed. Excerpt: “So what is the message? Well one clear message to me is that the line between pain patient and ‘addict’ – that pitiable dregs of humanity; the walking dead; that criminal scourge; is thin and vague. In fact it is presented as the slippery slope if not an inevitability – people on chronic opioid therapy are, or will become, addicts. Pain patient, drug addict, who cares? Drug are bad, people who use them are bad, you and I are better than that; they deserve what …

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.

Archive with links to testimony, supplemental documents, video interviews, and radio interviews related to House of Representatives Subcommittee on Crime hearings on “DEA’s Regulation of Medicine” in July, 2007.

This Resource Is the index or table of contents page for a collection entitled: THE PATHOLOGICAL DEA, which consists of several articles from the January issue of the peer-reviewed journal, Pain Medicine, by physicians, researchers and advocates most of whom worked with the DEA to produce the now infamous Amazing Vanishing DEA FAQ. The articles provide a glimpse into the feelings of personal hurt and professional betrayal experienced by these clinicians and academics of good will when the DEA abruptly disavowed the FAQ and wratcheded up attacks on pain doctors. Truly Fascinating articles by Heit, Fishman, Passik, and Rowe – …

Blog post about phone conversation with incarcerated Dr. William Hurwitz about recent prescription drug propaganda, and about a planned government appeal of his sentence, in which case the Hurwitz Defense would appeal the conviction.

Blog post about the Prescription Drug Diversion Prosecutions – Quick Reference Card 2002 for which a link to full text PDF is provided. Tina Rosenberg, in her recent cover story for the New York Times Magazine, makes direct reference to the Cheat Sheet in the following paragraphs excerpted from that article. It really is fascinating in a stomach-turning sort of way. Enjoy!

The House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime, will be holding hearings on DEA oversight Thursday, July 12, 2007. As a result of my visit to DC in early June, the recent New York Times Magazine Cover article, and the assistance of many good friends on and around Capitol Hill, I (Siobhan Reynolds, President, Pain Relief Network) have been invited to represent the pain issue. The House staffer we are working with is developing the roster and we are supplying her some excellent suggestions for patients, doctors, and lawyers. There will be a couple of other issues represented but it seems …

War on Doctors/Pain Crisis blog post about the Amicus Curia brief in support of Dr. McIver’s Writ of Certiori to the Supreme Court. Link to full text PDF of the brief.