Why Do I Care About US Drug Policies?

I’ve suffered from chronic pain for over 20 years. However, since the implementation of the CDC “guidelines” doctors are fearful of prescribing life restoring opioid pain medicines for patients who are suffering with intractable chronic pain, despite the fact that chronic pain patients have the lowest rate of addiction among all patient populations.

Since my PCP left practice in 2014, I’ve been unable to find a doctor willing to treat me with life-restoring opioid pain medicines despite the fact that I was successfully prescribed long-acting opioids for 3 years without any dosage increases or addiction. Fortunately, my doctor left me enough Rx opioids to wean myself off without any problems or addiction.

I suffer from a painful genetic disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and a rare disease, Tarlov Cysts (which are cysts on my spine). I also suffer from a number of painful autoimmune disorders, including osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis.

After being hit by an 18-wheeler, being in a roll-over accident, and being in a serious cycling accident in which I fractured my spine, I also suffer from:

Spinal stenosis,degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis,
and CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)

I’ve also been dx’d with: interstitial cystitis, fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic corneal erosion, migraine headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, and a pituitary tumor.

The CDC set their “guidelines” which make no sense from a medical standpoint with regard to treating patients with chronic pain. They set those “guidelines” secretly, behind closed doors, only giving the medical community 48 hrs to respond, and not adhering to any actual scientific research or studies. The majority of healthcare providers disagree with these guidelines.

Between the CDC guidelines and the DEA targeting doctors and chronic pain pts, we’re seeing the largest increase in suicides ever in US recorded history. The US government is very aware of these increases, in fact it’s my contention that it’s intentional. This is modern day eugenics. The goal… to get rid of as many chronic pain patients, disabled, and those the government deems to be unproductive as possible because they believe we are a burden on the healthcare system. In fact, treating those suffering with chronic pain, leads to more productive people and less heathcare dollars spent.

Opioid analgesics can be life-restoring for those suffering with intractable chronic pain. They can help us be productive, consume fewer healthcare dollars, and literally save and restore our lives.

Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia – Information You Can Trust

https://www.viceland.com/en_us/show/hamiltons-pharmacopeia

If you’re interested in a genuine drug education, visit Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia on Viceland, National Geographic, YouTube, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

Among voices of reason with regard to drugs and drug policy, Hamilton Morris and Dr Carl Hart are the people I turn to first for factual information.

http://www.hamiltonmorris.com

http://www.drcarlhart.com

What’sWrong With Scheduling Drugs

IBOGAINE, the one drug which can actually reverse Parkinson’s is a Schedule I drug in the United States. At low doses, 20 mg per day, it can across actually reverse Parkinson’s, it can heal opioid and other addictions, and can heal OCD and other compulsive behaviors. However, in the United States it’s a Schedule I drug, which means, not only can’t patients get IBOGAINE treatment, it can’t be researched legally in the United States. Schedule I drugs are very difficult to research because the US government has deemed them to have no medical value, which simply isn’t true.

https://www.ibogainealliance.org/ibogaine/therapy/parkinsons/

https://psilocybintechnology.com/johns-hopkins-scientists-recommend-rescheduling-psilocybin/

https://psilocybintechnology.com/tim-ferriss-and-psychedelics/

https://psychedelictimes.com/2015/08/13/iboga-culture-learn-how-this-psychedelic-plant-became-a-national-treasure-and-therapeutic-trend/

Ibogaine treatment is available in both Canada and Mexico. The problem is that, because people usually can’t take time away from work or life, it’s often not the best option. At low doses, 20mg per day, Ibogaine is very effective but when you have to leave the United States and seek treatment elsewhere, Ibogaine generally has to be given in high doses, doses which can be cardiotoxic. This shouldn’t be the case if it were available in the United States but the United States has made it nearly impossible for people who could be free of life with Parkinson’s disease to get treatment in the US.

Ibogaine also cures opioid addiction. No need for the use of other opioids, which is so counterintuitive to curing opioid addiction… and other addictions as well.

https://www.ibogainealliance.org/news/feeding-the-hungry-ghosts-ibogaine-in-the-psychospiritual-treatment-of-addiction/

https://www.ibogainealliance.org/news/could-ibogaine-be-a-promising-new-treatment-for-parkinsons-disease/

How can this be? In a nation which is purported to be one of the most educated, progressive, and supposedly has some of the best healthcare in the world. Well, there’s the problem, we don’t offer the best healthcare in the world. The war on drugs, United States drug policy have created more problems worldwide than most people know. We think our government is fighting the good fight in the war on drugs. Most of the world has abandoned US drug policies because it’s done far more harm than good. It’s destroyed societies, lives, and families. The war on drugs has been great for policy-makers, lobbyists, special interest groups, DATA 2000 addiction doctors, and even pharmaceutical companies. How? Who do you think is making the opioids that are given to opioid addicts? The very same pharmaceutical companies the United States government is continually suing, using our tax dollars! It’s a complete perversion of our system.

Labs doing drug testing charge up to $5,000 for a comprehensive drug test – for those with insurance. Those without insurance usually can’t get treatment Imagine how profitable that is for the labs and doctors who are receiving kickbacks from the labs to whom they refer their patients. If one clinic is treating 100 patients, at $5,000 per test done quarterly, that’s an incredible profit for both the lab and the doctor.

It’s not only addicts who are being drug tested, add all the chronic pain patients being regularly tested, despite the fact that chronic pain patients have the lowest rate of addiction and abuse of any patient population. Millions of people being tested, sometimes monthly depending on the physician. That’s a great deal of profit and an even greater amount of corruption. Of course, not all pain management doctors are corrupt. More often than not, they genuinely want to help their patients struggling with intractable chronic pain. Unfortunately, again, it’s US drug policy, the CDC “guidelines”, and the DEA targeting those who don’t deserve to be targeted. More and more doctors are being abused by the system, jailed, and losing everything because those doctors who dare to treat chronic pain patients are innundated with the patients no one else will treat with life-restoring opioid pain medication.

Another problem is the faulty reporting by the CDC. It used to be that doctors could write one prescription for opioid pain medication with 2 refills. This counted as one prescription. Now, doctors can write one prescription each month and each is an individual prescription. However, the CDC and DEA report that prescriptions written for opioid pain medications have increased. Obviously, this is not the case.

Back to Ibogaine… It can not only treat and reverse Parkinson’s disease, it can successfully treat opioid addiction, as well as OCD and other compulsive behaviors.

https://podcastnotes.org/2018/09/22/morris-2/

https://thedrugclassroom.com/video/ibogaine-iboga/

Before dismissing psychedelics, please consider that they are being used in PTSD, various mental health issues like depression, and end of life treatment… All very effectively. Again, these are Schedule I drugs, previously thought to have no medical value in the United States. It’s very unfortunate.

https://psychedelictimes.com/learn-more-iboga/

https://psychedelictimes.com/2017/05/31/death-and-family-healing-with-psilocybin-a-conversation-with-dennis-mckenna/

My absolute favorite quote from the TV series, “The Crown”, is:
“This is not a government. This is a collection of hesitant, frightened, old men unable to unseat a tyrannical, delusional, even older one.” Seems apt, however, this wasn’t said about the US government, it was said about Winston Churchill and his government.

In my opinion, corruption is a big problem when it comes to our government but another big problem is that we simply have policy-makers who are often too old, very uneducated regarding drugs and drug policy, and fearful – subject to juvenile peer pressure. It’s just not serving the people of the United States in any way. As most of the world moves forward with better drug policies, the United States will continue to fall behind unless we insist they explore decriminalization, regulation, and harm reduction.

http://www.drcarlhart.com

http://www.hamiltonmorris.com

To doctors… “The Power of Giving Hope”

“The Power of Giving Hope” Chancellor Bill McRaven, 2015 Commencement Address of the UTSW Medical School

  Mica Esquenazi  0 Comment

This week, Chancellor Bill McRaven’s 2015 commencement speech at UT Southwestern Medical School entitled, “The Power of Giving Hope,” debuts the Medical Commencement Archive.

Screen Shot 2015-09-25 at 9.52.28 AMBill McRaven, who recently retired as a four-star admiral after 37 years as a Navy SEAL, became Chancellor of The University of Texas System in January 2015.

McRaven also is a recognized national authority on U.S. foreign policy and has advised the President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Secretary of Homeland Security and other U.S. leaders on defense issues.

In 2012, Foreign Policy Magazine named McRaven one of the nation’s Top 10 foreign policy experts and he was later selected as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. He served as primary author of the President’s first National Strategy for Combatting Terrorism and also drafted the National Security Presidential Directive-12 (U.S. Hostage Policy) and the counter-terrorism policy for President George W. Bush’s National Security Strategy.

McRaven graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1977 with a degree in journalism and received his master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey in 1991.

Chancellor McRaven begins his speech by boldly listing the very real responsibilities and expectations that graduates now have as residents and doctors in practice:

“As a patient, I want my doctor to be smarter than I am. I want them filled with knowledge and I want them to understand how to use that knowledge to confront the challenge before them… As a patient, my doctor must at all times be in command – in command of themselves, in command of people around them and in command of me.”

He continues by narrating his personal experience as a patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and the life-altering and healing power of hope that one physician gave him:

“All because one man gave me hope.  Because one man healed me of my greatest malady: fear.

Above all else, as doctors, you must give your patients hope.  Even under the most dire of conditions, hope can heal.  Hope surpasses all our understanding.

Hope is the medicine that gives smiles to the forlorn, faith to the disenchanted and life to the dying.

Give your patients hope.”

He finishes by reminding graduates that although delivering bad news can be spiritually crushing and debilitating enough to push physicians into an emotional separation from patients, maintaining compassion and faith is a moment that patients will remember forever:

“A thousand moments to restore their faith, a thousand moments to give them hope, a thousand moments to heal their wounds and to show them the love and compassion that every great doctor must possess.
And that first moment begins right here and right now, because for now and evermore, you will be the doctor.”

Read Chancellor McRaven’s full speech here.

We Must be Able to Trust Our Healthcare Providers!

Since the CDC guidelines were implemented I’ve gone from being happy and productive wife, mother, friend, and co-worker to being mostly bedridden. The CDC and the DEA have robbed me of my life, as they have of so many other chronic pain patients. A life with family, friends, work, hopes, dreams, and aspirations gone because of the United States government, the CDC, the DEA, and special interest groups.  For myself, I fear I won’t be able to witness our sons graduate from high school and college, attend our daughters weddings, or ever even hold a grandchild.

I was initially put on long-term acting opioids because my former doctor recognized that I’d had liver damage from Reyes syndrome, toxic mushroom poisoning, and Halothane anesthetic induced liver damage. I can’t take NSAIDS and acetaminophen was only doing further liver damage. Despite all of this, since the guidelines were implemented, doctors don’t care that I have liver damage or that long-acting opioids are the best choice for me. Now I’m back to taking very high doses of acetaminophen just to make life bearable. I’m back to further damaging my already damaged liver.

It has been proven that chronic pain patients do very well on opioid pain medicines, their risk of addiction is extremely low when taken as prescribed, and that the US government has based all of their findings on lies, false information, faulty data gathering methods, and false reporting of studies. The CDC has admitted to grossly altering reporting of data and faulty data gathering methods. Did you know that ANY death resulting from ILLICIT fentanyl is also reported as a prescription opioid death!? Why? Because illicit fentanyl is an analogue of prescription Fentanyl. Convenient for the US government, is it not? It meets their objectives and agendas.

The DEA has been targeting both doctors who treat chronic pain and their chronic pain patients. Chronic pain patients are now all being treated as drug seekers or addicts. Wouldn’t any reasonable person suffering daily intractable pain seek relief? YES! We are NOT drug seeker, we are pain relief seekers. We are being ignored by the medical establishment, harassed by pharmacists and insurance companies, and left to suffer without respect or human dignity.

The ONLY doctors who have been given a “free pass” (government issued waiver) to prescribe opioids are DATA 2000 addiction medicine doctors. Addiction medicine doctors can ONLY treat OPIOID ADDICTS and prescribe OPIOIDS for OPIOID ADDICTS (and pain patients with a co-occurring opioid addiction).

The US government has various agendas with regard to ignoring the basic human dignity of chronic pain patients. One involves the fact that the sales from illicit drugs makes up five percent of the GDP! That’s over eight billion dollars annually! And that doesn’t include professions who rely on the sale and consumption of illicit drugs. Another agenda involves the fact that the US government has provided prisons with guaranteed prisoner quotas.

There is no “war on drugs”. That would not be in the best interest of the greedy politicians, lobbying groups, or special interest groups who all benefit from black market drug sales.

 

The United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and US violations

“International Drug Control Conventions

Conventions available below in e-book format:

https://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND/Int_Drug_Control_Conventions/Ebook/The_International_Drug_Control_Conventions_E.pdf

The texts of the three main international drug control conventions: the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 are available as an e-book for download.

The revised schedules of narcotic drugs under international control are issued separately under document symbol ST/CND/1/Add.1. The revised schedules of psychotropic substances under international control are issued under document symbol ST/CND/1/Add.2. The revised tables of substances frequently used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under international control are issued under document symbol ST/CND/1/Add.3.

Those addenda will be updated whenever the Commission on Narcotic Drugs takes a decision to amend one of the schedules of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under international control or one of the tables of substances frequently used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under international control.”

The United States continues to be in violation of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, of which it is a signatory.

“Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, as amended by the 1972 Protocol amending the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961

Preamble
The Parties,
Concerned with the health and welfare of mankind,
Recognizing that the medical use of narcotic drugs continues to be indispensable for the relief of pain and suffering and that adequate provision must be made to ensure the availability of narcotic drugs for such purposes,
Recognizing that addiction to narcotic drugs constitutes a serious evil for
the individual and is fraught with social and economic danger to mankind,
Conscious of their duty to prevent and combat this evil,
Considering that effective measures against abuse of narcotic drugs require
co-ordinated and universal action,
Understanding that such universal action calls for international co-operation
guided by the same principles and aimed at common objectives,
Acknowledging the competence of the United Nations in the field of narcotics control and desirous that the international organs concerned should be
within the framework of that Organization,
Desiring to conclude a generally acceptable international convention
replacing existing treaties on narcotic drugs, limiting such drugs to medical and
scientific use, and providing for continuous international co-operation and con-
trol for the achievement of such aims and objectives”

Tables of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988, as at                        18 October 2017

http://undocs.org/ST/CND/1/Add.3/Rev.2

“Article 14:

4.
The Parties shall adopt appropriate measures aimed at eliminating or
reducing illicit demand for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, with a
view to reducing human suffering and eliminating financial incentives for illicit
traffic. These measures may be based, inter alia, on the recommendations of the
United Nations, specialized agencies of the United Nations such as the World
Health Organization, and other competent international organizations, and
on the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline adopted by the International
Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, held in 1987, as it pertains to
governmental and non-governmental agencies and private efforts in the fields of
prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The Parties may enter into bilateral or
multilateral agreements or arrangements aimed at eliminating or reducing illicit
demand for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.”

 

What the JAMA study on chronic pain and opioids didn’t find!

Thank you Pain News Network and Pharmacists Steve for providing  this critical and accurate information!

What the JAMA Opioid Study Didn’t Find

www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2018/3/10/what-the-krebs-opioid-study-didnt-find

A recent opioid study published in the Journal Of the American Medical Association (JAMA) evaluated pain management in patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis and low back pain.

The study by VA researcher Erin Krebs, MD, and colleagues found that “treatment with opioids was not superior to treatment with nonopioid medications for improving pain-related function over 12 months.”  

That finding was widely and erroneously reported in the news media as meaning that opioids are ineffective for all types of chronic pain.

bigstock-Chronic-Pain--Medical-Concept-89339426.jpg

But the most fascinating result of the study – the one not being reported — is what wasn’t found. The 108 people in the study who took opioids for a year did not develop signs of opioid misuse, abuse or addiction, and did not develop opioid-induced hyperalgesia – a heightened sensitivity to pain.

And no one died of an overdose.

This is significant because it runs counter to commonly held beliefs in the medical profession about the risks of prescription opioids. Here are a few recent examples:

“Opioids are very addictive and their effectiveness wanes as people habituate to the medication,” Carl Noe, MD, director of a pain clinic at the University of Texas Medical Center wrote in an op/ed in The Texas Tribune.

Don Teater, MD, a family physician in North Carolina, also believes that people on long-term opioid therapy experience dose escalation, which leads to hyperalgesia. “Opioids cause permanent brain changes,” Teater told USA Today.

Krebs herself has made similar comments. “Within a few weeks or months of taking an opioid on a daily basis, your body gets used to that level of opioid, and you need more and more to get the same level of effect,” she told NPR.

But the Krebs study didn’t see any of that happen.

Krebs and colleagues closely monitored the 108 people in the opioid arm of the study, using “multiple approaches to evaluate for potential misuse, including medical record surveillance for evidence of ‘doctor-shopping’ (seeking medication from multiple physicians), diversion, substance use disorder, or death.” They also had participants complete the “Addiction Behavior Checklist” and assessed their alcohol and drug use with surveys and screening tools.

What did Krebs find in the opioid group after 12 months of treatment?

“No deaths, ‘doctor-shopping,’ diversion, or opioid use disorder diagnoses were detected,” she reported. “There were no significant differences in adverse outcomes or potential misuse measures.”

Health-related quality of life and mental health in the opioid group did not significantly differ from the non-opioid group – and their anxiety levels actually improved.  

These are observational findings in the study. They were not a part of what Krebs and colleagues were specifically trying to measure. As the study notes: “This trial did not have sufficient statistical power to estimate rates of death, opioid use disorder, or other serious harms associated with prescribed opioids.”

ERIN KREBS, MD

ERIN KREBS, MD

But they are valuable observations. They note what didn’t happen in the study. Over 100 people were put on opioid therapy for a year, and none of them showed any signs of dose escalation or opioid-induced hyperalgesia, or any evidence of opioid misuse, abuse or addiction.

Krebs told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that this “could reflect the fact that the study did not enroll patients with addiction histories, and because the VA provided close supervision to all participants during the yearlong study.”

In other words, Krebs and colleagues used an opioid prescribing protocol that achieved an admirable level of patient safety. Their approach is similar to what many pain management practices currently pursue and what the CDC and various state guidelines recommend: Risk assessment before initial prescribing and careful monitoring over time.

The Krebs study provides rare and detailed observations of what happens when people are put on long-term opioid therapy. A lot of what is claimed about dose escalation, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, and misuse or abuse didn’t happen at all.

This outcome demonstrates that long-term opioid therapy can be safe and effective, and may be useful in treating other chronic conditions, from intractable neuropathies to painful genetic disorders. That’s worth reporting too, isn’t it?

 

 

 

Roger Chriss.jpg

Roger Chriss lives with Ehlers Danlos syndrome and is a proud member of theEhlers-Danlos Society. Roger is a technical consultant in Washington state, where he specializes in mathematics and research.

The information in this column should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only and represents the author’s opinions alone. It does not inherently express or reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Pain News Network.

More on Dr Carl Hart – a voice of reason and intellect

Dr Carl Hart is a neuroscientist and professor of psychiatry and psychology at Columbia University.  Dr Carl Hart is a voice of reason when it comes to the “war on drugs”, the “opioid crisis”, as well as psychoactive drugs, their use, and addiction.

From the website of Dr Carl Hart  www.drcarlhart.com

“I have to make sure I don’t engage in conversations with people who don’t abide by the rules of evidence.”

― Dr Carl Hart

“Fix broken societies and you would fix most of the world’s drug problems”.

― Dr Carl Hart

Recent Publications:

People Are Dying Because of Ignorance, not Because of Opioids. Hart CL, Scientific American, November, 2017.
The Real Opioid Emergency. Hart CL, The New York Times, August 20, 2017.
Smoked marijuana attenuates performance disruptions during simulated night shift work. Keith DR, Gunderson EW, Haney M, Foltin RW, Hart CL, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 178, 534-43.
Viewing addiction as a brain disease promotes social injustice. Hart CL,  Nature Human Behaviour, February 17, 2017.
Ivy League Professor: On drugs, the police and teaching. Hart CL, Washington Post, October 5, 2016.
Opioids aren’t the problem. Hart CL, Vice: Tonic, November 17, 2016.
Why do rural drug problems inspire compassion rather than contempt?
HeroinNew York TimesRacism

Can you imagine Gov. George Wallace of Alabama, at the height of the so-called crack epidemic, urging Alabamians to have compassion and view crack as a health crisis?

Should Capitalism Drive Substance Abuse Treatment?
Hedge funds like Bain Capital are investing in substance abuse for profit which could negatively affect the type of treatment people may receive.

K2 Apparent Overdoses & Keeping Heroin Users Safe
Drug https://drcarlhart.com/k2-apparent-overdoses-keeping-heroin-users-safe/

On Errol Lewis’ NY1 show I discuss K2, drug hysteria, the need for drug education and possibly a new law to keep the public safe.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/05/high-price-carl-hart-review

“Fix broken societies and you would fix most of the world’s drug problems”.

The United States started the drug problem. They’re probably the biggest providers and diverters of drugs worldwide. They’ve used fallen soldiers to bring back illegal drugs, using their bodies as mules. The CIA brought back and disseminated the cocaine that ruined so many lives and families within the inner cities. The United States needs to be held accountable, they need to fix the mess they created, and heal some of the lives they’ve ruined. They need to quit incarcerating people of color for petty crimes white people go free for.

We addressed the burning issues about legalization of recreational marijuana.

https://drcarlhart.com/carl-hart-on-nightly-show-with-larry-wilmore/

Addiction is not a brain disease!
https://www.thefix.com/dr-carl-hart-calling-addiction-brain-disease-promotes-harmful-drug-policies

https://psmag.com/social-justice/liberals-love-disease-theory-addiction-liberal-hates-91098

President Obama’s Drug Czar, Michael Botticelli, referred to drug addiction as a “brain disease.” He is wrong.

Think Counter-intuitively  — Carl Hart

Read some of High Price & let me know what you think.

http://www.drcarlhart.com/my-books

Biography
About Me:

http://www.drcarlhart.com/about-carl-hart/

Awards
Accolades

http://www.drcarlhart.com/about-carl-hart/

Carl Hart
Ziff Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry; Chair, Department of Psychology
WEBSITES
Dr. Carl Hart  www.drcarlhart.com

New York State Psychiatric Institute Division on Substance Abuse

Research Interest
Behavioral Neuroscience Neuropsychopharmacology
Ph.D., University of Wyoming, 1996

“Science should be driving our drug policies, even if it makes us uncomfortable.”
General Area of Research
Behavioral and neuropharmacological effects of psychoactive drugs in humans

Current Research
We are interested in investigating the behavioral and neuropharmacological effects of psychoactive drugs in human research participants. A major focus of this laboratory-based research is to understand factors that mediate drug self-administration behavior and to develop effective treatments.

http://www.choopersguide.com/article/addiction-neuroscience-articles-dr-carl-harts-incredible-ted-talk-drug-policy-reform.html

http://breakingbrown.com/2014/09/neuroscientist-carl-hart-most-drug-users-arent-addicted-to-drugs-video/

https://socialistworker.org/2013/11/27/challenging-drug-war-lies

https://hub.jhu.edu/2017/04/06/drug-policy-race-policy-carl-hart/

https://www.salon.com/2018/09/26/carl-hart-on-why-its-time-to-legalize-drugs-what-is-wrong-with-people-making-that-choice/

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/soulutionsradio/2017/09/23/dr-carl-hart-on-covert-racism-tools-drug-hysteria-policy-and-propaganda

Dr Carl Hart, the voice of reason in a sea of ignorance

In my opinion, Dr Carl Hart is a voice of reason in a sea of ignorance when it comes to the “war on drugs”, the “opioid crisis”, and addiction. I’ve done extensive research and from that, formed my own opinions but I’ve found him to be very solid, compelling, and an incredibly reasoned neuroscientist who addresses all the difficult issues surrounding addictive drugs.

Despite the fact that Dr Hart is a neuroscientist and professor of psychiatry and psychology at Columbia University who has done research with addicts and addictive substances, the United States government has ignored his research  regarding the CDC guidelines or current legislation. As a matter of fact, no pain management or addiction experts were consulted when putting together the CDC guidelines. Guidelines which were put together behind closed doors, in secrecy, without the prior knowledge of the mainstream medical community. The MME (Maximum Morphine Equivalents) were not based on any scientific evidence or peer reviewed studies. 

Dr Hart has testified before Congress but obviously, our policy-makers are not doing their due diligence, instead they rely on false reporting by the CDC and the CDC has admitted to gross inflation of the numbers with regard to prescription opioid overdoses and deaths, as well as using faulty information gathering methods. Dr Hart is the only researcher who is actually working with, and researching addicts, using addictive psychoactive substances.

The United States disastrous drug policies and what’s working in other countries

You’ll find those who will insist that other countries don’t have access to much needed opioid pain medications.  The DEA destroys hundreds of tons of good usable, often unused and not prescribed, medications annually. The amount of opioids the DEA “takes back” & collects annually is enough to treat every pain patient, clinic, hospital, and nursing home in the world. Why don’t they help other countries. That’s twofold. Firstly, other countries often don’t trust any medication the United States provides. The US government doesn’t have the best reputation with regard to altruism. Other countries are aware of people being used in human experimentation in the US and foreign lands. Another factor is that United States drug policies have terrified other countries to the point where they often rely on ethnobotanicals, ritual, and heavy doses of alcohol instead of narcotics. This is beginning to change as countries who turn to harm reduction, decriminalization, and legalization are found to have lower rates of addiction, abuse, diversion, drug related crime, and overdose deaths. Portugal decriminalized ALL DRUGS in 2001. In 2017 they had SEVEN opioid overdose deaths! In Amsterdam, where all drugs are legal, the only drug problem they have is among tourists who overdo it or experiment with more drugs than they should while on vacation. In Switzerland, they have harm reduction policies. People who use drugs use medically staffed safe spaces to inject drugs. They’re given clean needles, water, and other needed supplies. If they want to get off drugs help is available. They can also have any drug tested for purity.

Switzerland ‘s harm reduction programs began in the 1980’s and have proven to be a great success.
https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/swiss-recipe-for-dealing-with-drug-addiction-proves-a-success-20130622-2opcj.html

In the city of Amsterdam, drugs are legal, although people under the age of 18 are not permitted in the “coffee shops” where cannabis can be purchased and used. Hallucinatory truffles are not legal, although other hallucinogens are legal. If teens under 16 are caught smoking marijuana, a police officer might stop them, talk to them, and might confiscate their weed. Although, underage drug use,  for the most part isn’t much of an issue.

In the Netherlands, there are two categories for drugs. Cannabis, sleeping pills, sedatives, and all Benzodiazepines are legal. For harder drugs there are established limits considered for personal use. Half gram of cocaine, MDMA, MDEA, MDA, amphetamines, heroin, morphine, GHB, methamphetamine, etc… Taking any drug (or alcohol) and driving is a punishable offense. The Netherlands also follows a harm reduction model, understanding that people will consume drugs regardless of laws. They want people to be as safe as possible, so they provide anonymous drug testing facilities with certified medical lab analysts. In the Netherlands, they’ve been able to reduce opioid overdose deaths by dispensing pure, pharmaceutical grade heroin. Most of the overdose deaths in the Netherlands are tourists. When you’re not worried about where your next dose will come from you’re far less likely to live for the drug, knowing it will be there if and when you want it.

Canada is starting their harm reduction programs and has recently begun installing Bio-metric vending machines to dole out the person’s daily dose of Dilaudid. They have safe injection centers manned by medical staff 24/7.

Many of the Latin American countries, realizing how detrimental US drug policies have been, are also adopting harm reduction programs, and many are considering, or drafting the Portuguese model to decriminalize drugs. They’re putting all the money spent on drug enforcement and police into education, infrastructure, revitalizing areas hardest hit by drugs,  and rehab for those who want it. Makes a hell of a lot of sense and it’s working!

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