3 Innovative Drug Policies You May Never Have Heard Of But Need to Know About

http://www.alternet.org/3-innovative-drug-policies-you-may-never-have-heard-need-know-about

Has our democracy  morphed into:

Kakistocracy: Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens.

Kleptocracy: A government characterized by rampant greed and corruption

June 17 marks the 44th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s war on drugs. America’s longest war has destroyed millions of lives, and turned the U.S. into the world’s leading incarcerator with less than five percent of the world’s population but nearly 25 percent of its prisoners.

Instead of the “drug-free America” promised by this disastrous war, drugs are as available as ever and overdose deaths have skyrocketed, overtaking car accidents as the leading cause of accidental death. Punitive policies and ignorance have destroyed millions of families.

This all might sound hopeless, but there’s good reason for hope.

Innovative drug policies being practiced around the world are keeping people out of prison, getting help for those who need it, reducing HIV, crime and overdose deaths.

To truly treat drug use as a health issue and end our country’s unwinnable war, we need to implement three proven strategies.

1) Drug Decriminalization

 

No other health issue is criminalized like drug use and addiction. With increasing support to end the war on drugs and mass incarceration, and move toward a health-centered approach, it’s time for the decriminalization of all drugs.

Decriminalization is commonly defined as the elimination of criminal penalties for drug possession for personal use. It means that no one is arrested, jailed, prosecuted, or saddled with a criminal record for using or possessing a drug.

Decriminalization can help minimize overdose, disease, and addiction – while substantially reducing the number of people in the criminal justice system.

In 2001, Portugal decriminalized the possession of small amounts of all illicit drugs.The results are inspiring: decreased youth drug use, drastic reductions in overdose and HIV/AIDS rates, less crime, improved access to drug treatment – and, most importantly, safer and healthier communities.

2) Supervised Injection Facilities

 

In much of the U.S., sterile syringes are illegal to possess or difficult to access – which pushes people to inject drugs in more dangerous ways.

Many countries have taken an innovative approach that has proved successful: supervised injection facilities (SIFs). These are controlled healthcare settings where people can more safely inject drugs under clinical supervision and receive medical care, counseling and referrals to health and social services, including drug treatment. There is overwhelming evidence that SIFs are effective in reducing new HIV infections, overdose deaths, and public nuisance – without increasing drug use or criminal activity.

There are currently 92 such facilities operating in 62 cities around the world – but none in the U.S.

3) Heroin-Assisted Treatment (HAT)

 

Many countries also tackle drug-related problems by implementing heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) programs. Under HAT, pharmacological heroin is administered under strict controls in a clinical setting to those who have failed in other treatments.

Every published evaluation of HAT has shown extremely positive outcomes: major reductions in illicit drug use, crime, disease and overdose, and improvements in health, social reintegration and treatment retention.

Canada and more than a half-dozen countries in Europe have heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) programs – but there are none in the U.S., although the Nevada legislature is considering a pilot program.

Our country’s mass incarceration and overdose crisis are finally getting the attention of elected officials – including presidential candidates from both parties – who acknowledge these problems and the need for new approaches.  But the proven, life-saving policies that could truly reduce the number of people behind bars, reduce the spread of HIV and overdose are not in most elected officials’ or general public’s vocabulary and consciousness.

We have to open our minds and learn the lessons from around the world as soon as possible. The cost of a slow learning curve is deadly.

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‘Why Take My Vibrator?’—Michigan Cops Legally Rob ‘Every Belonging’ from Medical Marijuana Patient

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/why-take-my-vibrator-michigan-cops-legally-rob-every-belonging-medical-marijuana-patient

Medical marijuana user Ginnifer Hency told a group of Michigan lawmakers last week that a drug task force raided her home and kept ‘every belonging’ she owned — including her vibrator — even after a judge dismissed the charges against her.

Forbes contributor Jacob Sullum reported last week that Hency testified before the Michigan state House Judiciary Committee about what happened when her home in Smiths Creek was raided last July.

Hency explained that her neurologist had recommended medical marijuana to treat pain associated with multiple sclerosis. She is also registered in the state of Michigan as a caregiver for five other patients, giving her the ability to distribute medical marijuana.

Hency said that the six ounces in her locked backpack were in compliance with Michigan medical marijuana laws when a drug task force raided her home with four children present.

“They took everything, even though I was fully compliant with the Michigan medical marijuana laws,” she said. “They charged me with possession with intent to deliver, even though I’m allowed to possess and deliver.”

A St. Clair County judge dropped the charges against Hency, but for 10 months law enforcement officials have refused to give back her belongings.

“They have had my stuff for 10 months, my ladder, my iPad, my children’s iPads, my children’s phones, my medicine for my patients,” Hency noted. “Why a ladder? Why my vibrator, I don’t know either. Why TVs?”

“The prosecutor came out to me and said, ‘Well, I can still beat you in civil court. I can still take your stuff,’” Hency recalled, adding, “I was at a loss. I literally just sat there dumbfounded.”

“And I was just sitting there, like, thinking I was going to be able to get my stuff back, but not in this country. And that is why civil asset forfeiture in this state needs to change.”

According to Sullum, the Michigan House Judiciary Committee is considering a bill that would require local law enforcement agencies to report forfeitures to the state police, and it would raise the standard of proof required for civil forfeiture in drug cases.

But under the proposed law, local agencies would continue to keep 100 percent of the proceeds from forfeitures, “which gives them a strong incentive to target people based on the assets they own instead of the threat they pose to public safety,” Sullum wrote.

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Medicare’s new Star Rating system for Part D insurance companies and Pharmacies is focusing on PT’S ADHERENCE to their chronic medications.

Help these pharmacies that are HEALTHCARE DENIERS to “feel your pain”.. Keep in mind.. without filing complaints with www.cms.gov about denied Rxs.. there will be NO DATA collected on your NON-ADHERENCE.. The denial of Rxs will be INVISIBLE to the Medicare’s database that will be the determining if your are compliant with your medications.

This is another incident of if you DO NOTHING… YOU GET NOTHING….

http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/CertificationandComplianc/FSQRS.html

http://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/staticpages/rating/planrating-help.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

You know the statistics about the estimated $290 billion cost of medication non-adherence, but some people willingly say they will pay the ultimate price if they could avoid taking their prescription daily.

Any good team has both a strong offense and a strong defense. NCPA’s advocacy work fixes and protects community pharmacies from legislation and policies harmful to pharmacy small business owners and the communities we serve. On offense, NCPA helps community pharmacies know what to expect in order to stay ahead of the market. Simplify My Meds® is an example of such a program.

Medicare’s star ratings are driving how health plans contract for pharmacies. About half of a health plan’s star ratings come from pharmacy-related quality measures. And, most of the pharmacy’s quality measures are related to medication adherence. Simplify My Meds is a program NCPA promotes to pharmacies to use to synchronize patient medications, which leads to increased medication adherence.

This isn’t some touchy, feely concept program with no relevance to the real world. Next year some Part D Plans are saying they will pay pharmacies with high quality scores that boost health plan star ratings more than those with low quality scores that pull the star ratings down. Eventually, some health plans will exclude pharmacies from being in their network based on their drag on the plan’s star rating.

Almost 2,500 community pharmacies have enrolled in Simplify My Meds and they have enrolled more than 100,000 patients taking chronic medications!

Plus, medication adherence is a bridge between today’s payment model and future value-based payment models. You know the reasons for medication adherence already—lower overall health care costs, better quality of life for patients, pharmacist expertise in action, and increased pharmacy revenue. Despite everyone in the health system having aligned interests motivating patients to take their medications is not easy.

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Corresponding responsibility and RED FLAGS

This is a video from the NABP ( National Association of Boards of Pharmacies ) of the six financial sponsors of this video.. THREE are the THREE major drug wholesalers .. that are rationing the quantity of control meds that community pharmacies can purchase..  but not rationing to hospitals, nursing home pharmacies and hospice pharmacies .

They also make statements in the video …like.. 50% of the population takes at least ONE PRESCRIPTION… doesn’t say that they are controlled prescriptions.. since around 20% of all prescriptions filled are for controlled meds.

Also notice within the video there is not mention that the Pharmacist has the corresponding responsibility that legit pts get their medically necessary medications.

Bottom line.. if a Pharmacist is looking for a reason to JUST SAY NO… most likely.. they will find one…

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http://wnpr.org/post/california-women-can-soon-go-right-pharmacist-birth-control#stream/0

The way this law reads.. the legislator in California has given Pharmacists limited prescriptive authority without provider status.. since insurance/Medicaid is not obligated to pay Pharmacists for prescribing services. Of course, the state funded Medicaid program could be one of the largest beneficiaries of not having to pay for doctor’s office visit at least once a year to give a woman a Rx for birth control meds. I am sure that the pharmacy chains will embrace this new capacity for Pharmacists… their employed Pharmacists, I suspect, will not share their enthusiasm.  Maybe they just “won’t be comfortable” in doing this ??   Note that Pharmacists are required to have special licensing and CE requirements.. another REVENUE STREAM for the state of CALIFORNIA.. a sure win-win for the state.

Think of how often you stop by Walgreens or CVS. You run in and grab some Band-Aids or restock your ibuprofen supply. Maybe you even get a flu shot on your way to work.

Soon, it will be that easy for women in California to get birth control, too. Under a new state law, women will be able to go to a pharmacy, get a prescription for contraceptive pills, the ring, or the patch, get it filled and walk out 15 minutes later.

“For a woman who can’t get in to see their doctor, the pharmacist will be able to furnish that for them now,” says Lisa Kroon, a professor at University of California, San Francisco’s school of pharmacy who oversees students who work at the Walgreens store on campus.

That pharmacy will be one of the first to take advantage of a new law in California allowing pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception. The law, SB 493, was passed in 2013. State health officials are now finalizing the regulations for the law to take effect. The California pharmacy board met Thursday to review them. The law is expected to be fully implemented later this year.

But the law goes beyond birth control pills. It also authorizes pharmacists to prescribe medications for smoking cessation and travel abroad. Pharmacists can administer routine vaccinations to children ages 3 and older. They can even order lab tests and adjust drug regimens for patients with diabetes, hypertension, or other conditions. Kroon says the idea is to make it easier on patients.

“Maybe a working parent can now come after work because the pharmacy is open later,” she says.

The law was passed amid growing concern about doctor shortages. As more baby boomers hit age 65, and millions of people get health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, there aren’t enough primary care doctors to go around.

Advocates says California is the first state to recognize that pharmacists can help fill the gap.

“The pharmacist is really an untapped resource,” Kroon says. “We are graduating students that are ready for this, but the laws just haven’t kept up with what the pharmacist training already is.”

But there’s a big drawback for pharmacists. Now they can perform all these services once reserved for the doctor’s office. But, they won’t get paid for the extra time it takes to provide them.

The law does not compel insurance companies or Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid, to reimburse these services, says Jon Roth, CEO of the California Pharmacists Association.

In the long run, Roth says the law could ultimately save money, because reimbursement rates for pharmacists will inevitably be lower than what doctors charge.

“We are working to try and identify where it makes sense to pay pharmacists as opposed to other more expensive providers in the health care delivery system,” he says.

Pharmacists’ growing power has some physicians bracing for a turf war. The California Medical Association opposed an early version of the law, citing patient safety concerns. It later withdrew its opposition after lawmakers added a special licensing procedure and continuing education requirement for pharmacists.

Still, some doctors are concerned that if women don’t come to the clinic for their birth control, they won’t get screened for cervical cancer or tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

“Family planning for women is often an access point to assessing other health issues,” says Amy Moy, vice president of public affairs for the California Family Health Council, an advocacy group that supports the law. “Women accessing birth control through the pharmacist would be faster and more convenient. But they will also not have the comprehensive care available in another health care setting.”

Studies of women living on the border of Texas and Mexico found that women who get their birth control over the counter in Mexican pharmacies are less likely to go to the doctor for other preventive care, compared with women who get contraception at clinics. But women at the clinics were also more likely to stop using their birth control, in part because of having to schedule a doctor’s visit to get it.

Moy’s group and other women’s advocates say the benefits of improving access to birth control and reducing unintended pregnancies are critical to women’s health and outweigh the potential risks.

Pharmacy professor Kroon says the plan is for pharmacists to communicate regularly with patients’ doctors. “We are not a lone ranger out there doing something,” she says.

If things go well with the pharmacists law, it could bode well for efforts to expand the scope of practice for other health care practioners. Sen. Ed Hernandez, who led the effort on the pharmacist law, has also proposed bills to increase authority for nurse practitioners and optometrists. Both are working their way through the legislature.

Other states are watching California to see how the pharmacist law plays out. Lawmakers in Oregon and in Congress are considering similar laws.

“They are all watching what happens in California,” Kroon says.

This story is part of a reporting partnership with NPR, KQED and Kaiser Health News.

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Hidden Camera: VA Director says VA Turning Veterans into Drug Addicts

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Plan to THINK… How to prescribe controlled substances in Kentucky for the first three months

http://jamespmurphymd.com/2015/06/04/plan-to-think-how-to-prescribe-controlled-substances-in-kentucky-for-the-first-three-months/

Kentucky’s controlled substances regulations make clear distinctions between: (1) initial prescribing, (2) prescribing by the three-month mark, and (3) prescribing beyond three months. To make matters even more confusing, the regulations are two-tiered, with specific language pertaining only to schedule II drugs, with schedule V drugs being exempt from the regulations.

Because of some seemingly redundant and contradictory language, understanding Kentucky’s regulations can be challenging. Prescriber uncertainty can interfere with proper patient care. In an effort to simplify this process I have summarized Kentucky’s regulations governing the initial prescribing of controlled substances in a convenient “check list” format. Future articles will look at the three-month mark and beyond.

The bold components of the checklist are required only when prescribing schedule II controlled substances. However, to be safe I recommend checking off all of the requirements when prescribing any schedule II-IV drug.

Note: I am a physician; not a lawyer. This summary is not legal advice. Each facility and physician should consult its own legal counsel for advice and guidance.

 

P lan to T H I N K

What to do initially when prescribing during the first three months of treatment.

 

P lan

___ Deliberate decision that it is medically appropriate to prescribe or dispense the controlled substance in the amount specified

___ Written plan stating the objectives of the treatment

____Written plan stating any further diagnostic examinations                 

 

T each

___”Safe” use

___ A controlled substance for an acute complaint is for time-limited use

___ Discontinue medication when the condition has resolved

___ Proper disposal of any unused medications

___ KBML website resources

(Note: Educational materials relating to these subjects may be found on the board’s web site, www.kbml.ky.gov or
 http://kbml.ky.gov/hb1/Pages/Considerations-For-Patient-Education.aspx)

 

H istory and physical

___ Appropriate medical history relevant to the medical complaint, including a history of present illness

___ Physical examination of the patient relevant to the medical complaint and related symptoms

 

 

I nformed consent

__ Discuss the benefits and risks of prescribing or dispensing a controlled substance to the patient, including:

(a) nontreatment, (b) other treatment, (c) the risk of tolerance and (d) the risk of drug dependence

__ Obtain written consent for the treatment.

 

 

N o  long-acting opioids

___ No long-acting or controlled-release opioids for acute pain that is not directly related to and “close in time” to a specific surgical procedure

 

 

K ASPER

___ Obtain and review KASPER report for that patient for the preceding 12 months

___ Appropriately utilize KASPER information in evaluation and treatment

 

 

 

Additional documentation required for patient prescribed a schedule II controlled substance, as “appropriate”:

___Diagnostics (labs, studies, etc.)

___Evaluations and consultations;

___Treatments and outcomes

___Medications (date, type, dosage, and quantity)

___Instructions

___Agreements

     

When prescribing “additional” Schedule II, at “reasonable” and individualized intervals review:

___ Plan of care

___ Provide any new information about the treatment

___ Modify or terminate the treatment as appropriate

 

EXEMPTIONS to Kentucky’s regulations:

The exemptions are very confusing. While the first set of exemptions (see below) are supposed to apply to all controlled substance, there are additional exemptions that pertain only to schedule II controlled substances.

I believe the most important points here are:

1. Cancer patients are exempted.
2. In-patients are exempted for Schedule III-IV
3. In-patients receiving schedule II drugs must have a KASPER, but all the treating physicians can share the report.
4. Post-op schedule II drugs are exempted for 2 weeks.
5. Schedule V drugs are always exempted. 

Here are the exemptions in detail:

Kentucky’s regulations shall not apply to a physician prescribing or dispensing a controlled substance:

(a) To a patient as part of the patient’s hospice or end-of-life treatment;

(b) To a patient admitted to a licensed hospital as an inpatient, outpatient, or observation patient, during and as part of a normal and expected part of the patient’s course of care at that hospital;

(c) To a patient for the treatment of pain associated with cancer or with the treatment of cancer;

(d) To a patient who is a registered resident of a long-term-care facility as defined in KRS 216.510;

(e) During the effective period of any period of disaster or mass casualties which has a direct impact upon the physician’s practice;

(f) In a single dose prescribed or dispensed to relieve the anxiety, pain, or discomfort experienced by that patient submitting to a diagnostic test or procedure; or

(g) That has been classified as a Schedule V controlled substance.

But wait! There are more exemptions that pertain only when prescribing Schedule II controlled substances…

For each patient for whom a physician prescribes or dispenses a Schedule II these regulations shall not apply to:

• A physician prescribing or administering that controlled substance immediately prior to, during, or within the fourteen (14) days following an operative or invasive procedure or a delivery if the prescribing or administering is medically related to the operative or invasive procedure or delivery and the medication usage does not extend beyond the fourteen (14) days; or
• For administration in a hospital or long-term-care facility if the hospital or long-term-care facility with an institutional account, or a physician in those hospitals or facilities if no institutional account exists, queries KASPER for all available data on the patient or resident for the twelve (12) month period immediately preceding the query, within twelve (12) hours of the patient’s or resident’s admission, and places a copy of the query in the patient’s or resident’s medical records for use during the duration of the patient’s stay at the facility;
• As part of the patient’s hospice or end-of-life treatment;
• For the treatment of pain associated with cancer or with the treatment of cancer;
• In a single dose to relieve the anxiety, pain, or discomfort experienced by a patient submitting to a diagnostic test or procedure;
• Within seven (7) days of an initial prescribing or dispensing under subsection (1) of this section if the prescribing or dispensing:
  1. (1) Is done as a substitute for the initial prescribing or dispensing;
  2. Cancels any refills for the initial prescription; and
  3. Requires the patient to dispose of any remaining unconsumed medication;
• Within ninety (90) days of an initial prescribing or dispensing under subsection (1) of this section if the prescribing or dispensing is done by another physician in the same practice or in an existing coverage arrangement, if done for the same patient for the same medical condition; or
• To a research subject enrolled in a research protocol approved by an institutional review board that has an active federalwide assurance number from the United States Department for Health and Human Services, Office for Human Research Protections if the research involves single, double, or triple blind drug administration or is additionally covered by a certificate of confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health.

There are additional “Professional Standards for Commencing Long Term Use of Prescribing or Dispensing of Controlled Substances for the Treatment of Pain and Related Symptoms Associated with a Primary Medical Complaint” that must be met before a physician commences to prescribe or dispense any controlled substance to a patient sixteen (16) years or older for pain or other symptoms associated with the same primary medical complaint for a total period of longer than three (3) months.

To address this information and much more, there will be another Confluential Truth article coming soon. You may also refer to the regulations as posted on the KBML website (http://kbml.ky.gov/hb1/Pages/House-Bill-1-Ordinary-Regulations.aspx) and in the “comments” section accompanying this article.

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The Armed Citizen® Pharmacy Robberies

http://www.americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2015/6/4/the-armed-citizen-pharmacy-robberies/

Most/all chain store pharmacies have policies in place that even those Pharmacists that have concealed carry permit are not allow to carry them while working…  A robber’s “ideal location” … drugs, money and NO GUNS in one place…

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Congress Passes Three Amendments To Stop DEA From Undermining State Marijuana Laws

http://www.theweedblog.com/congress-passes-three-amendments-to-stop-dea-from-undermining-state-marijuana-laws/

Legislators passed three amendments today to prohibit the DEA and U.S. Department of Justice from undermining state marijuana laws, as part of the U.S. House of Representatives’ consideration of the Fiscal Year 2016 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill. A fourth amendment failed. The House also passed an amendment last night ending the DEA’s controversial bulk data collection program. It also passed three amendments cutting $23 million from the DEA’s budget, and shifted it to fighting child abuse, processing rape test kits, reducing the deficit, and paying for body cameras on police officers to reduce law enforcement abuses.

“There’s unprecedented support on both sides of the aisle for ending the federal war on marijuana and letting states set their own drug policies based on science, compassion, health, and human rights,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “The more the DEA blocks sensible reforms the more they will see their agency’s power and budget come under deeper scrutiny.”

Currently, 23 states, the District of Columbia and Guam have legalized marijuana for a variety of medicinal purposes – and an additional 16 states have passed laws to allow access to CBD oils, a non-psychotropic component of marijuana that has proven uniquely effective in managing epileptic seizures that afflict children. Four states – Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington – have legalized marijuana like alcohol. In 2016, voters in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada are expected to decide ballot initiatives on the question of legalizing marijuana for adult use. A slew of recent polls show that significant majorities of both Democrats and Republicans strongly believe that the decision of whether and how to regulate marijuana should be left up to the states.

A bipartisan amendment to protect state medical marijuana laws from federal interference passed 242-186. It was offered by Representatives Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Sam Farr (D-CA), Reid Ribble (R-WI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Joe Heck (R-NV), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Don Young (R-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Dina Titus (D-NV). The Rohrabacher-Farr amendment passed the U.S. House last year with strong bipartisan support. It made it into the final CJS spending bill signed into law by the President. Because it was attached to an annual spending bill it will expire later this year unless Congress renews it.

A second marijuana amendment by Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) passed 297-130. It would protect state laws that allow the use of CBD oils, but leave most medical marijuana patients and their providers vulnerable to federal arrest and prosecution.

A third amendment by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) passedby 282-146. It would prohibit the DEA from undermining state laws allowing the industrial use of hemp. A similar amendment passed the House last year.

A fourth bipartisan amendment prohibiting the DEA and Justice Department from undermining state marijuana laws failed, 206-222. It was offered by Representatives Tom McClintock (R-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Don Young (R-AK), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA).

Three amendments cutting the DEA’s budget passed by voice vote last night. Rep. Ted Liew’s (D-CA) amendment shifted $9 million from the DEA’s failed Cannabis Reduction and Eradication program to the VAWA Consolidated Youth Oriented Program ($4 million), Victims of Child Abuse Act ($3 million), and deficit reduction ($2 million). Rep. Steve Cohen’s (D-TN) amendment shifted $4 million from the DEA to a program to reduce the nation’s backlog in processing of rape test kits. Rep. Joaquin Castro’s (D-TX) amendment shifted $9 million from the DEA to body cameras for police officers to reduce police abuse.

Last night the House also adopted an amendment preventing DEA and DOJ from using federal funds to engage in bulk collection of Americans’ communications records. It was offered by Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).

In 2013 a major Reuters expose reported that the DEA has been collaborating with the NSA, CIA, and other agencies to spy on American citizens in the name of the War on Drugs. The journalists also revealed that DEA agents are actively creating — and encouraging other agencies to create — fake investigative trails to disguise where the information originated, known as “parallel construction”, a scheme that prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges and others are arguing has robbed defendants of their right to a fair trial. Hundreds or thousands of cases could be affected. In April of this year USA Today reported that the DEA and Justice Department have been keeping secret records of billions of international phone calls made by Americans for decades. The program was the first known U.S. effort to gather bulk data on U.S. citizens, regardless of whether or not they were suspected of committing a crime. It formed the basis of post-9/11 spying programs.

“The DEA built the modern surveillance state,” said Piper. “From spying on Americans to busting into people’s homes the DEA doesn’t fit in well in a free societyand the time is now to reverse these harms.”

The amendments are part of a growing bipartisan effort to hold the DEA more accountable and reform U.S. drug policy. The DEA has existed for more than 40 years, but little attention has been given to the role the agency has played in fueling mass incarceration, racial disparities and other problems exacerbated by the drug war. Congress has rarely scrutinized the agency, its actions or its budget, instead deferring to DEA administrators on how best to deal with drug-related issues. That all has changed recently after a series of scandals that sparked several hearings in the House and Senate and forced the resignation of the DEA’s beleaguered head, Administrator Michele Leonhart.

The Drug Policy Alliance recently released a new report, The Scandal-Ridden DEA: Everything You Need to Know, and placed a mock “we’re hiring” ad in Roll Call  criticizing the DEA and their leadership. The report and a comprehensive set of background resources about the campaign to rein in the DEA are available at: www.drugpolicy.org/DEA.

“The DEA is a large, expensive, scandal-prone bureaucracy that has failed to reduce drug-related problems,” said Piper. “There’s a bipartisan consensus that drug use should be treated as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue; with states legalizing marijuana and adopting other drug policy reforms it is time to ask if the agency is even needed anymore.”

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Hi,
i stumbled upon you while google searching possible actions i could take to file a complaint against a pharmacist and i was hoping you could give me more information for possible actions i can take. I think i should give you my background so you can better understand. I am a 46 year old mother of 2 adult children (college ages 18 and 20) I have been under the care of pain management doctor since 2007. I have had 18 epidurals with no relief, facet joint injections, a discetomy and most recently a numeral stimulator trial all these procedures have been oneffective ands my MRI results have gotten worse. i have 5 bulging discs, 6 herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, stenoosis and scolosis basically my whole neck and lower back are blown out. not to mention the sciatica and ridiculopathy. as well i have broken my tail bone due to lack of sensation in my lower extremities. i work full time but have needed opiates and muscle relaxers to do so since 2007. I have been on 3 medications consistently since 2007. soma 350mg (carispidol), percocet 10mg (max dose from 2008) and morphine 100mg from 2010 which was increased to (2 3x a day last year) and even with these medications i suffer when i work but i refuse to lay down as i was told by the original orthopedic surgeon who said ” life as i knew it was over” at the age of 37. so thats the back story now to the issue my normal pharmacy 3 months ago said they could no longer fills my prescriptions they were nice and apologetic but it was and is a issue for me. so i went to another pharmacy ultimately. (i get my re’s at different times during the month because i have run into filling issues in the past and been pushed back 2-3 days from time to time. so now i fill my morphine then about 2 weeks later my soma and 2 days later my percocet. recently i went with my morphine rx to walgreens and the pharmacist made a big deal out loud about my dose, called the doctor who was on my side and ultimately filled the rx but said he will not fill the quantity again. then 2 weeks later i went in search of a pharmacy who had my percocet in stock it happened that a different walgreens had it and told me to wait 20 minutes but then called me back to tell me i was told they wouldn’t fill my rx perviously which i explained i was told that but by a different walgreens and for a completely different medication. (apparently the pharmacist who filled my morphine tagged me somehow) since she then told me no walgreens will fill my prescriptions! my prescriptions are totally valid i need them to function and any pharmacy can pull up my records and know i have been on these 3 controlled substances for many years! I was thoroughly embarrassed i feel completely discriminated against and that this is totally unfair! I will be making formal complaints i told my doctor who said this is totally wrong and probably i could sue for discrimination. How can a pharmacist black ball me for legitimate prescriptions i have been taking for years? without these medications i will surely go into withdrawal let alone be completely immobile. I read a lot of stuff about filing complaints if your disabled but what recourse do i have? i work full time on these medications but surely couldn’t work without them. the only thing i have is disabled tags on my car and my job knows i am not to lift more than 3 pounds nor walk a lot and since i work at a college its not my physical body needed its my brain. I teach biology and am a senior college lab technician. This cant be legal what he has done essentially blocking me from filling my rxs at all walgreens in , NY. i msut be able to do something? any feedback i would appreciate.
thanks

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