Ginny&#39;s Bloggity-Blog

Well of course! And I must be a meth fiend - with all that claritin-d I buy!

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maxomai.livejournal.com

The problem with this law is that crack production will just move to Mexico, and the product shipped in. The product will also be higher quality (read: more addicts, more crime). This is exactly what happened with meth when we set up the pseudoephedrine laws. The difference is that meth manufacturing is infinitely more toxic and dangerous to the neighbors than crack manufacturing, so at least we don't have meth labs in residential neighborhoods any more.

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this just pisses me off! why don't they make cold-medicine behind the counter? I'll tell ya why, it's because of Big Pharma and their greedy ties to the FDA, et al. They want to patent every plant known to man, and then eradicate the said plant. (HEMP!)

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But the cold-medicines I use are indeed behind the counter. And I wait in line every other week along with the presciption drug people to buy an OTC allergy medicine that the FDA has deemed safe enough for being OTC. When I finally get to the counter I have to produce ID and wait for them to pull out a log book and get to the right page for me to sign it. I feel like a criminal and it's very inconvenient. I can't even buy a 30 day supply because the ridiculous new laws won't let me.
Then I see the prescription people, who are buying actual controlled drugs, come up - say who they are and get their meds.

Not happy with this at all.

Not that I disagree with a lot of what you say, Jackye, but punishing me and people with allergies for the misdeeds of a few is not cool.

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oh, and about that cold medicine:
http://www.newstarget.com/021649.html
(NewsTarget) Methamphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant drug that can have horrifying side effects, but perhaps the most shocking thing about this drug is that the FDA and Big Business may be contributing to its spread in pursuit of profits.

While dietary supplements containing ephedra were banned in 2003, when the FDA stated use of the herb presented "an unreasonable risk of illness or injury," pseudoephedrine-containing over-the-counter medicines from Big Pharma remain on the market. These products are used for far more than relieving sinus pressure, because a relatively simple (albeit very dangerous) refining process can turn sinus medicines into crystal methamphetamine. A further indicator of the FDA protecting Big Pharma interests is the fact that methamphetamine itself is prescribed as an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug under the brand name Desoxyn, although usually only as a last resort.

Many states are restricting access to pseudoephedrine-containing products by limiting the number of these products that can be purchased, and requiring customers to provide government-issued identification and sign a logbook before receiving them. Oregon has even returned psuedoephedrine to prescription-only status. Despite these actions, meth continues to plague the United States.

When methamphetamines are used -- either injected directly into the blood stream, smoked in their crystal form (also known as "ice"), or through some other method -- they act directly on the brain's reward mechanisms and release massive amounts of norepinephrine, dopamine and a smaller amount of serotonin, and causing euphoria and excitement.

The side effects of meth abuse include diarrhea, nausea, sudden weight loss and kidney damage caused by hyperkaemia -- dangerously elevated blood/potassium levels that can cause kidney failure and death. Users have also been observed engaging in compulsive behavior such as obsessive cleaning or breaking down and rebuilding things, as well as obsessive sexual behavior. The drug lowers inhibitions and, in some users, increases sexual appetite while simultaneously decreasing sensitivity, leading the user to try almost anything to achieve release. Additionally, meth use has been linked to STDs such as HIV, possibly because some users exhibit reckless sexual behavior and may take on more than one partner. One study conducted by the University of California, San Diego in November found that meth users were a sixth as likely to employ a condom during sex as a non-user.

Another dangerous side effect of "ice" is abnormally rapid tooth decay, known as "meth mouth," which the American Dental Association says is probably brought on by the "combination of drug-induced psychological and physiological changes resulting in xerostomia (dry mouth), extended periods of poor oral hygiene, frequent consumption of high calorie, carbonated beverages and tooth grinding and clenching." Some experts theorize that the acidic nature of the drug may also contribute to tooth decay.

The reported use of meth is dropping, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Applied Studies, which show 5.3 percent of the U.S. population aged 12 and up reported using meth at least once in their lifetime in 2002, while 4.3 percent of the demographic made the same claim in 2005. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) progress report on the fight against meth stated that there was a 30 percent drop of meth lab seizures between 2004 and 2005. Despite these figures, the drug remains a primary concern for drug agencies across the United States.

Of the 500 law enforcement agencies that responded to the 2005 National Association of Counties' meth epidemic survey, 87 percent reported an increase in meth-related arrests since 2002. Meth was named as the largest drug problem in 58 percent of counties, followed by cocaine and then marijuana. The survey also revealed that an estimated 20 percent of all prison inmates were serving time for meth-related crimes in half of the counties surveyed, while the other half reported the number exceeded 50 percent.

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I think that much of what the FDA does is of great disservice to the USA. Big Pharma, much of the time, seems to be operating with the worst aspects of capitalism. Profit with no regard to consequence.
There need to be some changes. Personnel changes at the FDA and in the three branches are required before anything can get done.

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I agree. I hope something can change. Capitalism is suppose to be about creating a product based on a real need, that earns a profit at the same time. Now, it's the other way around: companies market the needs to us in the form of a product, and we buy it up (bottled water comes to mind. not even Starbuck's "friendly" brand helps. 2 cents for every dollar spent on their water? That's hardly a drop in the bucket when you think about the millions of people without adequate clean water.)

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I'm reading this book right now: http://www.bodyecologydiet.com/bedbook.php

I think it would be beneficial for you to read as well since you experience allergies.

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I will check it out. Thank You! :-)

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That's an unfair attack on Capitalism. The problem is not that a capitalist system is being used for abuse... the problem is that government has subverted the process with regulations that prohibit competition and accountability.

If the FDA makes a mistake or is subject to special interests, we have no choice but to listen to them anyway. They make the rules. Were drugs overseen by an independent, private body, we'd not have this problem. Put your label on too many crap drugs? Your approval becomes a joke, and people go to a more reputable body. It works for other industries... so why not the drug industry?

Of course, that would require a good dose of personal responsibility. If I eat a dead cow laying on the side of the road, I'm agreeing to take upon myself the risk of infection and disease. Similarly, people would have to be willing to take upon themselves the risk of using drugs that have not been screened by a reputable body, should they choose to do so.

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I'm not anti-capitalism at all. I've stated before that I just don't think laissez faire capitalism will work. I'm just pointing out one of the potential negatives (which is why I think as I do about LFC)and how I think it is coming into play here.
I think the FDA needs a major overhaul. What I was really saying there is that I think our entire government needs an overhaul.
A private body for overseeing? Who watches the watchers then? At least the FDA is ostensibly accountable via our representative government.

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Private bodies would be a better idea. I just posted on the idea in general as it relates to regulatory bodies, and contrasted a couple of private vs. public bodies. Basically, it is the public that watches the watchers. It is still illegal to poison someone through negligence, so privatizing FDAish entities would only remove the protective blanket of government from its shoulders.

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Sorry to post so much... multitasking splits up thoughts.

I agree... we need a major overhaul of government. I'd say that a great start would be to restore the power of the states. One of the major underlying issues between PEOPLE in the U.S. is that we're trying to mesh countless political philosophies into one big, nasty stew. If we were willing to allow the states to set their own internal political philosophies (while ensuring that no violations of Constitutionally protected rights occured), we'd have 50 positions from which we could all amiably disagree.

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kyrie1618.livejournal.com

I have problems with laissez faire capitalism as well, but they mostly stem from the fact that the free market seems to concentrate power into fewer and fewer hands. If people are to behave we need seperation of powers, we need transparency, and we need free exchange of information.

Between vertical integration, intellectual property, and NDAs, I don't see any way the libertarian ideal can ever work -- it's unstable and decays into monopoly/feudalism, IMHO.

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Its hard to say, because no one has actually tried it.

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Meh. Not one of my big issues, but I'm not real clear on where the government has the right to declare drug illegal in the first place.

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If we allow it then they can do it since "we" are the government.
Seeing as how we've given them tacit authority it's a big deal. :-) It needs to be made an issue of.

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