Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Legislative Letter
Jason M. Lewis, Senator
Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health
State House
Tel [HIDDEN]
Dear Senator Lewis,
A public health emergency was declared by Governor Deval Patrick on March 27, 2014, due to the dramatic rise in opiate abuse in Massachusetts (Cassidy, 2014). On the agenda was an addition $20 million for substance abuse prevention and treatment, taking Zohydro off the market, and allowing police officers to carry the anti-overdose drug naloxone. While these measures are a step in the right direction, the number of deaths to opioid overdose surged in December, from 60 in the previous month to 114 (MacQuarrie, 2015). The explanations offered include heroin mixed stronger opiates and stronger restrictions governing prescription painkillers. The sudden, inexplicable closing of the Andrew House Detoxification Center, a 60-bed facility on Long Island, certainly didn't help the situation any (Cullen, 2014).
One solution, which is already a part of the Massachusetts health system, is medical marijuana. A study published last year revealed that states enacting medical marijuana legislation between 1999 and 2010 experienced a 25% average reduction in opioid overdose fatalities (Bachhuber, Saloner, Cunningham, & Barry, 2014). The protection conferred by medical marijuana persisted regardless...
Unfortunately, the Department of Health and Human Services recently implemented restrictive regulations, including the requirement that patients and providers apply for certification online (Mass.gov, 2014). The first emails sent to applicants shocked the recipients because the subject line and content violated federal and state privacy laws, by revealing the purpose of the letter and private personal information (Lazar, 2015). Senator John F. Keenan reintroduced S.B. 1031 to the Joint Committee on Public Health last month, which severely restricts the number of medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation sites in the state, imposes a fee of $25,000 on farmers, and prohibits doctors from writing prescriptions for opiate addiction (Editors, 2013). Although the bill is unlikely to pass, it does represent efforts by some legislators and public health administrators to roll back medical marijuana policy progress.
As an advanced practice nursing professional, I cannot take a position on marijuana legalization, but a bill was introduced by Rep. Dave M. Rogers and Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen (2015) a few weeks ago to do just that [The Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act (CRTA) of 2016, 2015]. Among the many justifications offered for CRTA passage, improved public health and the removal of medical marijuana barriers are…
References
Bachhuber, M.A., Saloner, B., Cunningham, C.O., & Barry, C.L. (2014). Medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality in the United States, 1999-2010. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(10), 1668-73.
Cassidy, P. (2014, March 28). Governor declares war on opiate epidemic. Cape Cod Times.
Cullen, K. (2014, October 12). Rushed closing of Long Island Bridge takes a human toll. Boston Globe.
Editors. (2013, May 1). Massachusetts marijuana advocates decry 'nasty' bill that would severely limit State's MMJ program. Marijuana Business Daily.
Mass.gov. (2014). Information for patients and caregivers: Program update -- October 8, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/hcq/medical-marijuana/patients-and-caregivers.html.
Officers of the USADA attended the athletes' training or visited them at home to conduct drug tests. Officials and Association experts found that many athletes would risk harmful side effects or disqualification just to take these substances. Professional athletes, like Adam Nelson, however, won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics. He was open and vocal against the use of steroids in sports. He was particularly opposed to the
"As a case in point we may take the known fact of the prevalence of reefer and dope addiction in Negro areas. This is essentially explained in terms of poverty, slum living, and broken families, yet it would be easy to show the lack of drug addiction among other ethnic groups where the same conditions apply." Inciardi 248() Socio-economic effects Legalizing drugs has been deemed to have many socio-economic effects. A study
Prescription Drug Abuse The overall point of conversation when speaking of prescription drugs in the public and political sphere has usually focused on cost and/or ease of access among all Americans. The overall points of conversation relating to drug has often centered on drugs like heroin, cocaine, crack and marijuana. However, as time and trends have shifted, the primary focus of both overall topics has centered on the use and abuse