Oregon Medical Board: A Most Strange Group: Reefer madness & Oxycontin deaths

What justifies their actions when people are dying from prescription drugs every day?

Deaths due to unintentional drug overdoses have gone up enormously since 1976- these numbers do not include marijuana, because marijuana has still killed no one.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - There is a saying, "Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Absolutely Corrupts" in accordance with the title this seems to be the case. The medical board's harsh treatment of several if not many of Oregon’s 4000+ marijuana doctors is in sharp contrast with apparent lack of corrective discipline of Oxycontin doctors who, according to news media are directly or indirectly responsible for thousands of deaths- not only in Oregon, but throughout the world.

Oxycontin is a dangerously lethal substance and physicians should be more perspicacious for whom they write prescriptions, not only "Oxy" but other dangerous and lethal opiates and opioids.

We know that there is an epidemic of Oxy murders, suicides and "accidental' overdoses and physicians who are writing the scripts can be easily determined. I haven’t heard of any Oregon physician who has been disciplined by the medical board for writing oxy scripts.

There may be some, but if so the information is hidden. This seems to be protection for the errant physicians but also for Perdue Pharma which is earning millions of dollars if not billions for the sale of Oxy.

Salem-News.com just posted an article indicating 500% increase in Oxy sales, medical use and non-medical (read illegal) use, and 130% increase in deaths by Oxy etc. in the past 10 years.

At the same time, the Oregon medical board is hassling and severely disciplining some of Oregon's marijuana physicians. this author is one of them.

I have signed applications for over 5,000 of the 49,000 Oregon medical marijuana patients with no complaints of any harm by the family, etc., and NO DEATHS. Yet, the board ignorantly concludes that marijuana is somehow more dangerous than the death-dealing highly addictive Oxycontin and its nearby cousins.

The public is entitled to know why the Oregon medical board maintains its ridiculous opinions in that 49,000 Oregonians have medical marijuana permits signed by 4,000+ Oregon doctors and no harm has been reported.

WILL THE OREGON MEDICAL BOARD PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS?

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Steve Nelson July 16, 2011 2:41 am (Pacific time)

The Oregon Board of Medical Examiners seems to have no problem with our state’s healthcare corporations discriminating against Oregon Medical Marijuana Program patients. They also violate the law by specifically indicating such willful discrimination in contracts with their patients. There’s a new policy at Adventist Health Medical Group where after treating a cardholding patient for seven years, they suddenly say must stop using medical cannabis or they will no longer treat her, at all. Here’s number thirty from the contract….. 30. I give permission to the Adventist Health Medical Group to report any unexpected results found on any of my Urine Drug Screens to law enforcement. This includes the finding of cannabinoids even if I have a current Oregon Medical Marijuana Card, the finding of any scheduled drugs not currently being prescribed, the lack of finding prescribed pain medications that have been prescribed, and, of course, the finding of illegal substances, such as Cocaine and Methamphetamine. How can they call the cops on someone who holds a valid OMMP card? Time to address these issues before the people. Time to bust up the good ol’ boy club! Time to heal patients, acknowledge the damn law and quit worrying about kissing the asses of the health industry corporations, the pharmaceutical machines and insurance carriers. It’s time to stop CEO’s from dictating healthcare options to physicians in their employ.

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Liz Ananda July 15, 2011 9:06 pm (Pacific time)

Thanks Dr. Leveque, always enjoy reading your articles! This is an interesting question, and I will be sending a letter to the OMB. It really flies in the face of logic to continue questioning the safety of Cannabis, yet publicly ignore the LACK of safety, and all the problems inherent with Oxycontin. This is a serious public health issue; oxy (and other prescribed pain med) users DRIVE on our highways, endangering themselves and the rest of us. Where are the DUI tests for oxy? I'll ask about that too when I write the OMB. Thanks for all you do!

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