Missouri Senator Schaaf: 'If they overdose and kill themselves, it just removes them from the gene pool'

There's a conflict of interest on Flamingo Road but no shortage of traffic!

State Senator of Missouri Rob Schaaf

(MYRTLE BEACH SC) - I have written articles for Salem-News.com referencing "Flamingo Road" -- the pipeline of prescription drugs that travels up the east coast from Florida to the New England states.  www.salem-news.com/articles/march112012/fda-oxy-holder-ms.php

Florida has been vigorously closing "pill mills" in an effort to stem the prescription drug epidemic in their state. Although they should be commended for their diligence in closing these storefront clinics that hand out dangerous and addictive narcotics that are mass manufactured to addict and kill, what is going on with the Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program?

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program was set up to be used by physicians and pharmacists to determine if their patient(s) were "doctor shopping" and having multiple prescriptions filled for dangerous drugs such as OxyContin or Xanax. It is said that it takes approximately one minute for this information to be available to the medical profession. There are a couple of problems with this Prescription Drug Monitoring Program though -- it is not required to be used and the majority of medical professionals in Florida are not utilizing this life-saving program. Beyond sad -- downright criminal and lives and families are being destroyed in Florida because the program "is not required to be used."

The Tampa Bay Times revealed that since the launch of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in Florida on September 1, 2011  more than 48 million prescriptions have been written in Florida for controlled substances — that's about 2.5 for every man, woman and child in the state. Prescribers, however, checked the database before writing just 2 percent of them.

• Among physicians in the Tampa Bay area permitted by the federal government to prescribe these potent drugs, fewer than one in 12 has ever used the database.

• A Times reporter surveyed all 91 local pain-management clinics registered with the state and that appeared to be in business. Fewer than half reported using the program. Employees at 46 of the clinics declined to answer questions or did not respond to calls. One acknowledged never using the program.

Currently there are only a couple of states that do not have a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in place, or mandated, -- one is Missouri -- and it is likely that Missouri will be taking the title once held by Florida as the "Pill Mill Capital" of the U.S.

There is an elected State Senator of Missouri by the name of Rob Schaaf hailing from St. Joseph and representing District 34. A bill was introduced to combat the black market of prescription drugs diverting from the "Flamingo Pipeline" of Florida to Schaaf's State of Missouri. But Senator Schaaf had a problem with a prescription drug monitoring program in his state -- so much so that Schaaf led an eight hour filibuster on the Senate floor which killed the bill.

If you're wondering why Senator Schaaf would go to the extreme of killing a bill which would fight the prescription drug epidemic in his state maybe this will make his concerns at not saving lives clearer to you. Schaaf is a supporter of stricter seat belt laws because people hurt in car crashes cost the government and also violate other people's liberties.

Read more here: http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/laughing-missouri-backstabbing-kansas/#storylink=cpy Bizarre? Well consider this -- Schaaf was quoted as saying this about prescription drug users -- "If they overdose and kill themselves, it just removes them from the gene pool."

First, the good senator is a Director of the Missouri Doctors Mutual Insurance Company (a major contributor to his 2010 Senate run) -- conflict of interest if a prescription drug monitoring program is put into law in Missouri? Well maybe not so much a conflict of interest as having a financial impact on the insurance company he serves as a board member. Schaaf also is Vice Chair of Health, Mental Health, Seniors and Families Committee for his Senate District. Families? Has he noticed what is happening to families throughout the country in prescription drugs being over-manufactured and over-prescribed?

Oh did I mention that Schaaf is also a family practice physician? So why would a physician seeing addiction and death first hand in the medical profession make such a callous and sick statement as drug users killing themselves and being removed from the gene pool? No one would ever make such a cruel statement as that unless there was some kind of motive behind it -- it's not like Schaaf is worried about his gene pool. Although maybe he should be -- you know having children as he does. No excuse Senator Schaaf, but the voters in Missouri will be reminded of your gene pool at the time of your re-election.

If you are outraged at Senator Schaaf's coarse comment about the "gene pool", feel free to let him know by calling his legislative staff - Chris Dunn or Diane Koestner at 573-751-2183. Maybe in November 2014 when Schaaf is up for re-election the voters will throw him into the "gene pool" without a life preserver and remove him from the Senate floor -- what better way to send him a message that our children are dying because of a Holocaust of prescription drugs drowning families in Missouri -- and Senator Schaaf is no lifeguard.

LP - For letting me know all about mailboxes and keeping me focused on the real issues -- I pass the throne to you and love you.

Marianne Skolek twitter.com/MarianneSkolek

Investigative Reporter for Salem-News.com on drug epidemic

www.salem-news.com/by_author.php?reporter=Marianne%20Skolek

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmPG1VjD61U&list=UUWoHUEr4ZAbQOfIqtOArjgg&index=6&feature=plcp

judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=e655f9e2809e5476862f735da12c8394&wit_id=e655f9e2809e5476862f735da12c8394-2-1

www.vawd.uscourts.gov/PurdueFrederickCo/default.asp

www.oxydeaths.com

908-285-1232

Marianne is a nurse having graduated in 1991 as president of her graduating class. She also has a Paralegal certification. Marianne served on a Community Service Board for the Courier News, a Gannet newspaper in NJ writing articles predominantly regarding AIDS patients and their emotional issues. She was awarded a Community Service Award in 1993 by the Hunterdon County, NJ HIV/AIDS Task Force in recognition of and appreciation for the donated time, energy and love in facilitating a Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS.