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Could you be an addict? More Americans die from overdoses of legal drugs each year than from gunshot wounds
July 13, 2009 – Subpoenas have gone out, the DEA has been brought in, and every doctor who has ever come within a prescription pad of Michael Jackson can probably expect a phone call soon. But even absent the results of the inquiries and toxicological reports, it seems obvious that prescription drugs played a role…
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Medical marijuana and psychiatric conditions
July 6, 2009 – Even though about 30% of medical marijuana patients in California use it for depression and other psychiatric conditions, no other state has approved the use of cannabis for depression. Of the thirteen states that have medical marijuana laws, all but California require a state board to approve the use of cannabis…
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Michael Jackson Probably O.D.'d — Just Like Thousands of Americans Who Fall Victim to Our Overdose Epidemic
June 29, 2009 – We must learn how to reduce the harms associated with our drug use, including reducing easily preventable deaths from overdose. As the world continues to mourn the death of Michael Jackson and the details of his final hours emerge, it appears that it may be another in a long line of…
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After Jackson, US agency renews warnings on drug abuse
June 28th, 2009 – Amid questions about the possible role of drugs in Michael Jackson’s demise, the US Drug Enforcement Administration Friday renewed concerns about rising deaths from misuse of prescription pills. Some people close to the 50-year-old pop icon revealed Friday they had been concerned for some time about his use of drugs, a…
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How Will Michael Jackson’s Legacy Impact Drug Reform?
June 27, 2009 – To quote Leonard Cohen, “Everybody knows” – and according to media reports, everybody knows Michael Jackson abused prescription medications – legal medications that most likely brought about his death. Was Michael a troubled soul? It appears so. Were laws bent or broken in providing his access to these drugs? Possibly. Recent…
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Who’s in Charge of Your Health? Minnesota cancer patient Daniel Hauser, medical marijuana, and the politicization of medicine.
May 27, 2009 – This Memorial Day weekend, FBI officials are combing Southern California and parts of Northern Mexico in search of Daniel Hauser, a 13-year-old from Sleepy Eye, Minnesota who has Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Authorities believe Hauser and his mother fled to the area after a Minnesota judge ordered his parents to consent to treating…