Trump Denies Federal Money To Help Combat Opioid Epidemic

Hero Trump Denies Fed MoneyThe president, after three months of dedicated deliberation, just declared the opioid epidemic a ‘national public health emergency’ which in short means no new federal money is coming in to financially combat the crisis and we are all screwed.

We are screwed not just because Trump didn’t take the opportunity to directly fund the crisis he didn’t mention the words medicinal marijuana or even Orrin Hatch’s pet name for weed aka ‘the substitute for opioids’ in his diatribe to the nation.

President Trump did however, give a concise view on the state of the crisis, described why he never had an addiction, and how we all need to come together as a nation to combat it. Basically, a bunch of bullshit that will amount to nothing but creating additional non addictive pain killers to flood the population with.

Trump begins speech calling out the death stats and poses a rather interesting question with an easy answer, if you are a stoner and have special powers to see the obvious. Trump touts the stats,

“Last year we lost at least 64,000 Americans to overdoses, that’s 175 American lives lost per day, that’s 7 lost lives per hour. In our country drug overdoses are now the leading cause of unintentional death in the United States by far. More people are dying from drug overdoses today than from gun homicides and motor vehicles combined….”

He goes on with, “The US is by far the largest consumer of these drugs using more opioid pills per person in any other country by far in the world. Opioid overdose deaths have quadrupled since 1999 and now account for the majority of fatal drug overdoses. Who would have thought?”

Did he just say, ‘Who would have thought?’ Yes, that is what he said, ‘Who would have thought? Here’s an idea, maybe, and this is just a maybe…..maybe the 5 pharmaceutical companies and their manufacturers who are being sued by 41 state AG’s for creating and fueling the crisis thought this might happen? Maybe, these guys below know the United States is “by far the largest consumer of these drugs”?

  •    Allergan Inc.
  •    Endo International plc
  •    Janssen Pharmaceuticals
  •    Teva Pharmaceuticals
  •    Purdue Pharmaceutical

And, it they didn’t think about it, the chances are pretty solid the manufacturer’s, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson, thought about flooding the American people with opioids.

The commander and chief goes on to say “We can be the generation that ends the opioid epidemic.” And, is looking forward to Chris Christie Commission’s final report on the crisis. He says, “Some of the things they are recommending are common sense and going to have tremendous impact. He is going to quickly implement recommendations.”

Interestingly enough he mentions, “Encouraging other companies to help stop the epidemic?” And, some “bad actors”? One might think he is insinuating coming after big pharma, but he didn’t call anybody out directly. No mention of any one of the five companies being sued by the 41 State AG’s.

But he does want his voters to know he and the federal government are fighting hard. He states: “I want the American people to know the federal government is aggressively fighting the opioid epidemic on all fronts. We are working with doctors and medical professionals to implement best practices for safe opioid prescribing. And, we will do something very, very special. We are requiring federally employed prescribers to receive, finally, special training. The CDC is launching a prescription awareness campaign to put faces on the dangers of opioid abuse.”

Let’s all take a collective big sigh of relief knowing special training is coming to doctors and the medical professionals who have been prescribing them for the last 20 years. And, you got a campaign to put a face to opioid abuse to deter future addicts? Ok, could be a solid way to combat this national man-made health epidemic?

Surprisingly, Trump did drop a bit of a bombshell and stated the FDA along with requiring more training to prescribers, “has requested one especially high risk opioid be withdrawn from the market immediately.”

He said, “we are requiring a specific opioid which is truly evil be taken off the market immediately.”  No mention of the name of the specific opioid or it’s manufacturer, but he does mention China and their part in the distribution ring, dances around pill mills and illegal opioids coming in over the internet. And, then gives the next statement and monumental prop to the pharmaceutical companies and their manufacturers:

The National Institute on Health has taken up with an, “ambitious public, private partnership with pharmaceutical companies to develop non addictive painkillers and new treatments for addiction and overdose. So important, so important”, the president said twice for emphasis.

Again, big sarcastic sigh of relief, that the NIH is working with the pharmaceutical companies who created this epidemic to come up with more non addictive pills. Why no mention of medicinal marijuana being the possible exit from this crisis? Not one mention of the “substance which is often offered as a substitute for opioids”?

Nope. Not one mention. But there was a lot of pushing for non addictive pain killers and non addictive solutions. Trump believes strongly in a “don’t take drugs in the first place campaign” and wants his voters to know about his “substantially older” alcoholic brother who taught him not to drink or smoke. Trump said,”to this day he has never had a drink or cigarette”.

He continues the speech with telling us about an idea he had after thinking about his much older brother Fred. The president of what used to be called “the free world” tells us, a nation at war with an opioid crisis:

If we could teach young people not to take drugs, just not to take them. When I see friends of mine having difficulty with not having that drink at dinner. When literally, it is almost impossible for them to stop. I say to myself, I can’t even understand why that would be difficult. But, we understand why it is difficult. The fact is if we can teach young people and people generally, not to start. It’s really, really easy not to take them. And, I think that is going to end up being our most important thing. Really tough, really big, really great advertising. So we get to people before they start. So they don’t have to go through the problems of what people are going through”.

Say what? Sorry, come again? Did he go off script or did somebody write that? Probably the later, knowing the source, but nevertheless, our president just told our nation the most important thing in combating the opioid epidemic is to “just say no” and “really tough, really big, really great advertising”.

Somebody should tell him the “just say no policy” didn’t work too well for the Reagan’s in the eighties. And, the generation that grew up with that motto is now working for the pharmaceutical industry.

He ends the speech with one truth, and states, “it’s going to get worse, before it get’s better.” Of course he rebutted himself and said, “ But, get better it will.” Not so sure about that Mr. President. What will it take for you to mention medicinal marijuana? Your attorney general Jeff Sessions said the federal government is researching the medicinal value at his recent congressional hearing. Can’t you mention the natural plant, which has been legalized for either medicinal or recreational use in 29 states?

Even Dr. Oz thinks marijuana has the potential to help dent our man-made epidemic that will kill 91 people today. But, not our fearless leader, the man in power to alter the course of the epidemic killing our country, refuses to acknowledge marijuana and is continuing to fuel our crisis. Until Trump and his administration accept the medicinal value of marijuana we are all screwed.

Post by: StonedandStuff



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