Lifetree Pain Clinic prescription: 60 x Amitriptyline 50mg; 30 x Celexa 40mg; 224 x Oxycodone 30mg; 112 Percocet 10/325mg; 60 x Requip 1mg; 60 x Xanax 1mg; 60 x Zanaflex 4mg. ibid.
Starting in 2013, a powerful synthetic opioid surged in popularity: Fentanyl. It’s a 100 times more powerful than morphine. Rather than reckoning with its dangers, companies sold it as aggressively as drug cartels. But instead of gun-toting dealers on street corners, men and women in suits and lab coats pushed opioids and cash bonuses and power-point presentations at pain management jamborees. Flush with campaign cash from Big Pharma, Congress would look the other way. ibid.
‘40 people every day die from Prescription overdoses.’ Alex Gibney, The Crime of the Century II ***** news
‘The opioid crisis started with prescriptions, prescriptions and patient care. This idea that we weren’t adequately treating pain. Drugs like Oxycontin … began to preach the gospel of the opioid … they developed new medical terms like pseudo-addiction … As you get stronger drugs, it’s more inexpensive. ibid. Joe Rannazzisi, insider whistleblower gives evidence
Fentanyl byproducts is killing a lot of people … It was a natural progression … Overdose deaths is under-reported, we know that for sure so we don’t know really how many people died. We started seeing massive amounts of death … prescriptions: 250 million. ibid.
An onslaught of pills, hundreds of thousands of deaths. Who is accountable? ibid. The Washington Post online article 20 July 2019
Some of America’s biggest pharmaceuticals were not only profiting from the opioid crisis, they may have been manufacturing it. ibid.
We have had many run-ins with the Sacklers lately. The crisis began when Oxycontin hit the streets. Their man point of contention is that they did not ignore the opioid crisis single-handedly. Whether you believe that or don’t believe that, there is voluminous evidence the crisis began when Oxycontin hit the streets. Purdue [Pharma] led the charge. ibid. Bernstein, Washington Post
Generic versions … sending massive amounts of these drugs downstream because there were corrupt doctors all over the country. It became like the Wild West. This was a new drug cartel that was being established in the United States. But instead of coming in from a foreign country, they were drug dealers who were wearing suits and lab-coats. ibid.
A patient survey form. You say, I got back pain. The problem is that no-one ever saw the patient. As long as they have any kind of credit card they were fine. You’d have a doctor on the east coast, a patient and drug seeker on the west coast, the pharmacy was in the mid-west. It was just a trafficking organisation that was hiding behind the veil of the internet. ibid.
Broward County has more pill-mills (142) than McDonald’s. ibid.
Superior Injury Centre 870-6370. ibid.
There was one store in particular that was known by drug dealers as the go-to: CVS Pharmacy. ibid.
In 2011 there was a crack-down by the DEA. Operation Pill Nation involved more than 500 law-enforcement officers resulting in seizures. ibid.
But the real problem wasn’t on the street. It was in the Executive Suites of pharmaceutical companies which had become addicted to the profits opioids could deliver. ibid.
Workers disciplined in Prozac mailings: At least one Lilly’ employee fired; seven face various other measures. ibid.
The product was Act-Tiv. It was a lolly-pop made of Fentanyl whose potency carried the enormous risk of overdose. ibid.
They start paying exorbitantly, a huge number of speaker programs, and they use the speaker program basically as a way of cover for the bribes they are paying. ibid. whistleblower
Clearly we’re breaking the law. ibid.
CVS Pharmacy: on the edge of a highway, so people would cruise in, get their drugs, and be out in no time at all. ibid.
I know they’re sick like me. Gotta be number one. ibid.
These changes are good to one way of thinking in the sense that they make it harder to buy and abuse pharmaceutical opioids. But what that does is it drives all these people who are already addicted on to the black market. ibid.
International drug cartels catered to those who had become addicted to prescription pills. As their need for narcotics increased and doctors were more reluctant to prescribe an increasing doses, users turned to heroin, and a synthetic opioid fifty times more powerful: Fentanyl. ibid.
Since 2015, Fentanyl overdoses have been rising dramatically. Rates have soared by 2000% in San Diego. ibid.
The company told me nothing ever. ibid. whistleblower
Late in 2020 the Trump administration rushed to make an announcement for the presidential election. Pleading guilty to three felony counts. The Sackler family would pay a $225 million fine. Purdue Pharma would plead guilt to kickbacks and fraud. And promise to pay fines totalling $8.3 billion. ibid.
Purdue is in bankruptcy and only has about $1 billion which a whole bunch of creditors are already fighting over. That money is never going to be paid by the company or anybody else. ibid.
A cruel irony: the only way the company could pay damages was to increase its sales of drugs, including Oxycontin. ibid.
I’m not the same person I was twenty-five years ago. I’m a lot older. A lot more mature. Parole I: Colin and David, BBC 2023
Last year in England and Wales, 16,000 potentially dangerous criminals were considered for parole. 4,000 were released. Charged with deciding who gets out are the 346 members of the parole board. ibid.
David [4 years Fraud] will take place in front of two parole board members. ibid.
Today is Colin’s sixth parole hearing. In 2017 the parole board released him. But within six months he was recalled to prison. ibid.
‘I ain’t no fret to the community. My life is in their hands.’ Parole II: Matthew & Simran
Matthew has applied to be transferred to a D-Cat or Open Prison. ibid.
Simran Khan, 44 months, Arson & Drug Dealing. ibid.
For the Arson offence, Simran was given a one-year suspended sentence. But three months later he was arrested again. For selling cocaine and heroin. ibid.
In 2021, Simran was automatically released to serve the second half of his sentence in an approved premises in the community. But 5 months later he broke the hostel rules when alcohol and prescription drugs were found in his room. And he ran away.
Matthew’s next parole hearing date has not been set. ibid.
Jon Walker, Life (minimum tariff 5 years, 7 months), Triple armed robbery. Parole III: Jon & Bethany
John first became eligible for parole in 2011. Since then he has had six hearings. ibid.
Bethany de Cogan, 27 months, Breach of Criminal Behaviour Order. ibid.
In 2002, after serving half her sentence, Bethany was automatically released to a hostel. Three weeks later she was found intoxicated and taken to hospital. ibid.
‘I got it. I got my parole. I’m well happy.’ ibid. Jon
4 months after he release, Bethany has moved in with her mum. And hasn’t drunk any alcohol. ibid.
After 4 months in the community Jon lost his place at the hostel after being accused of dealing drugs. And was recalled to prison. ibid.
Ruben Petersen, 8 years, Grievous Bodily Harm. Parole IV: Ruben, Tom & Mark
Two years ago, the prison service moved Ruben to an open prison. He is six years into an eight-year sentence for grievous bodily harm. ibid.
Five years prior to the GBH offence, Ruben was convicted of manslaughter having killed a man in a fight. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three and a half years. ibid.
Tom Lavender, 5 years, Drug Dealing. ibid.
Mark Elwood, 5.5 years, Threats to Kill. ibid.
Two and a half months after his hearing, Mark was automatically released at the end of his custodial sentence. He failed to turn up at his hostel so Probation recalled him to prison within 24 hours. ibid.
Three weeks after he was released, Tom relapsed. He is being supervised by Probation and has not been recalled to prison. ibid.
One in three parole hearings are adjourned. Ten months after his original date, Ruben’s hearing went ahead. Following the psychological risk assessment, the panel requested further information to make their decision. Ruben is now awaiting the result. ibid.
More criminals are getting away with their crimes. Only one in twenty offenders now get charged. So is the system failing the public? Panorama: Will My Crime Be Solved? BBC 2024