Narconon Launches 'Operation Medicine Cabinet' in Georgia - Prescription Drugs Commonly Abused Targeted

/PRNewswire/ -- Operation Medicine Cabinet, a campaign sponsored by Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia and a local Sheriff's department, provides individuals with a safe way to properly dispose of unused and potentially dangerous medication. Proper control and disposal of potentially dangerous medication is vital, due to the trend of prescription drug abuse with youth.

Every day 2,500 youngsters age 12 to 17 try a painkiller for the first time and prescription drugs are more abused by teens than any illicit street drug, except for marijuana. This is according to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Kids think that taking prescription drugs and over the counter medication for their next high is safer than street drugs and they are easy to get according to a survey done by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). This recent survey found that one in five teens can get prescription drugs within an hour and the most common source is their own home or friends.

This same survey found that two thirds of kids report that drugs are used, kept or sold at their school.

These "friends" or classmates providing the drugs are not likely to report the truth about abusing prescription drugs. That truth is that abuse can lead to paranoia, drug addiction, seizures or even death.

The goal of "Operation Medicine Cabinet" is to enlighten the community on the dangers of prescription drug abuse and to provide a safe means to curtail it. Some kids will already need treatment and their families will be provided with information as to how to get it.

Mary Rieser, the Director of Narconon of Georgia stated, "We used to look to the schools to provide drug education. Now, statistics show that the schools actually need our help. Obviously, with so many drugs passing hands at school, the kids are not learning the truth about prescription drug abuse and many of their parents are unwittingly contributing to it. 'Operation Medicine Cabinet' provides an outside source of help to schools, kids and parents. If this campaign is aggressively run in every major city we can make a huge dent on the prescription drug abuse problem. Too many kids are getting addicted and too many have died. It is time to do something about it."

For more information on "Operation Medicine Cabinet" and how you can have this campaign in your community, contact Narconon of Georgia at 770-379-0208.

Note: We received several emails regarding this article indicating it was linked to Scientology. We did a bit of brief research and here are some links and intros with further information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narconon
Narconon was established February 19, 1966 as a drug-rehabilitation program based on "The Fundamentals of Thought" by L. Ron Hubbard and delivered to drug abusers in the Arizona State Prisons. The name "Narconon" originally referred not to an organization but to the program. Its creator was William C. Benitez, a former inmate at Arizona State Prison who had served time for narcotics offenses.[2] His work was supported by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and in 1972 Hubbard sponsored the incorporation of Narconon as an organization.[3] It was co-founded by Benitez and two Scientologists, Henning Heldt and Arthur Maren.
The Narconon website reports that from its inception the program promoted an approach to rehabilitation without recourse to alternative drugs. This early program did not, however, deal directly with withdrawal symptoms. In 1973, the Narconon program adopted procedures to include drug-free withdrawal, using vitamins and mineral supplements in tandem with training procedures adapted from basic courses in Scientology.[3]

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/

http://www.narconon.org/ (Read "About" and "History")

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Governor, Legislature Support Sales Tax Exemptions For Clinical Trials and Free Samples of Drugs

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Georgia Bio applauds the General Assembly for adopting legislation that exempts from sales tax free samples of prescription drugs and biologics and of investigational products in clinical trials and applauds Governor Sonny Perdue for his support of the measure. The legislation, House Bill 59, makes permanent an executive order issued by Governor Perdue in September 2008.

The action by Governor Perdue and the legislature, which voted unanimously in the House and Senate to approve HB 59, will help ensure that Georgia patients and the state’s healthcare centers do not lose thousands of clinical trials. In promoting the legislation, Georgia Bio called attention to the fact that imposing a tax on investigational products used in research and in clinical trials placed an immediate disincentive on conducting research or clinical trials in Georgia. It not only threatened the loss of significant revenues to Georgia academic institutions and hospitals, but also discontinuation of clinical trials in Georgia could have denied patients access to the most advanced life saving medicines. The legislation exempts from sales tax investigational drugs, biologics, medical devices and animal health medicines dispensed without charge in clinical trials.

The sales tax exemption on free samples of prescription drugs and biologics is consistent with Georgia law exempting tax on sales of these medicines. In the case of free samples, these are often provided to patients by physicians as “starter packs” to determine if a new medicine is useful for and can be tolerated by a patient before a prescription for the new medicine is written. In other cases, free samples of medicines are provided to the elderly and uninsured who otherwise cannot afford them. In all cases, these medicines are never resold.

In his executive order, Governor Perdue stated:

“It is in the best interests of Georgians to exempt from sales and use taxes pharmaceutical medications that are distributed without cost for several reasons, including: (1) the ability to distribute needed medicines to persons that might not otherwise be able to afford them; (2) the attraction of clinical trials to Georgia for the betterment of the health of Georgians and to continue the State's place as a leader in cutting-edge health research; and (3) the elimination of an inconsistency in the law whereby pharmaceutical medicines that are sold at retail are not taxed, however those that are distributed for free are subject to taxation.”

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Partnership for Prescription Assistance Prepared to Help Georgia Workers Hurt by Recession

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The "Help is Here Express" bus tour will be stopping in Georgia the week of March 23-27 at various cities throughout the state in order to help uninsured and financially-struggling Georgians access information on programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. With unemployment rates in Georgia having risen for nine straight months, and having passed the national unemployment rate (7.6 percent) to stand today at 8.1 percent, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) is ready to help state residents who face layoffs and loss of health care benefits determine if they may qualify for free or nearly free medicines.

The PPA, a nationwide effort sponsored by America's pharmaceutical research companies, provides a single point of access to more than 475 patient assistance programs that help those who are uninsured or struggling financially. Nearly 200 of the programs are provided by pharmaceutical companies.

The "Help Is Here Express" bus will be at the following Georgia locations:

Monday, March 23
EVENT TIME: 9:00am - 11:00am
ADDRESS: Woodlawn Forrest Church of Christ
1515 N. Forrest Street
Valdosta, GA

EVENT TIME: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
ADDRESS: Tift County Health Department
305 12th Street East
Tifton, GA

Tuesday, March 24
EVENT TIME: 9:00am - 11:00am
ADDRESS: Albany Tech College/Georgia Dept of Labor Parking Lot
1701 South Slappey Blvd.
Albany, GA

EVENT TIME: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
ADDRESS: First Baptist Church of Americus
221 South Lee Street
Americus, GA

Wednesday, March 25
EVENT TIME: 8:30am - 10:00am
ADDRESS: Columbus Health Department
2100 Corner Avenue
Columbus, GA

EVENT TIME: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
ADDRESS: Bibb County Health Department
171 Emery Highway
Macon, GA

Thursday, March 26
EVENT TIME: 9:00am - 11:00am
ADDRESS: Hall County DFCS
970 McEver Road
Gainesville, GA

EVENT TIME: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
ADDRESS: Clarke County DFCS
284 North Avenue
Athens, GA

Friday, March 27
EVENT TIME: 9:00am - 11:00am
ADDRESS: Lamar Medical Center
1448 Lee Beard Way
Augusta, GA

EVENT TIME: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
ADDRESS: Burke County DFCS
729 West 6th Street
Waynesboro, GA


"The PPA, so far, has helped well over 230,000 Georgians find out if they may qualify for free or discounted medicines and as we move forward into 2009, the assistance is still available," said PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin. "That's good news for the citizens of Georgia, where the unemployment rate has jumped from 5.3 percent to 8.1 percent since April 2008 and where some 393,000 people are now out of work."

Patients who qualify for help from the PPA's participating patient assistance programs have access to more than 2,500 brand-name and generic prescription medicines. In addition, the PPA provides information on more than 10,000 free health care clinics in America and has connected more than 277,000 patients with clinics and health care providers in their communities.

Patients seeking help from PPA can call a toll-free number (1-888-4-PPA-NOW) to talk to a trained operator or access the PPA Web site (www.pparx.org). It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to find out if someone may qualify for free or discounted medications.

To help spread the word about the assistance available, the PPA's "Help Is Here Express" buses continue to visit communities all over the country with trained specialists on board to provide information on how to access patient assistance programs. All 50 states and more than 2,500 towns and cities have been visited so far, and more than 5.6 million patients have been helped nationwide since the PPA began in April 2005.

"At a time when national unemployment is the highest in almost two decades, the PPA has become an important lifeline for a growing number of patients," PhRMA's Tauzin said. "Millions of Americans have been added to the jobless rolls over the last several months and there could be a sharp increase in the number of our citizens losing health care benefits."

"PPA is currently helping thousands of people every day," Tauzin added, including those who need treatments to fight such debilitating chronic diseases as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and asthma.

On a national level, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance is represented by Emmy-winning syndicated television talk show host Montel Williams, named PPA's national spokesman in January 2006. In addition, nationally recognized Telemundo talk show host and author Mayte Prida leads the PPA's Hispanic outreach effort.

"Since January 2006, I've been traveling the country talking about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, urging people to pick up the phone, log on to the Web site or visit the big, orange PPA bus to see if they may qualify for assistance," said Williams. "As a patient who must cope every day with the effects of multiple sclerosis, I understand only too well the importance of having access to the medicine you need."

More than 1,300 national, state and local partners are working with America's pharmaceutical research companies to spread the word about the program. Trained specialists work with doctors, pharmacists, health care providers and community groups, educating them on the process and use of the PPA's easy-to-access Web site and toll-free number.

To find out if there are patient assistance programs that may meet their needs, patients should call toll-free 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669) to speak with a trained specialist or visit www.pparx.org.

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FDA Warns Public of Extortion Scam by FDA Impersonators

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about a fraudulent scheme to extort money from consumers by callers who falsely identify themselves as "FDA special agents" or other FDA officials.

Several instances have been reported to the FDA of calls enticing consumers to purchase discounted prescription drugs by wiring funds to one of several locations in the Dominican Republic. No medications are ever delivered. A subsequent call is received from a fraudulent "FDA special agent" informing the consumer that a fine of several thousand dollars is required to be sent to an address in the Dominican Republic to prevent incarceration or other legal action.

"Impersonating an FDA official is a violation of federal law," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The public should note that no FDA official will ever contact a consumer by phone demanding money or any other form of payment. FDA officials always present identification in person when conducting official business."

Consumers should note that the fraudulent calls appear to be from telephone numbers located within the United States, but are in fact from either ported voice-over-the-Internet-protocol numbers (calls made directly from a computer and moved or "ported" to other computers to avoid detection) or cellular phones. Reports to FDA describe the callers as having Hispanic accents.

The scheme most likely began with the theft of personal information from consumers who previously purchased drugs via the Internet or telephone or who were victims of credit card fraud.

The FDA is investigating and complaints or information regarding this scheme should be reported to the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations at (800) 521-5783.

The FDA reminds consumers to purchase prescription drugs only from licensed pharmacies located in the United States. Information about the proper purchase of on-line medicine can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/consumer/features/drugsonline0707.html.

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Prescription Drug Advertising Subject of New FDA Web Site for Consumers

PRNewswire/ -- EthicAd, a nonprofit organization devoted to improving public health through consumer education, announces the launch of a new FDA Web site created to help the general public better understand direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription medications. The site, "Be Smart About Prescription Drug Advertising," is hosted by the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and was developed by the FDA in partnership with EthicAd. For details, visit www.FDA.gov/CDER/ethicad/index.htm or link to the site via FDA's homepage, www.fda.gov.

Michael S. Shaw, M.D., executive director of EthicAd, notes that the primary goal of the new site is to help the public obtain accurate, science-based information about prescription drugs and to understand the role and nature of DTC advertising.

"People are often confused about DTC advertising, which is one of the most controversial areas of pharmaceutical marketing," Shaw says. "FDA's new Web site helps clarify the issues by outlining the different types of DTC advertising, explaining what information people should expect to see in DTC ads, and what additional information they should seek out about advertised products."

The easy-to-navigate site includes a practical "Ask Yourself" checklist summarizing information consumers should obtain in order to have knowledgeable conversations with their physicians about advertised products. The new Web site also includes a section for public feedback, which will be used to shape the direction of future FDA consumer-oriented initiatives.

"We share the FDA's commitment to developing innovative and relevant education programs," Shaw says. "By helping consumers obtain factual and reliable information about prescription drugs and have empowered conversations with their healthcare providers about treatment options, EthicAd and the FDA hope to improve individual patient outcomes as well as improve the public health at large."

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