Marianne Skolek Global News Centre

(MYRTLE BEACH)    An organization in Canada called “Get Prescription Drugs Off the Street” aka GPDOTS.com (website www.GPDOTS.com) headed by Amy Graves recently wrote a letter to the Canadian Minister of Health.  A copy of their letter can be viewed here: https://www.scribd.com/doc/271952270/Gp-Dots-Pharma-Letter-Nova-Scotia-71015

GPDOTS has justifiable concern as they reference “Pharmaceutical marketing and their conflicts of interest in Canada.”  They cite the influence pharmaceutical companies have on Canadian physicians with troubling guidelines and regulatory bodies.

The Canadian Guidelines for Safe and Effective use of Opioids for Chronic, Non-Cancer Pain Advisory Panels consists of 49 physicians — 17 of them who have financial ties to Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin.  GPDOTS advised in their letter that one physician disclosed $1 million in competing interests with $200,000 coming directly from Purdue Pharma in relation to Financial/Material Support for Operating Costs of a Pain Clinic.  These guidelines also include an “opioid risk tool” to assist Canadian physicians in evaluating the risks to patients in prescribing opioids.  The “tool” was developed by Lynn R. Webster, M.D.

As developer of the Opioid Risk Tool, Webster is considered a world expert on how to assess patients for abuse risk with opioid medications. The “tool” is currently used in multiple countries and thousands of clinics worldwide. Hopefully, Canada will not be one of them.

I have written about the illustrious Dr. Webster for both Global News Centre and Salem-News.com.  Below is a copy of his “opioid risk tool”:

I have referred to Webster’s “opioid risk tool” which takes one minute to fill out according to him as a “Fisher-Price Opioid Risk Tool.”  Canada cannot be buying what Webster is trying to sell — I would hope.  Here is a brief background on Lynn Webster, MD for the Canadian Health Minister.

Webster’s pain clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah was raided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) a few years ago because of deaths at his clinic — 20 plus.  The DEA had launched an investigation into Dr. Webster’s death rates at the pain clinic, but last year announced they would not charge Webster.  Curious as to why the DEA did not charge him with an abundance of evidence against him?  I will be writing an article in the coming weeks regarding the DEA investigation against Webster.

Do you realize Canada that Webster is banned from prescribing painkillers and from working at any pain clinic in the U.S.?  Duration - until the end of time.

Webster has been charged multiple times with malpractice lawsuits and settled out of court with victims families

Dr. Webster was quoted in Newsday in January 2012 as saying about the prescription drug epidemic in the U.S. and Canada — “I am not sure I would use the word epidemic. There is a public health crisis, but not an epidemic.” Webster said critics too often overstate the degree to which people are addicted.

Webster has been quoted as saying that newborns born to drug addicted mothers are “dependent”, but not “addicted.”  Canada look inside your hospitals neo-natal units and ask why infants are hospitalized for months because of the horrific withdrawal from painkillers.  It’s called “addiction.”

Dr. Webster convinced American physicians that opioids had a low risk of addiction — as low as 1% and memorialized it in his book “Avoiding Opioid Abuse While Managing Pain.”

Canada an attorney named Raymond F. Wagner is representing victims of OxyContin in Canada (Website:  http://www.wagners.co/ ).  I have been fortunate to be in an advisory capacity for Mr. Wagner and share my research for the past 13 years with him.  The victims of the pharma/physician generated prescription opioid epidemic deserve a piece of justice.

If Canada considers Dr. Webster a credible panel contributor in the prescription opioid epidemic, they will be letting down every Canadian citizen.  For that, I say “shame on you.”

LP - Little Jack Horner love you.
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Global News Centre’s Marianne Skolek, is an Investigative Reporter who focuses on the Prescription Opioid/Heroin Epidemic in the U.S. and Canada. In particular, Marianne has covered the criminal marketing of OxyContin going back to 1999 and continuing to the present.

In 2002, Marianne lost her daughter, Jill to prescribed OxyContin which her physician referred to as “mobility in a bottle.” It was, in fact, death in a bottle. After doing extensive research on the maker of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, Marianne began working with the Department of Justice in Virginia in their criminal investigation into Purdue Pharma and in July 2007 was asked by the U.S. Attorney John Brownlee prosecuting the case to testify against the three CEO’s of Purdue Pharma, Michael Friedman, Paul Goldenheim, MD and Howard Udell, Chief Counsel. The CEO’s pleaded guilty to misleading the medical profession about the dangers of OxyContin. Marianne also testified against Purdue Pharma at a Judiciary Hearing of the U.S. Senate in July 2007.

In addition, a dangerous and highly addictive opioid named Zohydro has been approved by the FDA against their Advisory Committee’s advice and Marianne continues to alert Attorneys General, Senators and Congressmen as to the FDA’s irresponsibility in the out of control prescription opioid/heroin epidemic killing and addicting in the tens of thousands each year. Zohydro has been referred to as “heroin in a capsule” and its lowest dosage (10mg) contains twice as much hydrocodone as found in a Vicodin pill. The highest single dose of Zohydro contains as much hydrocodone as 5 to 10 tablets of Vicodin or Lortab. Zohydro mixed with alcohol can be fatal and has no abuse deterrent built in which will make it easy to crush and deliver a fatal dose of the opioid.

Currently Marianne has been instrumental in calling for the termination of Margaret Hamburg, MD, Commissioner of the FDA as well as Bob A. Rappaport, MD and Douglas Throckmorton, MD for their lack of commitment to safeguarding the American public against the prescription opioid/heroin epidemic. Marianne’s research, writing and contact with government agencies and attorneys has also exposed the heavily funded pain foundations set up by the pharmaceutical industry and their paid physician spokespersons who convinced the medical boards in 50 states and Canada that dangerous opioids such as OxyContin were less likely to be addictive. These physicians — in particular Scott Fishman, MD, J. David Haddox, DDS, MD, Perry Fine, MD, Lynn R. Webster, MD, Russell Portenoy, MD also downplayed the risks of addictive opioids in books as authors. These books are still available for sale and promoted to the medical profession.

Here are links to Marianne’s involvement in exposing the national conspiracy of the prescription opioid/heroin epidemic, the FDA, the pharmaceutical industry, their pain foundations and paid physician spokespersons.

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

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

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=855537227796352&set=vb.658186307531446&type=2&theater