The number one complaint of restaurant diners is not the internal temperature of porterhouse, the crispness of fried calamari, or the martini's strength. Nor is it the soundtrack or banquettes color. It has nothing to do with food or décor. The top gripe among those who eat out is service.
As customers, how should we deal with poor service? (Hint: it has more to do with you than you think). Here are tips to dealing with that odd and mercurial species of restaurant employee known as The Server.
1. They're servers not servants. Smile. Be nice to them and they'll be nice to you. That's my number one tip for good service. You'd be amazed how terribly some customers treat servers. Anyone who has ever been a waiter or waitress (a job everyone should be forced to try at least once) knows how much a customers' attitude can dictate their overall dining experience. And if you've ever snapped your fingers, whistled, or yelled to get the attention of a waiter, shame on you.
2. Not everything that goes wrong in a restaurant is the servers' fault. Remember, they're just one cog in the wheel. The long wait for the food is most likely the kitchen's responsibility. Perhaps the host sat too many tables at once, which would explain why drinks are taking so long. So before you start mouthing off, remembers someone else may be to blame. Having said that, a good waiter will always apologize for delays and give you regular updates on the whereabouts of your food.
Related: What should you do when you're served bad wine?
3. One way to avoid bad service is to eat at the bar, a favorite tactic of restaurant insiders. The server/bartender never leaves your sight, which makes it really hard for them to ignore you.
4. If you do get a waiter-from-heck there are a few courses to take. You can grin and bear it, take the abuse, and eventually show your displeasure where it hurts the server the most--the tip. (Some restaurants pool tips so just know your financial penalty might not have the effect you intend.) Another option is to pull the manager (or whoever looks like they are in charge) aside and let them know what's going on. Politely ask for another server. Management at any restaurant worth returning to will oblige. If they don't, leave and tell every person you know about the experience. No need to make a scene.
5. If all else fails, write the restaurant (or, more specifically, the owner) a letter explaining the situation. During a busy service even the best restaurants have a difficult time addressing specific problems and issues. If you really want to be heard and, with any luck, improve the future dining experiences of others, it's best to put pen to paper a few days after the incident when you've had a few days to reflect on the experience. If it's a restaurant that cares about its reputation, its employees, and its customers, you'll most definitely hear back from them.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
‘Operation: Pill Broker’ Targets Sale of Prescription Drugs
U.S. Attorney Sharon L. Potter announced the start of "Operation: Pill Broker" Tuesday at a news conference at the Federal Building in Wheeling.
The initiative is aimed at investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in the illegal sale of prescription narcotics.
Potter was joined by Ohio County Sheriff Pat Butler and Wheeling Police Chief Kevin Gessler, Lieutenant D.R. Howell of the West Virginia State Police and Drug Enforcement Administration Group Supervisor Kenneth A. Winkie.
"According to a recent study, prescription drug overdose deaths in West Virginia increased by 550 percent between 1999 and 2004, the greatest for any state in the country," Potter said.
"That is an alarming statistic and, unfortunately, our office continues to see a steady increase in prescription drug abuse.
Through this initiative, we want to reverse that trend and hope that increased awareness of the problem will lead to more investigations of drug dealers who prey on those dependent on the drugs, but also lead to better educating the public about the dangers of abusing prescription pills."
Butler said "prescription drug overdoses were the leading cause of death in West Virginia for adults under the age of 45 ... and studies show that approximately 250,000 West Virginians used some sort of prescription drugs for non-medical reasons" in 2006.
Gessler noted that teens "abuse prescription drugs more than cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and speed because they believe that prescriptions are safer than other drugs.
In fact, one in five high school students admit to abusing medications not prescribed to him or her just to get high.
A combination of alcohol and these prescription drugs can be extremely dangerous to adults and children."
Potter said investigations are ongoing in the Northern District of West Virginia.
As part of Operation: Pill Broker, three local residents recently entered guilty pleas in federal court.
They were Freddie Blake, 51, of Indiana Street, Wheeling Island; Jeffrey Lucas, 40, of RD 2, Valley Grove; and Dennis Ludolph, 57, of Bellaire.
Lucas and Ludolph pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, which has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million. Blake admitted to distributing oxycodone within 1,000 feet of Madison School on Wheeling Island, which carries a sentence of at least one year and up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine. All three men are being detained pending sentencing hearings.
Potter said the cases stemmed from a joint investigation that began in mid-2008 between the West Virginia State Police, the DEA and the Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crime Task Force. Ludolph, Blake and Lucas were identified as individuals who obtained valid prescriptions for OxyContin pills every month but instead of using the pills as prescribed, the men sold a majority of the pills, approximately 3,500.
"Numerous witnesses stated that they bought oxycodone pills from the three defendants and often purchased the pills multiple times each month," Potter said.
"In addition to selling pills from their own prescriptions, the three would act as brokers, selling the other person's pills for a commission."
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
Noon: Niles pharmacy robbed
According to reports, the man was wearing a brown ski mask, brown gloves and a brown and white plaid shirt. He was described as at least six feet tall and weighing 200 pounds. He is believed to be between 20 and 30 years old and black, said police.
Police said the man entered the store about 9:55 a.m., went to the pharmacy in the back and ordered the employees onto the floor. He demanded all the stores OxyContin, said police, before leaving the store. He drove west on Robbins Avenue in a silver sport utility vehicle, possibly a Ford Explorer.
Anyone with information should call the Niles Police Department at 330-652-9948.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
Schools lock down after heist
The Evening Sun
Posted: 03/25/2009 03:32:36 PM EDT
Hanover police are searching for two men who robbed a Broadway pharmacy Wednesday morning, causing three nearby schools to go on lockdown for several hours.
Shortly after 10 a.m., two young males, one carrying a handgun, walked into the store in the 800 block of Broadway and demanded the drug OxyContin, said Hanover Police Chief Randy Whitson.
Police do not identify the names of victimized businesses, but the only pharmacy in that area is the Broadway Pharmacy, 846 Broadway.
But the pharmacy does not carry that drug, so the robbers demanded cash, Whitson said. The two employees complied and the males were last seen walking north on Broadway, one of them men with a bicycle.
As details of the robbery were reported to police, officers filled the area. Meanwhile, a resident in the 900 block of Broadway reported a burglary in progress, Whitson said.
Police believe one of the robbers broke into the house, but fled when he discovered the resident and a dog, Whitson said.
The robber was last seen by neighbors going through yards east of Broadway, heading in the direction of Hanover Middle School, Hanover High School and Washington Elementary School.
"We had concerns that he was still armed and in the vicinity of three school buildings," Whitson said. "So we called the schools to go on lockdown."
Police tracked the robber to the vicinity of Broadway and Philadelphia Street where they lost him, Whitson said. Once they were confident he was moving away from the school buildings, police notified district Superintendent Jill Dillon the schools could go back to business as usual. The other suspect was last seen walking west of Broadway headed toward Eisenhower Drive and George Street.
Police recovered the bicycle, some clothing and the handgun.
"We're fortunate no kid found it while walking home," Whitson said.
The robbers were between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet tall. One wore a ski mask and the other wore a white cloth over his face. One was wearing a black hoodie and the other was wearing a gray hoodie with "Aeropostal" written across the front of it. They both had slender builds and are likely between 16 and their early 20s, Whitson said.
Anyone with details about the robbery are asked to call Hanover Police at (717) 637-5575, or 911.
Posted: 03/25/2009 03:32:36 PM EDT
Hanover police are searching for two men who robbed a Broadway pharmacy Wednesday morning, causing three nearby schools to go on lockdown for several hours.
Shortly after 10 a.m., two young males, one carrying a handgun, walked into the store in the 800 block of Broadway and demanded the drug OxyContin, said Hanover Police Chief Randy Whitson.
Police do not identify the names of victimized businesses, but the only pharmacy in that area is the Broadway Pharmacy, 846 Broadway.
But the pharmacy does not carry that drug, so the robbers demanded cash, Whitson said. The two employees complied and the males were last seen walking north on Broadway, one of them men with a bicycle.
As details of the robbery were reported to police, officers filled the area. Meanwhile, a resident in the 900 block of Broadway reported a burglary in progress, Whitson said.
Police believe one of the robbers broke into the house, but fled when he discovered the resident and a dog, Whitson said.
The robber was last seen by neighbors going through yards east of Broadway, heading in the direction of Hanover Middle School, Hanover High School and Washington Elementary School.
"We had concerns that he was still armed and in the vicinity of three school buildings," Whitson said. "So we called the schools to go on lockdown."
Police tracked the robber to the vicinity of Broadway and Philadelphia Street where they lost him, Whitson said. Once they were confident he was moving away from the school buildings, police notified district Superintendent Jill Dillon the schools could go back to business as usual. The other suspect was last seen walking west of Broadway headed toward Eisenhower Drive and George Street.
Police recovered the bicycle, some clothing and the handgun.
"We're fortunate no kid found it while walking home," Whitson said.
The robbers were between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet tall. One wore a ski mask and the other wore a white cloth over his face. One was wearing a black hoodie and the other was wearing a gray hoodie with "Aeropostal" written across the front of it. They both had slender builds and are likely between 16 and their early 20s, Whitson said.
Anyone with details about the robbery are asked to call Hanover Police at (717) 637-5575, or 911.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Domino/Aronberg Prescription Drug Validation Plan Saves Lives, Protects Privacy, Costs Less
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - (Business Wire) Florida's failure to adopt an effective prescription drug validation system has resulted in the loss of thousands of lives. But bipartisan legislation pending in the Legislature would bury Florida's costly crisis of rampant prescription drug fraud and doctor shopping.
"It is time to stop Floridians from dying from illegally obtained prescription drugs," said State Rep. Carl Domino, a Jupiter Republican and sponsor of HB 143. "New technology is less costly, protects consumer privacy, and is in real time and cannot be defeated by a false identification."
HB 143 and SB 614, sponsored by State Sen. Dave Aronberg, a Greenacres Democrat, clamp down on fraud and abuse by requiring an innovative but simple-to-use system that would simultaneously protect patients, prescribing pharmacists and health-care professionals, and Florida taxpayers.
The two lawmakers, along with other proponents of their bills came together in the Florida Capitol to discuss how their bills will save lives and money while carefully protecting citizens' privacy rights.
The Domino/Aronberg bills require dispensers to use inexpensive biometric scanning devices -- fingerprints or retinal scans, for example -- to biologically identify people attempting to fill prescriptions for Class II, III or IV controlled substances. These include such powerful painkillers as Vicadin and Oxycontin, which law enforcement officials say have become the prescription drugs of choice among teenagers in search of a high.
Too often, however, prescription drug abuse leads to tragedy. In the first half of 2008 alone, the drug oxycodone was involved in more than 10 percent of all 4,055 drug-related deaths in Florida, according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission.
“As an assistant attorney general, I investigated the marketing and abuse of controlled substances and saw firsthand the consequences of not having a prescription-drug validation system in place,” Sen. Aronberg said. “Ours is not a record that Florida can be proud of, but the legislation that Rep. Domino and I propose would fix this problem and save lives."
When the prescribed system is in place, a Florida Department of Health database will assign a unique identification number to the biometric scan, which will then immediately convey the information back to the prescriber. Names of patients, Social Security numbers and other personal information will never be transmitted to the database.
The unique ID number gives the pharmacist or dispensing health-care professional the ability to immediately determine whether the prescription conflicts or overlaps with other medication delivered to the same person. This also protects pharmacists and doctors from becoming innocent victims of fraud. Moreover, it reduces their legal liability by enabling them to quickly recognize prescriptions that pose an interaction hazard.
Dr. Fred Lippman, of the Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division in Fort Lauderdale, endorses the Domino/Aronberg proposal for another reason: It protects patients who chronically suffer with severe pain, e.g. cancer patients, and rely on their prescriptions to get through the day.
"Pharmaceutical manufacturers produce a limited supply of pain medications. When legally controlled medications are illegally diverted, the adequate supply for legitimate use is placed at risk," said Lippman, a pharmacist who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1978 to 1998.
Unlike competing bills addressing the same problem, the Domino/Aronberg plan’s costs would largely be absorbed by industry, federal grants and dispensers. Start-up cost for dispensers is estimated at an on average cost of $350. Monthly operational costs are projected to run from $50 to $150, but could be offset by incentives and credits.
A competing bill requires that all costs incurred by the state -- that is, taxpayers -- be reimbursed through federal grants and private funding. In difficult economic times, that's a risky revenue stream.
Fourteen South Florida pharmacies currently are part of a successful pilot program being offered through Bio-Tech Medical Software, Inc. to aid efforts to combat doctor shopping and prescription drug abuse in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“If everybody – the doctors and pharmacists – were in sync they would have not filled my son's prescriptions and he would be alive. This is not just about me losing my son. It’s bigger than that. It is about preventing other families from going through what I went through,” said Linda McCalister, a Fort Lauderdale mother whose son died as a result of prescription drug abuse. “There needs to be more regulation of controlled substances. Other states have these databases, and there is no reason we shouldn't have one here.”
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
"It is time to stop Floridians from dying from illegally obtained prescription drugs," said State Rep. Carl Domino, a Jupiter Republican and sponsor of HB 143. "New technology is less costly, protects consumer privacy, and is in real time and cannot be defeated by a false identification."
HB 143 and SB 614, sponsored by State Sen. Dave Aronberg, a Greenacres Democrat, clamp down on fraud and abuse by requiring an innovative but simple-to-use system that would simultaneously protect patients, prescribing pharmacists and health-care professionals, and Florida taxpayers.
The two lawmakers, along with other proponents of their bills came together in the Florida Capitol to discuss how their bills will save lives and money while carefully protecting citizens' privacy rights.
The Domino/Aronberg bills require dispensers to use inexpensive biometric scanning devices -- fingerprints or retinal scans, for example -- to biologically identify people attempting to fill prescriptions for Class II, III or IV controlled substances. These include such powerful painkillers as Vicadin and Oxycontin, which law enforcement officials say have become the prescription drugs of choice among teenagers in search of a high.
Too often, however, prescription drug abuse leads to tragedy. In the first half of 2008 alone, the drug oxycodone was involved in more than 10 percent of all 4,055 drug-related deaths in Florida, according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission.
“As an assistant attorney general, I investigated the marketing and abuse of controlled substances and saw firsthand the consequences of not having a prescription-drug validation system in place,” Sen. Aronberg said. “Ours is not a record that Florida can be proud of, but the legislation that Rep. Domino and I propose would fix this problem and save lives."
When the prescribed system is in place, a Florida Department of Health database will assign a unique identification number to the biometric scan, which will then immediately convey the information back to the prescriber. Names of patients, Social Security numbers and other personal information will never be transmitted to the database.
The unique ID number gives the pharmacist or dispensing health-care professional the ability to immediately determine whether the prescription conflicts or overlaps with other medication delivered to the same person. This also protects pharmacists and doctors from becoming innocent victims of fraud. Moreover, it reduces their legal liability by enabling them to quickly recognize prescriptions that pose an interaction hazard.
Dr. Fred Lippman, of the Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division in Fort Lauderdale, endorses the Domino/Aronberg proposal for another reason: It protects patients who chronically suffer with severe pain, e.g. cancer patients, and rely on their prescriptions to get through the day.
"Pharmaceutical manufacturers produce a limited supply of pain medications. When legally controlled medications are illegally diverted, the adequate supply for legitimate use is placed at risk," said Lippman, a pharmacist who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1978 to 1998.
Unlike competing bills addressing the same problem, the Domino/Aronberg plan’s costs would largely be absorbed by industry, federal grants and dispensers. Start-up cost for dispensers is estimated at an on average cost of $350. Monthly operational costs are projected to run from $50 to $150, but could be offset by incentives and credits.
A competing bill requires that all costs incurred by the state -- that is, taxpayers -- be reimbursed through federal grants and private funding. In difficult economic times, that's a risky revenue stream.
Fourteen South Florida pharmacies currently are part of a successful pilot program being offered through Bio-Tech Medical Software, Inc. to aid efforts to combat doctor shopping and prescription drug abuse in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“If everybody – the doctors and pharmacists – were in sync they would have not filled my son's prescriptions and he would be alive. This is not just about me losing my son. It’s bigger than that. It is about preventing other families from going through what I went through,” said Linda McCalister, a Fort Lauderdale mother whose son died as a result of prescription drug abuse. “There needs to be more regulation of controlled substances. Other states have these databases, and there is no reason we shouldn't have one here.”
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
Monday, March 23, 2009
Florida needs a system for monitoring deadly, addictive medications
One result of that failure was not surprising: Drug-related deaths rose again, as they have over the past six years, according to the latest available figures.
The number of drug-related deaths in Florida rose to 4,055 from January to June 2008, compared to 3,980 during the first six months of 2007. (The Medical Examiners Commission collects cause-of-death data; these numbers are from the most recent report.)
The latest summary report by the medical examiners reaches many of the same conclusions contained in the previous year's report.
In the reports, medical examiners are asked to distinguish between drugs being the "cause" of death or merely "present" in the body at death.
The three "most frequently occurring" drugs present in decedents were alcohol, in 1,923 deaths; Benzodiazepines (tranquilizers such as Xanax and valium), 1,469; and cocaine, 955.
Of the three, only cocaine is illegal in all cases. During the reporting period, illegal heroin was still the most lethal drug -- killing the most people using it -- but it was not among the seven drugs that caused the most deaths.
Fatal connection
To grasp the link between prescription drugs and deaths, consider that, according to the report, "the drugs that caused the most deaths were":
Oxycodone, a narcotic pain killer sold as OxyContin, and contained in Percocet and Percodan -- 423 deaths.
Ben zodiazepines -- 392 deaths.
Cocaine -- 360.
Methadone, a pain killer that is also used in heroin detoxification programs -- 324 deaths.
Alcohol -- 207 deaths.
Morphine, an opiate-based pain killer known as MS-Contin in tablet form and Roxanol in liquid form -- 129 deaths.
Hydrocodone, a narcotic pain killer included in Vicodin and Lortab -- 126 deaths.
"The prescription drugs ... tracked through this report continued to be found more often than illicit drugs" in decedents in both lethal and nonlethal levels, the medical examiners stated.
Found more often than illicit drugs.
That fact alone demonstrates that Florida needs to focus on prescription-drug abuse and the inadequate regulation of drugs labeled as controlled substances.
In our region, people from a wide range of backgrounds have spoken out about the crisis and the need for prevention actions.
Cindy Harney and Ruth Lyerly, local mothers whose sons succumbed to prescription-drug overdoses, created Families Against Addictive Drug Abuse. They campaign courageously and tirelessly to raise awareness about the problems associated with easy availability of drugs through clinics known as "pill mills," fraudulent prescriptions and the black market.
Dr. Rafael Miguel, the director of the pain medicine program at the University of South Florida, has lobbied long and hard for the Legislature to create an electronic, privacy-protected data base that would give health care practitioners, pharmacies and pharmacists access to patient medication histories. The data base would allow ethical prescribers and pharmacists to detect excessive numbers of prescriptions, indicative of either drug abuse or illegal resales.
Dr. Miguel, who practices at a Sarasota Memorial Health Care System clinic and is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology, also supports requiring free-standing pain clinics to be operated by a board-certified pain-management physician.
A Sarasota pharmacist and a Venice pain management clinic administrator have both gone on the record in the Herald-Tribune with their concerns about excessive and fraudulent prescriptions in our region.
Stories across Florida make clear that some doctors and clinics overprescribe, and that many patients shop for doctors and clinics until they find the drugs they want to take or sell.
Thirty-eight states have some form of system that enables health care professionals to monitor and flag prescriptions for narcotics and potentially addictive drugs. Lacking such a system, Florida is, Dr. Miguel says, "a national embarrassment."
Welcome legislation
Fortunately, pending legislation -- the committee substitute for Senate Bill 462 -- would authorize the state Department of Health to create an electronic "prescription drug validation program" intended to provide the monitoring and protections necessary. The bill offers appropriate protections for patient security, targets only the high-power pain killers and sedatives, and clearly states that the legislation should not interfere with "legitimate prescribing" of controlled substances.
The Florida Medical Association supports this bill, as do concerned doctors and pharmacists, and survivors of the victims of drug-related overdoses.
We support it, too. It won't end prescription-drug abuse but it will help keep the problem from worsening.
The technology and the need to create this data bank exist. Now it's time for the Legislature to express the political will to approve it -- before the passing of another year of rising drug-related deaths.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
The number of drug-related deaths in Florida rose to 4,055 from January to June 2008, compared to 3,980 during the first six months of 2007. (The Medical Examiners Commission collects cause-of-death data; these numbers are from the most recent report.)
The latest summary report by the medical examiners reaches many of the same conclusions contained in the previous year's report.
In the reports, medical examiners are asked to distinguish between drugs being the "cause" of death or merely "present" in the body at death.
The three "most frequently occurring" drugs present in decedents were alcohol, in 1,923 deaths; Benzodiazepines (tranquilizers such as Xanax and valium), 1,469; and cocaine, 955.
Of the three, only cocaine is illegal in all cases. During the reporting period, illegal heroin was still the most lethal drug -- killing the most people using it -- but it was not among the seven drugs that caused the most deaths.
Fatal connection
To grasp the link between prescription drugs and deaths, consider that, according to the report, "the drugs that caused the most deaths were":
Oxycodone, a narcotic pain killer sold as OxyContin, and contained in Percocet and Percodan -- 423 deaths.
Ben zodiazepines -- 392 deaths.
Cocaine -- 360.
Methadone, a pain killer that is also used in heroin detoxification programs -- 324 deaths.
Alcohol -- 207 deaths.
Morphine, an opiate-based pain killer known as MS-Contin in tablet form and Roxanol in liquid form -- 129 deaths.
Hydrocodone, a narcotic pain killer included in Vicodin and Lortab -- 126 deaths.
"The prescription drugs ... tracked through this report continued to be found more often than illicit drugs" in decedents in both lethal and nonlethal levels, the medical examiners stated.
Found more often than illicit drugs.
That fact alone demonstrates that Florida needs to focus on prescription-drug abuse and the inadequate regulation of drugs labeled as controlled substances.
In our region, people from a wide range of backgrounds have spoken out about the crisis and the need for prevention actions.
Cindy Harney and Ruth Lyerly, local mothers whose sons succumbed to prescription-drug overdoses, created Families Against Addictive Drug Abuse. They campaign courageously and tirelessly to raise awareness about the problems associated with easy availability of drugs through clinics known as "pill mills," fraudulent prescriptions and the black market.
Dr. Rafael Miguel, the director of the pain medicine program at the University of South Florida, has lobbied long and hard for the Legislature to create an electronic, privacy-protected data base that would give health care practitioners, pharmacies and pharmacists access to patient medication histories. The data base would allow ethical prescribers and pharmacists to detect excessive numbers of prescriptions, indicative of either drug abuse or illegal resales.
Dr. Miguel, who practices at a Sarasota Memorial Health Care System clinic and is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology, also supports requiring free-standing pain clinics to be operated by a board-certified pain-management physician.
A Sarasota pharmacist and a Venice pain management clinic administrator have both gone on the record in the Herald-Tribune with their concerns about excessive and fraudulent prescriptions in our region.
Stories across Florida make clear that some doctors and clinics overprescribe, and that many patients shop for doctors and clinics until they find the drugs they want to take or sell.
Thirty-eight states have some form of system that enables health care professionals to monitor and flag prescriptions for narcotics and potentially addictive drugs. Lacking such a system, Florida is, Dr. Miguel says, "a national embarrassment."
Welcome legislation
Fortunately, pending legislation -- the committee substitute for Senate Bill 462 -- would authorize the state Department of Health to create an electronic "prescription drug validation program" intended to provide the monitoring and protections necessary. The bill offers appropriate protections for patient security, targets only the high-power pain killers and sedatives, and clearly states that the legislation should not interfere with "legitimate prescribing" of controlled substances.
The Florida Medical Association supports this bill, as do concerned doctors and pharmacists, and survivors of the victims of drug-related overdoses.
We support it, too. It won't end prescription-drug abuse but it will help keep the problem from worsening.
The technology and the need to create this data bank exist. Now it's time for the Legislature to express the political will to approve it -- before the passing of another year of rising drug-related deaths.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
Research suggests those who have chronic pain may need to assess vitamin D status
Mayo Clinic research shows a correlation between inadequate vitamin D levels and the amount of narcotic medication taken by patients who have chronic pain.
This correlation is an important finding as researchers discover new ways to treat chronic pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States. These patients often end up taking narcotic-type pain medication such as morphine, fentanyl or oxycodone.
This study found that patients who required narcotic pain medication, and who also had inadequate levels of vitamin D, were taking much higher doses of pain medication - nearly twice as much - as those who had adequate levels. Similarly, these patients self-reported worse physical functioning and worse overall health perception. In addition, a correlation was noted between increasing body mass index (a measure of obesity) and decreasing levels of vitamin D. Study results were published in a recent edition of Pain Medicine .
"This is an important finding as we continue to investigate the causes of chronic pain," says Michael Turner, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. "Vitamin D is known to promote both bone and muscle strength. Conversely, deficiency is an under-recognized source of diffuse pain and impaired neuromuscular functioning. By recognizing it, physicians can significantly improve their patients' pain, function and quality of life."
Researchers retrospectively studied 267 chronic pain patients admitted to the Mayo Comprehensive Pain Rehabilitation Center in Rochester from February to December 2006. Vitamin D levels at the time of admission were compared to other parameters such as the amount and duration of narcotic pain medication usage; self-reported levels of pain, emotional distress, physical functioning and health perception; and demographic information such as gender, age, diagnosis and body mass index.
Further research should document the effects of correcting deficient levels among these patients, researchers recommend.
This study has important implications for both chronic pain patients and physicians. "Though preliminary, these results suggest that patients who suffer from chronic, diffuse pain and are on narcotics should consider getting their vitamin D levels checked. Inadequate levels may play a role in creating or sustaining their pain," says Dr. Turner.
"Physicians who care for patients with chronic, diffuse pain that seems musculoskeletal - and involves many areas of tenderness to palpation - should strongly consider checking a vitamin D level," he says. "For example, many patients who have been labeled with fibromyalgia are, in fact, suffering from symptomatic vitamin D inadequacy. Vigilance is especially required when risk factors are present such as obesity, darker pigmented skin or limited exposure to sunlight."
Assessment and treatment are relatively simple and inexpensive. Levels can be assessed by a simple blood test (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]). Under the guidance of a physician, an appropriate repletion regimen can then be devised. Because it is a natural substance and not a drug, vitamin D is readily available and inexpensive.
In addition to the benefits of strong muscles and bones, emerging research demonstrates that vitamin D plays important roles in the immune system, helps fight inflammation and helps fights certain types of cancer.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
This correlation is an important finding as researchers discover new ways to treat chronic pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States. These patients often end up taking narcotic-type pain medication such as morphine, fentanyl or oxycodone.
This study found that patients who required narcotic pain medication, and who also had inadequate levels of vitamin D, were taking much higher doses of pain medication - nearly twice as much - as those who had adequate levels. Similarly, these patients self-reported worse physical functioning and worse overall health perception. In addition, a correlation was noted between increasing body mass index (a measure of obesity) and decreasing levels of vitamin D. Study results were published in a recent edition of Pain Medicine .
"This is an important finding as we continue to investigate the causes of chronic pain," says Michael Turner, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. "Vitamin D is known to promote both bone and muscle strength. Conversely, deficiency is an under-recognized source of diffuse pain and impaired neuromuscular functioning. By recognizing it, physicians can significantly improve their patients' pain, function and quality of life."
Researchers retrospectively studied 267 chronic pain patients admitted to the Mayo Comprehensive Pain Rehabilitation Center in Rochester from February to December 2006. Vitamin D levels at the time of admission were compared to other parameters such as the amount and duration of narcotic pain medication usage; self-reported levels of pain, emotional distress, physical functioning and health perception; and demographic information such as gender, age, diagnosis and body mass index.
Further research should document the effects of correcting deficient levels among these patients, researchers recommend.
This study has important implications for both chronic pain patients and physicians. "Though preliminary, these results suggest that patients who suffer from chronic, diffuse pain and are on narcotics should consider getting their vitamin D levels checked. Inadequate levels may play a role in creating or sustaining their pain," says Dr. Turner.
"Physicians who care for patients with chronic, diffuse pain that seems musculoskeletal - and involves many areas of tenderness to palpation - should strongly consider checking a vitamin D level," he says. "For example, many patients who have been labeled with fibromyalgia are, in fact, suffering from symptomatic vitamin D inadequacy. Vigilance is especially required when risk factors are present such as obesity, darker pigmented skin or limited exposure to sunlight."
Assessment and treatment are relatively simple and inexpensive. Levels can be assessed by a simple blood test (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]). Under the guidance of a physician, an appropriate repletion regimen can then be devised. Because it is a natural substance and not a drug, vitamin D is readily available and inexpensive.
In addition to the benefits of strong muscles and bones, emerging research demonstrates that vitamin D plays important roles in the immune system, helps fight inflammation and helps fights certain types of cancer.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
SC: Charlotte Men Convicted for Armed Robbery of South Carolina Pharmacies
Columbia, South Carolina -- United States Attorney W. WALTER WILKINS stated today that CHRISTOPHER RYAN HAYES, age 25, and STEPHEN RAY MILLER, age 25, both of Charlotte, North Carolina, were convicted of Armed Robbery of a Pharmacy, violations of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1951(a) & 924(c). The indictment charged HAYES with robbing at gunpoint, a Walgreen’s pharmacy located in Gaffney, SC and HAYES and MILLER with robbing at gunpoint, a Walgreen’s pharmacy located in Lexington, SC. They were accompanied during both robberies by Andy Huynh, age 25, currently incarcerated in North Carolina, who was previously indicted for the same offenses and has pled guilty. Thippasone Phanasouk, age 33, of Charlotte, participated in the Gaffney robbery and will be sentenced on May 12th. The conspirators took Schedule II and Schedule III narcotics during the robberies.
During the trial, employees of the Gaffney and Lexington Walgreen’s testified that the gunmen made them lie face down in the pharmacy area while drugs such as OxyCodone, Vicodin, Percocet, Lortab, and Xanax were taken. The drugs later were sold in Charlotte. Both HAYES and MILLER carried handguns in the robberies in which they participated.
KEVIN F. MCDONALD stated the maximum penalty HAYES and MILLER could receive for the first and third counts is a fine of $250,000 and imprisonment of 20 years. The violations of 924(c) carry penalties of seven years incarceration for the first offense, and an additional 25 years incarceration for the second offense.
Mr. Wilkins stated that the case was developed by Diversion investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Winston D. Holliday, Jr., and Nathan S. Williams of the Columbia office.
Rodney G. Benson, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justhinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov. DEA.gov takes you directly to the Diversion Control and Prescription Drugs link
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
During the trial, employees of the Gaffney and Lexington Walgreen’s testified that the gunmen made them lie face down in the pharmacy area while drugs such as OxyCodone, Vicodin, Percocet, Lortab, and Xanax were taken. The drugs later were sold in Charlotte. Both HAYES and MILLER carried handguns in the robberies in which they participated.
KEVIN F. MCDONALD stated the maximum penalty HAYES and MILLER could receive for the first and third counts is a fine of $250,000 and imprisonment of 20 years. The violations of 924(c) carry penalties of seven years incarceration for the first offense, and an additional 25 years incarceration for the second offense.
Mr. Wilkins stated that the case was developed by Diversion investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Winston D. Holliday, Jr., and Nathan S. Williams of the Columbia office.
Rodney G. Benson, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justhinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov. DEA.gov takes you directly to the Diversion Control and Prescription Drugs link
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
Are lots of teens really 'sexting'? Experts doubt it
By JUSTIN BERTON
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Seventeen-year-old Natalie Tracey recently adjusted her cell phone plan to accommodate her growing text-messaging addiction. But the Sacramento high school senior had never heard of anyone at her school "sexting" -- sending a nude photo via cell phone.
"Everything about it sounds lame," Natalie said, noting that she was unaware of the term until an adult introduced it to her and that the online humiliations suffered by young celebrities such as Vanessa Hudgens and Pete Wentz might serve as a cautionary tale for her generation. "All that stuff just creates drama," she said.
Natalie's attitude toward sexting echoes a view shared by sexual-health educators, teen advocates and academics gathering in San Francisco this week for Sex Tech, a conference that promotes sexual health among youth through technology. They believe that the sexting "trend" is a cultural fascination du jour and is way overblown.
"Sexting is the latest way adults are getting panicky about teen sexuality and for mainstream culture to get panicky about technology," said Marty Klein, a Palo Alto author and sex therapist who is leading a panel discussion on the topic. "And when you mix the two together, there's always a lot of anxiety and misunderstanding."
In December, a study from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reported that 20 percent of 653 teenagers polled said they'd posted nude or seminude pictures of themselves at least once via computer or cell phone. After school administrators and law enforcement agencies nationwide learned of the activity, USA Today reported that since January at least two dozen teenagers in six states were being investigated for sending explicit images by cell phone, including two Massachusetts teens who faced felony child pornography distribution charges. Last week in Los Alamitos (Orange County), as many as nine middle school boys were suspended after they digitally shared a nude picture of a 14-year-old female student.
But whereas some see evidence of teenagers growing up too fast in an increasingly technologically connected world, those within the youth sexual health community have a more sober take on the behavior: They see sexting as an educational opportunity.
Deb Levine, the executive director of San Francisco's Internet Sexuality Information Services, who helped start the city's nationally recognized texting service to promote sex education for youth, said if 20 percent of hormone-fueled teenagers are sending nude photographs, that means 80 percent aren't.
"This shows us that the majority of teenagers understand this is not the best place to snap a photo and send it out there," Levine said. "The teenage years are years of sexual curiosity, and there are various ways people act out on their curiosity. This is just one of them."
Anastasia Goodstein, author of "Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online," said that when she interviewed teenagers recently at a Texas high school, none was aware of the term "sexting," and no one copped to engaging in the activity.
Yet for those who do click and send, Goodstein said the images are intended for immediate friends.
"They're not thinking through the consequences that digital images can go viral," Goodstein said. "They're growing up with these tools, documenting their lives in public spaces and not thinking down the line as to who might see it."
Instead of punishing these teenagers, Goodstein suggested, "Parents should be asking their teenagers what their real motivations are for doing this. Is it peer pressure? Is it based on ideas of what being sexy is?"
Bill Albert, a spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy, said his organization's study was meant to give a glimpse of teenage sexual behavior. Despite the advent of sexting, Albert said teenage sexual activity and pregnancy rates have continued a steady decline since peaking in 1990.
But the newest study suggests that teens remain unaware that information shared about their sex life in digital media is not private. "This is not a diary you keep under your mattress," Albert said. "Things go from zero to viral in a nanosecond."
Still, despite disagreement over the prevalence of sexting, some legal advocates who track online crimes are alarmed by the extreme punishment doled out by some jurisdictions.
Lee Tien, a senior staff attorney at San Francisco's Electronic Frontier Foundation, said law-enforcement agencies that bring felony charges against minors are misusing the federal child pornography laws, which he said were written to protect children from adult predators.
"We may not want teenagers to engage in this behavior," Tien said, "but police officers and schoolteachers and judges should not feel like they need to bring up criminal charges on these kids.
"It's become a frenzy of people who are trying to out-moralize one another and come out strongly against it," he added. "I'm hoping people will come to their senses and this will result in less sexting but, more importantly, less overreacting by the authorities."
Sex therapist Klein warned that prosecution of teenagers could lead to unintended consequences. If convicted of federal child pornography charges, the teens would be required to register as a sex offenders.
"I recognize that some teens are using sexting in a desperate attempt to be popular or liked," Klein said, "and we need to address that sense of desperation with the kids themselves in a conversation.
"Hopefully, that adult would have the kind of conversation that is not about punishment or morality but asks first, 'What is on your mind and can we talk about it? Have you thought about the feelings of the boy or girl whose picture is getting sent around school?' But in order to have that conversation, we need to first understand sexuality is not bad."
E-mail Justin Berton at jberton@sfchronicle.com
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Seventeen-year-old Natalie Tracey recently adjusted her cell phone plan to accommodate her growing text-messaging addiction. But the Sacramento high school senior had never heard of anyone at her school "sexting" -- sending a nude photo via cell phone.
"Everything about it sounds lame," Natalie said, noting that she was unaware of the term until an adult introduced it to her and that the online humiliations suffered by young celebrities such as Vanessa Hudgens and Pete Wentz might serve as a cautionary tale for her generation. "All that stuff just creates drama," she said.
Natalie's attitude toward sexting echoes a view shared by sexual-health educators, teen advocates and academics gathering in San Francisco this week for Sex Tech, a conference that promotes sexual health among youth through technology. They believe that the sexting "trend" is a cultural fascination du jour and is way overblown.
"Sexting is the latest way adults are getting panicky about teen sexuality and for mainstream culture to get panicky about technology," said Marty Klein, a Palo Alto author and sex therapist who is leading a panel discussion on the topic. "And when you mix the two together, there's always a lot of anxiety and misunderstanding."
In December, a study from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reported that 20 percent of 653 teenagers polled said they'd posted nude or seminude pictures of themselves at least once via computer or cell phone. After school administrators and law enforcement agencies nationwide learned of the activity, USA Today reported that since January at least two dozen teenagers in six states were being investigated for sending explicit images by cell phone, including two Massachusetts teens who faced felony child pornography distribution charges. Last week in Los Alamitos (Orange County), as many as nine middle school boys were suspended after they digitally shared a nude picture of a 14-year-old female student.
But whereas some see evidence of teenagers growing up too fast in an increasingly technologically connected world, those within the youth sexual health community have a more sober take on the behavior: They see sexting as an educational opportunity.
Deb Levine, the executive director of San Francisco's Internet Sexuality Information Services, who helped start the city's nationally recognized texting service to promote sex education for youth, said if 20 percent of hormone-fueled teenagers are sending nude photographs, that means 80 percent aren't.
"This shows us that the majority of teenagers understand this is not the best place to snap a photo and send it out there," Levine said. "The teenage years are years of sexual curiosity, and there are various ways people act out on their curiosity. This is just one of them."
Anastasia Goodstein, author of "Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online," said that when she interviewed teenagers recently at a Texas high school, none was aware of the term "sexting," and no one copped to engaging in the activity.
Yet for those who do click and send, Goodstein said the images are intended for immediate friends.
"They're not thinking through the consequences that digital images can go viral," Goodstein said. "They're growing up with these tools, documenting their lives in public spaces and not thinking down the line as to who might see it."
Instead of punishing these teenagers, Goodstein suggested, "Parents should be asking their teenagers what their real motivations are for doing this. Is it peer pressure? Is it based on ideas of what being sexy is?"
Bill Albert, a spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy, said his organization's study was meant to give a glimpse of teenage sexual behavior. Despite the advent of sexting, Albert said teenage sexual activity and pregnancy rates have continued a steady decline since peaking in 1990.
But the newest study suggests that teens remain unaware that information shared about their sex life in digital media is not private. "This is not a diary you keep under your mattress," Albert said. "Things go from zero to viral in a nanosecond."
Still, despite disagreement over the prevalence of sexting, some legal advocates who track online crimes are alarmed by the extreme punishment doled out by some jurisdictions.
Lee Tien, a senior staff attorney at San Francisco's Electronic Frontier Foundation, said law-enforcement agencies that bring felony charges against minors are misusing the federal child pornography laws, which he said were written to protect children from adult predators.
"We may not want teenagers to engage in this behavior," Tien said, "but police officers and schoolteachers and judges should not feel like they need to bring up criminal charges on these kids.
"It's become a frenzy of people who are trying to out-moralize one another and come out strongly against it," he added. "I'm hoping people will come to their senses and this will result in less sexting but, more importantly, less overreacting by the authorities."
Sex therapist Klein warned that prosecution of teenagers could lead to unintended consequences. If convicted of federal child pornography charges, the teens would be required to register as a sex offenders.
"I recognize that some teens are using sexting in a desperate attempt to be popular or liked," Klein said, "and we need to address that sense of desperation with the kids themselves in a conversation.
"Hopefully, that adult would have the kind of conversation that is not about punishment or morality but asks first, 'What is on your mind and can we talk about it? Have you thought about the feelings of the boy or girl whose picture is getting sent around school?' But in order to have that conversation, we need to first understand sexuality is not bad."
E-mail Justin Berton at jberton@sfchronicle.com
Rice case gets another look from authorities
On Nov. 4, 2003 Buffalo toddler Garrett Rice died from oxycodone in his blood system. For the past five years his family has wondered how this event occurred and who was responsible for his death.
Answers might be coming shortly as the Buffalo police department has reopened the case.
Police Chief Jeremy Murrell conducted a series of drug raids in February. During one of the busts some new evidence was discovered that led Murrell to reconsider the Garrett Rice case. One of the suspects in the case was spotted at a home police raided for drugs.
Murrell said he officially reopened the case on Feb. 20. Soon after Rice’s family made fliers offering $10,000 reward for any information regarding the death of the Buffalo toddler.
Murrell said even though new evidence has been found, the investigation is still ongoing. There are details related to Garrett’s death that investigators are unclear about. Murrell hopes that with a reward being offered more people will step forward and tell what they know regarding the suspicious circumstances of Garrett’s death.
Back in 2003, Rice, 1, was dropped off at the babysitter’s by his mother, Casey. Casey was going to Oklahoma City that night to be with her husband, who was recovering from surgery.
While under babysitter Sharon Rowley’s supervision, the boy died.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Rice had enough oxycodone in his system to kill an adult.
Oxycodone is found in adult prescription pain medications such as OxyContin and Percocet. The drug is considered to be morphine-like and has a similar abuse potential. It is available in tablet, capsule and liquid forms.
Murrell said that according to the autopsy report, there was no evidence of pills in Garrett’s system.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation took over the case when it was determined by the State Medical Examiner’s Office that the death was “extremely suspicious.”
According to a statement Chief Murrell prepared, “this case was investigated thoroughly by the OSBI and the case was presented to the district attorney’s office.”
The statement goes on to say that at the time the district attorney’s office looked into the case, but could not find enough evidence to support prosecution.
This crushed Rice’s family, as they had to wait for evidence to appear that could bring them closure. With Murrell reopening the case, it has renewed the family’s spirit.
“The new police chief is the reason why this case is being looked at again,” said Christina Rice, Garrett’s grandmother.
She said the family constantly went to the district attorney about the case, but kept receiving the same answers about there being no new evidence.
Murrell said the family has come to him constantly as well, calling him eight or nine times each day for updates or to provide information.
“They’re the ones who have really pushed this,” he said. “They’ve done anything I’ve asked.”
Murrell has been police chief of Buffalo since October of last year. He said that his reserve officer came up to him his first day on the job and told him that the case needed to be reopened.
Nothing could have been done though, Murrell said, until more evidence was discovered. He said that the lack of evidence has hampered OSBI’s investigation of the case as well as the district attorney’s prosecution.
But with the help of Rice’s family and the public, Murrell is confident that something will turn up and the case can be closed soon.
District Attorney Michael Boring has been recovering from an illness and will not return to office until April 1. Murrell said that at that time he will go over the case with Boring.
With Rice’s death being looked at again and progress being made, it has brought some sense of an end to a five year ordeal for the family.
“Now I hope it all goes right,” Rice said.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
Answers might be coming shortly as the Buffalo police department has reopened the case.
Police Chief Jeremy Murrell conducted a series of drug raids in February. During one of the busts some new evidence was discovered that led Murrell to reconsider the Garrett Rice case. One of the suspects in the case was spotted at a home police raided for drugs.
Murrell said he officially reopened the case on Feb. 20. Soon after Rice’s family made fliers offering $10,000 reward for any information regarding the death of the Buffalo toddler.
Murrell said even though new evidence has been found, the investigation is still ongoing. There are details related to Garrett’s death that investigators are unclear about. Murrell hopes that with a reward being offered more people will step forward and tell what they know regarding the suspicious circumstances of Garrett’s death.
Back in 2003, Rice, 1, was dropped off at the babysitter’s by his mother, Casey. Casey was going to Oklahoma City that night to be with her husband, who was recovering from surgery.
While under babysitter Sharon Rowley’s supervision, the boy died.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Rice had enough oxycodone in his system to kill an adult.
Oxycodone is found in adult prescription pain medications such as OxyContin and Percocet. The drug is considered to be morphine-like and has a similar abuse potential. It is available in tablet, capsule and liquid forms.
Murrell said that according to the autopsy report, there was no evidence of pills in Garrett’s system.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation took over the case when it was determined by the State Medical Examiner’s Office that the death was “extremely suspicious.”
According to a statement Chief Murrell prepared, “this case was investigated thoroughly by the OSBI and the case was presented to the district attorney’s office.”
The statement goes on to say that at the time the district attorney’s office looked into the case, but could not find enough evidence to support prosecution.
This crushed Rice’s family, as they had to wait for evidence to appear that could bring them closure. With Murrell reopening the case, it has renewed the family’s spirit.
“The new police chief is the reason why this case is being looked at again,” said Christina Rice, Garrett’s grandmother.
She said the family constantly went to the district attorney about the case, but kept receiving the same answers about there being no new evidence.
Murrell said the family has come to him constantly as well, calling him eight or nine times each day for updates or to provide information.
“They’re the ones who have really pushed this,” he said. “They’ve done anything I’ve asked.”
Murrell has been police chief of Buffalo since October of last year. He said that his reserve officer came up to him his first day on the job and told him that the case needed to be reopened.
Nothing could have been done though, Murrell said, until more evidence was discovered. He said that the lack of evidence has hampered OSBI’s investigation of the case as well as the district attorney’s prosecution.
But with the help of Rice’s family and the public, Murrell is confident that something will turn up and the case can be closed soon.
District Attorney Michael Boring has been recovering from an illness and will not return to office until April 1. Murrell said that at that time he will go over the case with Boring.
With Rice’s death being looked at again and progress being made, it has brought some sense of an end to a five year ordeal for the family.
“Now I hope it all goes right,” Rice said.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
Restaurant proprietor charged in drug bust
Police say Kuong tried to purchase 2,100 pills worth about $500,000
By Eric Morrison | JUNEAU EMPIRE
Law enforcement officials made four felony arrests Thursday in Juneau's continued battle against ill-gotten prescription drugs.
"It is a big issue," Juneau Police Department Sgt. Dave Campbell said. "As far as a controlled substance point of view, we probably deal with more issues dealing with OxyContin than any other drug at this point in time."
Juneau businessman Ri Dong "Gino" Kuang, 34, was arrested at about noon at a Mendenhall Valley hotel on a felony charge of attempted misconduct involving a controlled substance.
Kuang was arrested for trying to purchase 600 tablets of oxycodone, at 80-milligrams each, from an informant, District Attorney Doug Gardner said during a bail hearing on Friday in District Court. The court set Kuang's bail at $100,000.
The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in jail and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
Oxycodone is an opium-derived analgesic medication prescribed for moderate to severe pain. OxyContin is the name brand of an extended-release form of oxycodone that was first marketed to cancer patients in 1996 by the company Purdue Pharma.
The prescription drug can be ingested in tablet form, crushed and snorted up the nose, smoked or injected intravenously for an intense high that has been compared to heroin. The drug has been in high demand in Juneau in recent years. An 80-milligram pill has an approximate street value of $175 in Juneau, Campbell said, but the price is on the rise.
"We're getting intelligence as recently as a week and a half ago that the price has increased to $250 a pill," he said.
Gardner said in court that the informant had previously sold Kuang between 300 and 600 of the 80-milligram oxycodone pills on five separate occasions. He told the court the value of the drugs - considering a low estimate of 1,500 pills allegedly acquired and the attempted acquisition of 600 more on Thursday - were worth between $378,000 and $525,000 street value, according to police estimates.
"This is a pretty big case for us," Campbell said.
The undercover drug operation was carried out by the Juneau Police Department, Drug Enforcement Agency agents, Port of Seattle Police and the Alaska State Troopers.
In a separate undercover investigation conducted by the four law enforcement agencies, 25-year-old Juneau resident Loretta "Jean" McCutcheon was arrested at about 1 p.m. Thursday at the same hotel on felony charges of misconduct involving a controlled substance and aiding and abetting. The two men in the vehicle McCutcheon arrived in, Dillinger Graham, 27, and Randal Benc, 23, both Juneau residents, also were arrested.
Graham has been charged with misconduct involving weapons and two felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance. Benc was charged with felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the second degree and aiding and abetting.
Campbell said both investigations are continuing. The vehicles that Kuang and McCutcheon drove to the scene in were each seized as evidence and will be searched, he said.
"Just because we made arrests, it doesn't mean these investigations are over," Campbell said. "If anything it means that even more work now starts because you get search warrants and that leads to more information, and that information leads to more search warrants."
There are still more people that investigators are looking to speak with about the two cases.
"Some of those people we are looking to get information from, and some of those people we may even end up charging for crimes down the road as well," he said. "It's a small town. If a person is going to be dealing drugs here, it's pretty much just a matter of time until they get caught."
• Contact reporter Eric Morrison at 523-2269 or eric.morrison@juneauempire.com.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
By Eric Morrison | JUNEAU EMPIRE
Law enforcement officials made four felony arrests Thursday in Juneau's continued battle against ill-gotten prescription drugs.
"It is a big issue," Juneau Police Department Sgt. Dave Campbell said. "As far as a controlled substance point of view, we probably deal with more issues dealing with OxyContin than any other drug at this point in time."
Juneau businessman Ri Dong "Gino" Kuang, 34, was arrested at about noon at a Mendenhall Valley hotel on a felony charge of attempted misconduct involving a controlled substance.
Kuang was arrested for trying to purchase 600 tablets of oxycodone, at 80-milligrams each, from an informant, District Attorney Doug Gardner said during a bail hearing on Friday in District Court. The court set Kuang's bail at $100,000.
The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in jail and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
Oxycodone is an opium-derived analgesic medication prescribed for moderate to severe pain. OxyContin is the name brand of an extended-release form of oxycodone that was first marketed to cancer patients in 1996 by the company Purdue Pharma.
The prescription drug can be ingested in tablet form, crushed and snorted up the nose, smoked or injected intravenously for an intense high that has been compared to heroin. The drug has been in high demand in Juneau in recent years. An 80-milligram pill has an approximate street value of $175 in Juneau, Campbell said, but the price is on the rise.
"We're getting intelligence as recently as a week and a half ago that the price has increased to $250 a pill," he said.
Gardner said in court that the informant had previously sold Kuang between 300 and 600 of the 80-milligram oxycodone pills on five separate occasions. He told the court the value of the drugs - considering a low estimate of 1,500 pills allegedly acquired and the attempted acquisition of 600 more on Thursday - were worth between $378,000 and $525,000 street value, according to police estimates.
"This is a pretty big case for us," Campbell said.
The undercover drug operation was carried out by the Juneau Police Department, Drug Enforcement Agency agents, Port of Seattle Police and the Alaska State Troopers.
In a separate undercover investigation conducted by the four law enforcement agencies, 25-year-old Juneau resident Loretta "Jean" McCutcheon was arrested at about 1 p.m. Thursday at the same hotel on felony charges of misconduct involving a controlled substance and aiding and abetting. The two men in the vehicle McCutcheon arrived in, Dillinger Graham, 27, and Randal Benc, 23, both Juneau residents, also were arrested.
Graham has been charged with misconduct involving weapons and two felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance. Benc was charged with felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the second degree and aiding and abetting.
Campbell said both investigations are continuing. The vehicles that Kuang and McCutcheon drove to the scene in were each seized as evidence and will be searched, he said.
"Just because we made arrests, it doesn't mean these investigations are over," Campbell said. "If anything it means that even more work now starts because you get search warrants and that leads to more information, and that information leads to more search warrants."
There are still more people that investigators are looking to speak with about the two cases.
"Some of those people we are looking to get information from, and some of those people we may even end up charging for crimes down the road as well," he said. "It's a small town. If a person is going to be dealing drugs here, it's pretty much just a matter of time until they get caught."
• Contact reporter Eric Morrison at 523-2269 or eric.morrison@juneauempire.com.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
Proposed Methadone Tax Riles Clinics, Patients
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Methadone clinics and their patients are fighting a proposed state tax on the medication, but some lawmakers say the tax would help fight West Virginia's drug problem.
A bill in the House of Delegates would tax treatment centers $1 for each daily dose of methadone they distribute. Revenues estimated at $1.5 million a year would fund prevention, intervention and recovery programs.
Methadone is used to help curb the cravings of people addicted to drugs like OxyContin and heroin. It's also prescribed as a painkiller.
CRC Health Group regional director Angela Wagner called the bill "discriminatory." Delegate Don Perdue said clinics wouldn't have to pass the tax on to patients.
A public hearing is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday in the House chamber.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
A bill in the House of Delegates would tax treatment centers $1 for each daily dose of methadone they distribute. Revenues estimated at $1.5 million a year would fund prevention, intervention and recovery programs.
Methadone is used to help curb the cravings of people addicted to drugs like OxyContin and heroin. It's also prescribed as a painkiller.
CRC Health Group regional director Angela Wagner called the bill "discriminatory." Delegate Don Perdue said clinics wouldn't have to pass the tax on to patients.
A public hearing is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday in the House chamber.
Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your Addiction and get your life back.
Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353
Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com
Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine
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