Use of marijuana, hallucinogens, and binge drinking hit record highs among middle-aged adults last year, according to a new survey.
Last year, a record 28% of adults aged 35 to 50 said they use marijuana, more than double the 13% who said they used the drug a decade ago, according to the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future panel <a href="https://monitoringthefuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/mtfpanel2023.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a>. Last year&#8217;s number is the highest since 2008 when data <a href="https://monitoringthefuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/vol2_2008.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was first</a> collected.
Daily marijuana use was reported by nearly 7% of mid-life adults. Daily use is defined as using the drug 20 or more times in the past 30 days.
Hallucinogenic drug use also hit record levels among middle-aged adults last year.
Just over 4% of mid-life adults said they had used hallucinogenic drugs last year, the highest level since 2008. About 12% of middle-aged adults said they had used some drug other than marijuana last year, such as hallucinogens like LSD, cocaine, amphetamines, sedatives, and heroin.
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Binge drinking hit record levels among middle-aged adults as well.
About 29% of mid-life adults said they had consumed five or more drinks in a row sometime in the past two weeks, the highest since it was first measured in 2008.
Amphetamine use has also jumped over the last decade, with just over 3% of mid-life adults saying they used amphetamines in the past year, compared to just over 1% saying so in 2012.
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Marijuana use also surged to a record level in young adults under 30. Nearly 44% of adults ages 19 to 30 used marijuana last year, and over 11% reported daily marijuana use.
Hallucinogen use other than LSD also rose to a record 7% of young adults last year, although LSD use declined.
The annual University of Michigan survey collects data from about 28,500 people across the country and is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“Substance use is not limited to teens and young adults, and these data help us understand how people use drugs across the lifespan,” NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow <a href="https://nida.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/2023/08/marijuana-and-hallucinogen-use-binge-drinking-reached-historic-highs-among-adults-35-to-50" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Thursday in a press release on the survey.
“Understanding these trends is a first step, and it is crucial that research continues to illuminate how substance use and related health impacts may change over time,” Volkow said.
The higher levels of drug use and binge drinking come amid national concerns about a loneliness &#8220;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">epidemic</a>.&#8221;
&#8220;In the last few decades, we&#8217;ve just lived through a dramatic pace of change. We move more, we change jobs more often, we are living with technology that has profoundly changed how we interact with each other and how we talk to each other,&#8221; Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173418268/loneliness-connection-mental-health-dementia-surgeon-general" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in May.
&#8220;And you can feel lonely even if you have a lot of people around you, because loneliness is about the quality of your connections,&#8221; Murthy said.
The increase in marijuana use has coincided with a slew of states decriminalizing the drug and legalizing recreational use. Recreational marijuana use is now legal in the District of Columbia and 23 states including New York, Illinois, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Montana.
Illegal markets continue to operate even in states where the drug is legal, however.
New York City <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-losing-millions-in-taxes-from-legal-marijuana-sales-while-illegal-market-booms-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> to pull in $56 million in tax revenue in its first year of legal weed, but instead is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-losing-millions-in-taxes-from-legal-marijuana-sales-while-illegal-market-booms-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">losing</a> millions from anemic legal marijuana sales while an illegal market thrives.
Some areas have expressed concerns about marijuana smoking becoming a nuisance. Several Minnesota cities <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/minnesota-cities-consider-banning-smoking-marijuana-in-public-areas-as-drug-nears-legalization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considered</a> banning smoking marijuana in public ahead of the drug’s legalization this month. At least one of the cities has <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/08/15/duluth-city-council-votes-to-ban-smoking-marijuana-in-public-parks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already</a> voted for the ban.

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Marijuana, Hallucinogens, Binge Drinking Hit Record Highs Among Middle-Aged Adults: Survey

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Doctors are warning popular drugs taken for weight loss, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, may include the risk of life-threatening complications under anesthesia. 
Anesthesiologists are <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/weight-loss-drugs-wegovy-may-raise-risk-complications-anesthesia-rcna99778" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advising</a> people to ditch the drugs for up to three weeks before undergoing surgery or any procedure that requires anesthesia, a prudent way to limit a risk of aspiration they have seen with some patients on these drugs. 
When someone is under anesthesia, their stomach needs to be empty to avoid aspirating contents into the lungs. Anesthesiologists, though, have found that some patients on medications with the active ingredient of semaglutide – which would include both Ozempic and Wegovy – had full stomachs even after fasting for hours. Pulmonary aspiration could lead to other complications, which can result in death. 
The American Society of Anesthesiologists issued guidance in June, advising patients to skip these drugs on the day of surgery and hold off on weekly injections for one week prior to any sedation procedures. 
But some anesthesiologists say that isn&#8217;t enough, and they suggest patients stop the drugs for three weeks before anesthesia. The advice was published on July 19 in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, where these doctors explained that stopping the drug for three weeks would clear out about 88% of the drug from someone’s system. Patients would then have emptier stomachs after a fast, making sedation safer. 
This is not the only potential unknown side effect related to drugs like Ozempic. Earlier this month, a lawsuit was filed claiming the two drugmakers behind Ozempic and Mounjaro – Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, respectively — failed to adequately warn patients about the possible risk of severe stomach problems as a side effect. The Louisiana woman who filed the suit claims she was “severely injured” after taking the two drugs and is the first person to claim the drugs can cause gastrointestinal injuries. 
There is also a potential risk of thyroid tumors and cancer associated with Ozempic, according to studies done with rodents. Also, available data show that most people who stop these drugs <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/29/people-taking-obesity-drugs-ozempic-and-wegovy-gain-weight-once-they-stop-medication.html#:~:text=She%20said%20available%20data%20suggests,lost%2C%20Conde%2DKnape%20added.">recover</a> most of the weight they lose within three to five years, and some people may even gain back more weight than they initially lost on the drugs. Moreover, there’s some concern about the type of weight people are losing. Dr. Peter Attia, for example, explained this risk on his YouTube channel.   
“Almost, without exception, every single patient we’ve put on these drugs have lost muscle mass, and they’ve lost it at a rate that alarms me,&#8221; Dr. Attia <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6fhFLv2ERs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Let’s be clear: If you lost 10 pounds of muscle and 10 pounds of fat, to go from 180 to 200 [pounds], would that be good? Well, only if you were more than 50% body fat at the outset, otherwise you’ve disproportionately lost muscle to fat. In fact you’ve gotten fatter since you’ve lost weight. That’s not what we want.” 
Still, the number of people using these drugs is skyrocketing. There are already <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/big-business-obesity-drug-market-could-be-worth-200-billion-by-2030">predictions</a> that the market worth of obesity pills could reach $200 billion over the next several years.

Obese woman weighing herself

Doctors Sound Alarm Over Latest Ozempic Risk

Doctors Sound Alarm Over Latest Ozempic And Wegovy Risk

Health

Medical Research

It&#8217;s hard to think of any industry that&#8217;s enjoyed more success over the past twenty years or so than big pharma. More than 131 million people — that&#8217;s two-thirds of all adults in the United States — report that they&#8217;re taking at least one prescription drug. That&#8217;s a significant increase from the year 2000, when around half of American adults said they were doing so.
The percentage of people taking five or more prescription drugs has nearly doubled since the turn of the century. Spending on prescription drugs in that period has more than tripled. Drugs that supposedly treat psychological issues — like unhappiness, or a lack of self-control — have done especially well. From 1991 to 2018, SSRI prescriptions increased by over 3,000 percent. Roughly half the country either takes the potentially mind-altering drug Ozempic to lose weight, or knows someone taking it.
Given big pharma&#8217;s tremendous success, you&#8217;d think that by now, they would have solved a lot of the health problems facing Americans, or at least made progress in resolving them. But the opposite is true. Average life expectancy is declining. Suicide rates are up. So are the rates of obesity, drug addiction, and cancer among young adults. How is this possible? How is the pharmaceutical industry succeeding financially, while failing in every area that matters? How can they have so many people on so many medicines, and yet everyone is only getting sicker and less healthy? 
Part of the answer is that many drugs created by big pharma aren&#8217;t even intended to alleviate health problems anymore. They&#8217;re designed, instead, to cause more death and suffering. The pharma industry is churning out record amounts of sterilization drugs, abortion drugs, and suicide drugs — especially in Canada, where the government has begun putting down the undesirables who don&#8217;t even have a terminal illness. They are euthanizing human beings like stray dogs, and hardly anyone is objecting to it. More than half of all abortions are now performed using drugs from pharmaceutical companies. So-called puberty blockers, which can cause lifelong complications, are now prescribed to children under the age of 18 more than twice as often as they were just a few years ago.
The rest of big pharma&#8217;s catalog — the drugs that are at least allegedly beneficial to patients&#8217; health — have had a lot of marketing behind them. Other than New Zealand, we&#8217;re the only country that allows drug companies to market directly to consumers. This means that the pharmaceutical industry can sell not just the medication, but also the illness that the medication is supposed to cure. “Do you have such and such symptoms? Then you might have this disease. Here’s a drug that can help!” Diagnosis and prescription in one 30 second advertisement. How convenient. Fortunately for big pharma, the U.S. government has also granted them immunity from lawsuits, even when their products injure people. Which they quite often do.
Maybe the most important single reason for big pharma&#8217;s success, though, is media coverage, in particular media coverage that the drug companies have paid for. 
Pharmaceutical companies recently began spending more on advertising than research and development. In 2020, the year of the great pandemic, Pfizer spent $12 billion on marketing, compared to just $9 billion on R&amp;D. Companies like AbbVie and Johnson &amp; Johnson and Bayer and many other pharma companies posted similar numbers. What does all this money buy? If you turn on any cable or network news channel, you know the answer to that question. It buys incessant advertisements that air during every commercial break. And although the networks will never admit it, it also buys positive coverage. After all, if the networks criticize Big Pharma, they stand to lose millions in advertising dollars.
You might have noticed that the entire national news media is currently freaking out over the shortage of the drug Adderall. Adderall is manufactured by Teva Pharmaceuticals, although there are competitors that make other versions of the drug. All of a sudden, Adderall is hard to find.
Here&#8217;s one recent report from &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt8RHGE06hc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC Action News</a>&#8221; on the shortage. You can also see the video clip on my show. Watch how they frame this:
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Yes, what will that 6-year-old do without her stimulants? This is a medical crisis. After all, the 6-year-old  has trouble sitting still to memorize sight words when she’s not drugged. Which makes her very similar to almost every other 6-year-old that has ever lived on the planet. But this mother wants her 6-year-old to be less like a 6-year-old, because it is very inconvenient to have a 6-year-old acting like a 6-year-old in the home. And that’s why she desperately needs the drugs. And by “she,” I mean the mother, not the child. The mother “needs” the child to be drugged so that the child is not such a burden on her, the mother. 
The anchor says that the shortage of ADHD medication is leaving parents wondering, quote, &#8220;if they are going to have enough pills to help their children,” but of course ADHD drugs for kids are really meant to help the parents. 
Think about what a revealing line that is, though, for a moment. The statement — from the &#8220;news&#8221; anchor — assumes, as a matter of fact, that the only possible way for parents to help their children is by giving them pills. What&#8217;s the scientific basis for that claim? Later on, &#8220;ABC Action News&#8221; provides an &#8220;expert&#8221; who affords legitimacy to the idea that 6-year-olds need ADHD medications. His name is Michael Ganio. He&#8217;s with the &#8220;American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.&#8221; He says that a lot of patients, quote, &#8220;require this medication just to function on a daily basis.&#8221; Therefore, he says, the ADHD shortage is &#8220;very difficult.” Soon we might have an epidemic of 6-year-olds not memorizing sight words. Think of the devastation. 
Now, what&#8217;s left unstated in that report is that the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists is sponsored by big pharma. They admit it, on their website.  Their most recent mid-year conference lists Pfizer as a &#8220;platinum&#8221; sponsor. These are the &#8220;experts&#8221; that the pharmaceutical industry launders through so-called &#8220;news reports,&#8221; in order to convince you that ADHD is a real disorder. This is the quality of &#8220;medical professional&#8221; they throw on television to tell you that your 6-year-old needs a lifetime supply of psychiatric medication so that she’ll be docile and compliant, as if that’s how a 6-year-old is supposed to be. But these experts are really PR people.
As if to prove that point, that same &#8220;expert,&#8221; Michael Ganio, popped up in a PBS News article on Adderall. It&#8217;s entitled, &#8220;A ‘perfect storm’ led to an ADHD medication shortage. Here’s why.&#8221; Once again, Ganio explains that the Adderall shortage is &#8220;really frustrating,&#8221; presumably because patients desperately need the drug. PBS agrees. They reported that &#8220;millions who rely on the drugs&#8221; have been left with &#8220;uncertainty, frustration and bureaucratic hassles.&#8221;
National Geographic was even more melodramatic. They wrote, quote, &#8220;As Adderall shortage continues, people with ADHD struggle to stay afloat.&#8221; The article quotes an adult who&#8217;s been diagnosed with ADHD as saying, quote, &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t take much for us to drown.&#8221; National Geographic added that, quote, &#8220;some adults with ADHD&#8221; are now &#8220;forced to navigate life while unmedicated.” 
Can you imagine? American adults are having to figure out how to navigate life without their regular dose of stimulants. God forbid. The horror. How can these people possibly live — and deal with normal distraction and boredom — without their chemical crutches? Of course, prior to the invention of ADHD medicine — and ADHD itself — everyone lived without these drugs and not one single person died because of it. Yet now a shortage of these drugs — the ones that everyone was fine without, since forever — represents some kind of existential crisis.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1197-how-big-pharma-s-marketing-machine-is-fueling-the-adhd-surge-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h4>
The Biden administration, of course, agrees that this is a major problem. They want everybody hopped up on as many drugs as possible. Accordingly, CNN reports, the FDA and DEA are now calling on drugmakers to &#8220;boost manufacturing amid ongoing shortage of prescription stimulants.&#8221; CNN blamed the shortage on the, quote, &#8220;surge in demand for prescription stimulants during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among adults.” Of course this is not the first time that there’s been a rush to manufacture and push out drugs allegedly because of the pandemic, and we all know how well it worked out the first time.
In any case, it&#8217;s the pandemic&#8217;s fault. They&#8217;re blaming the shortage of Adderall on the pandemic — just like they blame everything on the pandemic. But here&#8217;s the thing. If the pandemic increased “ADHD” by such an enormous degree, then that only shows that ADHD is not a real disease. It&#8217;s a concept invented by the medical industry in its never ending pursuit to medicalize and subsequently profit off of every inconvenient human trait and behavior. The fact that more people suddenly came down with ADHD when they were locked in their homes absolutely proves that this “disorder” is simply a way of categorizing normal boredom and restlessness — which is all extremely human and normal. 
That would explain why ADHD diagnoses somehow increased by two-thirds from 1998 to 2016. It would explain why these diagnoses increased again, during the pandemic, by roughly 20 percent for some demographic groups, including young women. It&#8217;s not like some new objective ADHD test was developed that explains these numbers. They&#8217;re just making up criteria that mean nothing, and diagnosing every patient that walks in the door.
Take a look at how the CDC defines &#8220;ADHD,&#8221; if you&#8217;re skeptical. The CDC says that children have ADHD if they do the following: &#8220;make careless mistakes or take unnecessary risks &#8230; daydream a lot &#8230;  forget or lose things a lot &#8230; squirm or fidget &#8230; and have a hard time resisting temptation.&#8221;
My goodness. The ADHD epidemic is worse than I thought. Apparently literally every child who has ever lived on Earth is infected. Apologists will try to claim that the diagnostic criteria isn’t this broad, that there are other ways of determining whether a child really has it or not. They’ll even claim that ADHD can be detected in the brain with brain scans. And yet you’ll notice that the “Disorder” is never diagnosed with brain scans. That’s because it is really as broad as it seems. Every child can be diagnosed with it. If you want your child to have it, they have it. If you want the drugs, you can get the drugs. Apart from the shortage, of course. You can indeed diagnose every kid on the planet with ADHD, just like you can diagnose every unhappy, masked middle-aged woman with &#8220;Long COVID.&#8221; The diagnosis is about as rigorous.
That&#8217;s because ADHD, like &#8220;Long COVID,&#8221; is not a real medical diagnosis. It&#8217;s a category error. It&#8217;s a made-up illness that&#8217;s used to describe normal human responses to a modern environment filled with distractions. The solution, which no one ever talks about because it wouldn&#8217;t make big pharma any money, is to either change your environment, or learn to deal with it. If everyone did that, it&#8217;s very possible that the pharmaceutical companies would lose money. But maybe the metrics that matter — like the suicide rate, life expectancy, drug overdoses and so on — maybe those would finally start moving in the right direction.
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How Big Pharma’s Marketing Machine Is Fueling The ADHD Surge

How Big Pharma's Marketing Machine Is Fueling The ADHD Surge

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A cheap, flesh-rotting horse tranquilizer that is flooding into the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal drug market</a> in the U.S. has the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) alarmed.
Xylazine, called &#8220;tranq&#8221; on the street, is mass-manufactured in China and has recently proliferated on the streets of San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York.
The &#8220;zombie drug&#8221; causes skin lesions that look like flesh is being eaten off, sometimes down to the bone, and can slow a person’s heart and breathing until they stop, leaving users catatonic or dead.
Drug dealers frequently mix Xylazine with fentanyl to prolong the high, creating a potentially deadly cocktail, but &#8220;tranq&#8221; is often mixed with other drugs like meth and cocaine as well.
The DEA said Xylazine is making an already deadly drug crisis even more dangerous.
“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” <a href="https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-reports-widespread-threat-fentanyl-mixed-xylazine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in a public safety alert.
Milgram said the DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 states.
In 2022, the DEA found xylazine in about 23% of the fentanyl powder and 7% of the fentanyl pills seized by the agency.
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Users face a higher risk of fatally overdosing when fentanyl is mixed with &#8220;tranq,&#8221; the DEA said.
&#8220;People who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis—the rotting of human tissue—that may lead to amputation,&#8221; the DEA said.
In the three and a half years from January 2019 to June 2022, the number of fentanyl deaths each month that involved xylazine spiked from about 2.9% to 10.9% in 20 states and the District of Columbia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7226a4.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in June.
Narcan, the emergency opioid reverse medicine, does not work on &#8220;tranq&#8221; since xylazine is not an opioid. The DEA still recommends administering Narcan in an overdose situation in case they have ingested other drugs.
Routine toxicology screens do not detect xylazine either, <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-alerts-health-care-professionals-risks-patients-exposed-xylazine-illicit-drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Food and Drug Administration&#8217;s (FDA) November alert to healthcare professionals about xylazine.
&#8220;Xylazine is not safe for use in humans and may result in serious and life-threatening side effects that appear to be similar to those commonly associated with opioid use, making it difficult to distinguish opioid overdoses from xylazine exposure,&#8221; the FDA said.
&#8220;Tranq&#8221; is also not currently a federally controlled substance, making it more easily available for purchase than illicit drugs like heroin, although some states have implemented restrictions.
Earlier this year, lawmakers <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/29/health/xylazine-tranq-controlled-substance/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> bipartisan legislation in Congress that would have classified xylazine as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act, but so far no such legislation has passed.
Ohio decided to take action on its own to crack down on &#8220;tranq.&#8221;
In March, Republican Governor Mike DeWine <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/OHIOGOVERNOR/2023/03/29/file_attachments/2451030/Signed%20EO%202023-08D.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order classifying xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance.
Major cities on both the East and West coasts are scrambling to address the presence of &#8220;tranq&#8221; on their streets.
&#8220;Tranq&#8221; recently hit the streets of New York with “astonishing” speed, <a href="https://www.fox5ny.com/news/xylazine-hitting-new-york-city-with-astonishing-speed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to law enforcement.
This week, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria held a press conference where city leaders addressed the dangers of xylazine on the street.
“If it is anything like fentanyl, just a few years ago we only had a handful of fentanyl overdose cases and now we have hundreds. We hope that we don’t have something similar with tranq,” Gloria <a href="https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/san-diego-leaders-address-looming-threat-of-new-street-drug-tranq/3266730/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.

Homelessness and the opioid crisis in Philadelphia

Flesh-Rotting Zombie Drug ‘Tranq’ Has DEA Alarmed

Flesh-Rotting Zombie Drug 'Tranq' Has DEA Alarmed

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Record drug shortages across the United States are delaying potentially <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/health-care">lifesaving treatments</a> for thousands of patients around the country.
Congress and the White House are scrambling to address a shortfall in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/prescription-drugs">prescription drugs</a> — everything from painkillers to cancer treatments. 
“Hospitals all across the country, on a regular basis &#8211;sometimes weekly &#8212; have to review which drugs are in short supply or not available that week.” Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSpwCI2oz4g&amp;t=44s">said</a> in an interview with MSNBC. 

The shortage is being most acutely felt in the generic drug market, which accounts for nearly 90% of U.S. prescriptions. The exact number of drugs being affected depends on who you ask &#8212; according to a <a href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Drug-Shortages-HSGAC-Majority-Staff-Report-2023-03-22.pdf">Senate</a> report at the end of last year, the U.S. reached a peak level of 295 active drug shortages, although as of March, the FDA claims there are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/22/health/drug-shortages-senate-report/index.html#:~:text=New%20drug%20shortages%20in%20the%20US%20increased%20nearly%2030%25%20between,shortages%2C%20according%20to%20the%20report">130</a>. The American Society of Health reports <a href="https://www.ashp.org/drug-shortages/shortage-resources/drug-shortages-statistics?loginreturnUrl=SSOCheckOnly">301</a> drug shortages as of the first quarter of 2023.
According to the FDA, the average drug shortage lasts for about 18 months, but some shortages have stretched on for over 15 years.
Some of the medicines that have been in short supply include <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/adderall-shortage-pharmacies-still-unable-stock-enough-drug-patients-rcna80260">Adderall</a>, Tylenol, various antibiotics including <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/10/1168699514/strep-is-bad-right-now-an-antibiotic-shortage-is-making-it-worse">amoxicillin</a>, saline mixtures used in<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/drug-shortages-at-record-high-security-risk-senate-report/"> IVs</a>, and almost <a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/cancer-drugs-among-top-5-most-affected-by-shortages/43883752?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot">two dozen</a> kinds of anti-cancer drugs.
That last group is especially troubling because, unlike some other drugs in short supply, patients don’t have a lot of alternate options for treatment. Chemotherapies for breast cancers, ovarian cancers, lung cancers, bladder cancers, and some forms of leukemia have been delayed or disrupted, sometimes with fatal consequences.
According to one recent survey by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, doctors in 35 different states said they had little to no supply of multiple chemotherapy drugs, including specialists at cancer centers. According to Laura Bray, founder of the non-profit Angels for Change, which helps micro-source rare medications for patients, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/11/health/chemo-drug-shortages/index.html">9 out of 10</a> oncologists say the shortages have caused patient harm up to and including death. With less medicine and the same number of patients who need it, doctors around the country have been having many hard conversations about who does and doesn’t get their dose.
With dozens or hundreds of active shortages, there is no single overriding factor that explains all the shortfalls, but several trends have emerged.
Some drugs, like Adderall and Ozempic, are skyrocketing in popularity due to alternative uses, exhausting limited supplies. Adderall is meant to treat ADHD but is abused by some students and professionals to increase concentration on various cognitively demanding tasks. Ozempic is meant to treat Type-2 diabetes but has been used as a &#8220;miracle weight loss drug.&#8221; Supply hasn’t caught up with the surge in demand.
Other observers have attributed the shortages to disruptions in the global supply chain. Exact statistics are difficult to come by &#8212; part of the problem is that the supply chain for some pharmaceuticals is not totally transparent, to the point where regulators don’t even know for sure where everything comes from &#8212; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/health/drug-shortages-cancer.html">the FDA actually petitioned Congress for more resources to figure that out.</a>
Near as the Senate can tell, though, about 80% of “pharmaceutically active ingredients” – the most important part of any drug – are manufactured outside the U.S. If these foreign sources had their economies locked down or started hoarding supplies, that could completely gut our supply chain. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/22/health/drug-shortages-senate-report/index.html#:~:text=New%20drug%20shortages%20in%20the%20US%20increased%20nearly%2030%25%20between,shortages%2C%20according%20to%20the%20report">China</a> has often been highlighted as a prominent and problematic international supplier and many lawmakers view this as a serious strategic weakness of the United States.
Other observers have claimed that the problem is more domestic in nature &#8212; they say doctors have a tendency to overprescribe antibiotics to patients that don’t actually need them, which makes them less available and less effective for patients who do.
&#8220;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/new-report-suggests-panic-buying-of-medications-by-patients-and-providers-caused-drug-shortages#:~:text=In%20terms%20of%20what%20caused,needed%20amid%20fear%20and%20confusion.">Panic buying</a>&#8220; has also been blamed – a perceived shortage can become a self-fulfilling prophecy as consumers rush to buy up all available supply.
But while all these immediate causes have drawn considerable attention, some are claiming that more basic market forces are to blame.
Many lifesaving drugs <a href="https://qualitymatters.usp.org/whats-driving-drug-shortages-during-cold-and-flu-season">aren’t very profitable</a> to make – with some bringing in only pennies per dose. Those narrow margins discourage newcomers from entering the sector, and if there are supply chain issues that make the product more expensive, established players are more likely to cut corners or stop making them altogether.
There’s been an upward trend in the number of drug shortages over the last few years, while the prices of generic drugs have dropped 50% since 2016.
Several factors have prevented drug prices from shifting as a function of supply and demand
The pharmaceutical market is highly consolidated – while there are thousands of hospitals and pharmacies, most get their supplies from a small number of intermediary firms. A review by a healthcare analytics company called IQVIA found that 3 buyers purchase 90% of all generic drugs. With so few potential customers, each one has substantial leverage over what price they’re going to pay.
The U.S. government is a major player in healthcare, and lawmakers have passed <a href="https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/explaining-the-prescription-drug-provisions-in-the-inflation-reduction-act/">limits</a> on how much companies are allowed to charge for various drugs.

A spike in respiratory illness has caused a shortage of children’s liquid acetaminophen and ibuprofen, stressing parents, on November 30 in Chevy Chase, MD.

U.S. Faces Massive Shortage Of Prescription Drugs

Health Care

Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sherrod-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sherrod Brown</a> (D-OH) took hundreds of thousands of dollars from three drug companies at the center of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/opioid-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opioid epidemic</a> in the U.S.
According to FEC financial reports cited by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/05/ohio-democratic-senator-took-243k-from-opioid-giants-fec/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>, Brown raked in more than $200,000 from political action committees associated with Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen since 2003. The three pharmaceutical giants paid out a $26 billion settlement to settle thousands of individual lawsuits from states and local governments. Ohio is also one of the states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic.
According to <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00264697&amp;committee_id=C00331694&amp;committee_id=C00690073&amp;contributor_name=C00108035&amp;contributor_name=C00332833&amp;contributor_name=C00400929" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FEC filings</a>, Brown took in a total of $144,500 in contributions to his campaign and leadership PAC, America Works PAC. He raised $85,000 from Cardinal Health, $56,500 from AmerisourceBergen, and $1,500 from McKesson. The latest donation was a $2,500 donation from Cardinal Health on September 21. The New York Post further reported that he took in $54,100 from lobbyists who worked for the three pharmaceutical distributors, including $5,600, the legal maximum, from a McKesson lobbyist in 2020 and again in 2021.
Separately, individual employees <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00264697&amp;committee_id=C00331694&amp;committee_id=C00690073&amp;contributor_employer=cardinal+health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donated</a> another $40,025. Cardinal Health Chief Information Officer Mark MacNaughton was a frequent small-dollar donor. Former Cardinal Health CEO George S. Barrett donated a total of $15,400 between 2011 and 2019, all in large amounts. Theodore Frank of McKesson donated $1,000 to his 2018 campaign. Rita Ersfeld Norton of AmerisourceBergen gave him $1,000 in 2017.
Together, Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen account for 90% of the U.S. supply chains for drugs and medical supplies. But the companies have allegedly been complicit in the proliferation of opioids; the New York Post reported that for more than a decade, the three pharma giants failed to track suspicious orders or increases in opioid use among purchasers, in spite of doctors potentially criminally overprescribing the drugs.
The three companies, along with Johnson &amp; Johnson, settled a $26 billion lawsuit with 49 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and thousands of municipalities in February 2022. In a <a href="https://www.mckesson.com/About-McKesson/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2022/Distributors-Approve-Opioid-Settlement-Agreement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joint statement</a> in February, the three companies announced that, beginning on April 2, 2022, they would pay out more than $19.5 billion over the next 18 years: Amerisource is set to pay out $6.1 billion; Cardinal Health, $6 billion; and McKesson, $7.4 billion. The settlement dealt with 46 of the 49 states; Alabama, Oklahoma, and Washington State refused the settlement. West Virginia settled previously. The Cherokee Nation also settled separately, and the remaining Native Americans had reached an agreement in principle at the time.
The New York Post also reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration settled a $150 million payout for violating federal controlled substance laws in 2017, the largest penalty in the DEA&#8217;s history.
Ohio had an estimated 5,068 deaths from drug overdoses in 2021, the fifth-highest in the nation, according to the CDC&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Vital Statistics System</a>. The CDC reported 107,622 deaths from drug overdoses in 2021, the highest number on record, as The Daily Wire reported last year. The New York Times <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/record-number-of-americans-died-from-drug-overdoses-in-2021-cdc-data-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time that synthetic opioids accounted for 71,000 deaths.
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In 2017, Brown himself <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSherrodBrown/status/922482085272674304" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the opioid crisis “one of biggest public health emergencies in my lifetime [and] all too often addiction starts in [the] medicine cabinet.”
Brown is running for a fourth term in the Senate in 2024. But he faces an uphill battle in a state that is rapidly turning red: former President Trump won the state by eight points in 2020; Republican Senator J.D. Vance won the state by six points in 2022. So far, State Senator Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno have entered the Republican primary.

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Ohio Democrat Senator Took Thousands Of Dollars In Donations From Pharma Companies At Center Of Opioid Crisis

Ohio Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown Took Thousands Of Dollars In Donations From Pharma Companies At Center Of Opioid Crisis

Money In Politics

Ohio

Politics

Sherrod Brown

Media personality <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/meghan-mccain">Meghan McCain</a> said she’s being pressured to lose the baby weight just one month after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/motherhood">giving birth</a>.
The 38-year-old mom of two discussed the situation in an <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11772269/MEGHAN-MCCAIN-just-baby-Im-urged-miracle-shot-Ozempic-refuse.html">op-ed</a> in The Daily Mail. McCain said she’d been encouraged to use the prescription drug Ozempic, which has become a hot topic of conversation as celebrities have been using it for weight loss. 
The former co-host of “The View” just welcomed her second daughter, Clover Jade, on January 19. She and husband Ben Domenech also have a 2-year-old daughter named Liberty Sage.
&#8220;I just gave birth and I&#8217;m being urged to take a &#8216;miracle shot&#8217; of Ozempic as a quick fix &#8230; It&#8217;s horrifying, unfair and disturbing — and I refuse,&#8221; the op-ed title proclaims.
The article says McCain has been asked about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/obesity">weight loss</a> even now, just four weeks postpartum, and that those people have been suggesting Ozempic specifically. 
&#8220;In case you&#8217;re unaware, there is a craze sweeping the nation: a new &#8216;miracle&#8217; drug. One injection, once a week, for a cool $1,000 a pop, and you can just melt the pounds away,&#8221; she wrote.
&#8220;Elon Musk says he uses it. Kyle Richards, of ‘Real Housewives’ fame, who recently flaunted newly emerged abs, has denied taking it. But fellow reality TV star Jackie Goldschneider claimed &#8216;a lot&#8217; of her fellow cast members are on it,&#8221; the columnist continued.
McCain wrote that there are &#8220;people who legitimately struggle with obesity and need Ozempic. But I am not one of those people.&#8221; That’s why she was surprised when &#8220;casual friends&#8221; and &#8220;industry acquaintances&#8221; inquired if she planned to take it.
&#8220;I&#8217;m told &#8216;everyone is doing it,&#8217; as if that was ever a compelling case,&#8221; she went on. &#8220;I hear, &#8216;Just take the shot,&#8217; as it has become known in shorthand. I was even offered a black market freebie by someone with &#8216;extra shots at home.'&#8221;
&#8220;Well, let me make one thing very clear. I&#8217;m not taking it. I refuse,” McCain concluded. “There&#8217;s a clear moral issue here. It&#8217;s hard to take a drug because swimsuit season is around the corner, while others need it to stay alive. And how can this be healthy?&#8221;
Ozempic is an anti-diabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and is also used to treat obesity. There have been shortages of the drug as it gains popularity in the Hollywood community and beyond as a so-called miracle weight loss drug that helps suppress appetite and slow down gastric emptying, which makes users feel fuller for longer.
It’s administered via a weekly injection. Recently, comedian Chelsea Handler admitted she was on Ozempic without realizing it.

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‘Horrifying’: Meghan McCain Says She’s Being ‘Urged’ To Take Ozempic For Weight Loss One Month Postpartum

Meghan McCain Says She's Being 'Urged' To Take Ozempic For Weight Loss One Month Postpartum

Celebrities

Meghan McCain

Motherhood

Obesity

The recent decision by Walgreens to carry chemical abortion pills should concern anyone with a vested interest in the future of the company. This move reveals two very important things about their priorities and decision-making process.
First, health is no longer their top priority.
If it were, there would be no question that these life-ending drugs would be kept out of our community pharmacies. Families across the nation turn to these corner drug stores for items which help them sustain life — vitamins, cough syrup, prescriptions — and yet the explicit purpose of chemical abortion pills is to take life.
Additionally, these drugs have been shown to expose women to <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2022%2F01%2F12%2Finjury-infertility-and-death-from-chemical-abortions-are-a-ok-with-the-fda%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012550495%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=hYZ3Iyss5FbxU1xx7tRgk9m%2FZKzhNK2zsEzyxD%2BJM8U%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">injury, infertility</a>, <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2022%2F11%2F30%2Fhow-the-fdas-abortion-pill-mill-enables-domestic-abusers%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012550495%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=YIsP9eNKM1sJdqbkeAgGgzmz6ejPNF8bQ8QIvN0gLvc%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">domestic abuse</a>, and <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fda.gov%2Fdrugs%2Fpostmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers%2Fquestions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=hdumQ4KNIKukOl2jrvZH96gstOgHuAO88COOtO7sIcY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death</a>. Yet despite this, the <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fwalgreens-cvs-abortion-pill-mifepristone-fda-rule-change%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=y4MP8veFc7%2FHREf0DtKkX8G%2Fk2QoYZf6Pqbd4TJl6rc%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">company announced</a> in early January that they intend to become a certified pharmacy to carry these deadly pills in light of policy changes at the Food and Drug Administration. When they said, “sign me up,” they proved to be anti-health sellouts, willing to end life for profit.
How fitting that <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fbusiness%2Fct-biz-walgreens-ad-slogan-strategy-robert-reed-123-story.html&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=0K4Bu0WZNFjkY%2FmZXFNVYIH6g6FDEMZ6LYpQ1N7WWjw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Walgreens has dropped</a> “the corner of happy and healthy” as their slogan. However, their new advertising motto “<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fp2pi.com%2Fwalgreens-trusts-newish-tagline%23%3A~%3Atext%3D4%2520media%2520release%2520introducing%2520%2522Walgreens%2Chad%2520used%2520since%2520August%25202012.&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=%2BpKcZCwc4vVYfSh1kq%2F%2FMSCzpDhTRebGLGStc4hpNqQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trusted Since 1901</a>” seems misplaced as well.
Second, the leadership at Walgreens continues to display terrible business judgment.
With the public unable to trust them for life-affirming care, consumers should also be worried about trusting them with their money.
It’s hard to believe the higher-ups at Walgreens have forgotten the consequences of reckless distribution of dangerous drugs — namely opioids —as the settlement of lawsuits brought against them in this matter totals <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2F2022%2F12%2F13%2F1142416718%2Fcvs-walgreens-opioid-crisis-settlement%23%3A~%3Atext%3DHealth-%2CCVS%2520and%2520Walgreens%2520agree%2520to%2520pay%2520%252410%2520billion%2Clawsuits%2520linked%2520to%2520opioid%2520sales%26text%3DKeith%2520Srakocic%252FAP-%2CCVS%2520would%2520pay%2520nearly%2520%25245%2520billion%2520over%252010%2520years%252C%2520while%2Croles%2520in%2520the%2520opioid%2520crisis.&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=WIO9sNciSqTChWi3seOEPix9wu0Vg9%2FSqau6A1hP%2FaE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly $6 billion</a>. This sum will payout to various states over 10 years’ time, and one would think that a decade-long sentence for reckless distribution of deadly drugs would teach Walgreens a thing or two.
However, the potential for chemical abortion pills to be a moneymaker seems to have once again clouded their judgment. The company seems intent on carrying these drugs regardless of the proven, potential risks for women, which include <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupportafterabortion.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F10%2FStudy-Shows-Long-Term-Negative-Impact-of-Medication-Abortion.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=uox3m%2BX3OanJiS9mVykGX74pKh0J7HrZD6l3C5X8khE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emotional</a> and <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fda.gov%2Fdrugs%2Fpostmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers%2Fquestions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=hdumQ4KNIKukOl2jrvZH96gstOgHuAO88COOtO7sIcY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">physical</a> trauma, <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.contraceptionjournal.org%2Farticle%2FS0010-7824(22)00440-1%2Ffulltext&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=RcHg1zu4SPoVvGc5fTo4tjyf5Ss%2FtsBUK2lld%2FnnJ04%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extreme pain</a>, and <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fda.gov%2Fdrugs%2Fpostmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers%2Fquestions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=hdumQ4KNIKukOl2jrvZH96gstOgHuAO88COOtO7sIcY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">undetected ectopic pregnancies</a> (which can cause fertility issues and maternal death). <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjournals.sagepub.com%2Fdoi%2Ffull%2F10.1177%2F23333928211053965&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012706734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=ZLKb%2FapZFRWVuNSVJd%2BfQJ1mDiuqtgQ%2F4XPxZ6iVwN4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One study</a> even shows how from 2002 to 2015 the danger of women going to the emergency room following a chemical abortion has gone up by 500%.
These risks all translate into potential lawsuits by hurt and angry customers. That is, however, if Walgreens isn’t taken to court by a state attorney general first. 
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-attorneys-general-explain-laws-regarding-sending-abortion-pills-through-mail-to-walgreens-cvs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently reported</a>, 20 state attorneys general have warned both Walgreens and CVS that it is a violation of state and federal laws to send chemical abortion pills via the mail and warned of future action if they proceed. Their letter, signed by attorneys general from as far as Alaska to Florida, reads:
<blockquote>“Abortion pills carry the added risk that when these heightened complications invariably occur, women suffer those harms at home, away from medical help … and finally, mail-order abortion pills also invite the horror of an increase in coerced abortions. … We emphasize that it is our responsibility as State Attorneys General to uphold the law and protect the health, safety, and well-being of women and unborn children in our states. Part of that responsibility includes ensuring that companies like yours are fully informed of the law so that harm does not come to our citizens.”</blockquote>
If Walgreens thinks they can mitigate legal concerns, perhaps they will find consumer anger something to consider.
Alongside local and national pro-life leaders, Students for Life of America is hosting a “<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstudentsforlife.org%2Fabortioncartel%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7Cdd2422184d92411a494708db0abb966c%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C638115573012862969%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=dj7HTnG%2FxR6RT2Nj1F0L0%2FnF9OsJzVRuVxxuwG%2Bg%2Fbg%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cancel Abortion Cartels</a>” event on February 14 at the Walgreens Headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois, to protest the company’s unloving decision toward vulnerable women and preborn children. This is the kick-off to our National Day of Protest on March 4 where we’ll be mobilizing at local pharmacies across the country, and as part of our efforts, we will encourage people to send Valentine’s Day cards, urging those who run these businesses across the country to “Love them Both,” both mother and child, but a little love for their customers won’t hurt either.
Whether you are a pro-lifer, a citizen concerned for women’s safety, or an investor hoping your stock won’t tank, all are welcome to join us in demanding that Walgreens opt out of selling these dangerous chemical abortion pills.
Caroline S. Wharton is a Staff Writer &amp; Press Strategist for Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Walgreens Posts Quarterly Earnings That Beat Analysts’ Expectations

Walgreens’ Decision To Carry Chemical Abortion Pills Is Bad For Business

Abortion

A new study found that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/prescription-drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">antidepressants</a> may make it more difficult for users to feel both positive and negative emotions.
New insights have emerged into the long-misunderstood function of antidepressant drugs, which may cause users to experience &#8220;emotional blunting,&#8221; according to a recent <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-022-01523-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> in Neuropsychopharmacology.
“Emotional blunting is a common side effect of SSRI antidepressants,&#8221; said lead author Professor Barbara Sahakian of the University of Cambridge. &#8220;In a way, this may be in part how they work — they take away some of the emotional pain that people who experience depression feel, but, unfortunately, it seems that they also take away some of the enjoyment.&#8221;
&#8220;From our study, we can now see that this is because they become less sensitive to rewards, which provide important feedback,” she added.
Antidepressants are a $17 billion a year industry that is <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/10/13/2533775/28124/en/Depression-Drugs-Global-Market-Report-2022-Emergence-of-Novel-Techniques-for-the-Development-of-Antidepressants-With-Minimal-Side-Effects-Presents-Opportunities.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set to grow</a> to nearly $22 billion per year by 2027. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db377.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Figures</a> show that approximately 13% of American adults take antidepressants annually, but the rate is much higher for women, almost 18% of whom are prescribed the medication.
The study comes as researchers have been trying to understand exactly how antidepressants help people, after a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">systematic umbrella review</a> last summer finally put to rest the longstanding &#8220;chemical imbalance&#8221; narrative, which posits that depression is caused by serotonin abnormalities in the brain.
Doctors <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321140#The-Lancet-review:-The-final-word?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> witnessing improvement in some of their patients on the medication, but the mechanism responsible for the improvement, if any, is unclear. This new study provides insight into their function, which may be beneficial to people who struggle with mood regulation.
In the study, 66 volunteers were given either the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) drug, escitalopram, or a placebo for 21 days. Questionnaires were completed before and after the trial period, and neuropsychological tests were administered to study their cognitive function. Blood tests ensured the participants in the escitalopram group took the medicine.
In questionnaires, the participants taking the drug reported having more trouble achieving an orgasm while having sex — a side-effect often reported by antidepressant users. The findings could be useful for patients to make better informed decisions about their treatment plan, and whether or not the purported benefits of antidepressants may be worth the side effects.
“At least they can be aware of this,&#8221; Sahakian said. &#8220;Some people can be offered different forms of treatment, particularly if they’ve not come into hospital with severe illness.”
When the team administered a &#8220;learning task&#8221; test to participants, they found that those in the antidepressant group had a lesser response to positive and negative feedback than the control group, which suggested the drug affected their sensitivity to rewards.
In another battery of tests that assessed attention and memory, they found the drug made no difference. “The drug isn’t doing anything negative to cognition — from that point of view it’s very good,” said Sahakian.
Dr. Christelle Langley, another lead author on the study from the University of Cambridge, added: “Our findings provide important evidence for the role of serotonin in reinforcement learning. We are following this work up with a study examining neuroimaging data to understand how escitalopram affects the brain during reward learning.”

Prescription Medication

New Research Finds Antidepressants May Cause ‘Emotional Blunting’

England

Science

World

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-alzheimers-disease-treatment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted</a> accelerated approval for a new drug designed to treat Alzheimer’s on Friday.
The drug is Leqembi, which was <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2023/01/06/fda-approves-alzheimers-drug-leqembi-eisai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">created</a> by Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, which will work with Biogen in order to market and commercialize it. The accelerated approval is based on a small study that showed patients who were given the drug “had significant dose- and time-dependent reduction of amyloid beta plaque,” which is an indicator of Alzheimer’s.
When someone has Alzheimer’s <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-happens-brain-alzheimers-disease" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disease</a>, amounts of the beta-amyloid protein group together to <a href="https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers/brain_tour_part_2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">create</a> plaques in between neurons, impacting how the cells work.
The drug’s price will be an annual $26,500 for someone who is of average weight. Medicare has not <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/health/alzheimers-drug-leqembi-lecanemab.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it will cover the treatment yet.
Experts of the disease said that the drug offers modest advantages for people who have minor cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease.
The approval brings to mind Aduhelm, another Alzheimer&#8217;s treatment that was approved by the FDA in June of 2021. The drug was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/health/alzheimers-drug-aduhelm-biogen.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">created</a> by Biogen and many Alzheimer’s scientists spoke out against it. Due to unknown upsides and potential brain swelling and bleeding risks, large health groups chose not to even provide the drug. The treatment was eventually put aside in the marketplace after Medicare restricted its coverage of it. Eisai was <a href="https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/biogen-revamps-eisai-alzheimers-disease-pact-taking-full-control-over-troubled-aduhelm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working</a> with Biogen on the drug, but bowed out last year.
A congressional investigation put forward in December discovered that the FDA’s procedure for approving Aduhelm was “rife with irregularities.” The agency&#8217;s work with Biogen was questionable. The investigation also found that Biogen put a high cost on the drug.
Democratic Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/health/alzheimers-drug-aduhelm-biogen.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement that the findings “[document] the atypical F.D.A. review process and corporate greed that preceded F.D.A.’s controversial decision to grant accelerated approval to Aduhelm.”
The FDA’s own internal inquiry, done before the drug was greenlit, discovered that people at the agency didn’t listen closely enough to opposing opinions from the FDA’s statistical team, which argued that there wasn’t enough proof that the drug was successful. It also found that its work with Biogen, the maker of the drug, “exceeded the norm in some respects.”
The new drug, Leqembi, still poses some potential dangers. The FDA noted that it is incorporating a warning for Leqembi over amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), which can lead to life-threatening and serious situations, but typically no symptoms are present.
“ARIA most commonly presents as temporary swelling in areas of the brain that usually resolves over time and may be accompanied by small spots of bleeding in or on the surface of the brain, though some people may have symptoms such as headache, confusion, dizziness, vision changes, nausea and seizure,” it noted.
It said the most frequent side effects were headache, ARIA, and “infusion-related reactions.”
 The FDA will also contemplate final approval after it receives more information from a larger study by the company in a few days, which is something it didn’t do with Adehulm, which was also approved in the accelerated format.
The larger, 18-month study of Leqembi <a href="https://endpts.com/fda-approves-alzheimers-drug-lecanemab-from-eisai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that 17.3% of patients using the treatment experienced indications of brain bleeding, while 9% of the placebo group had it. Signs of swelling of the brain also <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-alzheimers-drug-approved-by-fda-promises-to-slow-disease-11673032312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">happened</a> in 12.6% of those who took Leqembi, compared with 1.7% of those who were on the placebo. &#8220;[S]erious adverse events&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/health/alzheimers-drug-leqembi-lecanemab.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">happened</a> in 14% of those taking Leqembi and 11% of those who got the placebo. Almost 7% of people on Leqembi ended the trial due to adverse side effects, which was more than double the percentage of people who quit who were taking the placebo.
Physicians also <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-alzheimers-drug-approved-by-fda-promises-to-slow-disease-11673032312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> said that side effects can be managed with appropriate watchfulness and most patients don&#8217;t have unpleasant symptoms. If scans do find swelling or bleeding, the patient can temporarily stop receiving the drug.
But there is also concern for people who are taking blood thinners. Three people who took the medicine <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/health/fda-approves-alzheimers-drug-leqembi-safety-risks-20230106.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> away while on it, but Eisai said the fatalities can’t be blamed on the medicine. Two of the deceased were taking blood thinners.
The company’s clinical trial also proposed that Leqembi won’t work for around 10% of people who have two copies of APOE4, and they could be hurt by the drug. <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/study-reveals-how-apoe4-gene-may-increase-risk-dementia#:~:text=APOE4%20is%20the%20strongest%20risk,lipid%20imbalances%20in%20brain%20cells." target="_blank" rel="noopener">APOE4</a> is the most frequent genetic risk factor for the disease. Around 25% of people have one copy of it, and 2% to 3% of people have two copies.
The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-business-986f1d9a46a48a50a6b554a6c2950801">study</a> showed that people who took the drug were 31% less likely to continue to the next stage of Alzheimer’s while in the study. One kind of swelling was experienced in around 13% of people who got the drug. The treatment also put off the patients’ deterioration by around five months during the study, although the measurement of the decline was not as much as some would have preferred.
“It is unlikely that the small difference reported in this trial will be noticeable by individual patients,” Dr. Madhav Thambisetty of the National Institute on Aging, said in November. He clarified he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the agency.
Some doctors said they will prescribe the drug for patients for whom it might be beneficial, but others caution that it might not do a lot. Physicians also <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-alzheimers-drug-approved-by-fda-promises-to-slow-disease-11673032312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">note</a> that its impact isn&#8217;t strong and it isn&#8217;t the same as a cure.
“Most patients won’t notice the difference,” Dr. Matthew Schrag, a neurology researcher at Vanderbilt University, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/health/fda-approves-alzheimers-drug-leqembi-safety-risks-20230106.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “This is really quite a small effect and probably below the threshold of what we’d call clinically significant.”
Schrag said there is “less drama” for Leqembi when compared with Aduhelm, but he noted that a lot of the similar worries are still there.
“Is this slight, measurable benefit worth the hefty price tag and the side effects patients may experience?” he asked. “I have pretty serious doubts.”

8E2C2146-6532-4D72-855A-3774B9E1A288_1_201_a

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval To New Alzheimer’s Drug

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval To New Alzheimer's Drug Leqembi

alzheimer's

Drug overdose deaths soared above 106,000 in 2021, topping the spike that occurred during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db457.htm#Key_finding">released</a> its final report revealing the dismal numbers on Friday, just before Christmas.
The U.S. saw a total of 106,699 drug overdose deaths in 2021, and the age-adjusted rate of deaths increased 14% from 2020 to 2021, the CDC said.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be 50 times stronger than heroin, drove the spike. The rate of overdose deaths that involved synthetic opioids increased 22% in 2021, while the rate of fatal heroin overdoses dropped 32%.
About 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl were seized this year by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the agency announced earlier this week. Much of the fentanyl flows over the U.S.-Mexico border, although some fentanyl as well as the materials to make fentanyl <a href="https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf">come</a> into the U.S. from China.
Despite fentanyl being the main driver of overdoses, cocaine and other psychostimulants also saw a rise in overdose deaths in 2021.
Overdose deaths of males have risen sharply since about 2013 at a much higher rate than overdose deaths of females, the CDC data shows. During both 2020 and 2021, overdose death rates were highest for those age 35 to 44 and lowest for seniors, those over 65. However, seniors saw the highest increase in the rate of overdose deaths of any age group in 2021 — 28%.
Native Americans had the highest overdose death rate out of all racial groups in both 2020 and 2021, while Asian Americans had the lowest. Black Americans had a higher overdose death rate than white Americans both years.
“These data are very tragic but not surprising,” <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/22/health/life-expectancy-2021-final-data/index.html">said</a> Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “The pandemic had a magnifying effect on an already-devastating overdose crisis, and exacerbated many of the stressors in society that make people more vulnerable to taking drugs.”
Spiking drug overdoses also helped drag life expectancy in 2o21 down to 76.4 years, the lowest since 1996, the CDC said. COVID deaths were another major cause of decreased life expectancy, which is now more than two years shorter than it was at the beginning of the pandemic.
“What we’re seeing in terms of the patterns of mortality, it’s being driven, I think, largely by the pandemic,” <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/22/health/life-expectancy-2021-final-data/index.html">said</a> Robert Anderson, mortality statistics chief at the National Center for Health Statistics.
Some states have been hit particularly hard by the drug overdose crisis, in particular the seemingly uncontrollable amounts of fentanyl flooding across state lines.
In Montana, law enforcement <a href="https://dojmt.gov/ag-knudsen-new-data-show-fentanyl-is-top-public-safety-threat-in-montana/">seized</a> 58 times more fentanyl in the first six months of this year than they seized in all of 2019, at least 112,000 fentanyl doses.
In drug addiction hotspots like San Francisco, crime and homelessness have followed close behind the city&#8217;s drug problem for years.
One bright spot is that as addiction rates rise, more doctors have <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/overdoses-soar-rural-america-clinicians-are-prescribing-addiction-medi-rcna59225">started taking</a> addiction patients and prescribing both traditional and new addiction medications to combat the crisis.
Meanwhile, more than half of state governors have taken the drug crisis into their own hands since the Biden administration has failed to significantly stanch the flow of drugs across the border. In April, 26 governors <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/04/governor-ducey-25-governors-commit-coordinated-effort-secure-united-states">formed</a> the American Governors’ Border Strike Force, which works to secure the border and combat drug trafficking in the absence of more federal action.

US-HEROIN-CRISIS-OPIOID-CRIME

Drug Overdose Deaths Soared Above 106,000 In 2021, CDC Report Says

Crime

Drug Cartels

Homeless

Homelessness

Law enforcement has yet to intervene with a prominent transgender activist&#8217;s alleged criminal enterprise.
Eli Erlick, a biological male who identifies as transgender, has publicly boasted of an alleged scheme to distribute prescription drugs to people – even minors – who do not have a prescription, for over a year without consequence. Chaya Raichik, owner of the popular social media account <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Libs of TikTok</a>, first exposed the potentially illegal drug trafficking scandal to her followers in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-shocking-criminality-of-an-underground-transgender-drug-network-for-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">August</a> and has repeatedly attempted to alert authorities.
&#8220;Sending lifesaving hormones to those in need is going very well, actually!&#8221; Erlick replied on Wednesday when Raichik asked how the &#8220;international drug smuggling operation&#8221; was going.
&#8220;Thanks to your free advertising, we’ve helped dozens more people access meds in the last couple weeks,&#8221; Erlick bragged. &#8220;Appreciate your gracious support as always, @ChayaRaichik10!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING: transgender activist Eli Erlick confesses that her international drug smuggling operation targeting minors is still active as of today. <a href="https://twitter.com/DEAHQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DEAHQ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a> <a href="https://t.co/8ivZW4yXgN">pic.twitter.com/8ivZW4yXgN</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1598036106221858818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Several of Erlick&#8217;s posts have circulated on social media since their discovery, including an Instagram post from May that detailed the scheme to send prescription hormones to &#8220;trans youth&#8221; through a &#8220;distribution network.&#8221;
&#8220;There are over 20 states trying to criminalize hormone therapy, particularly for trans youth,&#8221; Erlick wrote. &#8220;So, my friends and I had an idea: sending out our extra prescriptions around the country. If you need hormones, I’m working with a distribution network to get you access. Everything is free, no questions asked. We have hundreds of doses of testosterone, estradiol, and spironolactone available right now. All are prescribed by doctors and unused. Each package comes with information on dosage, obtaining bloodwork, etc.&#8221; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Uuhhhhh 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 <a href="https://t.co/25J2zKZe6R">pic.twitter.com/25J2zKZe6R</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1555653739712811008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
United States Federal law 21 U.S.C. 841 makes it a felony to manufacture, distribute, or possess controlled substances with the intention to distribute without a legitimate medical purpose. Testosterone is a <a href="https://healthlaw.org/increasing-access-to-testosterone-to-improve-the-lives-of-transmasculine-people/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Schedule III</a> controlled substance due to its permanent and potentially dangerous side effects.
“Realistically, I can ship anywhere in North America,” Erlick <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1555673370460504064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1555673370460504064%7Ctwgr%5Ecf75cd336df00175895ae6c7d0fa0ec4420d2887%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theblaze.com%2Fnews%2Ftransgender-eli-erlick-distribute-prescription" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in a comment on the Instagram post from May.
Mailing prescription drugs is a <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/841" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal offense</a> that carries serious criminal charges. Unless the sender and receiver are registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), it is illegal for someone to mail prescription drugs, even if the sender or recipient has a prescription for them.
In the state of New York, where Erlick lives, <a href="https://www.new-york-lawyers.org/new-york-prescription-drug-crimes-faq.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving</a> prescription drugs to another person is a felony. It is considered the “sale” of a controlled substance, even if no money is exchanged. Offering and giving prescription drugs to minors without parental permission is also illegal.
In a <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1556353710745276417?s=20&amp;t=1VdilC8xmqG_jqtbgf39QA">post</a> dating back to September 2021, Erlick called on followers to “redistribute your extra hormones to people who can’t access/afford them.”
Amid the controversy, previous allegations of rape against Erlick have also surfaced. A detailed report by Shay Woulahin of Reduxx Magazine uncovered <a href="https://reduxx.info/trans-activist-accused-of-sexual-assault-offering-hormones-to-youth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">numerous accusations</a> of sexual abuse by Erlick.   
Many concerned citizens have submitted tips to the DEA, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the New York Police Department (NYPD), and CVS Pharmacy, where Erlick allegedly obtains the prescription drugs, since August.
The DEA <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-shocking-criminality-of-an-underground-transgender-drug-network-for-children">told</a> The Daily Wire in August that it “does not confirm or otherwise comment on ongoing investigations” when asked whether it would investigate Erlick’s actions.
The FBI, NYPD, and CVS Pharmacy did not respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s request for comment in time for publication.

Teenage girl hand holds and sell plastic packet or bag with cocaine or another drugs, drug abuse and danger addiction concept, selective focus, toned on the black blur background.

Transgender Activist Eli Erlick Continues To Boast Of Potentially Illegal Drug Scheme

Transgender

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