October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. The legal term Domestic Violence, has been expanded to cover Dating violence, Sexual Assault, and Elderly Abuse under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) according to the US Department of Justice Office On Violence Against Women.

It is important to educate the community to become more aware because the revolution starts at home, and for many, many families the hurt is in the home. The silence helps it continue to have the strength to terrorize those who are caught in the snare but the whole community, nations suffer because people would like to act like these acts of violence against women, our women isn’t happening.

Today we will be covering Dating Violence. This happens to pre-teens, teens, young adults, women and men. Many readers feel like “closing the blinds” to incidents of domestic violence. The metaphor suggests that domestic violence is often thought of as a “private matter” and one that is no business of anyone outside of a family’s four walls. This is especially true in the homes and neighborhoods of many Blacks where people seeking help from an abusive situation are viewed as snitches and traitors.

Dating Violence has is a form of abuse that more often than not goes unreported. When you statistics about dating violence you can be sure the numbers are about 200% higher. The reasons most victims of dating violence to not report this form of abuse is many. Family, religion, work, and social relationships are all factors in keeping this deadly act silenced.

The fact sheet below was written by the National Coalition of Domestic Violence, located in Denver Colorado.
Causing Pain: Real Stories of Dating Abuse and Violence

YouTube - Causing Pain: Real Stories of Dating Abuse and Violence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Ctwk8R470

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest per capita rates of intimate violence - 20 per 1,000 women.?
2. 53% of domestic violence victims are abused by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend.
3. 13% of teenage girls who are in a relationship report being physically hurt or hit.
4. 54% of all rape cases occur before victims reach 18 years of age.
5. 71% of rape and sexual assault victims knew their offenders.
6. Studies indicate that as a dating relationship becomes more serious, the potential for and nature of violent behavior also escalates.?

TEEN DATING VIOLENCE

1. Nearly one in five teen aged girls report that their boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm when presented with a breakup.
2. One in four teen girls who are in a relationship report they are pressured into performing oral sex or engaging in sexual intercourse.
3. One in five teens in a serious relationship reports having been hit, slapped, or pushed by a partner.
4. A study of 8th and 9th graders found that 25%have been victims of nonsexual dating violence, and 8% have been victims of sexual dating violence.
5. 26% of teen girls in a relationship report enduring repeated verbal abuse.
6. 42% of boys and 43% of girls say the abuse occurs in a school building or on school grounds.
7. Over 30% of teenagers do not tell anyone about being victimized by their partner - less than 3% report abuse to police or another authority figure and only 3% tell a family member about the violence.

WHY IT MATTERS

Dating violence occurs when one partner attempts to maintain power and control over the other through one or more forms of abuse, including sexual, physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. Dating violence affects both females and males, and does not discriminate by racial, social, or economic background.
Given the prevalence of domestic violence within dating relationships, communities must work together
to prevent these violent relationships and ensure that victims of dating violence have adequate access to legal protection.

publicpolicy@ncadv.org

EFFECT OF DATING VIOLENCE ON HEALTH

Those who experience dating violence are more likely to participate in binge drinking,
fighting, and/or smoking and are at an increased risk of suffering from mental illness.13

The rates of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy are higher for young people who
have a history of abuse.14

Harvard School of Public Health study indicated that female teenagers who are victims of dating violence are significantly more likely to become victims of sexual assault.15

It was found that females involved in violent relationships typically suffered from post traumatic
stress and dissociation, while males suffered from anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress.14

Research strongly suggests that social support helps mitigate the negative mental health of dating violence.3AMPUS VIOLENCE

CAMPUS VIOLENCE

21% of college students report they have experienced dating violence by a current partner. 32% report dating violence by a previous partner.10

60% of acquaintance rapes on college campuses occur in casual or steady dating relationships.11

13% of college women report experiencing forced sexual intercourse by a dating partner.7

Over 13% of college women report they have been stalked. Of these, 42% were stalked by a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend.12

HOW TO HELP

One of the most effective ways to help protect young adults from the harmful effects of domestic violence is to write your legislators asking them to support the following initiatives:

1. Legislation encouraging education for middle and high school students that talks about healthy dating relationships and addresses the problem of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
2. Legislation providing additional funding for local program initiatives that provide counseling services to youth and children exposed to domestic violence.
3. Funding for local programs and schools that provide domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking education, prevention and intervention.
4. Increased funding for the youth programs in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2005.
5. Encourage members of local schools and youth programs, including teachers, counselors, and athletic coaches, to seek training on how to recognize youth who are in violent situations and how to provide resources to intervene in domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Ask local schools about their comprehensive safety plans that address such topics.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information or if you or someone you know is a victim of dating violence and wants help, call the

National Domestic Violence Hot-line at 1-800-799-SAFE and National Sexual Assault Hot-line at 1-800-656-HOPE.

You can visit also visit the Dating Violence Resource Center at www.ncvc.org

STATE DATING VIOLENCE LAWS16

Many states require a victim to be married to, live with, or have a child in common with the perpetrator in
order for criminal and civil domestic violence laws to protect the victim.

39 states and DC allow victims of dating violence to apply for orders of protection against the perpetrator.

Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming allow minors 16 years and older to petition for an order of protection without an adult. California allows minors 12 years and older to petition without an adult.

Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and
Virginia does not recognize dating violence in their statutes.

If you or someone you know has been the subject of a sexual assault or rape, call Hickey Law Firm toll free at : 1.800.215.7117. We can help. We know what you are going through. See us at www.cruiseshipassault.com. We have 28 years of maritime law and trial experience. Call us today.

If you have any questions about rape or sexual assault, call us. We care. (See, www.cruiseshipassault.com). We handle these cases against the cruise lines. John H. (Jack) Hickey has testified before the subcommittee of Congress investigating crime on cruise ships and the cruise lines. Call us. All consultations are free and strictly confidential. TOLL FREE: 1.800.215.7117.

SOURCES

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2001) Special Report Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-1999. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 2

Liz Claiborne Inc. “Study on Teen Dating Violence.” Teenage Research Unlimited, Love is Not Abuse. (February 2005). 3

In the news today, a recent animal study has found that regular use of ginko extract, which is known for preserving memory, may also help prevent brain damage during a stroke.

Mice were given daily doses of Ginko biloba before the induction of a stroke. These mice were about half the infarct volume and neurological defects as untreated mice, said Sylvain Dore, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University, and colleagues.

Starting doses of the plant extract given at five minutes and 4.5 hours after a stroke also appeared to reduce infarct size (P<0.01), they reported online in Stroke.

If the benefits are confirmed in human trials, ginko could be useful as prophylaxis for patients at high risk of stroke or to minimize symptoms after a stroke, Dr. Dore said.

He noted that his type of use in humans is still very far off and he cautioned that patients should consult with their physicians before trying over-the-counter ginko products.

Prior studies have found ginko to have neuroprotective and antioxidant effects in ischemia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other cardiovascular and neurological disorders, the researchers said.
Direct antioxidant action had been suggested as the mechanism for these effects, but it’s unlikely that ginko reaches high enough serum levels, Dr. Dore said.

However, his group’s experiments showed that a highly standardized ginko extract (EGb761) called the body’s own antioxidant system into action by elevating expression of heme oxygenase-1, Dr. Dore said.

Ginko “allows organs — here the brain — to build resistance against potential stress such as a stroke,” he said.

In the study, mice given the ginko extract at a dose of 100 mg/kg daily for a week before induction of cerebral ischemia had significantly less neurological dysfunction 24 hours after the reperfusion compared with those treated with placebo (P<0.01). The difference was about one point on a four-point scale.

Infarct volume averaged just under 30% for pretreated mice compared with about 60% for those in the placebo group (P<0.01). Mice given a lower daily ginko dose of 50 mg/kg also had a significant reduction in infarct volume (P<0.05).

However, none of these effects were seen with pretreatment in mice genetically engineered to lack heme oxygenase-1, suggesting this antioxidant system was necessary for the neuroprotective effects of ginko, the researchers said.

The infarct volumes and subsequent neurological dysfunction scores for these heme oxygenase-1 knockout mice were similar to those of both placebo-treated knockout mice and untreated wild-type mice.

Post-ischemic treatment with ginko also appeared effective in reducing brain injury, the researchers found. Mice given the extract orally at a dose of 100 mg/kg either five minutes or 4.5 hours after reperfusion had significantly better neurological scores and lower infarct volumes than placebo-treated mice at 24 hours (all P<0.01 or P<0.05).

But these effects faded to statistical insignificance by 72 hours with the exception of lower infarct volume for the mice treated five minutes after reperfusion (P<0.05).

Primary source: Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association
Source reference:
Saleem S, et al “Ginkgo biloba extract neuroprotective action is dependent on heme oxygenase-1 in ischemic reperfusion brain injury” Stroke 2008.

We have been involved in litigation against Carnival Cruise Lines, and other cruise lines, in regard to swimming pool accidents. Specifically, the cruise lines drain the swimming pools every night. When they drain the pools they fix a net over the pool, but the netting is not designed to hold the weight of a person. The crewmembers typically do not tie the netting up so that it would hold the weight of a person.

Yet, some cruise lines, such as Carnival Cruise Lines, continue to use these nets and this method of preventing people of injuring themselves by falling into an empty pool. Further, Carnival knows that passengers typically congregate around the pool deck (Lido Deck). Carnival, and other cruise lines, know that passengers drink, sometimes to excess, on that deck. In fact, there is a pool bar that typically is open and serving drinks at night.

Carnival and other cruise lines also know from their experience over the years, that passengers who drink on the pool deck tend to play with the netting over the pool. The passengers either play with the netting using it as a trampoline or they fall back into the net like an acrobat using it as a landing net. The only problem is that the nets are not designed for that and the crewmembers do not tie it up in such a way that will hold a person’s weight.

This is a combination that has resulting in very serious injury, including traumatic brain injury from a result of passengers hitting their head on the bottom of the pool. We are experienced in handling cases like this and in handling traumatic brain injuries.

Call us today for a free consultation at 1-800-215-7117 so that we can provide you with the advice you need, the representation you want, and the compensation you deserve. Hickey Law Firm P.A. is led by John H. (Jack) Hickey, who is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Bar and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

See our website for information on what to do in the event of an injury on a cruise ship: www.hickeylawfirm.com. See also www.cruiseshipassault.com. The bottom line is get medical care immediately, take photos of the area where you were injured, get the names and contact information of witnesses, and report the accident or incident at once. Also, CALL HICKEY LAW FIRM, P.A., TOLL FREE AT: 1.800.215.7117. Our consultations are always free. We work on a contingency fee basis; if we don’t recover, you don’t pay. Personal injury, wrongful death, sexual assaults, and medical malpractice. This all happens on cruise ships and we have handled these types of claims for 28 years.

A new research study out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine shows that use of one of the most commonly prescribed once-a-day treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for longer than one month increases the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke by more than 50 percent.

Dr. Sonal Singh, M.D., M.:.H., and Curt Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., of Wake Forest and East Anglia, UK, conducted a meta-analysis of 17 double-blind, randomized trials involving a total of 14, 783 patients with COPD (MSNBC).

The study found that using the inhaled anticholinergics form of the drug for more than one month significantly increased the risk of cardiovascular death, heat attacks or strokes in COPD patients by 58 percent.

Inhaled anticholinergics are a class of drugs that relax the airways and prevent them from getting narrower, making it easier to breathe. They also protect the airways from spasms that can suddenly cause the airway to become narrower (bronchospasm).
The two most commonly used inhalers from the anticholinergic class are tiotropium bromide, marketed by Pfizer as Spiriva, and ipratropium bromide, made and marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim as Atrovent.

“Patients with COPD who use these inhalers are at a high risk of excess serious cardiovascular events due to their use,” said Singh, an assistant professor of internal medicine. “In absolute terms, if these inhalers are used for one year, nearly one in 40 patients using these inhalers may develop cardiac death related to the drug, and nearly one in 174 patients may develop a heart attack associated with these inhalers.”

“A regulatory reassessment of the cardiovascular safety concerns with this class of inhalers in patients with COPD is urgently needed,” Singh said.

“These findings, especially the magnitude of the risk, and the consistency of the risk for heart attack, stroke and cardiac death, urge caution in the widespread use of these agents,” he added. “Patients and doctors should decide whether these serious long-term cardiovascular risks outweigh their symptomatic benefits.”

Journal reference:
1. Singh et al. Inhaled Anticholinergics and Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008; 300 (12): 1439 DOI: 10.1001/jama.300.12.1439

This issue is so incendiary that smokers often feel bruised and battered and slink away in shame, and non-smokers are often arrogant and self-righteous and … well, just plain rude. On the other hand, there are non-smokers whose response is to live and let live and smokers who take the position that “hell, it’s still legal, so leave me alone.”

In the United States, the number of smokers is dropping — and young people aren’t starting to smoke as much as they used to — but one in four adults still lights up. (In California, the number is closer to one in seven.) In Europe and Asia, smoking is much more prevalent, although that’s changing too. The governments of France, Ireland, Italy and the U.K. have recently banned all indoor smoking countrywide. Still, any ship that sails with a large European or Asian contingent is bound to be smokier than a ship filled with North Americans.

Cruise lines, though, have generally taken a more moderate approach to smoking policies. Renaissance Cruises, an entirely non-smoking line, no longer exists. Carnival’s Paradise, which started life as a smoke-free vessel and stayed that way for six years, now allows smoking onboard. But several major cruise lines have recently introduced very limiting policies, as have many small-ship “boutique” lines and river cruise vessels. But for other major companies, the policies are not nearly as restrictive as most non-smokers wish they were.

It’s an issue of “spoilage” that keeps cruise lines from designating some cabins non-smoking, in the fashion of hotel rooms. “It would present an inventory mess,” says a spokesperson for CLIA, the cruise industry’s official trade association. “The cruise lines’ yield management people want the ships to sail full at all times; you can’t do that if you set aside non-smoking rooms.”

Myroula Ioannou said her three-day trip to Crete aboard a Cypriot cruise ship was ruined after a local cruise shipping company failed to enforce its advertised no smoking policy on board one of its ships.
Instead there was smoking everywhere. The only place there was no smoking was the restaurant but then right outside there were two ashtrays with chairs placed around them. The area would soon fill up with smokers waiting to go in to eat. “It was a small space and soon got very cramped and it was awful.” She said.

The European Union is going to deploy a warship fleet tasked with defending commercial vessels from attacks by pirates off the Somali coast, officials said Wednesday (October 1).

This comes as a result of reports that pirates took control of a Kenya-bound cargo ship carrying 33 Russian-built military weapons. The seizure was only the latest in a growing list of attacks by pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden on both cargo ships and cruise ships.

A U.N. Security Council resolution, pushed by the U.S. and passed June 2, allows the U.S. and its coalition allies to intervene by “all necessary means” for the next six months to stop piracy off the Somali coast.

African waters account for 56% of all pirate attacks, spiking from 27 attacks in the first half of 2005 to 64 attacks since January. Meanwhile, pirate attacks elsewhere are dropping, reports the Piracy Reporting Center, a Malaysian-based group that monitors attacks for the bureau.

The U.S. has improved its patrols to try and stop the attacks. It has also increased its intelligence-sharing in the area, says Navy Lt. Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the 5th Fleet in Bahrain, which patrols Middle Eastern and African waters.

The U.S. is “very concerned about the increasing number of acts of piracy and armed robbery” off the Somali coast, he says.

Somalia’s weak government has stated that it can not control its territorial waters.

For more information:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-07-20-pirates_N.htm

Phin Foster talks to International Cruise Victim Association founding president
Kendall Carver who has been campaigning for industry accountability ever since
his daughter disappeared from a Celebrity ship in 2004.

http://www.internationalcruisevictims.org/files/WCR020_turningup.pdf

As everyone knows, our population is aging as our lifespan is gradually increasing. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nearly 50 million Americans (1 in 5 adults) have been diagnosed with one or more forms of arthritis. The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis, is generally caused by wear-and-tear on the joints as we age, and afflicts at least 21 million Americans. Among those 65 years of age and older, at least 50% will have been diagnosed with arthritis. In addition to aging, and injuries, obesity is a risk factor for osteoarthritis.

The human knee joint, which is one of the most complex joints in the body, is especially prone to osteoarthritis. The knee joint’s stabilizing ligaments and protective joint cushions are easily torn by injuries, and are progressively stretched and worn (respectively) by normal physical activities over the years. For most patients with arthritis of the knee, lifestyle modifications, physical therapy, applications of heat or cold, knee braces, and, if needed, anti-inflammatory medications will bring considerable relief of the pain, stiffness and swelling that often accompany degenerative changes of the knee joint.

Arthroscopic surgery is a procedure which allows surgeons to see inside of a joint. Arthroscopic knee surgery is most commonly performed to remove torn cartilage within the knee. The procedure, called a menisectomy, is done using a small camera that allows the surgeon to remove the damaged cartilage through a small incision.

A small incision is made (about 1 centimeter) and a camera is inserted into the joint. Another small incision is made in order to place instruments inside of the joint to remove torn cartilage. Small scissors and shavers are usually used to remove excess cartilage, while the arthroscope allows your surgeon to inspect the rest of the knee joint looking for signs of arthritis, loose pieces of cartilage in the knee, the ligaments of the knee, and other problems inside the joint.

Two new clinical research studies, just published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, have now called into question some of the fundamental assumptions that have made arthroscopic knee surgery such a common procedure.

“Two studies call into question whether many people with arthritis are needlessly undergoing one of the most common operations in America: arthroscopic knee surgery,” wrote Linda B. Johnson of the Associated Press.

This is now the second prospective clinical research trial that has shown absolutely no apparent benefit from arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee in patients who have otherwise been treated with optimal physical therapy and medical treatment. Given that much of the previous clinical data supporting arthroscopic knee surgery as a useful procedure was derived from retrospective data (i.e., a review of patient medical records after the fact), this prospective clinical trial’s finding (as with its predecessor prospective randomized trial) that arthroscopic knee surgery adds nothing to primary medical treatment and physical therapy should really lead to a thoughtful reassessment of the procedure. As with all surgical procedures, there are risks inherent in undergoing arthroscopic surgery. If, as two randomized, prospective clinical research trials now suggest, there is no benefit from arthroscopic knee surgery, then patients undergoing the procedure may be taking on all of the risk of the procedure without any likelihood of benefit. Unless compelling prospective clinical data comes along that disproves the identical findings of these two separate prospective clinical trials, then it might be prudent to defer arthroscopic surgery of the knee for osteoarthritis for now.
A second companion clinical study in the New England Journal of Medicine provides additional insight as to why arthroscopic knee surgery may not provide any benefit to patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, has become the standard imaging test used to evaluate the ligaments and cartilage of painful knee joints. MRI scans easily demonstrate tears and erosions of the cartilage (menisci) lining the knee joint, and because knee pain is often attributed to these types of meniscal injuries, patients with meniscal injuries are often advised to undergo arthroscopic surgery to trim and remodel these damaged cartilages.

This study, which was performed at Boston University, performed MRI scans of the right knees of 991 volunteers between the ages of 50 and 90. All of these volunteers were randomly selected in Framingham, Massachusetts. Additionally, all of these volunteers were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the presence or absence of osteoarthritis symptoms in their right knees.

Among women between the ages of 50 and 59 years, 19% were found to have tears or erosions of the meniscal cartilage by MRI scanning. Among men between the ages of 70 and 90 ages, 56% had MRI evidence of significant meniscal cartilage tears or erosions. In patients with x-ray evidence of bone erosion (osteoarthritis) within the knee, meniscal abnormalities were twice as commonly observed by MRI when compared to patients without additional signs of osteoarthritis. More importantly, among those patients with radiographic signs of bone erosion (osteoarthritis) within the knee joint and knee symptoms, 63% had meniscal abnormalities identified by MRI. However, a statistically identical 60% of patients with radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis, but without any knee symptoms, had similar meniscal cartilage tears and erosions.

The results of this study strongly suggest that most meniscal tears and erosions, by themselves, probably do not cause significant knee symptoms in most patients. Since meniscal tears and erosions are the most commonly repaired abnormalities within the knee joint during arthroscopic surgery, the findings of this study offer the most likely explanation for the lack of benefit from arthroscopic surgery that was observed in the previous study.

Once again, it is time to reappraise the role (if any) of arthroscopic knee surgery.

SOURCES:
http://www.cdc.gov/aging/
http://www.cdc.gov/aging/orglinks.htm
http://www.arthritis.org/arthroscopic-knee-surgery.php

Last Thursday September 18, 2008, the Coast Guard responded today to a false report of a bomb onboard the ferry Cat, in Bar Harbor, Maine.

At about 8 a.m., a 911 dispatcher notified the Coast Guard that someone had called in the threat.
Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Maine Marine Patrol, Maine State Police, Customs and Border Patrol, and other state and local agencies responded.

Ferry operations were halted and the nearly 330 people aboard were evacuated to safety while authorities swept the vessel and looked for explosives and suspicious objects.

The Coast Guard Cutter Bridle and a 55-foot boat crew from Aids to Navigation Team Southwest Harbor maintained a security zone around the ferry.
Several agencies, including bomb squads with bomb-detecting dogs, conducted thorough sweeps of the vessel. No explosives or suspicious objects were found.
The Cat has resumed its scheduled patrol to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. The cutter Bridle and a small boat crew from Coast Guard Station Southwest Harbor escorted the ferry out of Bar Harbor.

“Fortunately the threat did not materialize for this international vessel, but I am extremely pleased with the fast, efficient and professional response we received from our port partners - Customs and Border Protection, Maine State Police, Maine Marine Patrol, Bar Harbor Police, Bar Harbor Fire Department, and Bay Ferries Ltd.,” said Captain James McPherson, commander of Sector Northern New England.

“Our daily interaction with these port partners is key to balancing the effort to protect the passengers and the vessel but also to diligently work to keep the international trade flowing once the risk is diminished. It was great work by all and a testament to everyone’s commitment to cooperation,” he said.

Recently, the FDA overwhelmingly refused to take Avandia, the diabetes drug, off the market, despite studies that showed increased heart attack as a very realistic side effect. Weaknesses in those studies were one of the reasons cited by the FDA for their decision. However, one of the solid conclusions reached was that Avandia does increase heart attack risk.

The FDA did suggest a “black box” warning, the most severe, to warn consumers about the risk. Further suggestions included discouraging joint use of Avandia and insulin, as this also increases heart attack risk. FDA experts also recommended that the drug be investigated further.

In early 2007, Avandia was the second highest grossing diabetes drug in the United States. An analysis of 42 studies showed that there is a 43 percent higher chance of heart attack risk with diabetic patients taking Avandia than those taking any other or no diabetes medication. Avandia is used to control the body’s blood sugar by increasing sensitivity to insulin. Before the studies, this treatment was commonly perceived to decrease heart risks already associated with diabetes. Diabetes affects more than 18 million Americans today.

Congress is in the process of overhauling the FDA’s decision, and points to the Avandia situation as evidence of the FDA’s inability to handle the safety risks of drugs that have been approved for the market.

In the case of Avandia, it appears that the FDA is too lax in dealing with hazards associated with certain drugs. Conversely, many poor countries around the world are not even close to lax with their policies surrounding drugs that should be deemed necessities. Morphine is one prime example, as a pain reliever. Countless poor countries find it extremely difficult to secure this drug even in the cases of uncontrollable cancerous tumors that cause excruciating pain. However, even in these cases, morphine is not allowed due to an intense fear of patient addiction.

Is the FDA too lax in their drug safety control policies? Are foreign countries not lax enough?

See the following articles for more information:
Avandia:
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20036086/from/ET/
www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01636.html

Morphine:
www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/health/11pain.html
www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/health/10pain.html