Conyers: Obama Should Not Nominate Sanjay Gupta

stumblediggredditdel.ico.usnews trustmixx.com

Show your support.
Buzz this article up.Buzz up!

Get Breaking News Alerts

 

never spam

 

 

• 
  Share
• 
  Print
• 
  Comments

 

Rep. John Conyers has written a letter to Democratic colleagues urging them to join him in publicly opposing the nomination of Dr. Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General.

Conyers, the veteran Judiciary Committee chairman, writes that Gupta "lacks the requisite experience needed to oversee the federal agency that provides crucial health care assistance," and requests that fellow Democrats join him "in signing a letter to President-Elect Barack Obama that Dr. Sunjay Gupta not be nominated for the post."

Here's the bulk of the Dear Colleague letter:

I join in opposition with respected Noble Peace Prize award wining economist Paul Krugman, who has very serious concerns with having Dr. Gupta be the nation's Surgeon General. [...]

Also, there are highly experienced medical professionals who question whether Dr. Gupta has the necessary experience or even the medical background to be in charge of some 6,000 physicians or more who work in the United States Public Health Service. Gerard M. Farrel, Executive Director of the Commissioned Officers Association, stated in the January 7, 2008 Washington Post that Dr. Gupta will certainly face a "credibility gap" because he never served in the National Health Service Corp, and furthermore, does not have the "experience or qualifications to be the leader of the nation's public health service." Clearly, it is not in the best interests of the nation to have someone like this who lacks the requisite experience needed to oversee the federal agency that provides crucial health care assistance to some of the poorest and most underserved communities in America.

 

Conyers' letter represents one of the first critical takes on the potential Gupta nomination to come from the Hill. In most quarters, reports about the CNN medical correspondent have been greeted as a smart, if not provocative, pick. Howard Dean, a doctor himself, noted that Gupta's responsibilities would be much the same as those in his current job: explaining medical issues of public concern in a manner that the public could understand.

Outside of government, however, some have begun questioning whether the CNN correspondent has the proper qualifications to be Surgeon General. Krugman, in his post noted that Gupta accused filmmaker Michael Moore of inaccuracies, "when the truth was that on every one of the allegedly fudged facts, Moore was actually right and CNN was wrong." Others have questioned whether he is the right conduit for Obama's health care agenda, and whether or not he has ethical conflicts of interest stemming from the corporate sponsors of his show.

But while Conyers and these individuals have doubts, it's unclear whether the post of Surgeon General will elicit much of a fight, since no Senators (who must confirm the nomination) have spoken critically of Gupta.

1. This is a section concerning the use of a closed system for other drugs, and cannabis medicines lack of such a system (Caused mostly by prohibition).

Please also note that the effectiveness of CSA depends on maintaining the integrity of the "closed system" of distribution of controlled substances established by the A C ~T.h~ro ugh this closed system, the CSA "provides for control of problems related to drug abuse through registration of manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and all others in the legitimate distribution chain, and makes transactions outside the legitimate distribution chain illegal."' One of the central elements of this closed system is that all transactions in controlled substances undertaken by DEA registrants involve strict record-keeping requirements to ensure proper accounting and prevent diversion. Those who engage in illicit manufacturing and distribution of marijuana (such as the California "cannabis clubs") obviously act wholly outside the closed system mandated by the CSA.

Can we develop a community system that mirrors this type of a system that also ensures anonymity? Possibly.

2. This section is about safety issues, which is an issue being addressed by the Medical Cannabis Safety Commission. 

To date, there are no data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to support any of the claimed therapeutic uses for smoked marijuana. In 2001, DEA published in .the Federal Register the agency's response to a petition seeking to initiate rule making proceedings to reschedule marijuana." The FDA and DEA thoroughly analyzed the relevant medical, scientific, and abuse data and concluded that marijuana continues to meet the criteria for placement in schedule I. The complete FDA and DEA analyses were published in the Federal Register along with the denial of the petition.
With respect to whether marijuana can be used safely and effectively as medicine, the FDA noted that "there have been no studies that have scientifically assessed the efficacy of marijuana for  "medical condition" and that "there are no FDA approved marijuana products." 
The FDA concluded:
Marijuana does not have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions. As discussed earlier, the known risks of marijuana use are not outweighed by any potential benefits. In addition, the agency cannot conclude that marijuana has an acceptable level of safety without assurance of a consistent and predictable potency and without proof that the substance is fiee of contamination. If marijuana is to be investigated more widely for medical use, information and data regarding the chemistry, manufacturing and specifications of marijuana must be developed. Therefore, FDA concludes that, even under medical supervision, marijuana has not been shown to have an acceptable level of safety.

Can we begin to explore more deeply the safety of cannabis medicines through bona-fide research and production and handling standards. Can we dispel the smoking myth, promote alternatives, or prove the benefit outweighs the harm? Can we begin to understand potency and dosage more regularly. I think we can.

After long deliberations on the phone with the Judiciary Committee, I was able to find the response from the DEA to John Conyers from his April inquiry into the actions against medical cannabis providers in California.  The response is both inaccurate and obviously cynical.  Enjoy.

http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/Nelson080725.pdf

http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/DEA-Attachment080725.pdf