Nanny Health State

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Brad Heap

The previous Labour Government used to be called the Nanny State after the number of restrictions they placed on the lives of citizens doing day to day tasks. However, one of the better things that the previous Government did was to lower the restrictions on some pharmaceutical drugs so that you would not need a doctors prescription to get access to some medications. This means that people who need the drugs but cannot afford to visit the doctor regularly for repeat prescriptions can more easily purchase what they needed.

Since the National Government took power a little over a year ago there has been a steady increase in restricting access to common and well used drugs. One of the first drugs to be restricted was pseudoephedrine which is commonly used in cold and flu medications but also used as a precursor ingredient in the manufacture of pure methamphetamine aka ‘P’. Following on from this the Government decided to make it illegal to drive while under the influence of benzodiazepines. Now the Herald reports that the government is looking at putting restrictions on the use of codeine because of “addiction fears”.

These restrictions are now beginning to get plain stupid. The government was elected on a policy of getting tough on drugs. Restricting access to common pharmaceuticals to ordinary citizens is not the approach to take on this. The major drug rings do not get the majority of their chemicals through pharmacies – they don’t get enough volumes this way, it is too expensive and too many questions get asked. Instead of restricting access and making life deliberately and unnecessarily complex for ordinary uses of common medications the government needs to invest more in the police, border security and actually targeting the major importers and cooks of the drug manufacturing process. However, this will probably require more action than hot talk, so somehow I doubt it will happen.

Letter to Hon Steven Joyce regarding Benzodiazepine Ban

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Brad Heap

To: s.joyce@ministers.govt.nz
Date: Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 8:52 AM
Subject: Benzodiazepine Ban

Dear Hon Steven Joyce,

I am outraged at the news this morning that the Government last night rushed through a ban on Benzodiazepine while driving without any public consultation.

I have been using Lorazepam for the past two years to control an anxiety/panic disorder which is primary associated with flying. For instance in August I flew to Christchurch to go skiing. I flew out of Auckland at just after 6am and landed in Christchurch around 8am before hiring a car and driving an hour to the ski area. Under this new law I would be unable to drive because I would still be under the influence of the Benzodiazepine.

This is where the law fails and the lack of public consultation shines through. I would suspect very few users of prescription Benzodizepines would be silly enough to take the medicine and then immediately drive. In fact the label on my container of it clearly states that it may cause sleepiness, to limit driving and the operation of heavy machinery, and to limit alcohol. The reality of this medicine, however, is that it takes a long time to wear completely off. While I would never drive within two hours of taking it, any time beyond that I would consider myself safe to drive provided I took the same precautions as when you have taken any other medicine (cold/flu tablets, anti-depressants, pain killers) or any other issue is affecting your ability to think straight (for instance an emotional crises).

It makes me very angry and annoyed that the Government has passed this law without weighing up all the facts. As the Act party as highlighted “an ESR study of deceased drivers from July 1 2004-June 30 2008 showed that only 22 of the 826 drivers deceased during this period had benzodiazepines in their bloodstream, and of those less than one percent had benzodiazepines alone.” What the government has done is turn ordinary New Zealanders who rely on this medication to manage a major but controllable problem in their lives into criminals.

It should be noted that one of the reasons the previous administration was voted out of office was the failure to listen to the public over issues. It became arrogant and instead of listening to the people as a democracy it appeared to be acting more like a dictatorship. I hope that this new government does not head down the same path.

I look forward to your response.

Kind regards,
Bradford Heap

Albany,
Auckland,
New Zealand

Government Bans Benzodiazepine as part of Boy Racer Legislation

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Brad Heap

So far I have not had much reason to get angry with the new National led government, that was until this morning.

As the herald reports: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10604475

In the passing of the Boy Racer Legislation there was a “last-minute inclusion of a ban on driving while affected by benzodiazepine, a prescription sedative and anti-anxiety medication that is often used as a sleeping pill.”

The government has brought this change in as a Supplementary Order Paper with no public consultation. This is outrageous and one of the many issues that people had with the previous administration. It is simply not right to bring in such a law that affects so many people without letting the people have a say on it, doing so turns the Government from a democracy to a dictatorship and removes peoples rights to making their own decisions and having their own free will.

The Act party sums up my feels and response to this in a much more controlled tone than what I am feeling right now:

http://www.act.org.nz/blog/benzodiazepine-ban-short-sighted

This is short-sighted and will place hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders on the wrong side of the law for no good reason. Under this addition to the ‘Boy Racer’ Bill currently before parliament people who are legally taking this prescription medication will be placed in the same category as those who use Class A narcotics – they will have to prove through a blood test and presumably in court that they were taking what they were prescribed.

During Select Committee submissions, the dangers around benzodiazepines were not raised at all, by anyone – but a lobby group raised concerns just before the Bill’s final reading and Mr Joyce has now decided to tack an amendment to the Boy Racer Bill before Parliament.It is irrational to lump law-abiding citizens in with P-crazed drug addicts and defeats the purpose of having prescription medications. Evidence around the effects they have on driving is extremely weak – an ESR study of deceased drivers from July 1 2004-June 30 2008 showed that only 22 of the 826 drivers deceased during this period had benzodiazepines in their bloodstream, and of those less than one percent had benzodiazepines alone.

Benzodiazepines are one of a number of commonly used anti-anxiety agents and sedatives. One thing the Minister hasn’t considered is that sleep deprivation is also a significant factor in road accidents – but he need only read his own road-side signs to get this message.

If Mr Joyce is seriously telling New Zealand that sedatives are significant contributors to our road toll he had better start examining anti-histamines, phenothiazines, tri-cyclic anti-depressants, and a host of other legally prescribed drugs that cause sedation. By eliminating half the population from driving he probably will make a hefty dent in the road toll.

Act really do a good job of putting this into context. The reality is Benzodiazepines does have an effect on you, that is why they are used for anxiety, panic disorders and other related problems, it is one of the modern day medicines that still actually works!

I have used Lorazepam (aka Ativan and Temesta) which is a form of Benzodiazepine on a irregular basis for close to two years to control an anxiety/panic disorder. My primary use of it is to control anxiety before flying.

For instance a few months back I flew to Christchurch and upon arrival hired a car to travel to the ski field. Before the flight I took a Lorazepam to calm myself down. Under the new law I would not be able to drive when I arrived because the Lorazepam would still be in my system and I would still be affected by it.

And this is where the main issue with this law is. I doubt many people would be silly enough to take a Benzodiazepine and then immediately drive, in fact the medicine bottle is clearly labeled may cause sleepiness do not drive or operate heavy machinery, limit alcohol. However like any form of medication it has its primary effect on you and then takes time to drain itself from your bodily system. For myself it normally has a maximum feeling for around 2 hours, mostly gone by 4 hours and on occasion I can still feel a little different after 8 hours. Depending on the interpretation of the word “affected” I could potentially be unable to drive for a day after taking a prescription medication to control a problem that would be as common as asthma or Celiac.

All medicine has its positive and negative elements. All medicine has some form of effect on you. It is how you manage those effects that is important. Simply outlawing a medicine in this manner takes the ability for the individual to make decisions for themselves and gives it to the government.

“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” - V for Vendetta

Would you like folate with that

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Brad Heap

Whale Oil has been posting about the scandel involving Folate, Bread and Mass Medication. http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/content/mass-medication-our-bread-facts-dont-warrant-it

The facts in persepective:

Annette King when she agreed to force bakers to add folate to bread thinks that it is ok to mass medicate the entire population with folate even when more than 50% of the population has no need for said mass medication. Further the costs simply don’t stack up.

The cost isn’t justified. The rate of spina bifida in New Zealand is 0.94/1000 total births. There were 64,000 live births in New Zealand in 2008. So we are going to medicate the entire population to save 60 babies from Spina Bifida and 50 babies from anencephalus.

That is just ridiculous. We are forcing the enitre population to eat bread that has been mass medicated with folate in order to save 60 babies from spina bifida.

We murder more than that each year in our abortion clinics. We kill 32 babies a day with abortion! Let’s get our priorities right.

The comparison to the abortion rates really are cause for concern.