This courtesy of TheHill.com
At least two unnamed Republicans have placed holds on a bill to crack down on human growth hormone (HGH), despite strong bipartisan support and the backing of the sports industries most directly affected.
All the holds do is stop a bill from being pushed through without any debate, research or the senators having to actually work
However the holds have backers of the bill, sponsored by Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), baffled because the bill is endorsed by both National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig — who even testified before a House panel in support of the bill last month.
Do any of you actually believe that the people who run the NFL and MBL actually care about anything other than your money. They would support banning mother’s milk if there were a few bucks in it. Hell, they would ban mothers if it would sell more beer.
Likewise, drug and sports industry lobbyists say they support the bill and have no idea who is behind the block.
Lobbyists seem like such a fine source for the truth. Maybe we could make being a lobbyist a crime.
Currently pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Schumer’s bill would add HGH to the U.S. Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule III substance, making it illegal to possess without a prescription. That would equate the drug with anabolic steroids, possession of which is punishable by up to three years in prison. Aides to Schumer say Congress has already stiffened laws regulating steroids twice before, and this should be a routine matter.
Those steroid laws have been so effective. The stuff is everywhere a cheap. Much like cocaine. Not quite true. It is easier to find cocaine.
Yeah, I am saying that the whole war on drugs is ineffective. Not that any of these substances are good and should be in everybody hands, but the way the government deals with it does not work. Lets solve the problem by putting more people in jail.
Up to three years for possession? I could see a specialized law that targets people selling it to others without a prescription but that would mean somebody on the hill might have to stoop to working.
“Cracking down on HGH abuse is necessary, and our straightforward, bipartisan bill would do just that,” Schumer said. “I am hopeful that we can work to address any concerns about the bill so it can pass the Senate quickly and unanimously.”
Why does any piece of legislation have to pass unanimously? I thought dissent was an important part of the democratic process.
The truth about these holds is that they do not stop real legislation. The holds only stop a bill from being passed without it having to go through debate and an actual review.
Congress is full of lawyers not doctors. Even the bureaucratic thugs over at the FDA are willing to have public discussions of their proposal to make HGH a Schedule III drug.
My favorite quote on the subject comes courtesy of the NY Daily News.
“We would like to address any concerns someone might have, but because they choose to remain secret, we can’t even tell who is raising the objection,” Schumer said. “With HGH spreading across college campuses and high schools and perhaps even to kids younger than that, it’s imperative that we act quickly.”
What a load of crap. HGH is expensive. Costs more than cocaine and is harder to get. A senior citizen with a prescription would be spending $500 to $1000 per month.
An effective dose for a college student would cost at least triple that amount. Where are these even younger kids getting the $3000 per month? I don’t think there is a big problem with swapping lunch money for a hit of HGH.
Maybe the bad senator should focus on legislation that does something about the real problems facing this country. While he is at it he could try and get Grassley to do some real work. I hear that Waxman over in the House has time on his hands.
These guys are lucky that I haven’t had my coffee yet. Otherwise I would go into a real rant. However, at the moment, I don’t feel like working any harder than they do.
Tags: HGH Overview & News, Congress, FDA, hgh, human growth hormone, steroids
4 responses so far ↓
1 bwarrend // Mar 4, 2008 at 7:40 am
Totally agree with you. They are doing this to show the citizens how hard they are working to rid our streets of this terrible drug. HOGWASH. What they are doing is taking it out of the hands of people who have been getting it legitimately for real needs. Consider the following:
Before human Growth Hormone, children with Prader-Willi syndrome faced much more devastating impacts from this complex syndrome. Even today, many insurance companies drag their feet or try to deny this life-changing therapy. Preventing easy access to this effective treatment will threaten a return to the “dark ages” for too many of our children.
While we appreciate Congress’ attention to the abuse of Growth Hormone by professional athletes, categorizing Growth Hormone as a Schedule III drug hurts the children that need it the most. Categorizing the drug as Schedule III will impose the following restrictions on this critical treatment for Prader-Willi children:
1. No faxing of prescriptions
Currently almost all GH prescriptions are faxed by the prescribing physician to the pharmacy. Having to hand mail or deliver prescriptions makes little sense and will cause unnecessary work for the doctors treating our children.
2. No mailing of drugs.
Growth Hormone is typically mailed in temperature controlled containers from mail order companies. This allows it to get to the PWS patient quickly and eliminates an unnecessary burden on families having to drive somewhere to pick it up. Not all families are close to a pharmacy and would have to drive hours to pick up their prescription in person. Moreover, most pharmacies do not carry GH, meaning that families with a special-needs child suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome would have to drive to only specific places to receive this treatment.
3. Require that families physically see the endocrinologist or the prescribing doctor every 30 days for a new prescription-
This is an incredible burden for families. Not only does it take us months to get into a specialist who monitors our child and prescribes Growth Hormone, we would incur a significant financial burden in additional copays, travel time, and other related costs. Many families with Prader-Willi children see their specialist every 4-6 months, often driving hours to different parts of the state or even flying on airplanes to visit doctors that treat their children. This would be impossible to do from a financial and time perspective if the law required a new prescription every 30 days.
4. Many physicians are not licensed to write prescriptions for Schedule III drugs
This would significantly limit the number of doctors that could treat children with Prader-Willi syndrome using Growth Hormone, creating a bigger burden like the one described above. If parents were not able to see a local doctor, it could force them to travel long distances every 30 days, creating a huge financial burden to a family that is already burdened with a very devastating disorder.
5. Changing the Schedule Class of this drug would require that all supplies of GH would be pulled from the shelves to be sent back to the companies for labeling appropriate to a Schedule III drug.
This would cause a supply-chain problem every single child being treated, further hurting children that desperately need this treatment!
According to USA Today, Senator Schumer claims “There’s very little opposition to this bill.” That’s because the affected parents have been kept in the dark about the horrible possibility that access to human Growth Hormone for their children may be further complicated!
Please, please put a hold on this bill until the Senate has the chance to consider the harm you may be causing children with Prader-Willi syndrome and other conditions needing human Growth Hormone to lead a more normal life.
2 hgh truths // Mar 4, 2008 at 7:52 am
bwarrend,
Your comment came through just as I was about to post a press release from the Magic Foundation. I am now going to refer to your comment in the post.
Let’s see if Congress is capable of putting children before PR. You need to write your conressman and senators with an idea of how they can get better plublicity by delaying the bill enough to allow time for rational thought.
3 Sandy Jones // Apr 1, 2008 at 7:36 pm
What you don’t address is those of us who take growth hormone daily because of major health issues. We’d gladly trade places with those athletes and anti-aging bozos. They are welcome to our brain tumors, the radiation damage leaving us with no pituitary gland, the adrenal insufficiency, the weakend muscles, the blood pressure askew, the fragile bones, the loss of memory, the weakened muscles (including heart). So Congress, go ahead and legislate our health away. How about $1200-$2000 a month? Think how a mother feels when she has two children on growth hormone at a time. Try thinking of her when she has to travel to a doctor out of state once a month to obtain new prescriptions for a controlled substance, and then find a pharmacy that will carry it. She first will have to find a pediatric endocrinologist licensed to prescribe a controlled substance. And, it will have to be one that treats her children’s specific conditions, because all encocrinologists are not created equal. Maybe we should mention that every new prescription has to be approved by the insurance company. Many patients will be required to have very expensive tests every time to get the growth hormone. Seems stupid, but that’s the way insurance companies work. It will be a nightmare, and in many cases, a patient’s therapy will be interrupted. Don’t forget all the AIDS patients who take growth hormone to help with their wasting muscles. But who cares, nobody asked us.
4 hgh truths // Apr 2, 2008 at 8:22 am
Sandy,
The two comments above you both addressed the needs of children. We were among the first to post about the Magic Foundations press release.
The Congressional legislation is now on hold. This being an election year, it is doubtful that it will have a chance of moving forward. All the members of Congress trying to grab quick publicity have moved on to other issues.
If they do try to bring it back, we will be among the first to attack any attempt to make things more difficult for people with legitimate medical needs.
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