Pharmaceuticals

[RC Macaulay]

John.Rudiger wrote on the home on LaGrange thread... >Australia was the last country in the "Western World" to ban the use of Heroine as a prescription pain killer. Medical Practitioners to this date still claim that heroine is one of the best drugs available (better and with less side effects than morphine) for chronic pain management? Australia finally bent to the pressure of "International Interests" (had something to do with USA/Australia trade agreements) and banned its use because it is an "Evil" drug!!!! Sound similar to what was done in the USA regarding "Indian Hemp" early last century? Drugs are " cidf"  (cash in da fist). The US government funded research in so called " medical" drugs has reached unprecedented dollar amounts. The designer drugs and now biogenetic research funds are the " fuel" for the Texas Medical Center in Houston. Much so that two of the major players ( Methodists and Baptists hospitals) have split and now been fighting over  the goodies. Add Bush bill for medicare prescription drugs that bends the budget some 400 bil..oops..make that 800 bil and we see some real money changing hands. Dare to go up against this " cartel" and get smashed. Enter now the " allergy " type drugs. Few had allergies three generations ago. Now it is common for a test at the doctors to show that of 100 base allergens, a person may be allergic to more than 50. Hmmm! Does that sound like the modern day British tactic of subduing the Chinese 2 centuries ago with opium? Last count, the numbers of researchers in medicine, heart, cancer and now AIDS research and the combined dollars spent in these catagories of research make fusion energy research funding seem like peanuts. What we need is a scantily clad girl waering a Harley shirt draped across the hood of  a CF drag racer.  Ya gotta sell the sizzles if ya wanta make a buck!! Richard