Marijuana Task Force Meeting 3.29.18

 The most disappointing display of  disrespect of the will of voters was shown last night. It is crystal clear that the Giombetti hand picked prohibitionists team have firmly taken control and will recommend imposing a moratorium on all marijuana related business. Even though, a few years ago, Town Meeting rejected the hateful, restrictive, mean spirited articles presented by the BOS and Planning Board.
Absent from this meeting and for a few more weeks, is the hand picked lackey advocate. But Giombetti knew this about him and is why he was picked to begin with. The meetings happen at 5PM when no one is even around to partake or watch and of coarse, the media was not there at all.
The witch from Ashland was there and presented more outlandish remarks as well as Judy Grove with her own brand of paranoia.
Even the Police Chief made up a story about the ability of farmers to have enough money to grow pot.
Steiner is another status quo ideologue and went along with the notion that a moratorium is needed, this after assuring me that he would support the will of the voter last year.
So the promise that was made by the Charter Commission about a city council representing the people is all a pipe dream. They very few in control have unlimited power to defeat the will of the voter.
I'm sorry to write, I have lost the battle and the war. There's nothing more I can do, but display my frustration with all of those who are trying to stop this industry from coming to Framingham.

 http://207.172.210.8:5002/cablecast/public-site/index.html#/show/1419?channel=1

More evidence that pot can prevent opiod deaths

March 23, 2018

When people use cannabis do they stop using other drugs?

Posted by Joe Paduda on March 23, 2018 | Link to this post | Comments (2)

           

There’s been some good research into this – which may be THE key question when it comes to medical marijuana.
The answer appears to be – some do stop using other drugs. And, even better, fewer people die.
Key findings using Medicare data:

• States with medical marijuana laws saw about 10% fewer daily doses of opioids than those without those laws.
• States with dispensaries only (no home cultivation) saw a 14% decrease in opioid doses
• Total savings to Medicare and Medicaid would be about $3.4 billion if all states adopted Medical Marijuana Laws – but the folks buying the marijuana would pay for their cannabis out of their own pockets.

Studies using Medicaid data saw somewhat greater reductions in opioid usage.
Couple observations – there have been massive changes in PDMPs, increases in naloxone usage, tighter state laws and federal guidance on opioids (CDC et al), which may well have had some impact on death rates and lower opioid usage overall (Brian Allen of Mitchell made this point just after I wrote this). Dr Bradford noted that their analysis considered these possible confounding issues.
My big takeaway – there’s a significant reduction in the number of deaths due to opioids when states have access to cannabis. Like a 25% reduction.
Dr David Bradford of the University of Georgia presented this information; he and Ashley Bradford published much of this in a piece in HealthAffairs two years ago; they used Medicare and Medicaid data.
Dr Bradford noted he and Ms Bradford hope to be working with WCRI on a workers’ comp-specific study soon.

Should the BOH be concerned over the use of psychiatric drugs in our schools?

The BOH has and continues to create the aura of fear around marijuana pot shops. By all appearances, they fabricate this notion by relying on regurgitated propaganda that has been proven to be worthless and their own personal bias.  The only question is, who are they protecting from what?  Is it marijuana, pot shops, agriculture, manufacturing or testing labs. It's all of the above and is based on no factual basis. The fear is in their heads and easily spread to the un-informed. We rely on the BOH to protect us from health hazards like the flue or restaurants who don't comply with food safety standards. We rely on them to use good sound scientific judgment in determining what is a health hazard. And of coarse, an easy target for their over reach is marijuana. And while no one has ever died from an overdose of marijuana, at any age, they feel they have a responsibility to the community to create a picture of gloom and doom if pot shops come to Framingham.
In reality, there are far more real concerns out in the world. One of them, that has been ignored to this point, is the amount of psychiatric drugs prescribed to children and young adults and how that relates to the the majority of mass shootings. 
If these two reports don't send a chill down your back.. nothing will.


https://www.cchrint.org/school-shooters/
https://www.cchrint.org/school-shooters/https://www.naturalblaze.com/2018/03/well-8-million-u-s-children-now-psychiatric-drugs.html

Well Over 8 Million U.S. Children Now On Psychiatric Drugs

Posted on March 25, 2018Big Pharma

• Paul A. Philips

Not just the U.S., but the rest of the Western world, alarmingly, over the last 15 years the consistently sharp increases in child mental disorders have now reached epidemic levels. 1 in 5 children have been diagnosed with a mental health problem. In turn, more children than ever before are on psychiatric drugs.
Mental disorders – some disturbing stats
Could the rise in mental disorders be the result of the agendized push for increased psychiatric drugging that began in and around the 1990s? As mentioned earlier, 1 in 5 children have now been diagnosed with a mental health problem:
ADHD (Attention Hyperactivity Disorder) is now well over 40%
For children aged between 10-14 years suicide rates have risen by 200%
Teenager depression – up at 37%…
Psychiatric drugs – breaking down the figures
The different age groups and corresponding figures making up the well over 8 million children on psychiatric drugs in the U.S.A alone can be summarized:
Under 6 year olds – 1,146,530 (yes, that’s well over a million!) and breaking down this figure 
Less than 1 year olds – 274,804
2-3 year olds – 370,778
4-5 year olds – 500,948
6-12 year olds – 4,130,340
At 6 years old the psychiatric drugging increases greatly because school starts. If a child is constantly disrupting a class of say 20 to 30-odd other children then drugging is seen as the easiest way to ‘neutralize’ or sedate the disruptive child…
13-17 year olds – 3,617,593
Do the math and that comes to a staggering 8,894,463. For more information on these figures go here and here.
Parents not informed about the well-documented serious risk
Of course, parenting can be difficult at times. In this era, parents face new complex challenges such as, for example, how to make the right choices for their children’s mental health. Parents are up against Big Pharma’s highly deceptive psychiatric criminal drug cartel that cares more about profits than people in the ‘‘PharMonopoly.’
It begins with the parents who are informed of their child’s “mental disorder.”  The parents are then told that their child needs “medicating” without being given the full facts. They’re not told about the dangers of prescribing their child psychiatric meds that could cause serious side-effects, based on a mental disorder than has no science: No confirming medical tests to support a “diagnosis” based only on a subjective opinion from the child’s behavioural checklist. For example, consider the flaws in the case of giving a one year-old antidepressants.
How far will this agendized reckless endangerment go? It pays no heed to the pressing issue of informed consent.  In the name of freedom, the right to refuse meds needs to be preserved before every single child ends up medicated.
It’s no great secret either that psychiatric drugs don’t cure. Psychiatrists and suchlike have openly admitted this. However, if parents refuse to get their child medicated on a potentially life-destroying psychiatric drug then they could find themselves charged with “gross medical neglect” by the CPS (Child Protective Service).
What about those non-invasive, non-toxic alternative therapies?? –No money to be made on those for Big Pharma, so these options are neglected. Stand alone drug treatment should only be a last resort. A holistic approach should be used (more on this later).
School shootings
Children or adults, every day, millions are affected by mood-altering meds. Some reach their breaking point, culminating in horrific violent outbursts on others, or as suicides (or attempted suicides).
Whether it’s Columbine, Parkland, or other schools, after a pupil goes on a headline-making, school-shooting, killing rampage, there’s one thing that always ends up as “speculation” when people ask why it happened. Be it, for examples, from mainstream media or with politicians when debating gun laws, rumours abound, that “speculation” is the suggestion that the school shooting violence was brought on by the affects of psychiatric meds.
But it’s not speculation.
The link between the violence and psychiatric meds is a well-documented fact. Be it with school shootings or adults, many of these infamous mass-killers had either been on or were coming off psychiatric meds.
As long as the paid-off politicians turn a proverbial blind eye to this obvious link while allowing the Big Pharma psychiatric industry a highly lucrative cosy pathway that leads to the drug sales then we are an endangered race.
As famous psychiatrist Peter Breggin tells us in so many words, the equation is quite simple: more psychiatric meds = more mass shootings. 
Solutions
Firstly, parents need to connect the dots; educate themselves on how to make informed choices for the mental health and well-being of their children.
For optimal health and well-being
As mentioned earlier, stand alone,”band-aid” toxic drug treatment capable of assaulting the mind, body and spirit should only be a last resort. A holistic approach incorporating an IEP (Individualized Education Programme), family therapy and nutrition can be used…

Board of Health weighs in on Pot Shops

In what can only be described as comical, the BOH has issued draft guidelines for pot shops in Framingham. The hired gun, Wong never read the State approved regs and had no clue in how many pot shops were even allowed in Framingham. Based on liquor licensees, that boils down to 5 shops. This guy comes from a country that executes drug users and has little understanding of democracy and the will of the voter. Backed up by Hugo who has traditionally been apposed to all marijuana related issues. He's the one that said in a meeting years ago, that people would be smoking pot at the Town Hall, if the BOH didn't impose fines for doing so.
This is the worst example of over reach by local boards and shows their true spirit and disregard for Q4 that was passed overwhelmingly in this Town for 16 years, 6 separate ballot questions.
Along with that bad news, Council Chair Giombetti appointed Sam Mecurio to the marijuana task force.  A know-nothing guy who has never been an advocate, never read the State regs and is a want-to-be insider and party loyalist.
Look for the industry to be stopped by the zealots and by adding unnecessary regulatory rules that will cause business owners think twice and Framingham's rightful place in capturing the revenue that will come in local taxes from a billion dollar industry.
One rule I thought was particularly odd was that pot shops are to be inspected by police 3 times a year for compliance. No other industry has that type of requirement imposed on it.
The BOH has the option of doing nothing and let the State regs control the industry, that's the fair and respectful way, but not here in Framingham.

What didn't happen at FPD this week.

 Some our our readers will remember the hearing the story by Fox 25, regarding the assistant to the Police Chief. This highly paid man had no to little formal training, was issued a badge, gun and vehicle. Issued tickets and responded to calls in the field.
After coming under scrutiny by the head of the police union, the chief decided it was time for his assistant to give up his badge and gun. The rub on this, thanks to Fox 25 is, that he resigned in Oct, but didn't return his weapon to the armory. But he is still being paid over 110,000.00 a year and gets 300 dollars a month because he's a lawyer for the FPD. The union's have resisted any attempt by the chief to rein in costs and this union rep is trying his best to disrupt any attempt by headquarters to rein in a few bad apples. Not a word of this is found in any local media source.

Note: There was no comment from the Mayor's office.


https://www.fox25boston.com/news/25-investigates-assistant-to-police-chief-gives-up-badge-and-gun/720143626

Troopers accused in OT Scam

From the Globe:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/03/20/state-troopers-face-possible-discipline-overtime-scam-probe/uwrRzXj94gfQPIYKKa2B7L/story.html

FRAMINGHAM — In another black eye for the scandal-ridden Massachusetts State Police, 20 active troopers face potential sanctions for the apparent theft of overtime pay, with the most egregious alleged offenders putting in for as many as 100 no-show shifts, officials said Tuesday.
In a state agency where 245 troopers — about 12 percent of the force — made more than $200,000 last year, an internal audit of Troop E, a division that covers the Massachusetts Turnpike, found “apparent discrepancies between overtime paid and actual patrols worked,” State Police Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, superintendent of the force, said at a morning news conference.
Nineteen troopers face internal duty status hearings in the coming days to determine whether they’ll be suspended, Gilpin said. Another trooper who was already suspended for another matter and a retiree are also being investigated. If it were not for a motorists who challenged a speeding ticket on the Pike, we would have never known about any of this. Only after Channel 5 did a piece on it, did the new Colenel Gilpin step up. Imagine what we don't know and how much that costs us all.

It's unfortunate that the AG's office is leading an investigation into the State Cops. As we know, her office and the Staties are in the same bed. This will be just another back page article weeks from now and no one will be punished and the system of entitlement will never go away. And while you may think the Governor is on top of this.. he just wants it all to go away as well.

Readers of this blog will remember me writing about Framingham PD and sick time as it relates to overtime over the past 5 years. It's over the top year after year and no one is willing to investigate.  I submit, an audit of OT should be done in Framingham, but those in charge won't dare put forward such a request. Keep in mind, we are already a million in the red for this years budget.
Good thing for FPD and FFD that I din't get elected to the council.

Moms Demand Action 3.16.18

 I would have thought that this event would have packed the HS auditorium. I would have expected ALL city councilors be there along with the so-called community activists that claim that they are concerned with school safety and gun violence in our schools. Cannon was their for a few minutes, but no other councilor. 

The women who represents MDA presented a impact slide show and asked people to join her group. 

But as usual, politicians line up to be seen as the champions of the cause. The worst example was from Lewis who was not on the panel, but made his speech anyway. We have these issue's because of the inaction taken by elected officials of both parties who are just afraid to take a real stand.

 

The most questionable statement of the entire night came when the Police Chief proclaimed that a school shooting can not happen in Framingham, the "data doesn't support it". What yard stick is used to determine that?

How in any world can anyone even possibly think that. Did the Police Chief in Newtown or Parkland think it couldn't happen there?

There is no way to assure anyone, anywhere in this country that it can't happen again and to suggest Framingham is exempt is generating a false sense of security. Does the Mayor agree?

Marijuana ask? force

So the first meeting of the hand picked prohabitionsit met last night. You can veiw it on Gov TV;
http://207.172.210.8:5002/cablecast/public-site/index.html#/show/1405?channel=1

If you do watch, you will notice a definite fog among the panel. City lawyer was there and gave a short incomplete explanation of what Framingham might want to do to stop or restrict recreational sales, testing labs, grow operations and manufacturing of edibles.  Then left.. leaving the panel with so many questions, most of which could have been answered if they had only read the State approved regulations.

It's like watching "reefer Madness" live and in person. Some of the questions and comments made by Wong, Epstein and  Rossi were just over the top. Keep in mind, on Feb 20th council meeting, I gave ( at my expense a 100 page document) to all 11 members the draft regs from the State for their edification.

During that Feb 20 council meeting, the council voted to include an advocate to the Task force, which by all accounts should be me. Even Stoll is heard saying "Pillsbury should be the advocate". But there is no advocate on the Task Force, just had line party loyalists who will find any way possible, including using ignorance, lies, mis-leading information and regurgitated propaganda.

As I've said many times, a question regarding marijuana has been on the ballot, six times since 2000 and in each election, the question was passed by the majority of voters. No form of government shall ignore the will of the voters.

The war continues.

Nobscot Meeting 3.5.18 Pick your poison

For those who have missed another great meeting at Heritage last night, I'll present a simplified version. First, this is the third meeting in the past few years about the shopping plaza. In attendance was the Mayor and City Council members, Stoll, King, Sistky, Richardson, Cannon, Shepard and Steiner. Just like the past meetings, frustration over what is planned by the owner Mr. Rose and what most people polled, want. Cutting to the chase, the Mayor seemed to be confused over what has transpired over the past 10 years. The Council member's seemed to be resolved to making something happen, but it seems that they are caving to Mr. Rose.
It boils down to the owner, at his expense, move the church to next to the library, so the City can widen the intersection for a right turn at the light on Water Street. He will build a new CVS in place of the professional building there now and 152 apartments and 8k in retail space on the bottom floor.
Mr. Rose has a 50 year lease with the owners of Shaws to not let another grocery store there. I submit that if Sahw's did not restrict Rose from filling that plaza, he'd have that plaza filled with small business.
In order to make his plan work, zoning has to change.

So.. pick your poison, either we get another apartment complex with the church move and widening of the intersection and a new CVS or we get to look at an empty parking lot. As an aside, if he builds the complex, we loose parking for the Library and school.
Other than changing our blight laws, I see nothing else we can do. I am NOT in favor of adding more apartments to that area, but others just want the eye soar to go away.

Nam Vets 50th Commemorative Pinning

Calling all Vietnam Veterans who served from 1955 to 1975. On March 25^th, from 11AM to Noon, at the Vietnam Memorial Statue, MWRTA headquarters at 15 Blandin Ave in Framingham. This is a national initiative and its purpose is to recognize and thank and honor United States military veterans who served during the Vietnam War. Regardless of location, any US Veteran who served from Nov 1 1955 to May 15 1975 is eligible to receive one lapel pin. Members of the Vietnam Memorial Monument along with State and local officials from the 15 communities covered by the MWRTA and the National Guard will be in attendance. There will be light refreshments. For more information please contact Ed Carr at 508.935.2222

 

Public Records Requests

 The City has a dedicated person who handles all public records requests, known as Freedom of Information Acts. This is a real plus for anyone who has a question about anything that goes in in the City. It's easy to use and very informative.


http://www.framinghamma.gov/2196/Submit-a-Request-for-Public-Records