Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Things that do us good and ill https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/ en-us Copyright (c) 2026 Public Address Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361661#post361661 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361661#post361661 Relevant:

Cannabis – labelled for decades as a "gateway drug" – is now being looked at as a potential exit strategy from life-threatening opiate addiction.

Earlier this week, state health regulators in Maine heard testimony from medical marijuana caregivers, who believe cannabis could be the key to helping people stay…

]]> Mon, 30 May 2016 14:28:08 +1200 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361648#post361648 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361648#post361648 In theory, yes. You’d be surprised how much lip service or plain ignoring still goes on.

Probably more disappointed than surprised ...

]]> Sun, 29 May 2016 17:51:29 +1200 Hilary Stace https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361645#post361645 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361645#post361645 Sun, 29 May 2016 13:06:19 +1200 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361644#post361644 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361644#post361644 It seems out of step with how we're supposed to look at healthcare these days.

In theory, yes. You'd be surprised how much lip service or plain ignoring still goes on.

]]> Sun, 29 May 2016 12:45:42 +1200 Michael Meyers https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361636#post361636 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361636#post361636 Thanks for your considered response here. I've definitely seen that this is something that you're passionate about.

Unfortunately, the mere fact that these drugs (cannabis and anything else that might be useful medically) are illegal hampers any efforts at research and clouds any judgement about their use.

Hopefully we're slowly…

]]> Sat, 28 May 2016 15:01:06 +1200 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361609#post361609 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361609#post361609 It feels to me that many people see marijuana as a panacea that big pharma are keeping from the little guy and that it will fix all ills. This is surely not that case, although I’m sure there are some areas (such as pain) where it will be useful.

I’m…

]]> Fri, 27 May 2016 16:49:43 +1200 Michael Meyers https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361603#post361603 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361603#post361603 It's interesting to read your synopsis of Dr Quigley's thoughts on medical marijuana.

It feels to me that many people see marijuana as a panacea that big pharma are keeping from the little guy and that it will fix all ills. This is surely not that case, although I'm sure…

]]> Fri, 27 May 2016 15:44:03 +1200 Joe Boden https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361600#post361600 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361600#post361600 The same problem happened to Massachusetts. It’s not just ordinary pain killers, its modified codeine advertised as pain killers that gave the American middle class an addiction epidemic. We used to call that stuff home bake heroin.

Indeed. My hometown (Pittsfield MA) was recently named the fifth worst location in…

]]> Fri, 27 May 2016 14:44:27 +1200 Shane Le Brun https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361580#post361580 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361580#post361580

At one point, more than 90% of all the prescription opioids dispensed by doctors in the US were sold in Florida.

Thats a lot of oxycontin!! I know what averaging 150mgs of Oxy a day looks like for legitimate pain, and combined with Benzo’s, her memory of that year was…

]]> Fri, 27 May 2016 08:19:12 +1200 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361577#post361577 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361577#post361577 Ok. From the posts so far I had to check I was following the same original story.
But (if I’m on the right thread) looks like Florida isn’t the only state with this problem.

Oh, indeed. But this part makes clear quite how special Florida was:

At one point, more…

]]> Fri, 27 May 2016 07:42:09 +1200 Ian Dalziel https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361576#post361576 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361576#post361576 communicable dis-ease...
I should really ditch Vodafone because their customer service is crap. But I’ve been with iHug since the 90s and have the whole (net, landline, Sky, free MySky) package through them and it would be a major hassle to move everything.
I have the same situation with Woosh…

]]> Fri, 27 May 2016 07:36:02 +1200 Alfie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361570#post361570 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361570#post361570 Thanks for taking the time to write that Tracy. I have my own SMTP server on a dedicated IP address, reverse DNS and MX are correctly configured.

I do admit my organisation blocks all SMTP traffic from dynamic addresses, and even large blocks of IPs hosted by Comcast and similar…

]]> Fri, 27 May 2016 06:51:16 +1200 TracyMac https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361567#post361567 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361567#post361567 Given the appalling amount of spam Yahoo permits, and the fact I've never had a problem with sending my self-hosted email there or with gmail, I wonder if there's some other kind of issue.

I don't want to get into a lengthy digression on SMTP server configuration, but are you…

]]> Fri, 27 May 2016 02:38:26 +1200 Eediot https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361562#post361562 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361562#post361562 Ok. From the posts so far I had to check I was following the same original story.
But (if I'm on the right thread) looks like Florida isn't the only state with this problem.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/26/utah-mormons-prescription-painkiller-addiction

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 22:55:52 +1200 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361556#post361556 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361556#post361556 our own Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs has advised against Pharmac funding the approved cannabis-based medicine Sativex on the dubious assumption that it might be "diverted".

Has anyone sought the basis of that claim?

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 20:42:59 +1200 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361553#post361553 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361553#post361553 a little bit of ad placement-related javascript

commerce hates typography :)

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 20:38:43 +1200 Alfie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361541#post361541 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361541#post361541 An increasing number of recipients block my actual emails because I have my own domain rather than using a major host (viz, gmail/yahoo/MS/apple).

Hey Moz... so it's not just me. I even set up my mail server with a secure certificate and https to get around the problem, but Yahoo…

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 19:00:49 +1200 Moz https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361536#post361536 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361536#post361536 Ian notes, it's better done by email.

I keep forgetting that your "email" is actually a form on the website. An increasing number of recipients block my actual emails because I have my own domain rather than using a major host (viz, gmail/yahoo/MS/apple). Including my workplace.

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 17:44:00 +1200 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361518#post361518 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361518#post361518 But those chemicals … has leading indent that no other para has

Unfixable consequence of a little bit of ad placement-related javascript.

And thanks – although Ian notes, it's better done by email.

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 15:51:19 +1200 Ian Dalziel https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361510#post361510 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361510#post361510 some proof-reading
You can also email Russell directly with a 'heads up' on typos etc by using the link at the bottom of the original post – well that's what I do, and that way we don't draw attention to minor flaws in the fabric of the otherwise 'award winning…

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 14:56:51 +1200 Moz https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361509#post361509 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361509#post361509 There must be some good agribusiness brains out there who could put together a workable proposal for a legal trade in cannabis.

Farmers are exactly the wrong people for this. Once someone decides how much and under what conditions, farmers are well set up to produce the crop. But letting…

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 14:47:16 +1200 Joe Boden https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361498#post361498 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361498#post361498 There must be some good agribusiness brains out there who could put together a workable proposal for a legal trade in cannabis. In addition to benefits to users and taxpayers, we'd also get the benefit of taking away one of the major sources of income for gangs in NZ.

Our…

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 13:29:03 +1200 Public Address https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361497#post361497 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-things-that-do-us-good-and-ill/?p=361497#post361497 Discussion from blog post.

]]> Thu, 26 May 2016 13:29:03 +1200