The Hill: Pfizer increases prices on 100 drugs

CNN contributor and science guru Dr. Sanjay Gupta did a special segment on Sunday, "Weed 4: Pot vs. Pills," detailing the medicinal benefits of cannabis, particularly as it pertains to avoiding and treating addition to opiate-based painkillers. In it, he speaks to drug abusers who use weed to combat their addiction. One football player even said that marijuana being a gateway drug was a myth. In the linked article, Sanjay describes how using prescribed opiates to reduce pain can become "a vicious cycle." Do you think marijuana can, or should, be used to solve the opiate epidemic? Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/29/health/medical-marijuana-opioids/index.html

What are your thoughts on this article? What policies should the commission implement and how? Source: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/9/17215006/opioid-epidemic-trump-elizabeth-warren-patty-murray

The opioid crisis has deeply affected rural communities; Vinton County is no exception. According to the Washington Post, the Ohio district has spent 25 percent of their annual budget ($4 million total) addressing the effects of the epidemic, namely paying for childcare and imprisoning drug abusers. What are your thoughts on this article? Should pharmaceutical companies be held responsible, as Ohio residents suggested? Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-the-opioid-epidemic-rages-the-fight-against-addiction-moves-to-an-ohio-courtroom/2018/04/07/97b82b84-2636-11e8-874b-d517e912f125_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f5e7e2a714fc