FROM THE LAWHERN FILES:
REPORTED BY
NORMAN J CLEMENT RPH., DDS, NORMAN L.CLEMENT PHARM-TECH, MALACHI F. MACKANDAL PHARMD, BELINDA BROWN-PARKER, JOSEPH SOLVO ESQ., REV. C.T. VIVIAN, JELANI ZIMBABWE CLEMENT, BS., MBA., WILLIE GUINYARD BS., JOSEPH WEBSTER MD., MBA, SHELLEY HIGHTOWER, BS., PHARMD., LEROY BAYLOR, ADRIENNE EDMUNDSON, JAY K.JOSHI. MD., MBA., NATASHA DUVALL PHARMD., WALTER L. SMITH BS., LEROY BAYLOR, BS., MS., MS., BRAHM FISHER ESQ., MICHELE ALEXANDER, CUDJOE WILDING BS, DEBRA LYNN SHEPHERD, BERES E. MUSCHETT, STRATEGIC ADVISORS
youarewithinthenorms.com
“SUICIDES, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH INCLUDED PEOPLE UNDER AGE 59. ABOUT HALF WERE WOMEN, AND ALMOST ALL WERE WHITE. SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUNDS WERE THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DEATH”
ARTICLE BY
Sally Satel is a psychiatrist, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and a visiting professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
This re-published article from “youarewithinthenorms” argues that the United States Department of Justice and DEA opioid prescribing guidelines have endangered the lives of white people, emphasizing the central theme: “WHEN DOCTORS ARE PRESSURED, PATIENTS SUFFER !!!” The text asserts that these guidelines have led to an “opiophobia,” causing chronic pain patients, “almost all of whom were white,” to be abandoned by healthcare providers, resulting in worsening pain, suicidal ideation, and even actual suicides. It highlights the desperate measures patients take, such as becoming “pain refugees,” resorting to risky substance combinations, or turning to illicit drugs like street heroin, all while doctors face fear of law enforcement and imprisonment. Despite later clarifications from the CDC and FDA acknowledging misinterpretations of the guidelines, the article concludes that the negative impacts persist, ultimately suggesting a broader agenda to destabilize America’s healthcare system.
DOCTORS PRESSURED, PATIENTS SUFFER
The consequences of this new opiophobia have fallen on the shoulders of patients experiencing acute or chronic pain, many of whom have found themselves abandoned by healthcare providers in the name of preventing opioid abuse and addiction.
Dose tapering for chronic-pain patients with commercial health insurance and Medicare Advantage has risen significantly in recent years, and a quarter of these patients have experienced faster dose reductionsadvised, according to a 2019 study by researchers at the University of California, Davis. than medically
In 2017, a survey of 3,100 chronic-pain patients by the non-profit Pain News Network revealed that 71% could no longer obtain necessary opioid medication from a doctor or had to settle for a lower dose.
“Suicide is perhaps the most devastating consequence of the crackdown on opioid prescriptions.”
Eight out of 10 said their pain and quality of life had worsened, and more than 40% said they had considered suicide as a way to end their suffering. Even some patients with sickle cell disease and terminal cancer — subgroups that the CDC explicitly excluded from the reach of the guideline — were not immune from painful dose reductions or complete cutoffs.
Many of these abandoned patients have become “pain refugees,” a tragic cadre of individuals who chase the dwindling numbers of physicians still willing to prescribe even modest doses of opioids. Traveling hundreds of miles every few months to obtain care in another city or state, they often drain their limited incomes on the odyssey.
According to research conducted by Drs. Neil Anand and Norman J Clement of youarewithinthenorms.com, ” The medical surveillance system operates through multiple layers. It begins with primary data collection, where every prescription filled generates data points that feed into federal databases, creating a “digital fingerprint” of each physician’s practice.
This algorithm processes over 50 “risk factors” related to prescribing patterns (e.g., geographic distances, prescription quantities, payment methods, drug combinations, temporal analysis) to generate an “Anomaly Risk Score.” The DEA then uses these scores to flag physicians for federal investigation, providing an “impermissible evidentiary shortcut” that criminalizes medical decisions based on statistical correlations rather than individualized proof of criminal intent or patient harm.
This data is then subjected to algorithmic processing by Isolation Forest, which continuously generates and updates anomaly scores. High anomaly scores trigger targeting and investigation by the DEA, often involving covert surveillance.
Finally, these algorithms provide prosecution support, with government experts testifying that anomaly scores demonstrate criminal intent during trials. The system is characterized by its comprehensive monitoring, its ability to flag physicians based purely on statistical deviation, and its transformation of medical decisions into mathematical calculations.”
Those who stay with their local doctors often try to boost their reduced doses by adding alcohol or benzodiazepines for pain relief, unintentionally increasing the risk of overdose. (In fact, the danger of such combinations has led to an exaggerated perception of the inherent danger of opioid pain relievers, which, on a population level, are rarely the sole cause of a fatal overdose.)
Other pain patients who’ve had their doses tapered or cut off have replaced opioids with large amounts of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as Advil, acetaminophen, or aspirin, which puts them at increased risk of liver injury, renal damage, and bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract. Still others report being required to undergo invasive procedures, such as implantation of medication pumps, in order to manage their pain.
Some patients have become so desperate for relief that they’ve moved to inherently riskier drugs after losing access to prescription opioids. “The VA cut my pain meds cold turkey after over 25 years,” a veteran told Fox News. “I now buy heroin on the street.”
Though the percentage of such patients is small (perhaps 5% over five years, according to estimates from SAMHSA), turning to street pills has proven dangerous. The Drug Enforcement Administration warns that sales of counterfeit pills — consisting of fentanyl pressed into pill shapes with familiar tablet markings — have been linked to overdose deaths nationwide.
Suicide is perhaps the most devastating consequence of the crackdown on opioid prescriptions. Case studies documented by physicians and personal tragedies memorialized on social media give the strong impression that poorly treated pain has pushed some patients into taking their own lives. Since 2011 Anne Fuqua, a retired nurse and chronic-pain patient, and Terri Lewis, a doctor of rehabilitation medicine with Southern Illinois University, have maintained a registry of people who took their own lives following physician-initiated changes or cuts in their doses.
To date, they have confirmed 584 suicides, the majority of which included people under age 59. About half were women, and almost all were white. Self-inflicted gunshot wounds were the most common cause of death, followed by hanging, carbon-monoxide poisoning, and jumping off a bridge. One veteran in New Jersey set himself on fire.
UNSCIENTIFIC BOGUS DEA-DOJ GUIDELINES HAVE SENT HIGHLY TRAINED MEDICAL DOCTORS AND PHARMACIST TO PRISON
Following 2016, advocacy organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the American Cancer Society urged the CDC to revise its recommendations. To the agency’s credit, it responded. In 2019, the centers issued a press release and published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine stating that their guideline had been sorely misinterpreted as a federal mandate to reduce patients to 90 MME. (listen to podcast Jefferey Singers MD)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-daily-podcast/follow-science-opioids
The Food and Drug Administration followed suit. Citing reports of “serious withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled pain, psychological distress, and suicide” among patients inappropriately cut off from pain relievers, the agency issued a memo requiring changes to opioid labels so that they specifically warn of the risks of sudden and involuntary dose tapering. HHS also produced a guide on careful tapering practices.
Unfortunately, the corrected record has not had much impact. “The clarification did not filter down,” observes Kate Nicholson, a Denver-based civil-rights attorney.
“Patients are still being forced to have doses reduced or discontinued, and are experiencing outright abandonment by their clinicians. And doctors still fear law enforcement.”
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
SALLY
FOR GIVING THE WORLD THE TRUTH ABOUT SCIENCE
FOR NOW, YOU ARE WITHIN
THE NORMS
VIDEO NOT PUBLISHED IN ORIGINAL JUNE 20, 2021 ARTICLE
Highlight from C-Span Video
https://www.c-span.org/video/?418535-1/opioid-epidemic
1. IDENTIFIES THE RACIAL ASPECT OF THIS OPIOID ISSUES THE DRIVING FORCE
2. DESCRIBES VICODIN, DILAUDID, AS HEROIN
3. CORRUPT DOCTOR WITH PRESCRIPTION PAD
4. SAM QUIONES , BEJAMIN BARRON, LISA GIRION, JILL HORWITZ
5. JILL HORWITZ DIRECTLY QUOTES “KOLODNY” NARRATIVE RACE SAVES BLACKS AND HISPANICS
6. “FOOTBALL IS THE GATE WAY TO HEROIN ADDICTION”; SAM QUINONES, LISA GIRION SUPPLY STORY
7. BARRON BENJAMIN “TARGETING PHARMACIES” DOCTORS ARE MURDERERS EASY CASES TO PROSECUTE DATA ANALYTICS,
8. THE MIND SET BEHIND THE ORIGINS OF JEFF SESSION OPIOID PROGRAM
9. SAM QUINONES “THIS EFFECTS WHITE PEOPLE” AND REPEATS IT SEVERAL TIME AT 52: MINUTE MARK” EFFECTS “WHITE PEOPLE” ALL STEREO TYPES ARE USED IN THIS VIDEO
10. SAM QUINONES: 57: MIN MARK VICODIN 3 TONS 1990 TO 43 TONS 2010 99% UNITED STATES, RACIAL /BENJAMIN BARRON DEMOGRAPHICS “HITTING WHITE PEOPLE IN A DIFFERENT WAY”
https://www.c-span.org/video/?418535-1/opioid-epidemic
Timeline of Main Events
- Before 2011: Opioid prescriptions were more readily available for chronic pain patients.
- 2011 onward: Anne Fuqua and Terri Lewis begin maintaining a registry of suicides linked to physician-initiated changes or cuts in opioid doses.
- After 2016: Advocacy organizations like Human Rights Watch and the American Cancer Society call on the CDC to revise its opioid recommendations, indicating increased negative impacts from existing guidelines.
- 2017: A survey by the non-profit Pain News Network of 3,100 chronic-pain patients reveals that 71% could no longer obtain necessary opioid medication or had to settle for a lower dose.
- 2019:A study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, indicates a substantial increase in dose tapering for chronic-pain patients with commercial health insurance and Medicare Advantage, with a quarter experiencing faster-than-medically-recommended tapers.
- The CDC issues a press release and publishes an article in the New England Journal of Medicine clarifying that their 2016 guideline was misinterpreted as a federal mandate to reduce patients to 90 MME (Morphine Milligram Equivalent).
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues a memo requiring changes to opioid labels to warn of risks associated with sudden and involuntary dose tapering, citing reports of “serious withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled pain, psychological distress, and suicide.”
- HHS produces a guide on careful tapering practices.
- June 20, 2021: The original article “HOW THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE DEA OPIOID PRESCRIBING GUIDELINES HAS ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF WHITE PEOPLE: WHEN DOCTORS ARE PRESSURED, PATIENTS SUFFER !!!” is published by “youarewithinthenorms.”
- December 2, 2022: The article is “RE-Published” by “You’re Within The Norms.”
- May 9, 2024: Renee Blare comments on the re-published article, expressing frustration with media portrayal of fentanyl and pharmacy counting trays.
- 2025 (and potentially beyond): The “youarewithinthenorms” website continues to publish content related to advocacy against current opioid guidelines.
Cast of Characters
- Norman J Clement RPh., DDS: (Primary author/contributor to “youarewithinthenorms”) A registered pharmacist and dentist, listed as a reporter and a central figure behind the “youarewithinthenorms” publication. Appears to be an activist and writer.
- Norman L. Clement Pharm-Tech: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Malachi F. Mackandal PharmD: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Belinda Brown-Parker: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Joseph Solvo Esq.: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms,” indicating a legal background.
- Rev. C.T. Vivian: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Jelani Zimbabwe Clement, BS., MBA.: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Willie Guinyard BS.: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Joseph Webster MD., MBA: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms,” indicating a medical background.
- Shelley Hightower, BS., PharmD.: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms,” indicating a pharmaceutical background.
- Leroy Baylor: Listed twice as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms” (once with BS., MS., MS. degrees).
- Adrienne Edmundson: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Jay K. Joshi. MD., MBA.: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms,” indicating a medical background.
- Natasha Duvall PharmD.: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms,” indicating a pharmaceutical background.
- Walter L. Smith BS.: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Brahm Fisher Esq.: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms,” indicating a legal background.
- Michele Alexander: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Cudjoe Wilding BS: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Debra Lynn Shepherd: Listed as a reporter for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Beres E. Muschett: Listed as a Strategic Advisor for “youarewithinthenorms.”
- Sally Satel MD: A psychiatrist, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and visiting professor at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is the author of the article featured in the source, which critiques the consequences of opioid prescribing guidelines.
- Anne Fuqua: A retired nurse and chronic-pain patient who, since 2011, has maintained a registry of people who died by suicide after opioid dose changes or cuts.
- Terri Lewis: A doctor of rehabilitation medicine with Southern Illinois University who, since 2011, has maintained a registry of people who died by suicide after opioid dose changes or cuts.
- Kate Nicholson: A Denver-based civil-rights attorney who observes that the CDC’s clarification on opioid guidelines has not had much impact, and doctors continue to fear law enforcement.
- Jefferey Singers MD: Mentioned as someone to listen to in a podcast regarding the CDC’s clarification on opioid guidelines.
- Sam Quinones: Identified as a speaker in the C-Span video, providing narrative and data on opioid issues, particularly focusing on the impact on “white people” and linking football to heroin addiction.
- Benjamin Barron: Identified as a speaker in the C-Span video, discussing the targeting of pharmacies, prosecuting doctors as “murderers,” and using data analytics. Also discusses the racial demographics of the opioid crisis.
- Lisa Girion: Identified as a speaker in the C-Span video, supplying stories related to the “football is the gateway to heroin addiction” narrative.
- Jill Horwitz: Identified as a speaker in the C-Span video, directly quoting the “Kolodny” narrative that race saves Black and Hispanic individuals.
- “Kolodny”: Referenced as a source for the narrative that race protects Black and Hispanic individuals in the context of opioid issues.
- Jeff Sessions: Mentioned as a figure whose “mindset” influenced the origins of an opioid program, likely during his tenure as Attorney General.
- Renee Blare, RPh (disabled, licensed in Wyoming): A commenter on the “youarewithinthenorms” article, expressing strong views against the DEA’s actions, claiming they criminalize pain patients and are part of a larger effort to destabilize America’s healthcare system.
- Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
