Thoughts by Richard Bleil
Today (as of the writing of this post, so figure about a week ago) an article came to my attention of a man who sued to be treated for his Covid infection with Ivermectin. He won the case, and promptly died after receiving his first injection of the anti-inflammatory veterinarian drug.
No, I’m not writing this to laugh or gloat. It’s a tragedy for him and his family and loved ones, and to be honest, I’m very torn about how to feel about this. I guess I should open up with those spreading conspiracy theories who pushed for Ivermectin as a treatment, including a certain “news” organization where communications recently revealed their panic over the insurgency was completely different than what they reported to the general public. This is the greatest example of this organizations willingness to contribute to cover-ups and lies to date, and they were very much behind the claim that Ivermectin is the miracle cure for Covid that people have been wanting. This station, and any other individual or group that pushed Ivermectin should be held liable for this person’s death, as well as any further harm to anybody else that fell for it.
The reality is that there is no clinical evidence to support that Ivermectin has any beneficial value whatsoever in treating Covid (and may even be harmful). This is the reason that the individual had to sue to have the treatment in the first place. The drug is controlled and requires a prescription, so when he could not obtain one, he sued for it.
While it’s bad that he listened to the misinformation fed to him, it raises a question that has long burned in my mind regarding individual rights. This individual thought he had done his own research, and to his credit, decided to take control of his own health and medical decisions. This is something that I wish more people did. Before receiving the injection, I expect that his doctor, at the very least, warned him of the consequences, dangers and lack of clinical evidence to support any claims that it was beneficial. This much, lawsuit or not, he deserved. But once his decision was made, should he have needed to sue for the right to the treatment?
Illicit drug usage is a similar case. Drug sales should be outlawed for several reasons. We do not want drugs (of any kind) sold to minors, for example, and we do want to have some form of quality control. As the director of a forensic science laboratory, it was very common to test marijuana and have it come up as positive for methamphetamine, cocaine, or other illicit drugs, and my guess is that the person selling it did not warn their customers that it had been laced with other chemicals (no doubt to enhance addiction). But, if a person is a responsible user (as my friend is), not giving it to others, not driving under the influence and so forth, shouldn’t it be the right of people to take any drugs they wish if the only harm they are doing is to themselves? Yes, give them information on the hazards and side effects, but let them decide.
To be fair, there is a flip side to this argument. In China, opium was such a problem that, at its peak, an estimated ninety percent of the population was addicted. Opium is a harsh enough drug, so addition to it is likely not going to be a “functional addict”, that is, somebody who can control their urges well enough to take care of themselves and be productive members of society. To break the cycle, the Chinese government made opium possession and usage a capitol offense. They announced that anybody caught with it or using it would be put to death, a dramatic response to be sure, but it did work.
If there were no laws against Ivermectin, I wonder how many people would have taken it based on misinformation from questionable “news” sources (including the one I had alluded to earlier, a major source of information or, as we’ve recently seen, willful misinformation). Today’s post is not an argument to change anybody’s mind. Reading it, I’m sure anybody would be confused as to whether or not I support the concept of freely choosing your own medications. As I’ve said, I’m very torn about this topic, and hopefully I’ve simply presented a few arguments for you to consider. Whether or not you support the right to decide on your own medications (without suing to do so) is a very personal decision. I just kind of wanted to work through the argument in my mind and give my readers a few points to consider.
Bleil's Banter 