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July 30, 2007

Kevin Mannix: Big PhRMA's Whore

Freida Mae has a post up at Loaded Orygun that caught my eye. It deals with Kevin Mannix's latest initiative (I have not been able to verify this yet, as it isn't listed on the Secretary of State's website that I can see, but is also being reported here and has been expected). If Freida Mae is correct, the initiative would replace the current Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (which allows sick, hurting and dying Oregonians to legally find relief from their pain with natural marijuana) with prescriptions pharmaceutical synthetics. In other words, rather than allowing the sick and dying to grow their own natural remedies in the privacy of their own homes, Kevin Mannix wants to mandate that these sick and dying Oregonians buy chemicals that can cause panic attacks from Big PhRMA. If ever we had an indication of what Big PhRMA contributions can buy, this is it. And if ever we had an indication of where Kevin Mannix's loyalties lie (hint: it's not with fiscal responsibility or with the people), well this is also it.

Freida Mae certainly makes the case that this is not about fiscal responsibility. And Torrid Joe makes the Big PhRMA connection, too, pointing out that this is all about making money. So why would Mr. "Populist," friend of the tax limitation crowd, go for this? First, keep in mind that he can claim to be taking the moral high ground and get away with it because the sheeple believe pharmaceuticals are good and lovely and beneficial, that the pharmaceutical industry is a lot of brilliant and benevolent scientists whose sole goal in life is to help sick people get well, and that marijuana is an evil drug that will lead a person into an immoral life of heroin abuse and debauchery. But those who have been watching Mannix for awhile know he is bought and paid for by the pharmaceutical industry, as Kelly Steele pointed out at Blue Oregon back in April, 2005 when she linked to contribution reports showing $626,000 in campaign contributions he received when he ran for governor back in 2002.

In a nutshell, here is another clue that should tell you about who Kevin Mannix really is. He's a well-paid shill. In this instance, he's whoring for the pharmaceutical industry. That's all you need to know.

Posted by Becky at July 30, 2007 02:39 PM