Journal of law and health最新文献

This Note begins with a discussion of both the national opioid problem as well as the specific epidemic in Ohio as an example of how it has grown within all of the states. Part II discusses the differences between prescription opioids and opiates, how they can be obtained, what effects they have on the human body, and why the government has an interest in this growing problem. Next, this Note explains how and why there was an increase in access and addiction to prescription opioid pain medication. Following this explanation, the steps the government has taken to try to rectify the issue are explained. Part II then explores more details about the problem of heroin use--explaining what the drug is, what an overdose looks like, and how fentanyl-laced heroin is contributing to the problem. Similar to the pain medication description, there is a discussion on steps the government has taken thus far to combat the opiate issue. Finally, Part II introduces a United States Supreme Court case, National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. In Part III, there is an in-depth analysis of why the state government solutions for dealing with the opioid epidemic have not worked thus far. This Note argues that, because even the strides that states like Ohio have taken have not solved the problem, Congress should mandate that all rehabilitation facilities accept health insurance and that all health insurance companies cover the cost of rehabilitation for opiate and opioid addiction. Analysis of the Commerce Clause, the Necessary and Proper Clause, and the Taxing Clause show that Congress has the authority to make such demands.

Through our work in youth advocacy as, respectively, legal and public health professionals, we are all too aware of the high levels of health care fragmentation experienced during pregnancy and postpartum by poor, young mothers of color. Meredith Matone's research highlights the heightened risk of fragmentation for girls with histories of child welfare involvement. For example, she found that 66.7% of young mothers who had resided in out-of-home placements and who had taken antipsychotic medication prior to becoming pregnant failed to fill prescriptions for antipsychotics in their first postpartum year. Put another way, two-thirds of these vulnerable young mothers--a far higher proportion than young mothers without histories of child welfare involvement--were not getting the treatment that they needed to care for themselves and their children. The very real consequences of this phenomenon can be seen in the experiences of Jesse Krohn's clients, several of whom have their stories told here. Treatment discontinuity, particularly during the transition to parenthood, places mothers at risk for poor health outcomes and maladaptive parenting approaches; threatens the health and safety of infants; and triggers child welfare involvement. This article explores the negative consequences and root causes of treatment discontinuity, as well as particularized population vulnerabilities for treatment discontinuity including, as noted, involvement with child welfare. It will also provide public health and child welfare policy solutions for reducing treatment discontinuity and improving mental and physical health outcomes for new mothers and infants. The population of mothers at highest risk for postpartum treatment gaps is not small: more than 40% of Medicaid-financed births to young women aged 15 to 24 occurred in mothers who had a childhood relationship to the child welfare system. It is unacceptable to be aware of the pervasiveness of this problem, particularly among intersectionally vulnerable women, and not deploy a targeted and evidence-based preventative and remedial response.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement mandates member states to implement a patent linkage system vested in Article 18.53. To successfully join the TPP Agreement, Taiwan has begun the legislation of a patent linkage system by proposing an amendment for the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. Article 18.53 requires a member either to adopt a notification mechanism under Paragraph 1 or to stay the issuance of marketing approval under Paragraph 2. But, Taiwan's proposal includes both measures. Taiwan's patent linkage system allows a pioneer drug company to register patents claiming (a) a material, (b) a combination or formula, or (c) pharmaceutical use. The scope of patentees who may benefit from the mechanism is larger than what is required. In addition, the system requires a generic drug company to notify the patentee at the time of filing the drug application if the generic drug company asserts invalidity or non-infringement which the generic drug company must prove. Furthermore, the health authority is allowed to stay the issuance of a generic drug permit while the patentee is suing the generic drug company in the court.

The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (the 'National Standard') was signed into law July 29, 2016. This Article analyzes the National Standard and posits that Vermont's Act 120 was a more effective labeling law because it safeguarded consumer sovereignty. The State regulatory scheme in place prior to the passage of the National Standard satisfied consumer demand for disclosure while allowing for necessary experimentation with GMO labeling. Part I provides an overview of the current federal scheme regulating GMOs. Part II analyzes of the conflict surrounding GMOs and labeling. Given that analysis, Part III compares the disclosure requirement of the National Standard with the requirements of Vermont's Act 120 and concludes that Vermont's labeling law offered a better safeguard for consumer sovereignty because it included a larger range of products and required a label that immediately relayed disclosures to consumers.

On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law a policy rider forestalling the therapeutic modification of the human germ line. The rider, motivated by the science's potential unethical ends, is only the most recent instance in which the legislature cut short the ongoing national conversation on the acceptability of a developing science. This essay offers historical perspective on what bills were proposed and passed surrounding four other then-developing scientific breakthroughs--Recombinant DNA, in vitro fertilization, Cloning, Stem Cells--to better analyze how Congress is, and should, regulate this exciting and promising science.

The 2014 Toledo, Ohio tap water ban has, at least temporarily, put a spotlight on United States water supplies. Consequently, many Americans have begun to take a closer look at the quality of the fresh water bodies being used to supply tap water to their homes. Therefore, this Note analyzes the problems currently threatening the lakes, rivers, and other surface waters that are the source of fresh drinking water for huge populations in the United States. Part II examines the problem of nutrient pollution and explains the harmful effects it has on human health. Part III provides an overview of the current laws governing nutrient pollution and tap water quality. Part IV analyzes the source of the problem and demonstrates that agriculture is largely responsible. Lastly, Part V suggests that the problem of nutrient pollution can be resolved through a reinterpretation of the Clean Water Act's definition of a point source.

In recent years, psychiatrists have become ever more prevalent in American courtrooms. Consequently, the issue of when the usual rules of medical ethics should apply to forensic psychiatric encounters has taken on increased importance and is a continuing topic of discussion among both legal and medical scholars. A number of approaches to the problem of forensic psychiatric ethics have been proposed, but none adequately addresses the issues that arise when a forensic encounter develops therapeutic characteristics. This article looks to the rules governing the lawyer-client relationship as a model for a new approach to forensic psychiatric ethics. This new model focuses on the expectations of the evaluee and the ways in which the evaluating psychiatrist shapes those expectations to determine how and when the rules of medical ethics should apply to forensic psychiatric encounters. This article describes and analyzes three previously proposed approaches to that question and the closely related question of when and how a doctor-patient relationship can form in the context of a forensic psychiatric evaluation. It also explains why each of these prior approaches does not sufficiently address the issues that arise when a forensic encounter takes on therapeutic characteristics. Finally, it proposes a new approach that draws inspiration from the rules governing the lawyer-client relationship.

Though Veteran Affairs has provided crucial life sustaining--and often lifesaving--treatments to returning soldiers, the substantial and ever-increasing rates of veteran suicides, drug addictions, and criminal behavior indicate a need for broader options in treatment. One of the most profound discoveries uncovered through MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research is MDMA's facilitation of the alleviation of addictive behavior in subjects, and, as a result, an alleviation of addictions in general. Addiction is one of the key symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug abuse plays a large role in the other afflictions suffered by veterans, namely criminal activity and a high rate of suicide. If there is any hope of treating this debilitating psychotic phenomenon--or at least containing its rapid growth and addressing its profound depth--alternative remedies as a means must not be ignored for a normative end. Accordingly, this note argues that physicians must be able to treat PTSD victims through MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, an alternative remedy to PTSD treatment that has shown overwhelming promise in domestic and international medical research. In doing so, it first discusses 21 U.S.C.A. Sec. 812, which labels MDMA as a Schedule I substance and prohibits healthcare professionals from using MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD victims. Next, the note asserts that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) erroneously categorized MDMA as a substance lacking an accepted medical use and lack of safety under medical supervision. The note sets out studies, domestic and international, where clinical testing of MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD have been met with overwhelmingly positive results. Finally, the note argues that MDMA's accepted medical use, low physical and psychological dependence, and known safety under medical supervision support its classification as a Schedule III under the CSA, and that the 1986 classification of MDMA as a Schedule I narcotic was, and continues to be, an arbitrary and capricious agency interpretation of an otherwise viable piece of congressional legislation.

There are many barriers to healthcare for the general population that has been documented throughout the years, with one particularly affected group being individuals with disabilities. One identified healthcare barrier for individuals with disabilities is the inability to gain access to the healthcare system through health insurance. While many attempts have been made to resolve this issue, serious problems have yet to be resolved. The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) attempted to solve the issue by expanding Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996's (HIPAA) current regulations on employee wellness programs. The relevant regulations govern employee wellness programs to allow employers to offer their employees greater incentives for meeting employer-defined health targets. This expansion has an adverse effect because it disadvantages groups like individuals with disabilities by penalizing them through higher premiums or cost sharing when they are unable to meet wellness targets. This article argues PPACA's requirement for employee wellness programs provides additional barriers to healthcare insurance for individuals with disabilities. Part I of this Comment describes how the healthcare industry discriminates against individuals with disabilities by continuing to deny them meaningful access to healthcare through payment of higher premiums. Part II examines how the wellness program provision allows employers to shift the cost of medical coverage to the employee for failure to participate in the wellness program. Part III summarizes how the ADA's reasonable requirement places an obligation on employers to make reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities, which will improve the health of working individuals with disabilities. Part IV concludes with suggestions for further reform.