Addiction can happen to anyone. We need to speak up. No more silence. Its time for New Hampshire to step up and make a difference.

Outrageous taxes are causing medical cannabis patients to be unable to afford their medicine of choice. Past and current proposed legislation have called for additional taxes which further separate patients from their necessary medicine. This trend remains detrimental to the health and well-being of medical cannabis patients. Medicine should never be taxed.

WE THE PEOPLE need to stand and fight together to stop the number of people dying from heroin overdoses. Heroin is killing people in staggering numbers in Massachusetts. More often than not, it is killing our younger generation, daily. We are losing the youth of our nation. I have been personally affected by this epidemic, as I lost my best friend, Jason Erickson, and many other close friends throughout 2014. I have watched my friends; family members and others within the community lose young kids and adults to this epidemic. We lost count of the funerals that took place in our town of Billerica, MA in 2014, and there have been hundreds more throughout the Commonwealth in the last year. This is on average 3-4 deaths per day within the Commonwealth. One is too many! As a result, I have made it a personal mission to act and make a difference. I submitted the following to the Governor's office, AGO, Senate and House in January 2015: Proposed Bill: Amendment to Senate Bill 2341, otherwise known as MGL Ch. 258 of the ACTS of 2014; an amendment in order to move up the effective date under Section 45 of the Senate Bill No. 2341, from October 1, 2015 to be effective immediately. This Bill relates to Sections 9 and 19 to 27, inclusive; so that no one can be refused treatment and all people who are willing to work on their sobriety can get the help they desperately need. UPDATE: The author of the above amendment and cofounder of Heroin is Killing My Town, Dina Favreau, is following this legislation very closely. Currently, there is no change in the effective date of October 1, 2015 being moved up at this time. (7/29/15) Proposed Bill: Amendment to Senate Bill 2341 otherwise known as MGL Ch. 258 of the ACTS of 2014; An amendment to Senate Bill No.: 2341, Sections 9, 21, 23, 25 and 27, inclusive, is hereby amended by striking out, the words “for up to a total of 14 days” in a detox treatment facility and inserting in place thereof the following words: - “a total of 30 days,” so that we can start to effectively treat this disease and implement better relapse prevention practices. UPDATE: The author of the above amendment and cofounder of Heroin is Killing My Town, Dina Favreau, is following this legislation very closely. Currently, this amendment has progressed to the Senate Ways and Means Committee under Senate Bill 1502 and is pending their review for financing. This bill was reported favorably with a 22-0 vote in both the House and Senate. (06/12/16) Proposed Bill: An Amendment to MGL Ch.123, Sec. 35; An amendment to insert Section 35A which provides for a mandatory 30 day involuntary commitment to a detox treatment facility, for any person whose life is saved from an opiate overdose with the use of Narcan when administered by emergency first responders or Trauma Response (ER) hospital personnel. “The OD30 Law.” UPDATE: The coauthor of the above amendment (OD30 Law) and cofounder of Heroin is Killing My Town, Dina Favreau, is following this legislation very closely. Currently, a lesser version (3 hour hold) of this amendment has been assigned to House Bill 1824, Sponsored by Congressman Tim Whelan and is pending Joint Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee at 25% progression. We (Dina and I) created this Petition in order to request the assistance of the Governor, the AGO and Congress to engage in real and immediate action to fight and save the lives of people within the Commonwealth who are battling this disease. This is an epidemic and one of the largest in history. It is our hope to use this to develop new programs with better long term success rates. Research tells us that effective inpatient treatment leads to long term sobriety and fewer relapses. In too many cases, the treatment was insufficient and, therefore, ineffective. The relapse rate for people suffering from addiction who have undergone only short-term detox (less than 30 days) is between 40 and 90 percent within the first 30 days after entering into a detox program, often with deadly consequences. For these reasons, we respectfully request that you enactment of the Proposed Amendments submitted to your offices in January 2015. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/heroiniskillingmytown

This epidemic can no longer be ignored. I have seen what Heroin can do to our children personally. My son has been struggling with addiction for 14 years. There are several drugs that have been developed to help this crisis, however the government will not fund enough money for more clinical trials. These are very promising drugs that can save our children and give them back there chance at life. We cannot ignore the huge pink elephant in the room any longer. WE NEED FUNDING NOW!

As a health care provider, I have witnessed the abuses of prescription drugs. I believe marijuana is a safer alternative to most prescription drugs. I would love to see decriminalization of this drug, and see it help contribute to PA's economy.

THE ACA, though not perfect, is the beginning of health care for all Americans, many of whom had no health care, or protection against devastating medical debt. I speak for Democrats who have worked hard to help with your campaigns and are also dedicated to help the neediest in our country. Republicans will try piecemeal to undermine the ACA, the Medical Device Tax is a wise choice, as is appears to contribute little to the revenue needed to finance the ACA. DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE INFORMATION; READ THE CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH REPORT: If your state has many Medical Device Industries - look carefully at the actual burden this tax has meant to them, not what facts you are given by lobbyists. TAKE A STAND ON SUPPORTING (OBAMACARE). VOTE NO ON S157

Any one whose family is affected by cancer know that the cost of the cancer drugs are unreasonable, bankrupt the medicare fund, and bankrupt family nest eggs. In many cases these drugs are priced at the highest possibly price and abut are not expensive to develop or to manufacture. The current patent laws are inappropriate and outdated for drug development. This was highlighted in the recent 60 minutes segment on this topic: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-cost-of-cancer-drugs/ The current law is bankrupting Medicare, the insurance companies, and our citizens. It is time for the public to pressure our representatives to change these laws which are no loner in the public interest and only benefit drug companies and their stockholders.

Excessive fluoride exposure is well known to cause a painful bone disease known as skeletal fluorosis, as well as a discoloration of the teeth known as dental fluorosis. Excessive fluoride exposure has also been linked to a range of other chronic ailments including arthritis, bone fragility, bone and bladder cancer; thyroid disease, gastric distress, and cardiovascular disease. While the lowest doses that cause some of these effects are not yet well defined, it is clear that certain subsets of the population are particularly vulnerable to fluoride’s toxicity. Populations with heightened vulnerability to fluoride include infants, individuals with kidney disease, individuals with nutrient deficiencies, and individuals with medical conditions that cause excessive thirst. Additionally, we see the fluoride chemicals added to our water contain Lead, Arsenic and other contaminants harmful to human health. Some of these contaminants, especially lead and the fluoride itself, have been shown to cause disproportionate harm to African Americans according to the CDC and scientists who have served with the EPA whose data conclude African Americans absorption rates of these contaminants are higher than other members of the population. Fluoridation of the Memphis water supply must end because WE ALL deserve Safe Water from our public utility company!

I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme Disease this year and I know it exists. I am an RN and have medical training. It is a growing problem and can be spread by other vectors than deer ticks. I have had the disease most of my life, and didn't even know it until this past year when I became symptomatic and debilitated. I am beginning to respond to treatment. Until the CDC recognizes it as a disease, not enough funding will be put into research to understand it and find a cure.

1 out of 2 of our children in America currently have a chronic illness. 1 out of two males and 1 out of 3 femals are expected to get cancer. When they do, we can see now that in many cases, they are receiving a formua that contains a chemical that can kill their gut bacteria and weaken their immune system. This is unacceptable. We ask you to change your feeding tube liquid over to an organic brand as soon as possible. Please let us know when you do.

I am a Navy veteran who served honorably from 1958-1962. I have had numerous "compensation & pension" examinations where the examining individual did not fully examine me or listen to my complaints. Some did not even look at the "part" in question. I experienced one situation where a nurse practitioner rendered one decision in my presence and then called me a few days later to tell me that after reviewing biopsy reports from five years before, she was changing her opinion. This is just one of many ridiculous incidents. My appeals have been successful when I have sought out review by private physicians.

This year's flu season is off to a dangerous start: Forty-three states have already reported widespread flu-like activity and the total number of childhood fatalities during this year’s flu season has already reached a tragic 21. The flu is spreading, but we're missing one of our most important tools to fight the flu: Paid sick days! Urge your members of Congress to help combat the spread of the flu by supporting paid sick days. Sign on to MomsRising's message and this open letter, which we'll deliver to our Congressional representatives. ____________________________________________ Dear Member of Congress, When nearly 40 million Americans, including 80% of low-wage workers, lack even a single paid sick day, it's a serious problem for the health of our families and for the health of our economy. We’re in the middle of a flu epidemic and paid sick days are one of our best tools to fight the flu, but far too many people can't earn a single one. Paychecks are precious for working families and for our economy. Yet without paid sick days, many parents have to go to work sick or send their children to school sick. In fact, our lack of a national paid sick days policy is fueling the flu epidemic. Now more than ever, we must ensure that all workers, including those serving our food and caring for our children, have paid sick days to protect our families, our businesses, and our economy. I urge you to take the next step by supporting paid sick days at the national level so all families can thrive.