To: Santa Cruz County Jail, Santa Cruz County Main Jail and Dr. Terry B. Lapid, S.C. Co. Jail Medical Director
Everyone Deserves Access To Their Prescribed Medication - Even If Incarcerated!
I believe that everyone deserves access to their prescribed medication, and that it can be very dangerous to suddenly cut someone off of their medication, especially against the advice or direction of the prescribing doctor. It is also highly unethical, as well as being against the law!
Why is this important?
In Santa Cruz County, California, many people are refused their prescribed medication when they go to Santa Cruz County Jail. The prescribed medication that they take regularly, under the direction of their doctor. It can be very dangerous and even life threatening, to be suddenly cut off of a prescribed medication, especially when it is against the advice and direction of the doctor who knows them and prescribed the medication! But this hasn't stopped the medical director at this jail, Dr. Terry B. Lapid, from behaving so recklessly... This is why I'm hoping this petition might bring change to how things are done when it comes to inmates receiving their important, prescription medications...
I know firsthand how dangerous this can be, because my boyfriend recently went to jail. He is prescribed methadone. When he got to the jail, they were very eager to take a urine sample. After many attempts to find out what they wanted the sample for, he found out... They told him that if he tested dirty for ANYTHING else, he would not be given his prescribed medication. That includes testing "dirty" for marijuana, alcohol, or any other prescription medications that he couldn't show proof of having at the time, etc... ANYTHING ELSE!! My boyfriend smokes pot, and had a prescription for it, but it expired a few months previously. This meant he was cut off, suddenly, from methadone, which is a very important medication for some people to take! It causes complete chaos, cutting someone off of a medication like that suddenly! And not only that, but his doctor who prescribes him methadone wanted him to continue taking it! Dr. Lapid went against his doctors advice, and had complete disregard for my boyfriend's wellbeing, health and LIFE! People's lives are NOT a game to be played with!
Like my boyfriend, many people in jail are waiting for their guilt or innocence to be determined in court. So this means that someone who may not even be guilty of a crime, are having their lives thrown into upheaval, being denied their prescription medication, for no reason! They are being punished for nothing! It is NOT justice, it is completely unethical and recklace for Dr. Lapid to ignore the advice and direction of a person's regular doctor. These are people's LIVES! If Dr. Lapid refuses to give EVERYONE their prescribed medication, when the prescribing doctor is advising that they continue taking it, he needs to lose his job, and be replaced with someone who can do the job properly.
I know firsthand how dangerous this can be, because my boyfriend recently went to jail. He is prescribed methadone. When he got to the jail, they were very eager to take a urine sample. After many attempts to find out what they wanted the sample for, he found out... They told him that if he tested dirty for ANYTHING else, he would not be given his prescribed medication. That includes testing "dirty" for marijuana, alcohol, or any other prescription medications that he couldn't show proof of having at the time, etc... ANYTHING ELSE!! My boyfriend smokes pot, and had a prescription for it, but it expired a few months previously. This meant he was cut off, suddenly, from methadone, which is a very important medication for some people to take! It causes complete chaos, cutting someone off of a medication like that suddenly! And not only that, but his doctor who prescribes him methadone wanted him to continue taking it! Dr. Lapid went against his doctors advice, and had complete disregard for my boyfriend's wellbeing, health and LIFE! People's lives are NOT a game to be played with!
Like my boyfriend, many people in jail are waiting for their guilt or innocence to be determined in court. So this means that someone who may not even be guilty of a crime, are having their lives thrown into upheaval, being denied their prescription medication, for no reason! They are being punished for nothing! It is NOT justice, it is completely unethical and recklace for Dr. Lapid to ignore the advice and direction of a person's regular doctor. These are people's LIVES! If Dr. Lapid refuses to give EVERYONE their prescribed medication, when the prescribing doctor is advising that they continue taking it, he needs to lose his job, and be replaced with someone who can do the job properly.