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Morgan Barnes

Law Enforcement Officer, government agency

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Closing Statement from Morgan Barnes


Once again I thank you all for your contributions


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  • Dec 17 2012: Let me start out by saying that I'm not American (I'm Canadian) and have no business suggesting you change your laws. That said, I don't believe it's your abundance of guns that is the root of the problem, but I do think it's problematic. I mean, growing up, my Dad and I hunted so if I ever went crazy, I could have access to his hunting rifles. Most of my friends did not have fathers who hunted so they had no such access. We did not know a guy in an alley who sold guns, we could not buy bullets underage. Even the guns our fathers had for hunting were only allowed to have 5 shot clips. It would be much less likely for a kid "going postal" to show up at a school with military grade firepower.

    That said, I believe the epidemic of legalized, addictive drugs is the real issue. All these anti-depressants and anti-psychotics etc. that large pharmaceutical companies get approved with dishonest practices. Meanwhile, doctors are receiving kickbacks for prescribing drugs. Not some bad doctors, every single doctor you know. How can anyone look at that situation and not want change? Meanwhile, the best anti-depressant with decades of not causing any addiction or psychotic break (marijuana) is outlawed because big pharmaceutical companies cannot profit from it. How are they getting away with it? How are Americans not outraged by the blatantly corrupt medical system? Are you all too addicted to these drugs to call a spade a spade?
    Schools also seem to need a much better system to prevent bullying. Locking people up or taking away their rights is not the answer. Prevent these kids from being treated cruelly by their peers (who are still young and lack the judgement that prevents adults from behaving like they're the lord of the flies). That means adult supervision of all kids on school premises at all times.
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      Dec 17 2012: Dustin, I must have read your comment wrong, or I'm not understanding your implications. Are you saying that the root problem of US's violence is caused by anti depressants, and that all doctors are receiving kick backs for prescribing them? I truly hope that is NOT you're indication because if it is, then you sound..._______.
      First, the medical industry's rules and regulation currently in the US are extrememly tight, regulated not by the US Government (although the Sunshine Act has just been passed), it is regulated by the industry themselves. Which I can tell you, is very strict. Kick backs are illegal. Does it happen, I'm sure it does on a scale, but nowadays doctors don't want to risk their license for writing drugs.
      Second, the majority of anti-depressants are not addictive. Have you taken time to read up on the chemical compound of the drugs? SSRIs do not have anything addictive formulation. You must be thinking of Opiods, which are not dispensed like Pez candy. They require a "duplicate" Rx pad, which is tracked by the FDA. I'm just going to use the class of SSRI in my examples, they take upwards of 2-4 weeks to have full theraputic effect, to allow our synapes to collect and distribute the serotonin that our receptors cannot grab. If you're going to throw addiction around, coffee is addictive...
      Third, the subject of marijuana, I do believe that there are many medicinal benefits of marijuana. However, have you ever read up on the dozens of peer reviewed clinical papers that correlate depression and other mental illness with marijuana? Now the findings are NOT saying that marijuana causes depression, but they are saying that there is a higher incidence of marijuana use in people that suffer from depression. What about other mental issues? The studies find that when the subjects come off of the "high" from the drug, it seems to trigger something in the cortex that could induce schizophrenic episodes. What's my point? Read up before you comment
      • Dec 17 2012: 10 secs in Google and:

        Withdrawal symptoms of antidepressants:

        Effexor is one of the top 10 most profitable drugs. Shows a pretty strong motive.

        Doctors receiving kickbacks:

        "they are saying that there is a higher incidence of marijuana use in people that suffer from depression"
        Perhaps because it is the safest and best drug to offer short term treatment (my opinion). It should be the go-to drug for depression. Of course, enriching people's lives is a better solution.

        It's absolutely my indication that your doctor is receiving kick backs for the drugs he is prescribing. I remember asking my doctor how much money he was going to receive for giving me a particular prescription once. He looked rather hurt and said "well, I would never let that affect my judgement." (he did not directly answer) I suspect he even believed it. As anyone knows the long term affects of positive reinforcement are going to push the most ethical person to repeat a behavior. Needless to say, I did not fill his prescription.

        Not going to retaliate to your tone but you sound..... defensive.

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