Los Angeles County Allows Sale Of Needles; LAUSD Update; Pasadena Unified Update; The Iranian Elections; Doctors, Drugs And The Influence Of Marketing
Los Angeles County Allows Sale Of Needles
The LA County supervisors voted Tuesday to allow pharmacies to sell up to 10 syringes to customers over the counter without a prescription. By voting in favor of the sale, Los Angeles County joins several counties and cities throughout California in the controversial effort to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. Critics of the policy say that it will only increase drug use and promote unfettered distribution of needles. Ted talks with Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Director of Public Health and County Health Officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Zev Yaroslsvsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Craig Thompson, Executive Director of Aids Project Los Angeles, and John Lovell, lobbyist for the California Narcotic Officers’ Association.
LAUSD Update
On Tuesday the school board discussed proposed implementation of stricter graduation requirements for high school students and plans for a violence prevention program. Guest host, Ted Chen, talks with LAUSD board President, Jose Huizar, about the latest developments in the district.
Pasadena Unified Update
At Monday’s Pasadena School Board meeting, officials discussed possible solutions for the district’s 9.2 million dollar budget deficit. Ted speaks with Dr. Percy Clark, Superintendent of Pasadena Unified School District, about cost-cutting options.
The Iranian Elections
On Friday Iran will have a contentious election that will pit hardline conservatives against pragmatists and reformers. Hanging in the balance are women’s rights and this pivotal country’s relationship with the United States. Guest-Host Ted Chen talks to Hadi Semati, associate professor of political science on the faculty of law and political science at the University of Tehran, who comes to us from the studios of the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington DC, where he is currently working. Other guests on the show are Hossein Hedjazi, program director and host of a social and political radio show on KIRN, a Persian-language station in Southern California, and Nayereh Tohidi, acting chair and associate professor of women's studies at Cal State Northridge and a research associate at the center for Near Eastern studies at UCLA. Hossein talks about the relationship of the Iranian community in California to developments in Iran, while Nayereh discusses the role of women in this election.
Doctors, Drugs And The Influence Of Marketing
Are those ads you see for prescription drugs causing doctors to give medicine that patients may not need? Guest-host Ted Chen talks to Jamie Reidy, former Pfizer sales rep, whose book Hard Sell traces the push to sell Viagra and other prescription drugs, Dr. Ronald Epstein, lead researcher on an American Medical Association study on the impact of marketing on prescription drug decisions, and Dr. Paul Antony, Chief Medical Officer for Pharma. He’s also a practicing physician in the military reserve, where he writes prescriptions.