[PASSED] International Drug Education

[The Sapian Empire]

If drugs are bad enough to educate people not to do them, then why do we even take the chance with making them legal?!?!?!
It's illogical and pointless. Make the damb crap illegal, and that will be the end of it. No need to waste more money on education programs to teach kids what they ALREADY KNOW.

[Mousebumples]

who makes up this nonsense?

*waves* Hi, I made up this "nonsense." I'm sorry to hear that you didn't support the now-passed resolution, but clearly a majority of WA voters disagreed with you.

If drugs are bad enough to educate people not to do them, then why do we even take the chance with making them legal?!?!?!
It's illogical and pointless. Make the damb crap illegal, and that will be the end of it. No need to waste more money on education programs to teach kids what they ALREADY KNOW.

Not all drugs are bad or should be made illegal. There are many drugs with helpful medical uses, so unless you are very much a past time nation (operating in, say, the 1800s or earlier), your nation likely uses some drugs for medicinal purposes. Pain relievers and antibiotics are the most common and basic, but there are many different fields into which pharmaceutical drugs can spread.

Further, this proposal is not about educating people not to do drugs - of course, it isn't about legalizing or encouraging people to do drugs either. It's about spreading information from completed drug research studies on an international level to allow for improved health care outcomes.

It's often helpful to read the entire proposal before commenting rather than making assumptions off merely the title.

Yours,
Ambassador Lizzy Hall
Leader of the Doctoral Monkey Feet of Mousebumples
WA Delegate for Monkey Island

[Krioval]

Congratulations, of course, are in order. Best of luck on your next endeavor, unless I don't like it. Heh.

Aleksei-kan Volkov
Imperial Chiefdom of Krioval

[Mousebumples]

Congratulations, of course, are in order. Best of luck on your next endeavor, unless I don't like it. Heh.

I now feel challenged to attempt a proposal which you dislike until I persuade you to think differently. Perhaps The Palentine will allow me to borrow the Thessadorian Ambassador for such an effort ...

Thanks!

[Urgench]

The ongoing debate is brought to a sudden halt as the doors to the General Assembly chamber fly open, revealing a lone ambassador of seventy-odd years standing in the door-frame. Walking with only the slightest hint of a limp this familiar figure strides down the central aisle, seemingly unaware of the confused whispers that have begun to rise around his entrance. As if sensing their distress he takes the lectern with a casual air, his grin befitting an old friend, or a relative long ago lost

"Good evening, ambassadors. I daresay you may have forgotten who I am- I know that I certainly would have were I in your place, although I suppose it is my old age that I may blame for that. I am Sigismund Ibsen, the Greenlandic Ambassador to the World Assembly. There was a time when I held the title of Delegate too, but you know...the tides of politics and all.

Now the stance of my government is FOR this resolution, but I have something more important to talk about. Now the more inquisitive among you may be wondering: 'Mr. Ibsen, where have you been and why has it taken you so long to return to your duties?' Well, you see, the answer is really quite simple...

I was in my office one day earlier in the Spring, dictating a resolution to my secretary on the use of penguins as footrests, whereupon there was a knock on my door. I was most surprised- it was half past ten by this point, and I never receive visitors after the eighth hour, unless I invited them, in which case they invariable arrive at 11:56 in the morning.

I was rightfully suspicious, and I called out to the unknown passer-by to identify himself and explain his business with me at once. You can imagine my surprise when, instead of the prompt and polite explanation that I had requested, my queries were met only with silence and an odd shuffling sound. At this point I began to grow frightened, and my mind began to consider the various possible identities of my unknown visitor.

Naturally, I concluded that the unknown quantity was none other than an Urgenchi garroter, sent by the vile Khan Mongkha in order to vindicate his honor after the terrible thrashing that my loyal huscarls gave his warriors in the Free Trade Pie War. Having decided this to be the most sensible conclusion I hastily armed myself with the pistol that I keep in my desk and promptly imitated the sound of a rearing horse- horses being practically magnetic to a step going peoples such as the Urgenchi.

Naturally my ruse worked, but you can surely imagine my surprise when the villain in question was not a garroter at all, but a Turkoman shaman, fully versed in all the unholy arts of Muspellheim. So surprised was I by this unpredicted turn of events that I failed to discharge a single round from my pistol before the vile sorcerer sent me tumbling into a chaotic abyss of time and space.

After a brief and traumatizing trip I landed in the midst of a sweeping field, filled with placid goats. Naturally, my unmatched expertise in the field of goats allowed me to quickly identify the species, and I was able to discern that I had in fact emerged from my ordeal in my native Greenland, circa 1499. I was left with no means of getting home.

The rest of my journey is significantly less exciting. For the next five-hundred years I lived a mundane and unexciting life. I partook in the Greenlandic expedition to Palaam, briefly becoming an adviser to Sultan Vishtaap III, although I later resigned after the unnatural length of my service drew unwanted attention. Some decades later I traveled to the Steppes and attempted to organize the Akamian army to resist that of Altanar, but this too ended in failure and obscurity. I ultimately spent the rest of my years as a traveling sailor until I clandestinely used the shaman skills I had learned among the Zanjani to attack myself in my office and take over my role as Greenlandic ambassador to the World Assembly.

In short, it is good to be back, and I look forward to working with you all once again."

We must presume that his Excellency, the honoured and revered Ambassador Ibsen has spent too much time at a branch of Goshtarak, Torgut & Aspavarkhan's Pharmacopeia, Licenced Purveyors under Imperial Warrant of Fine Deleriants, Intoxicants, Psychedelics, Dissociatives, Euphorics, Empathogens, Stimulants and sundry other substances, to the Imperial Court of the Heavenly Khanate since 1754 TM or some variant thereof.

The Government of the CSKU is deeply disturbed at the accusation that his Excellency, Mongkha, the Noble Khan of Kashgar our ambassador to the WA is a shameful and dishonourable assassin of some kind, the more so since the character of relations between the CSKU and Greenland were thought to be more positive than heretofore, and since his Excellency the Noble Khan of Kashgar is of spotless reputation and his probity and morals utterly beyond reproach.

We are also somewhat confounded by honoured Ambassador Ibsen's summary of the outcome of what he terms "The Free Trade Pie War", the facts concerning the conclusion of which do not seem to confirm his Excellency's rather optimistic description. So far as we know, the CSKU's record of spotless victory remains unblemished.


Regarding the passage of this resolution, the government of the CSKU wishes to congratulate its authors on having successfully passed so well written and so popular a statute. May the Horde of Mousebumples ride swift across the plain and ever to its banner for all time.

Yours,

[Mousebumples]

Regarding the passage of this resolution, the government of the CSKU wishes to congratulate its authors on having successfully passed so well written and so popular a statute. May the Horde of Mousebumples ride swift across the plain and ever its banner for all time.

Many thanks to you and the people of the CSKU for their support of this piece of legislation. Onward!

[Bears Armed]

Somebody's already submitted a repeal attempt...


EDIT: Never mind, it's already been deleted... Oops! I was looking at the wrong forum, it's still there: Here's the text_

Repeal "International Drug Education"
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation

Category: Repeal
Resolution: GA#103
Proposed by: Daves Old America


Description: WA General Assembly Resolution #103: International Drug Education (Category: Education and Creativity; Area of Effect: Educational) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: RECOGNIZING the vital importance of drug and pharmaceutical research

HOWEVER REGRETTING that this particular resolution was rushed to a vote despite being environmentally and economically impractical, and the fact that it's stipulations will leave thousands to die each year.

APPALLED due to the rulings show here, any drug company would not waste their time or money to develop snake-bite antidotes within the rules and regulations.

NOTING that this will economically drain the companies, possibly forcing bankruptcy, leaving us out in the dry.

CONCERNED that this will hurt the economy of many, and leaving thousands of snake-bit victims to die.

HEREBY REPEALS Resolution 103, "International Drug Education"

Approvals: 1 (Krankor)

Status: Lacking Support (requires 55 more approvals)

[Mousebumples]

... Interesting. And not really based on reality/text of the passed resolution at all, as I will delineate below:

HOWEVER REGRETTING that this particular resolution was rushed to a vote despite being environmentally and economically impractical, and the fact that it's stipulations will leave thousands to die each year.

Rushed to a vote? Drafting of this proposal began in February - so over 5 months ago.

APPALLED due to the rulings show here, any drug company would not waste their time or money to develop snake-bite antidotes within the rules and regulations.

*blinks* Say what?

NOTING that this will economically drain the companies, possibly forcing bankruptcy, leaving us out in the dry.

Again, lacking logic. How will a lack of production of snake-bite antidotes economically drain the economies of the drug companies?

CONCERNED that this will hurt the economy of many, and leaving thousands of snake-bit victims to die.

I made no reference to snake-bit (or snake-bite) victims/antidotes within the proposal/resolution. So, again, the logical fallacy fails here.

After a bit more consideration, I believe they're referencing the stipulations placed on expanding WAFADRA funding for "already discovered medication therapies." Therefore, their critique is not applicable as development of new therapies are not specifically covered under this piece of legislation. (UCTA might take care of that, though ... )

I must admit, though, I do feel a bit important as I now have a resolution that has merited an attempt at "instant-repeal." However, if those lacking arguments are the best that the opposition can cobble together, I am not terribly concerned about such a repeal succeeding.

[Bears Armed]

I must admit, though, I do feel a bit important as I now have a resolution that has merited an attempt at "instant-repeal." However, if those lacking arguments are the best that the opposition can cobble together, I am not terribly concerned about such a repeal succeeding.

OOC: Huh, it used to be the case that just about every resolution got at least one insta-repeal attempt... Somebody even tried one for The Previous International Organisation's version of my 'Meteorological Cooperation' resolution, based on a claim that the IMO's assigned role of studying the weather was really just a cover for establishing a network of TPIO spy satellites!

[New Rockport]

Repeal "International Drug Education"
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation

Category: Repeal
Resolution: GA#103
Proposed by: Daves Old America


Description: WA General Assembly Resolution #103: International Drug Education (Category: Education and Creativity; Area of Effect: Educational) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: RECOGNIZING the vital importance of drug and pharmaceutical research

HOWEVER REGRETTING that this particular resolution was rushed to a vote despite being environmentally and economically impractical, and the fact that it's stipulations will leave thousands to die each year.

APPALLED due to the rulings show here, any drug company would not waste their time or money to develop snake-bite antidotes within the rules and regulations.

NOTING that this will economically drain the companies, possibly forcing bankruptcy, leaving us out in the dry.

CONCERNED that this will hurt the economy of many, and leaving thousands of snake-bit victims to die.

HEREBY REPEALS Resolution 103, "International Drug Education"

Approvals: 1 (Krankor)

Status: Lacking Support (requires 55 more approvals)

(emphasis added)

The text in bold type, above, looks awfully familiar. How much of someone else's text is a proposal author allowed to use without running afoul of the plagiarism rule?

[Enn]

Rushed to a vote? Drafting of this proposal began in February - so over 5 months ago.

Well, if you're comparing it with the length of time it takes for an Ennish proposal to get to vote, I suppose it might be 'rushed'. 8 months and 5 years for the two of them.

[MI Social Engineering]

Our collective cheers this resolutions pass almost unanimously. Good work WA.

On a side note, we have begun immediate research into various substances that can count as drugs so that the world may properly educate its peoples on the effects of drugs.

First up is the effects of releasing airborne hallucinogens into a fire fight, followed by the effects of Prozac on overly aggressive drivers.

[Mousebumples]

OOC: Huh, it used to be the case that just about every resolution got at least one insta-repeal attempt... Somebody even tried one for The Previous International Organisation's version of my 'Meteorological Cooperation' resolution, based on a claim that the IMO's assigned role of studying the weather was really just a cover for establishing a network of TPIO spy satellites!

Well, clearly, they're on to you! In all seriousness, though, I suppose it makes sense - although there aren't nearly as many repeals being proposed now, as I remember from the Olden Days ...

Rushed to a vote? Drafting of this proposal began in February - so over 5 months ago.

Well, if you're comparing it with the length of time it takes for an Ennish proposal to get to vote, I suppose it might be 'rushed'. 8 months and 5 years for the two of them.

Valid, I suppose! This one took longer than ULC - which did only draft for a few weeks. Of course, ULC had been previously drafted under the Previous Body, so that only needed some tweaking for rule-compliance.

On a side note, we have begun immediate research into various substances that can count as drugs so that the world may properly educate its peoples on the effects of drugs.

First up is the effects of releasing airborne hallucinogens into a fire fight, followed by the effects of Prozac on overly aggressive drivers.

I am very intrigued by the studies that your nation is beginning, and I cannot wait to see the results. Thanks for the support!

[Mousebumples]

OOC: This article in the NY Times about the diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) is a very good example of why I wanted to include all completed drug research within the database. (emphasis is mine)

In the fall of 1999, the drug giant SmithKline Beecham secretly began a study to find out if its diabetes medicine, Avandia, was safer for the heart than a competing pill, Actos, made by Takeda.

Avandia’s success was crucial to SmithKline, whose labs were otherwise all but barren of new products. But the study’s results, completed that same year, were disastrous. Not only was Avandia no better than Actos, but the study also provided clear signs that it was riskier to the heart.

But instead of publishing the results, the company spent the next 11 years trying to cover them up, according to documents recently obtained by The New York Times. The company did not post the results on its Web site or submit them to federal drug regulators, as is required in most cases by law.

...

The latest documents demonstrate that the company had data hinting at Avandia’s extensive heart problems almost as soon as the drug was introduced in 1999, and sought intensively to keep those risks from becoming public. In one document, the company sought to quantify the lost sales that would result if Avandia’s cardiovascular safety risk “intensifies.” The cost: $600 million from 2002 to 2004 alone, the document stated.

A GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman, said that the company had not provided the results of its study because they “did not contribute any significant new information.”

...

“When drug companies withhold data regarding safety concerns about their medicines, they put patients at risk,” said Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Mr. Baucus and Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the committee’s ranking Republican, spent years investigating GlaxoSmithKline’s development of Avandia.

The whole article is interesting, I think, but (OOC) I'm a pharmacist so I geek out over drug-related stuff.