Doggie Drug Abuse–Public Policy Had a Hole Chewed Through It

PrescriptionsSurprisingly, Governor Scott Walker signed a bill this week, March 13, 2013, to exempt Wisconsin veterinarians from the state Prescription Drug Monitoring Program requirements of

1. Collecting data outlined in the state PDMP law, Pharm 18.

2. Submitting any PDMP data collected since the law took effect on Jan. 1, 2013.

I am torn on how to feel or what to think. On one hand, they are claiming this burden on veterinarians would have cost $7 million a year to the industry, ultimately passed on to the consumer of veterinary services. So kudos to the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association for protecting their members from the costly burden of recording and reporting and for protecting the consumer against increased costs of veterinary care.

On the other hand, the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) was introduced by the Pharmacy Board division of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, formerly the Department of Regulation and Licensing, to protect the public. “The Wisconsin Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) is a tool to improve patient care and safety and to reduce the abuse and diversion of prescription drugs.” The duty of this department, which licenses all professionals in Wisconsin except attorneys, is to protect the public–the consumer and their property/animals–not the veterinarian.

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Usufructuary Rights and the Chippewa

I am only kidding when I tell my Property students that using the word “usufruct” on their finals will yield extra credit, but I am in fact intrigued by the venerable notion of usufructuary rights. The holders of usufructuary rights may use and enjoy real property that is vested in another as long as they do not use up that property or do harm to it.

The potential assertion of usufructuary rights has surfaced recently in conjunction with Governor Walker’s efforts to prompt iron ore mining along the northern rim of Wisconsin and to create sales opportunities for manufacturers of mining equipment. Native Americans and particularly several bands of Chippewa (formally recognized branches of the Ojibwe people) have opposed the development of the mines because mining waste contains sulfides that pollute wetlands, streams, and groundwater. And, as it turns out, the Chippewa have usufructuary rights related to the lands where the projected mines will be located!

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Life Is Short–Appreciate It

It’s easy to be consumed by one’s work. In fact, most individuals in legal pursuits seem to pride themselves in it. Unfortunately, this can cause one to lose sight of the things that matter most—our loved ones and health in mind, body, and spirit.

Within the span of two weeks, a dear family friend was gone. Returning home from a favorite pastime, a Florida golf outing, a vivacious family man and father figure to many, suddenly found himself in the final stages of interstitial lung disease. In the coming days his condition worsened until the Lord eventually called him home at the age of 66.

As I sat in church last Friday, all I could think about was how quickly it happened. It wasn’t until the familiar arm around the neck never came, though, that reality set in. But what was that reality? That I was dejected? That a man who always had time for others, and lived life to the fullest, had been taken too early? Or, was it that maybe my own work had begun to blur important aspects of my life?

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