Coalition Shuns Traditional Anti-Pharma Approach, Borrows Page From Pharmaceutical Marketers and Takes Message ‘Direct to Consumers’

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 5, 2006 -- Today the Just Say “Know” to Prescription Drugs Campaign, aimed at getting one million people to stop and reevaluate the medications they are taking, released details of the campaign agenda and press conference scheduled for Saturday, October 7th at 12 pm at the DoubleTree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center of Bethesda, 8120 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20815. Co-founders and charter sponsors of the Just Say “Know” initiative will explain why the time has come for a dramatic, strategic shift in the approach to dealing with the dangers, misuses and abuses of pharmaceutical drugs. Coalition organizers will release the guiding tenets and talking points which are being distributed to all coalition members, supporters, advocates and activists. The guidelines include:

General Principles

1. Just Say Know to Prescription Drugs is a "positive" campaign.
2. Rather than being "against" any industry, organization, policy, practice, individual or group of individuals that may be harming society, the campaign is "for" people doing what they are capable of doing for themselves.

The campaign is:

For people being more proactive in managing their health and well being
For people getting access to the information they need to make optimal treatment decision
For people being an informed partner with their healthcare providers
For better collaboration between healthcare providers and patients
For doctors, psychiatrist, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals making sure patients really know what they are taking
For optimal healthcare choices, whether they are medical or non medical.

The Just Say Know Campaign has essentially lifted its strategy from the pharmaceutical marketers’ playbook. Anti-pharma organizations and likeminded advocates have traditionally focused on the supply side of the problem, lambasting pharmaceutical companies and pressing for better regulatory action. “Generally this approach has been fruitless, frustrating and deadly as more and more lives are irreparable damaged or lost to prescription drug abuses,” said Dr. Dominick Riccio, chairman of The Just Say Know to Prescription Drug Campaign. “What is clear is that the person best positioned to effect change is the individual. Let’s face it, neither doctors nor pharmaceutical sales representatives are sneaking into our homes with prescription drugs and forcing them down our throats. We are consenting and voluntarily taking these meds because we are unaware and uninformed. So we are saying to our coalition members, pharma-bashing is not the answer. Going direct to consumers and encouraging them to know what they are taking is.—We’re working the demand side of the market.”

This is a significant strategic shift within this community, but it doesn’t preclude discussions about the dark side of prescription drug abuse. “We acknowledge that many people will find it hard to be involved in this campaign without pointing the finger at pharmaceutical companies, the FDA ad other healthcare professionals, myself included,” said Dr. Gregg Tefft, co-founder of the initiative. “But what we are saying is that creating informed, proactive and empowered patients is a strategically superior solution. The new role of the prescription drug horror stories many of us have been collecting is to show why each of us needs to be more proactive and informed.”

Coalition members have declared October "Just Say ‘Know’ to Prescription Drugs Month" and the conference in Washington, D.C. on October 7th will be the official launch of the campaign.

Organizations and individuals who want to participate in the campaign may go to any of the following Web sites, look for the Just Say “Know” to Prescription Drugs logo, and download the sheet titled "Take This Form and Sign It." Instructions are provided on each form.

Laurence Simon Ph.D.
Psych Truth.Org
www.psychtruth.org/justsayknow.htm

Dr. Greg Tefft
KPNC Radio
http://www.kpncradio.com

Kelly Bradley
What’s Wrong With This Picture
http://racingthoughts.blog.ca

Kathleen Slattery-Moshkau
Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety
http://www.mo-info.com/wordpress/index.php

Dr. Donald Ardell
http://www.seekwellness.com/wellness/

Dr. Michael Siebert
http://drmichaelsiebert.com/news.html

Dr. David Randle
Global Healing
http://www.globalhealing.net/partners.html

Dr. Pamela Frank
Forces of Nature
http://www.forcesofnature.ca/news.htm

Jim Manganiello, Ed.D.
MESICS Fitness
http://www.mesicsfitness.com/jsn-news.htm

For more information email us, call 212-861-7400 or visit www.psychtruth.org/justsayknow.htm
http://www.icspp.org

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Just Say Know Initiative
Dominick Riccio
212-861-7400
E-mail Information
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