By Donna Westfall – February 26, 2018 with Credit to Nick Meyers, February 10, 2018 at AltHealthWorks.com –

Pennsylvanian Senator, Mike Folmer (R) lashed out against mandatory vaccines. One of the most difficult messages to get across to Congresspeople and other politicians is the need for better regulation of the pharmaceutical industry, especially considering the vast amount of lobbying donations these leaders are swimming in.

The pharmaceutical industry spends far more than any other industry on lobbying, and they also control most of the airwaves because of the enormous amount of money they spend on television ads.

But not all of our political leaders are taking the Big Pharma assault sitting down, and Pennsylvania Senator Mike Folmer is definitely one of them, as evidenced by two powerful pieces of legislation he plans to introduce in order to help rein in one of the country’s most out-of-control industries.

Senator Folmer, plans to introduce legislation that could change the way the vaccine industry does business as we know it.

The first of the two planned pieces of legislation revolves around “Informed Consent,” a bill which Folmer plans to introduce in order to require that patients and parents are given enough information before they consent to vaccinations.

“Consistent with my successful medical cannabis initiative, I believe all medical decisions should be between a patient and their physician – including the right to informed consent or informed refusal in the use of vaccines,” he wrote in the post, dated January 3, while also saying that “sticking needles into a human body is the very definition of intrusive and challenging the right to the government to mandate vaccines.”

His thoughts on the requirements for what Informed Consent should constitute are simple and common-sense based. “I believe Informed Consent should, at a minimum, mean the person from whom consent is being sought be given the opportunity to understand what they are being given, what the risks and benefits are, and other potential consequences of the procedure they are facing,” Folmer said.

Quick Fact: On June 30, 2015 Governor Brown signed SB 277 and personal and religious belief exemptions will not be allowed in California, effective July 1, 2016. However, if a parent files a letter or affidavit stating beliefs opposed to immunization prior to Jan. 1, 2016 that exemption will apply until the next grade span.

To add insult to injury…Senator Folmer is also taking aim at perhaps an even more controversial government edict, the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, which prevents the many thousands of people who are harmed, sometimes seriously, from suing the companies they believe to be responsible.

Instead, a taxpayer-funded “vaccine injury court” has been created that shields the drug makers from responsibility. The entity has paid out over $3.7 billion since the act was announced, and many cases of serious harm have been reported over the years.

“This federal law prevents those harmed by a vaccine from suing pharmaceutical companies making these products,” Folmer said. “I believe this Act violates patient’s rights by limiting options to refuse vaccinations or seek due process of law as guaranteed by the 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”

When Crescent City fought fluoridation back in 2012, one of the arguments used was concerning informed consent; monitoring the dose and making medical decisions without any doctor taking a medical history. That ban against adding fluoride to our public water is still in place to this day.

Now we’re faced with a similar situation with medical cannabis. Many will agree that patients are being helped with medical cannabis, but is it fair to wonder how many patients are seen by doctors to monitor the amounts of THC for any specific medical condition?

At the Board of Supervisors meeting, Tuesday, February 27th, agenda item number 13 is to cover two things:

1) Approve the introduction of the Ordinance prohibiting commercial Cannabis activity by title only and waive further reading of the Ordinance and

2) set the Ordinance for adoption at the March 13, 2018 Board of Supervisors meeting as requested by County Counsel.

You can read the proposed Ordinance by going to the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors page and bring up AGENDA ITEM #13 for February 27, 2018.

In essence, if the County does nothing, then the State steps in and that’s rarely a good thing.

To date, the state has issued only one temporary retail license since February 15, 2018 regarding commercial cannabis.