South Carolina Republicans: Let Them Eat Horse Paste
And, you know what? We may as well.
Last week, our country’s greatest armchair epidemiologists started spreading the word about how ivermectin, the crap they pretended could cure COVID-19, also cures hantavirus. This was particularly impressive, as many of them had only heard of hantavirus days or even hours before.
Unsurprisingly, the South Carolina House of Representatives was on it. They moved very quickly to pass a bill making the anti-parasitic available over-the-counter, for those who wish to use it for this purpose and any other. Provided it passes in the state Senate, it will be over-the-counter but dispensed by pharmacists, sort of like Sudafed is now.
The bill will also require the Board of Pharmacy to institute guidelines for dispensing the medication, including:
1) Providing the patient with a screening risk assessment tool.
(2) Providing the patient with information on the indications and contraindications for the use of ivermectin, the appropriate method for using ivermectin, the importance of medical follow-up, and any other information considered appropriate by the department.
(3) Prohibitions on dispensing ivermectin that contains any ingredients determined by the department to be harmful or in conflict with any current medications.
So … no cutting anyone’s ivermectin with fentanyl. Got it.
The pharmacists will not be held liable if they follow the rules, but it seems like they should probably also inform the “patients” that ivermectin does not work in this way, and that there are some pretty serious side effects.
“Even doses of ivermectin for approved human uses can interact with other medications, like blood-thinners,” the FDA website says, for now. “You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death.”
I am, admittedly, pretty libertarian (actual meaning of the term) when it comes to what adults put in their own bodies. While I think there should be consequences to promoting fake cures (especially when people are making money off of it), I truly cannot get it together to care, one way or another, if these freaks want to gorge themselves on ivermectin.
In fact, I’d argue that the best way to handle this is to just let them have it, with the caveat that if it goes terribly wrong (and it could, there can be some pretty serious side effects from using it regularly), the only person they or their family can sue is the person who convinced them that it was a great idea in the first place.
The fact is, there is only so much you can do to talk someone out of a very obviously bad idea — and with these folks, it certainly seems like the more you try to talk them out of it, the harder they dig their heels in. The best we can do, frankly, is to just say “Hey, I wish you so much luck with avoiding explosive seizures and possible coma, just don’t sit next to if there’s a vomiting and/or explosive diarrhea portion of your little experiment here.”
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In related news, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis lamented that he was prevented from signing a bill that would have done the same thing in his state, which was actually thwarted by some in his own party. While the state Senate approved of the measure, the House did not, and poor Ronnie’s dreams were dashed.
That bill, by the way, also included an exemption for parents who don’t want to vaccinate their children due a conflict with their “conscience or religious beliefs.”
I am definitely in favor of it being legal in Florida, of all places. After all, if it’s sold with the Sudafed, those folks might just think it can also be used to make crystal meth, and that would actually be a whole lot more safe, when you really think about it. It’s unlikely to explode or result in the creation of any meth-gators, and I think we can all agree that’s a pretty good thing.
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"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' " ― Isaac Asimov
This is the stupidest timeline ever. People have been stupid in the past, but mostly because they didn't know better. We know better now, but some people prefer ignorance, darkness, and demons.