{"id":94167,"date":"2025-08-25T16:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T00:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/?p=94167"},"modified":"2025-06-29T06:55:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T14:55:32","slug":"medicated-america-is-drugged-and-deceived","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/prophecy\/medicated-america-is-drugged-and-deceived\/","title":{"rendered":"Medicated America is drugged and deceived"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"\/medications-342462__180.jpg \" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"180\" \/><em><br \/>\n(Wikipedia photo)<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/cogwriter.htm\">COGwriter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Those in the USA use a lot of medications:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h4>Medicine Use<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>A total of 6.3 billion prescriptions were dispensed in 2020 with growth slowing to 1.7% after adjusting for the increased use of 90-day prescriptions for chronic therapies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Medicine Spending and growth drivers<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. medicine spending increased 0.8% on a net price basis to $359 billion, which reflects an increasing gap between list or invoice prices and manufacturer net revenues.<\/li>\n<li>Real net per capita spending \u2013 adjusting for net prices, population, and economic growth \u2013 declined in 2020 to $1,085 and has increased only $56 since 2010.\u00a0\u00a0\u2022 Specialty medicines now account for 53% of spending, up from 27% in 2010 and driven by growth in autoimmune and oncology therapies.\u00a0\u00a0 accessed 06\/26\/22 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iqvia.com\/insights\/the-iqvia-institute\/reports\/the-use-of-medicines-in-the-us\">https:\/\/www.iqvia.com\/insights\/the-iqvia-institute\/reports\/the-use-of-medicines-in-the-us<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If it seems like about half the country is on drugs, that is because it is actually true. According to a new survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, almost half of all Americans have taken a pharmaceutical drug within the past 30 days, and that officially makes us <a title=\"\u201cthe most medicated country in the world\u201d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-7006121\/Nearly-half-Americans-prescription-drugs-report-reveals.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cthe most medicated country in the world\u201d<\/a>. And needless to say, those dealing these drugs are becoming exceedingly wealthy at our expense. The average American spends <a title=\"$1,200 a year\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fool.com\/retirement\/2019\/03\/25\/heres-what-the-average-american-spends-on-prescrip.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$1,200 a year<\/a> on prescription drugs, but of course many Americans spend far more than that and others spend nothing at all. &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Without a doubt, there are some pharmaceutical drugs that greatly help people. In fact, many people wouldn\u2019t be alive today without them.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, it has been estimated that Americans spend somewhere around <a title=\"$200 billion a year\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-7006121\/Nearly-half-Americans-prescription-drugs-report-reveals.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$200 billion a year<\/a> on drugs that they do not need, and this new survey from the National Center for Health Statistics discovered that 46 percent of all Americans have taken a prescription drug <a title=\"within the last 30 days\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-7006121\/Nearly-half-Americans-prescription-drugs-report-reveals.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">within the last 30 days<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n<p>I am sorry, but there is no way that half the country needs to be hooked on drugs.<\/p>\n<p>And for senior citizens that number is much higher. In fact, the survey found that a whopping <a title=\"85 percent\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-7006121\/Nearly-half-Americans-prescription-drugs-report-reveals.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">85 percent<\/a> of Americans over the age of 60 are currently on at least one pharmaceutical drug.<\/p>\n<p>For adults under the ago of 60, antidepressants are being taken <a title=\"more than anything else\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-7006121\/Nearly-half-Americans-prescription-drugs-report-reveals.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">more than anything else<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>For young adults antidepressants are king. According to the most recent numbers, 11.4 percent of 20- to 59-year-olds had taken a drug to help with their mood in the last month when they took the survey.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Could this help to explain why so many people are walking around like zombies these days?<\/p>\n<p>And since nearly all mass shooters have been found to be on some kind of mind-altering drug, perhaps Congress should finally take some action in this area. It can be exceedingly difficult to get off these insidious drugs, and many that get hooked on them end up staying on them for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n<p>Of course antidepressants are just one part of the problem. For example, opioids are some of the most addictive drugs on the entire planet, and their overuse has destroyed countless lives all across America. 05\/08\/19 <a href=\"http:\/\/endoftheamericandream.com\/archives\/the-most-medicated-country-in-the-world-46-of-americans-have-taken-a-pharmaceutical-drug-within-the-last-30-days\">http:\/\/endoftheamericandream.com\/archives\/the-most-medicated-country-in-the-world-46-of-americans-have-taken-a-pharmaceutical-drug-within-the-last-30-days<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Plus, more and more are accepting the use of marijuana. Many have been deceived about medications and drugs like marijuana.<\/p>\n<p>Before going further, note that there are side effects also from medications. Notice this report:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"entry-title\">Diabetes drug may cause infection that destroys genitals, study warns<\/h2>\n<p>A certain type of drug used to treat diabetes may help manage the disease, but a new study advises physicians to look for troubling signs of a dangerous flesh-eating infection in patients taking that drug\u2014one that could even kill.<\/p>\n<p>Per <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2019\/05\/08\/diabetes-drug-linked-flesh-eating-genital-infection-study-finds\/1146986001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USA Today<\/a><\/em>, the study published in the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/annals.org\/aim\/article-abstract\/2732837\/fournier-gangrene-associated-sodium-glucose-cotransporter-2-inhibitors-review-spontaneous\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Annals of Internal Medicine<\/a><\/em> examined ties between sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, used in Type 2 diabetes treatment, and a genital infection called <a href=\"https:\/\/rarediseases.org\/rare-diseases\/fournier-gangrene\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fournier gangrene<\/a>, an \u201cextremely rare but life-threatening\u201d disorder, per the Food and Drug Administration, which looked at 55 cases of patients with the infection. <a href=\"https:\/\/fox8.com\/2019\/05\/09\/diabetes-drug-may-cause-infection-that-destroys-genitals-study-warns\/\">https:\/\/fox8.com\/2019\/05\/09\/diabetes-drug-may-cause-infection-that-destroys-genitals-study-warns\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As far as medications and costs go, notice that an earlier report found that the United States spends more on medications than other developed nations, yet Americans do not live longer:<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote><p>November 5,, 2015<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>Americans spend twice that of other developed countries on drugs, but don&#8217;t live longer.<\/p>\n<p>An annual <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oecd.org\/els\/health-systems\/health-at-a-glance-19991312.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development<\/a> compares spending on health care and outcomes for its 34-member nations. Here are some of the findings:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The U.S. spends twice the average annually on pharmaceuticals.<\/li>\n<li>Health care spending is 16.5 percent of GDP, the highest of all the organization&#8217;s nations and 2.5 times more than the average.<\/li>\n<li>In 1970, average life expectancy in the United States was a year above the average. Now it is almost two years behind the average, at 78.8 years versus 80.5.<\/li>\n<li>Although the growth of U.S. health care spending has slowed, high-priced medicines will continue to drive up costs in coming years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Two factors drive spending on pharmaceuticals: more Americans than ever <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/prescription-drug-use-rising-in-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">take prescription drugs<\/a> and companies have been <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/higher-drug-prices-support-profits-not-research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hiking prices<\/a>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/americans-pay-more-for-drugs-but-dont-live-longer\/\">http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/americans-pay-more-for-drugs-but-dont-live-longer\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>November 4, 2015<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>The United States spends more on health care than any other developed nation.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s one finding from a new report, &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.oecd-ilibrary.org\/social-issues-migration-health\/health-at-a-glance-2015_health_glance-2015-en\">Health at a Glance 2015<\/a>,&#8221; from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re spending more than twice the amount on health care compared to several other countries including Germany, Canada, and France, where actual health outcomes <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/whats-wrong-with-healthcare-in-the-us-2014-9\">have been better<\/a> for years.<\/p>\n<p>In 2013, the report found, we outspent all other OECD countries &#8220;by a wide margin,&#8221; <strong>shelling out roughly $8,713 for each resident.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The average of all OECD countries in the report was $3,453, putting our spending at 2.5 times that amount. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/oecd-health-report-on-health-expenditure-2015-11\">http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/oecd-health-report-on-health-expenditure-2015-11<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>Pharmaceutical drugs, artificial medicines, are not the answer for many health issues. For what its worth, it has been several decades since I personally took any medications (I do take nutritional supplements, which I do not consider to be in the same category).<\/p>\n<p>The results of the report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development brought to mind some scriptures, which I then added to:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>11 In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured. (Jeremiah 46:11)<\/p>\n<p>12 And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. (2 Chronicles 16:12)<\/p>\n<p>4 But you forgers of lies, You are all worthless physicians. (Job 13:4)<\/p>\n<p>25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. (Mark 5:25-26)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>The USA is already technically bankrupt, meaning that it cannot pay back its bills so it keeps borrowing more. The cost of prescription drugs, which President George W. Bush signed into law (called the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act) in 2003, and the &#8216;Affordable Care Act&#8217; (ObamaCare), that Barack Obama signed into law, are both expensive and are adding to the debt burden of the USA (for something else on ObamaCare, see <a title=\"Permanent Link to CBS: Obamacare designed to take advantage of the stupidity of USA voters\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/prophecy\/cbs-obamacare-designed-to-take-advantage-of-the-stupidity-of-usa-voters\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">CBS: Obamacare designed to take advantage of the stupidity of USA voters<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>There are multiple factors that affect health and for many of those, medications really cannot help.<\/p>\n<p>The USA pushes and promotes GMO &#8216;foods&#8217; around the world that I have major health concerns about (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/gmos-bible-prophecy.htm\">GMOs and Bible Prophecy<\/a>). The USA also pushes and promotes a lot of excessively-processed &#8216;foods&#8217;, which now also include GMOs.<\/p>\n<p>For example, grits, which once were made of ground, whole organic corn, are now made with degerminated GMO corn, \u2018fortified\u2019 with synthetic (petroleum-derived) vitamins. After corn was \u2018degerminated\u2019 thousands of people in the Southern USA died from a disease called pellagra. Instead of going back to whole corn, chemically-derived synthetic vitamins were added, which I consider to be dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>Breakfast cereals used to be one of the original \u2018health foods\u2019 when Dr. Kellogg first introduced <em>Corn Flakes<\/em> at his clinic in Battle Creek, Michigan. It was basically made of whole organic corn. Now, it seems to be made with GMO corn (its label does not state otherwise, which in the USA means the corn source is almost always genetically-modified) and is \u2018fortified\u2019 with synthetic vitamins.<\/p>\n<p>Many other breakfast cereals, especially the ones targeted towards children are made of refined, degerminated grains, synthetic vitamins, a lot of sugar, and artificial colors. <em>Pop-Tarts <\/em>are made of refined, degerminated grains, synthetic vitamins, fruit, sugar, gelatin (probably biblical unclean; see also <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/unclnt.htm\">The New Testament Church and Unclean Meats<\/a>), and artificial colors.<\/p>\n<p>As far as sodas go, they are not healthy, often contain GMOs, and most should avoid them, yet the USA is a big consumer of them.<\/p>\n<p>As far as bacon (biblically unclean), biscuits, and gravy go, a study came out showing that the typical Southern diet (which tends to contain those) was unhealthy and increased risk for strokes (see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/obesity.htm\">Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Processed and uncleaned meats are a health risk for many (see <a title=\"Permanent Link to Certain American \u2018foods\u2019 gross out foreigners, while American hotdogs often have ingredients no one should eat\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/prophecy\/certain-american-foods-gross-out-foreigners\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Certain American \u2018foods\u2019 gross out foreigners, while American hotdogs often have ingredients no one should eat<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the Bible warns about eating things that are not really food:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,<br \/>\nAnd your wages for what does not satisfy?<br \/>\nListen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Refined processed \u201cbreads,\u201d refined and artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, and some other items commonly associated with junk foods, and hydrogenated fats would seem to be consistent with that warning.<\/p>\n<p>What should you eat? You should eat real food and be careful about your quantities.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>2\u2026Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. Artificial medications are not the solution.<\/p>\n<p>People should also get enough physical activity and exercise, if appropriate (1 Timothy 4:8).<\/p>\n<p>Fasting can also be helpful.<\/p>\n<p>The USA can spend its way into artificial health. It is currently spending its way into more debt.<\/p>\n<p>Back in 1976, the old Worldwide Church of God published the following:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-52469\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Dilemma_Of_Drugs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"326\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Psychoactive Drugs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Technically speaking, a drug is any substance (other than food) that by its chemical nature affects the structure or function of a living organism.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors usually refer to a drug in terms of its ability to treat physical and mental diseases. They stress the therapeutic value. But many laymen now focus on the negative connotations of the word. For them, \u201cdrug\u201d has become a four-letter word of the worst kind, an epithet, an obscenity. When used in conversation it provokes strong emotional reactions. It\u2019s a good word to start an argument with, or even a fight.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Medicine and Menace<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You encounter a lot of this when discussing drugs. They can relieve pain, prevent infection and save lives. That\u2019s good! But they can also destroy bodily tissue, impair healthy bodily metabolism, enslave by addiction and ultimately kill. That\u2019s bad!<\/p>\n<p>The drug problem would be greatly simplified if drugs were not ambivalent, if they were very selective in their effects. If only drug X eased pain, but was not addicting, if only drug Y helped people relax but didn\u2019t adversely affect the brain or the liver.<\/p>\n<p>But drugs don\u2019t work that way. Rather, their effects are varied and often ambivalent \u2014 they have the potential to simultaneously hurt or harm, depending on a number of variables. Because any drug can play both the role of medicine or health menace, any description of its effects is bound to sound like a \u201cthat\u2019s-good, that\u2019s-bad\u201d routine.<\/p>\n<p>Morphine presents a good example of a \u201cthat\u2019s-good, that\u2019s \u2014 bad\u201d story. It came into widespread use as a pain-killer during the American Civil War (1861-65). So effective was it as an analgesic for wounds and amputations that physicians sometimes referred to it as \u201cG.O.M.\u201d \u2014 \u201cGod\u2019s own medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s good!<\/p>\n<p>But in time morphine was found to be addicting \u2014 prolonged use followed by abstinence led to agonizing withdrawal symptoms. \u201cGod\u2019s own medicine\u201d turned out to be \u201cthe Devil\u2019s own misery.\u201d Hundreds, if not thousands (accurate statistics are hard to come by), of war veterans inadvertently became drug addicts.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s bad!<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s the nature of opiates. And it illustrates a fundamental principle of pharmacology: any drug can be dangerous depending on the dosage, the duration of use, its purity and many other factors. No drug is completely \u201csafe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Recognizing this, the Federal government under the Controlled Substances Act regulates drugs according to their potential for abuse. The drugs are listed in five schedules in descending order of proven abuse potential and current medical usage.<\/p>\n<p>Schedule I lists drugs deemed to have great abuse potential and no legitimate medical use. The score or so drugs on this list include heroin, LSD, mescaline, psilocybin and marijuana.<\/p>\n<p>Schedule II lists drugs with great abuse potential that have legitimate medical uses. Drugs in this list can come under production quotas, and telephone and refillable prescriptions are prohibited. The psychoactive drugs listed here include the opiates such as morphine and synthetic opiates such as methadone and Demeral, certain barbiturates of the short-acting type, methaqualone and amphetamines. Altogether over 1300 drug preparations are listed!<\/p>\n<p>Schedules III, IV and V list drugs with correspondingly less proven abuse potential. The widely used tranquilizers Librium and Valium are in Schedule IV \u2014 a classification the manufacturers have protested. Altogether over 3600 drug preparations are covered by these three schedules.<\/p>\n<p>The list is not static. On the basis of new evidence and accumulated experience, drugs are often being added to the list. And drugs already listed are sometimes moved to higher schedules, indicating greater proven abuse potential.<\/p>\n<p>The dual nature of drugs guarantees that the debate over their benefits versus hazards will continue for some time. (Graunke DP. The Dilemma of Drugs. Worldwide Church of God, 1976)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Since that came out in 1976, the opioid crisis has worsened.<\/p>\n<p>Notice also the following:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The term \u201cbig pharma\u201d is really making its rounds as more and more people become aware of the fact that the major corporations that manufacture the majority of our \u201cmedicine\u201d are actually criminals. The latest example comes from a recent case where a federal jury found multiple top executives of Insys-Therapeutics, a well-known pharmaceutical company that sold a fentanyl-based painkiller (opioids), guilty of racketeering charges and contributing to America\u2019s current opioid epidemic.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/05\/02\/health\/insys-trial-verdict-kapoor.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Times<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The verdict against Insys executives is a sign of the accelerating effort to hold pharmaceutical and drug distribution companies and their executives and owners accountable in ways commensurate with the devastation wrought by the prescription opioid crisis. More than 200,000 people have overdosed on such drugs in the past two decades. Federal authorities last month for the first time filed felony drug trafficking charges <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/04\/23\/nyregion\/opioid-crisis-drug-trafficking-rochester.html?module=inline\">against a major pharmaceutical distributor, Rochester Drug Cooperative,<\/a> and two former executives, accusing them of shipping tens of millions of oxycodone pills and fentanyl products to pharmacies that were distributing drugs illegally. &#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ma\/pr\/pharmaceutical-executives-charged-racketeering-scheme\">U.S. Department of Justice document<\/a> reads:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Several pharmaceutical executives and managers, formerly employed by Insys Therapeutics, Inc., were arrested today on charges that they led a nationwide conspiracy to bribe medical practitioners to unnecessarily prescribe a fentanyl-based pain medication and defraud healthcare insurers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Pretty wild, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p>This is great, but how deep does the deception go? How much power do these corporations and their executives hold? Below is a great quote from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that explains the issue quite well:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The pharmaceutical companies have been able to purchase congress. They\u2019re the largest lobbying entity in Washington D.C.. They have more lobbyists in Washington D.C. than there are congressman and senators combined. They give twice to congress what the next largest lobbying entity is, which is oil and gas\u2026 Imagine the power they exercise over both republicans and democrats. They\u2019ve captured them (our regulatory agencies) and turned them into sock puppets. They\u2019ve compromised the press\u2026 and they destroy the publications that publish real science. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=w9y-OTaJPOQ&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">source<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>We don\u2019t really live in a democracy, we are living in a \u2018corporatocracy.\u2019 There are many products manufactured by pharmaceutical companies that are highly questionable in light of evidence like the example above. Take, for example, when pharmaceutical companies were not disclosing all information regarding the results of their drug trials. Researchers looked at documents from 70 different double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) and found that the full extent of serious harm in clinical study reports went undocumented. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/the-hidden-harm-of-antidepressants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Another great example comes from documents showing that pharmaceutical companies are deliberately concealing information for the sole purpose of getting us to comply with an \u201cofficial\u201d vaccination schedule. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.collective-evolution.com\/2019\/05\/09\/big-pharma-exec-pushing-opioids-found-guilty-of-racketeering\/\">https:\/\/www.collective-evolution.com\/2019\/05\/09\/big-pharma-exec-pushing-opioids-found-guilty-of-racketeering\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Yes, many in the pharmaceutical industry are drug pushers. And yes, money influences a lot of &#8220;medical&#8221; decisions.<\/p>\n<p>As far as opioids go, the reality is that many people have physical and spiritual pain and they reach out to drugs for relief. This tends to be addictive.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/philadelphia-remnant-beliefs.htm\"><em>Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a> (CCOG) recently put out the following video on our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/BibleNewsProphecy\">Bible News Prophecy<\/a> YouTube channel:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a class=\"yt-simple-endpoint inline-block style-scope ytd-thumbnail\" tabindex=\"-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3R7KGeSMa7w\" rel=\"null\" aria-hidden=\"true\"> <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"img\" class=\"style-scope yt-img-shadow\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/3R7KGeSMa7w\/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEjCNACELwBSFryq4qpAxUIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJDeAE=&amp;rs=AOn4CLABnh7TXFHm48hBl4x8uaidyl2HoQ\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<span class=\"style-scope ytd-thumbnail-overlay-time-status-renderer\" aria-label=\"13 minutes\"> 13:19 <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"meta\" class=\"style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\">\n<blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\"><a id=\"video-title\" class=\"yt-simple-endpoint style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\" title=\"Opioid Crisis\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3R7KGeSMa7w\" aria-label=\"Opioid Crisis by BibleNewsProphecy 11 hours ago 13 minutes 34 views\">Opioid Crisis<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p>Since 1997, over 700,000 Americans have died related to opioids. What are opioids? What does the National Institute on Drug Abuse teach about them? Why do people use them? Are they effective? Can they be addictive when medically-prescribed? Does the UK have a problem with opioids? Did Great Britain force China to accept opioids in the 19th century? Has pharmaceutical greed been a factor in the opioid crisis? What is the dilemma of drugs? Is switching to non-opioid substances like marijuana the answer? Does the Bible provide insights related to mind altering substances? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. A written article of related interest is available titled \u201c<a title=\"Permanent Link to Opioid Crisis Leaves 700,000 Americans Dead\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/doctrine\/opioid-crisis-leaves-700000-americans-dead\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Opioid Crisis Leaves 700,000 Americans Dead<\/a>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Here is a link to the sermonette video: <a id=\"video-title\" class=\"yt-simple-endpoint style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\" title=\"Opioid Crisis\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3R7KGeSMa7w\" aria-label=\"Opioid Crisis by BibleNewsProphecy 11 hours ago 13 minutes 34 views\">Opioid Crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While the USA fights its opioid epidemic, it is in the process of increasing its marijuana epidemic, which more and more US states are encouraging.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"style17\">18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)<\/p>\n<p class=\"style17\">21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty (Proverbs 23:21)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite what the pro-marijuana forces claim, marijuana is not healthy.\u00a0We put together the following related video:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div id=\"contents\" class=\"style-scope ytd-shelf-renderer\">\n<div id=\"scroll-outer-container\" class=\"style-scope yt-horizontal-list-renderer\">\n<div id=\"scroll-container\" class=\"style-scope yt-horizontal-list-renderer\">\n<div id=\"items\" class=\"style-scope yt-horizontal-list-renderer\">\n<div id=\"dismissible\" class=\"style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\">\n<p><a class=\"yt-simple-endpoint inline-block style-scope ytd-thumbnail\" tabindex=\"-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C_NoUuxpsvI\" rel=\"null\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"yt-core-image yt-core-image--fill-parent-height yt-core-image--fill-parent-width yt-core-image--content-mode-scale-aspect-fill yt-core-image--loaded\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/C_NoUuxpsvI\/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwE2CPYBEIoBSFXyq4qpAygIARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBvABAfgB_gmAAtAFigIMCAAQARhlIGUoZTAP&amp;rs=AOn4CLCEw7QeLpd6Q-8qH0oa4KDRDhjs2g\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"overlays\" class=\"style-scope ytd-thumbnail\">\n<div class=\"thumbnail-overlay-badge-shape style-scope ytd-thumbnail-overlay-time-status-renderer\">\n<div class=\"badge-shape-wiz__text\">14:44<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"details\" class=\"style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\">\n<div id=\"text-metadata\" class=\"style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\">\n<div id=\"meta\" class=\"style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\">\n<h3 class=\"style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\"><a id=\"video-title\" class=\"yt-simple-endpoint style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\" title=\"Does marijuana cause harm?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C_NoUuxpsvI\" aria-label=\"Does marijuana cause harm? by BibleNewsProphecy 15 views 4 hours ago 14 minutes, 44 seconds\">Does marijuana cause harm?<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap\" dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color\" dir=\"auto\">Many consider that the use of marijuana is both safe and non-addictive. Is that so? The New York Times reported that since the legalization of the drug across much of the USA, that there have been increases in physical and mental disorders among users of cannabis products. Modern marijuana is often more potent than what many used last century . \u201cAbout 18 million people \u2014 nearly a third of all users ages 18 and up \u2014 have reported symptoms of cannabis use disorder.\u201d Did you know that among 18- to 25-year-old Americans, more than 4.5 million use the drug daily or near daily, according to the estimates, and 81 percent of those users meet the criteria for the disorder?\u201d That means almost everybody that uses it every day is reporting problems with it,\u201d said Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Marijuana can interfere with brain development, cause lung and heart problems, and result in having a psychosis. Is knowledge of problems with marijuana known or did the old Worldwide Church of God warn of them 54 years ago? Should Christians get drunk or high? Are there more problems with marijuana than many seem to want to admit? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie address these issues.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Here is a link to our video: <a id=\"video-title\" class=\"yt-simple-endpoint style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\" title=\"Does marijuana cause harm?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C_NoUuxpsvI\" aria-label=\"Does marijuana cause harm? by BibleNewsProphecy 15 views 4 hours ago 14 minutes, 44 seconds\">Does marijuana cause harm?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>There are more problems with marijuana than many wish to accept.<\/p>\n<p>We should not harm our bodies or our minds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"style17\">Notice something the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"style17\">19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God\u2019s. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As God inspired Jeremiah to write:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>11 <strong>In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured.<\/strong> (Jeremiah 46:11)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The USA needs national repentance. Not marijuana. Not more drugs.<\/p>\n<p><em>Some items of possibly related interest may include:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/samaritan.htm\">Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New<\/a> Who were the Samaritans? Do the represent true Christianity or something else? Here is a link to a related sermon: <a id=\"video-title19\" title=\"USA in Prophecy: Samaria\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=j9zhtuJ5zCg\">USA in Prophecy: Samaria<\/a>.<br \/>\n<b><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/protestant-ccog-differences.pdf\">Hope of Salvation: How the <em>Continuing<\/em> Church of God differs from Protestantism <\/a> How the <em>real <\/em>Church of God differs from mainstream\/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video <a dir=\"ltr\" title=\"Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer Protestants Beware!\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WalDQEqiFLk\" data-sessionlink=\"feature=c4-feed-u&amp;ei=ekkOU7zsOMnT8wHe-oCYDA&amp;ved=CCgQvxs\">Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! <\/a> [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/pt-salvation.htm\">Portugu\u00eas: Esperan\u00e7a do salva\u00e7\u00e3o: Como a igreja do deus difere da maioria de protestantes<\/a>]. Several related sermon are also available: <a id=\"video-title159\" title=\"Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xkMR83pUyTE\" aria-label=\"Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History by ContinuingCoG 9 minutes ago 1 hour, 19 minutes 2 views\">Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History<\/a>; <a id=\"video-title159\" title=\"The First Protestant, God's Command, Grace, &amp; Character\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Bn-NydkDOkc\" aria-label=\"The First Protestant, God's Command, Grace, &amp; Character by ContinuingCoG 18 minutes ago 1 hour, 12 minutes 4 views\">The First Protestant, God\u2019s Command, Grace, &amp; Character<\/a>; <a id=\"video-title159\" title=\"The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=E1nFS1X9Soo\" aria-label=\"The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon by ContinuingCoG 13 seconds ago 1 hour, 10 minutes No views\">The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon<\/a>; <a id=\"video-title168\" title=\"Eucharist, Passover, and Easter\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=M_8H02-ROpE\" aria-label=\"Eucharist, Passover, and Easter by ContinuingCoG 13 minutes ago 1 hour, 21 minutes 1 view\">Eucharist, Passover, and Easter<\/a>; <a id=\"video-title172\" title=\"Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, &amp; Baptism\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7g6SRdaEV8c\" aria-label=\"Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, &amp; Baptism by ContinuingCoG 1 hour ago 1 hour, 22 minutes 13 views\">Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, &amp; Baptism<\/a>; <a id=\"video-title173\" title=\"Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=32FE35gyfdQ\" aria-label=\"Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday by ContinuingCoG 2 minutes ago 1 hour, 15 minutes No views\">Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday<\/a>; <a id=\"video-title174\" title=\"Church Services, Sunday, and God's Plan\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DbWJ6AX-i-I\" aria-label=\"Church Services, Sunday, and God's Plan by ContinuingCoG 1 minute ago 1 hour, 14 minutes No views\">Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God\u2019s Plan<\/a><a id=\"video-title174\" title=\"Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=32FE35gyfdQ\" aria-label=\"Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday by ContinuingCoG 2 minutes ago 1 hour, 15 minutes No views\"><\/a>; <a id=\"video-title175\" title=\"Seventh Day Baptists\/Adventists\/Messianics: Protestants or COG?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5HO1BbL6DCY\" aria-label=\"Seventh Day Baptists\/Adventists\/Messianics: Protestants or COG? by ContinuingCoG 58 seconds ago 1 hour, 20 minutes No views\">Seventh Day Baptists\/Adventists\/Messianics: Protestant or COG?<\/a>; and <a dir=\"ltr\" title=\"How Does the Church of God Differ from Protestantism?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SBHOZyDcm7Y\" aria-describedby=\"description-id-343393\" data-sessionlink=\"ei=6Vz-WK31KIzw-wPqgqAY&amp;feature=c4-overview&amp;ved=CDoQ-SUYACITCO2N8qn0vdMCFQz4fgodagEIAyibHA\">How Does the Church of God Differ from Protestantism?<\/a> These sermons also cover materials not in the book.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/smoking-and-christianity.htm\">Should Christians Smoke Tobacco or Marijuana?<\/a> Is smoking a sin? What does the Bible teach? What have COG leaders written? Can smokers change? What about marijuana? Here is a link to a related video: <a id=\"video-title87\" title=\"Should You Smoke? Would You Like Help to Quit?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C2r8FKe2Ry4\" aria-label=\"Should You Smoke? Would You Like Help to Quit? by BibleNewsProphecy 2 hours ago 19 minutes 19 views\">Should You Smoke? Would You Like Help to Quit?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/marijuana-christian.htm\">Marijuana: Should a Christian Get High?<\/a> There is increasing acceptance of the use of marijuana. How should Christians view this? Here is a related video titled <a dir=\"ltr\" title=\"How Should a Christian View Marijuana?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6JOrulVnZsc\" data-sessionlink=\"ei=h_ogU97BIuzN-AOn_ICYCQ&amp;feature=c4-feed-u&amp;ved=CAkQvxs\"><span data-original-html=\"How Should a Christian View Marijuana? \">How Should a Christian View Marijuana?<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/alcohol-blessing-or-curse.htm\">Alcohol: Blessing or Curse?<\/a> This is an article from the old <em>Good News<\/em> magazine that attempts to answer this question.<br \/>\n<a title=\"Binge Alcohol Drinking and the Bible\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/binge-drinking.htm\" rel=\"bookmark\">Binge Drinking, Health, and the Bible <\/a>Many college students and others overindulge in alcohol. Are there health risks? What does the Bible teach? A related video is also available: <a dir=\"ltr\" title=\"Binge Drinking and the Bible\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5rGuvLJZh9A\" data-sessionlink=\"ei=51EfWKHRHYXauQLJ86fgDQ&amp;feature=c4-feed-u&amp;ved=CLYBEKYeIhMI4eCJvL6U0AIVBW1OCh3J-QncKJsc\">Binge Drinking and the Bible<\/a>.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/Prayer.pdf\">Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach?<\/a> This free booklet contains 28 biblically-based tips on improving the effectiveness of your prayers. This is a pdf. A related two part sermon is available: <a dir=\"ltr\" title=\"What Does the Bible Teach About Prayer?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uFgQr_IpbNs&amp;list=UUOuL5Q2Xi9HZqU6GivhxveQ\" data-sessionlink=\"feature=c4-overview-u&amp;ved=CC4Qvxs&amp;ei=7BgCVc6kAYO4qQXF9oLYBQ\">What Does the Bible Teach About Prayer?<\/a> and <a dir=\"ltr\" title=\"What does the Bible Teach About Prayer (&amp; Healing)?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6xz7_snYqfA&amp;list=UUOuL5Q2Xi9HZqU6GivhxveQ\" data-sessionlink=\"feature=c4-overview-u&amp;ei=-MAIVfGeHYvdqAWstYJo&amp;ved=CAsQvxs\">What does the Bible Teach About Prayer (&amp; Healing)?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/fasting.htm\">Importance of Fasting <\/a>An old article by <a href=\"http:\/\/cogwriter.com\/herbertwarmstrong.htm\">Herbert W. Armstrong<\/a> on this subject. Here is a link to it in Mandarin Chinese <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/mandarin-importance-of-fasting.htm\">\u7981\u98df\u7684\u91cd\u8981\u6027<\/a>.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/ChristianAmbassadors.pdf\">Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian<\/a> This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: <a id=\"video-title49\" title=\"Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BPS9iYpXA3c&amp;t=1s\" aria-label=\"Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God by ContinuingCoG 2 weeks ago 1 hour, 22 minutes 54 views\">Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God<\/a>.<br \/>\n<span class=\"style17\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/health.htm\">Christian Health Matters<\/a> Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to three related sermons: <a id=\"video-title286\" title=\"Let's Talk About Food\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PSXxLtGrt88\" aria-label=\"Let's Talk About Food by ContinuingCoG 1 hour, 11 minutes No views\">Let&#8217;s Talk About Food<\/a>, <a id=\"video-title315\" title=\"Evil is Affecting the Food Supply\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W8vao38f17w\" aria-label=\"Evil is Affecting the Food Supply by ContinuingCoG 9 hours ago 1 hour, 7 minutes 86 views\">Evil is Affecting the Food Supply<\/a>, and <a id=\"video-title286\" title=\"Let's Talk About Health\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ahqZG4k5bew\" aria-label=\"Let's Talk About Health by ContinuingCoG 1 hour, 20 minutes 10 views\">Let&#8217;s Talk About Health<\/a>.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/christian-repentance.htm\">Christian Repentance<\/a> Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: <a id=\"video-title226\" title=\"Real Repentance\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gMUKUYexspM\" aria-label=\"Real Repentance by ContinuingCoG 1 hour, 21 minutes 12 views\">Real Repentance<\/a> and <a dir=\"ltr\" title=\"Real Christian Repentance\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lE7oGmk59Gg\" aria-describedby=\"description-id-735834\" data-sessionlink=\"ei=zK9FWJGRJcmu_AO6zLG4DA&amp;feature=c4-overview&amp;ved=CCoQ-SUYACITCJGn763V3dACFUkXfwodOmYMxyibHA\">Real Christian Repentance<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Wikipedia photo) COGwriter Those in the USA use a lot of medications: Medicine Use A total of 6.3 billion prescriptions were dispensed in 2020 with growth slowing to 1.7% after adjusting for the increased use of 90-day prescriptions for chronic therapies. Medicine Spending and growth drivers U.S. medicine spending increased 0.8% on a net price [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prophecy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94167"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94168,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94167\/revisions\/94168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}