This past year, CCHR International (CCHR Int) once again filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to nearly all 50 states to ascertain how many underprivileged children and foster children were prescribed psychiatric drugs under Medicaid (state and federal funding for underprivileged children).
From the 32 states that responded, the documents showed 2,999,084 0-17-year-olds were being prescribed these drugs at a total cost of $1.7 billion (including 270,196 aged 0-5). Aside from the documented and severe side effects of these psychiatric drugs, many of the drugs being prescribed are not even approved for young children, particularly the 0-5 age group. Yet nearly 300,000 0-5 year olds are being prescribed these drugs under Medicaid.
Under Medicaid funding of this widespread drugging, parents and caregivers are not being provided with the documented FDA side effects of these drugs (provided in the FDA Medication Guides).
CCHR Int began providing healthcare agencies and state policymakers with the data obtained from their respective states, along with the FDA-documented risks of these drugs. 105 legislators from the 32 states responded requesting more information to create policies to investigate and curb this over-drugging of underprivileged and foster children under Medicaid.
STATE LEGISLATION NOW ADDRESSING PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGGING OF CHILDREN
Based on CCHR Int’s data packs, four states have now introduced legislation to combat the mass psychotropic drugging of Medicaid children. This will provide true informed consent for parents or legal guardians so they are fully aware of the risks of psychiatric drugs and enact penalties for practitioners who don’t comply.
SOME PRESCRIBERS ARE DRUGGING MORE THAN 1000 CHILDREN PER YEAR
CCHR Int staff filed additional FOIAs with each state to get the names of these prescribers that are drugging children under Medicaid along with the number of children they are prescribing drugs. Through these FOIA’s we have found top prescribers who are drugging outrageous numbers of children.
For example, in one state, we have uncovered providers who are drugging between 900 and 1,600 individual children in a single year—equivalent to roughly 20 to 32 children every week receiving addictive, Schedule II controlled substances (ADHD drugs).
Over six years of Medicaid prescriber data for one state obtained by CCHR Int showed that the top 20 prescribers of psychiatric drugs to children remained relatively unchanged, consistently drugging children at rates between 130 and 230 times higher than the average prescriber in the state. This suggests a systemic failure of controls on stimulant distribution and monitoring within Medicaid.
We have filed detailed complaints on these providers with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, state medical boards and the Office of Inspector General. And these prescribers are now being investigated.
CCHR International has been on the forefront of exposing the dangers of psychiatric drugs, especially on children, for decades and a growing number of medical professionals, legislators, opinion leaders and influencers are now speaking out about it and taking action.
?But there is much more to do, and we need your help. None of these investigations or FOIAs (which cost funds to obtain) could have happened without your support.
Together, we can keep exposing these criminals who are wreaking havoc on society and putting lives at risk.