Implications of Walgreens’ decision on abortion pills

• March 4, 2023

By Tom Murphy | Associated Press

Walgreens says it will not start selling an abortion pill in 20 states that had warned of legal consequences if it did so.

The drugstore chain’s announcement Thursday signals that access to mifepristone may not expand as broadly as federal regulators intended in January, when they finalized a rule change allowing more pharmacies to provide the pill.

Here’s a closer look at the issue.

ABOUT THE ABORTION PILL

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone in 2000 to end pregnancy, when used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol. The combination is approved for use up to the 10th week of pregnancy.

Mifepristone is taken first to dilate the cervix and block a hormone needed to sustain a pregnancy. Misoprostol is taken a day or two later, causing contractions to empty the uterus.

More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills rather than with a procedure, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. In rare cases, the drug combination can cause excess bleeding, requiring emergency care.

WIDENING ACCESS

For more than 20 years, the FDA limited dispensing of mifepristone to a subset of specialty offices and clinics due to safety concerns.

The agency has repeatedly eased restrictions and expanded access, increasing demand even as state laws make the pills harder to get for many women.

In late 2021, the agency eliminated an in-person requirement for getting the pill, saying a new scientific review showed no increase in safety complications if the drug is taken at home. That change also permitted the pill to be prescribed via telehealth and shipped by mail-order pharmacies.

Earlier this year, the FDA further loosened restrictions by allowing pharmacies like Walgreens to start dispensing the drug after they undergo certification. That includes meeting standards for shipping, tracking and confidentially storing prescribing information.

STATES STEP IN

Typically, the FDA’s authority to regulate prescription drug access has gone unchallenged. But more than a dozen states now have laws restricting abortion broadly — and the pills specifically — following last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning the federal right to abortion.

Last month, attorneys general in 20 conservative-led states warned CVS and Walgreens in a letter that they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills by mail in their states.

In addition to state laws, attorneys general from conservative states have argued that shipments of mifepristone run afoul of a 19th century law that prohibited sending items used in abortion through the mail.

WALGREENS’ REACTION

A spokesman says the company told the attorneys general that it will not dispense mifepristone in their states and it doesn’t plan to ship the drug to them as well.

But Walgreens is working to become eligible through the FDA’s certification process. It plans to dispense the pills where it can legally do so.

The company is not currently dispensing the pills anywhere.

OTHER DRUGSTORES

Rite Aid Corp. said it was “monitoring the latest federal, state, legal and regulatory developments” and would keep evaluating its policies. The Associated Press also sought comment from CVS Health Corp., retail giant Walmart and the grocery chain Kroger.

Some independent pharmacists would like to become certified to dispense the pills, said Andrea Pivarunas, a spokeswoman for the National Community Pharmacists Association. She added that this would be a “personal business decision,” based partly on state laws. The association has no specifics on how many will do it.

OTHER LEGAL ISSUES

In November, an anti-abortion group filed a federal lawsuit in Texas seeking to revoke mifepristone’s approval, claiming the FDA approved the drug 23 years ago without adequate evidence of safety.

A federal judge could rule soon. If he sides with abortion opponents, mifepristone could potentially be removed from the U.S. market.

In January, abortion rights supporters filed separate lawsuits challenging abortion pill restrictions imposed in North Carolina and West Virginia.

Legal experts foresee years of court battles over access to the pills.

AP Health Writer Matthew Perrone contributed to this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers play to a tie for second consecutive game

• March 4, 2023

THE GAME: The Angels scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the Dodgers, 2-2, Friday afternoon at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

PITCHING REPORT: Right-hander Tony Gonsolin made his first spring start and went 2⅓ scoreless innings. But he allowed three hits (including a double to Luis Rengifo) and walked two. … The Angels didn’t have a hit against Nick Robertson, Justin Bruihl and Robbie Erlin. … Left-hander James Jones walked two and gave up a two-run double to Myles Emmerson for the tying runs in the ninth inning.

HITTING REPORT: The Dodgers drew 10 walks in the game, including five in the fourth inning when they scored both of their runs. Trayce Thompson and Jonny DeLuca drew bases-loaded walks to force in the runs. … Singles by Freddie Freeman, Bradley Zimmer and Jonny DeLuca were the Dodgers’ only hits. … J.D. Martinez and David Peralta were hitless in Friday’s game. Martinez has started the spring 1 for 13 and Peralta is 0 for 11.

FAMILY TIME: The Dodgers brought minor league outfielder Kyle Nevin along for the game in Tempe and sent him out with their lineup card before the game. Nevin was the Dodgers’ 11th-round draft pick out of Baylor last year. He exchanged lineup cards with Angels manager Phil Nevin, his father. Kyle entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and struck out.

UP NEXT: Royals (RHP Zack Greinke) vs. Dodgers (RHP Ryan Pepiot), Saturday, 5:05 p.m. PT, at Camelback Ranch, SportsNet LA, 570 AM

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County restaurants shut down by health inspectors (Feb. 23-March 2)

• March 4, 2023

Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by Orange County health inspectors from Feb. 23 to March 2.

Kim Ky Noodle House, 15041 Moran St., Suite 107, Westminster

Closed: March 1
Reason: Insufficient hot water
Reopened: March 1

Tacos Ensenada, 24601 Raymond Way, Suite 1, Lake Forest

Closed: March 1
Reason: Rodent infestation
Reopened: March 1

Mil Jugos, 320 W. Fifth St., Santa Ana

Closed: March 1
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: March 2

Pho K-tea, 18041 Magnolia St., Fountain Valley

Closed: Feb. 27
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: Feb. 28

Red Flame Restaurant, 15667 Brookhurst St., Westminster

Closed: Feb. 24
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: Feb. 25

Related Articles

This list is published weekly with closures since the previous week’s list. Status updates are published in the following week’s list. Source: OC Health Care Agency database.

​ Orange County Register 

Colorado election denier Peters guilty of obstruction

• March 4, 2023

By Jeremy Harlan and Gregory Krieg | CNN

Tina Peters — the former clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, and her state’s most prominent 2020 election denier — was found guilty Friday of misdemeanor obstruction of a government operation, according to Mesa County’s court clerk.

Peters was acquitted of obstructing a peace officer, Mesa County Court Clerk Ann Brigham said.

Peters was arrested by Grand Junction police in February 2022 at a local business while state investigators attempted to execute a search warrant. According to a police affidavit from the Grand Junction Police Department, Peters was not cooperating with investigators as they tried to seize an iPad sought in the search warrant.

Peters stepped in between an officer and a patron who allegedly blocked investigators from accessing the table, according to the affidavit. When officers tried to move her to the side, she “actively” resisted, the affidavit said.

After hearing two days of testimony, a six-person jury returned the split verdicts on Peters.

The verdicts come less than a year after she lost the GOP primary for secretary of state to fomer Jefferson County clerk Pam Anderson — then claimed fraud, again with no evidence. Peters was one of several vocal election conspiracy theorists to fail in their bids for higher office in 2022.

Peters and her top deputy were indicted last March following a local investigation into a security breach that had resulted in confidential voting machine logins, and forensic images of their hard drives, being published in a QAnon-affiliated Telegram channel in early August 2021.

Peters, who last month announced her candidacy to become chair of the Colorado GOP, still faces multiple felony counts for her alleged involvement in the election security breach in her county offices.

Her trial for those charges is set for late August.

​ Orange County Register 

Need a Quick Way to Relax? Try CBD Vapes Next Time

• March 4, 2023

There’s no telling when you might find yourself in need of a moment to take stock of the situation and calm down. For people with anxiety disorders, the need to quickly relax is felt more acutely, but all of us could occasionally use a little help keeping things together under pressure.

That’s where the potentially relaxing properties of CBD vapes come into the picture. Whether you’re looking for an overview of the CBD vapes and cartridges that are on the market or you just want to know more about CBD’s relaxing properties, use this guide to learn more about vaping CBD to relax.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring compound found in hemp and cannabis. Called a “cannabinoid” since it is only found in Cannabis sativa, CBD nonetheless has little in common with THC. The two cannabinoids affect entirely different receptors in the brain and provide equally different experienced effects.

Instead of causing intoxication, CBD is most commonly described as offering a feeling of relaxation or calm. CBD won’t get you high, but it might be just the thing to help you maintain your composure the next time life becomes overwhelming.

Research into CBD for Relaxation

Scientists have started conducting large, clinical studies into the potential benefits of CBD for sleep, relaxation, and anxiety. Beginning with a 2015 paper published Neurotherapeutics and titled “Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders,” this research initiative has most recently culminated in a clinical study involving more than 70 adult patients with sleep or anxiety issues.

The final results were as follows:

– 79.2% of patients experienced reduced anxiety
– 66.7% of patients enjoyed better sleep quality
– CBD was well-tolerated in 69 out of 72 patients

We encourage the scientific community to perform more research into the potential benefits of CBD for relaxation. All the same, the results we’ve acquired so far are certainly worthy of consideration as you decide whether or not to use CBD vapes to relax.

What Are CBD Vapes?

A CBD vape is a product usually consisting of a rechargeable battery attached to a disposable vape cartridge containing (on average) one gram of CBD concentrate. The battery activates an atomizer inside the cartridge, causing vapor to form inside the air passage.

The user then inhales, allowing smoke-free CBD hemp vapor to enter their lungs. This route of administration offers incredibly fast activation times, which can make all the difference when you find yourself in need of a quick relaxation fix.

Why Are CBD Vapes Better for Relaxation?

Many users consider CBD vapes to better for relaxation than other types of CBD products due to their:

– Ease of use
– Instant activation
– Increased potency
– Portability
– Overall simplicity

Human beings have inhaled cannabinoids in one way or another for millennia. Vaping represents the apex of human technology applied to the ancient ritual of smoking cannabinoids, which has been reported to offer relaxing effects since the dawn of time.

From a more scientific point of view, vaporizing and inhaling cannabinoids allows them to enter your bloodstream quickly via the alveoli in your lungs without exposing these delicate “lung pores” to burnt plant matter. It’s an efficient and highly effective way to use cannabinoids that does away with messy tincture bottles and other disappointingly ineffective oral CBD products.

Best CBD Vapes for Relaxing

Now that you understand just how useful CBD vapes can be in the pursuit of relaxation, let’s cover a few of the qualities you should look for in an ideal CBD vape for relaxation:

– Indica genetics: Users generally consider indica strains to be more relaxing than sativa strains.
– High-quality extract: No PG, VG, cutting agents or diluents. Only high-quality hemp extract, potentially combined with natural cannabis terpenes.
– Easy-to-use design: Ensure that the design of your vape makes it easy to use whenever the need may arise.
– Potent: Make sure your CBD vape contains at least 50% CBD for proper effectiveness.
– Contaminant-free: High-quality CBD vapes are equipped with lab reports proving they don’t contain agricultural or extraction contaminants.

The Bottom Line: Are CBD Vapes Relaxing?
Everyone experiences CBD differently, and as a relatively new substance, there’s only so much we can truly say about CBD’s potential relaxing properties. With that said, it’s a fact that countless thousands of people around the world use CBD to relax without any commonly reported serious adverse reactions.

CBD is a blessing for anyone who has sought natural ways to relax that don’t get you high. CBD vapes take that windfall and make it even more formidable by unlocking CBD’s ability to act quickly and potently. Whether you’ve used CBD before or not, CBD vapes should be your next step in the quest for safe and natural relaxation — anytime.

​ Orange County Register 

Doctor: Lesion removed from Biden’s chest was cancerous

• March 4, 2023

By Zeke Miller | Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A skin lesion removed from President Joe Biden’s chest last month was a basal cell carcinoma — a common form of skin cancer — his doctor said Friday, adding that no further treatment was required.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the White House doctor who has served as Biden’s longtime physician, said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” during the president’s routine physical on Feb. 16. Biden, 80, was deemed by O’Connor to be ” healthy, vigorous” and “fit ” to handle his White House responsibilities during that physical exam, which comes as he is weeks away from launching an expected bid for reelection in 2024.

O’Connor said the site of the removal on Biden’s chest has “healed nicely” and the president will continue regular skin screenings as part of his routine health plan.

Basal cells are among the most common and easily treated forms of cancer — especially when caught early. O’Connor said they don’t tend to spread like other cancers, but could grow in size, which is why they are removed.

Biden had “several localized non-melanoma skin cancers” removed from his body before he started his presidency, O’Connor said in his Feb. 16 summary of the president’s health, noting it was well established that Biden spent a lot of time in the sun during his youth.

First lady Jill Biden in January had two basal cell lesions removed from her right eye and chest.

She said in an Associated Press interview last week that she’s now “extra careful” about sunscreen, especially when she’s at the beach.

Basal cell carcinoma is a slow-growing cancer that usually is confined to the surface of skin — doctors almost always can remove it all with a shallow incision — and seldom causes serious complications or becomes life-threatening.

The Bidens have long been advocates for fighting cancer. Their adult son Beau died in 2015 from brain cancer.

​ Orange County Register 

Marine mammal rescue breaks ground on $14 million expansion, water reclamation project

• March 4, 2023

Dr. Alissa Deming was a bit worried, she said, as the Pacific Marine Mammal Center prepared for the start of construction on a $14 million expansion and water reclamation project that will make the rescue center more environmentally friendly and further transform it into a research-driven tool to study ocean health and environmental impacts on marine life.

She was worried construction noise would reverberate through the water where about 20 sea lions were recovering in treatment pools – loud noise can be extremely stressful.

But Deming credits the contractor with taking extra measures to shield the animals. “A gold star to those guys, they modified their technology and used no jackhammers to ensure the patients weren’t impacted.”

And some of the center’s recovering patients and its life-support systems have been moved to allow an access way behind PMMC’s iconic red barn, further allaying Deming’s concerns about the impact of the important construction project.

“Sea lions have individual personalities like people,” said Deming, PMMC’s lead veterinarian and vice president of conservation medicine and science. “Some are skittish and others are brave. I was a little nervous at first, but there was no need to fret, these animals didn’t even realize anything was going on behind the barn.”

The sea lions continued to eat and play as normal in their temporary spot, which was great for visitors this week because the pools are located where the public can watch at a distance.

The rescue center hosted a groundbreaking with local leaders this week to celebrate the work beginning on the facility that’s been in Laguna Canyon ever since opening in 1971.

The expansion will double the rescue’s main facility, expanding space for its hospital and educational facilities. It also adds a dedicated necropsy area and a laboratory, which will expand its research capabilities, and adds three more pools. The expansion will help PMMC’s growing focus on research, not just its rescue work, said CEO Glenn Gray. The center works in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and universities and research centers nationwide to share data and responses to challenging ocean conditions.

A new filtration system – to be housed in a separate mini red barn – will allow PMMC to recycle 90% of the water used on the property. PMMC has been going through about 15,000 gallons of water a day, which should reduce to about 1,500 gallons daily, saving about 5 million gallons a year.

Much of the consumption has been by the seven pools now in operation at the center, which are typically emptied and refilled between four to six times a day.

“Sea lions have terrible manners and always poop into the pool,” Deming said. “That’s why this water treatment plant is almost like a sewage treatment plant because we have so much bio-load.”

The expansion and water project have been in the works since 2018 and were given a final OK by city officials in 2022.

The construction comes at a good time with fewer patients at the center and what looks to be a quieter season for rescues. NOAA scientists who visited Channel Island rookeries in September reported the newborn pups appeared in good health.

In all, 26 animals have been treated since the summer’s pup season. The first sea lion pup, found in Seal Beach, came in on Sept. 28. Of those rescued this season, five have been released, including a Northern fur seal found by two Newport Beach Public Works employees.

Rescue teams have also retrieved the carcasses of 10 dead sea lions, likely brought in by recent high winds and currents during the storms. Four of the dead came in just last weekend, Deming said.

This month,  Deming expects to see some elephant seal strandings – most started weaning from their moms about two weeks ago, she said. “They typically start showing up four weeks after weaning if they haven’t figured it out.”

The likely healthier animals coupled with a La Nino year – which means the water is colder and there is more prey out there for sea lions – has PMMC officials hopeful that fewer animals need rescuing and the project can remain on schedule.

Work now includes construction behind the hospital and on a 1,350-square-foot, shared-use building that will be used by PMMC and the city. The second floor will become a cattery for the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter, which is located next door, and PMMC will use the ground floor to store its boat and for some office space.

Gray said completion of that phase is expected in six to seven months. At that point, during the center’s slower period before pups born this coming summer can run into trouble, PMMC hopes to have struck a deal with the city whereby a makeshift MASH-like tent center can be set up as a temporary space on a city lot. The center would operate in that location while the hospital and its classrooms are doubled in size and the water filtration system and the accompanying building are completed.

“We hope to be back by November 2024,” Gray said, adding that the overall expansion will help provide improved animal care and an opportunity to expand education programs – last year 9,400 students took part in afternoon and summer programs, with 26,000 participating online.

The water recycling system will be incorporated into the center’s educational curriculum related to water conservation, he added.

The current La Nina climate conditions are expected to wain in the near future, with some experts predicting warmer El Nino conditions on the horizon. Between 2013 and 2016, hundreds of sea lions stranded and died along the California coastline. NOAA dubbed those years an unexpected mortality event.

“That’s when we got into trouble and reached capacity,” Deming said. “It’s serendipitous we’re doing our construction during a La Nina. When it shifts to El Nino, we’ll have our new facility and be better prepared. That event made us realize, we have to have more space.”

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman looking for ‘impactful player’ in wake of Gavin Lux injury

• March 4, 2023

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Andrew Friedman’s phone got very busy in the aftermath of Gavin Lux’s season-ending knee injury earlier this week.

“A lot of ambulance chasers came out after the injury,” Friedman joked. “There were teams, agents. There was a lot.”

The wave of incoming calls has given way to outgoing inquiries as the Dodgers’ front office assesses potential upgrades to a roster that is now thinner with the subtraction of Lux.

“Depth is always something that we talk about. It was a big driver for us to go out and get Miguel Rojas and we feel like between him and CT that we’re in a good spot,” Friedman said. “Obviously, there’s now a layer of depth that is removed for 2023 so we’re definitely susceptible if we have another injury.

“So we’ve decided that we just won’t have another injury for the rest of the year.”

Friedman’s gallows humor aside, he acknowledged that “continuing to add depth is something we have to be mindful of.” That depth does not necessarily have to be a shortstop or even an infielder, Friedman said, because of the versatility of the Dodgers’ position players.

“We feel that the guys that we have here are a really good group,” he said. “So for us, if we are going to add from the outside it’s going to be something that fits us differently or is a more impactful player in our mind.”

That player, Friedman admitted, is not likely to be among the remaining free agents – a thin group topped by Jurickson Profar and Jose Iglesias. Making a trade to upgrade the roster, even if that just means adding depth, won’t be easy.

“It’s difficult. It’s not the most natural time to make a trade,” Friedman said. “So we’ll spend more time figuring out what’s possible. We’re not sure at this point and we’re trying to wrap our arms around the various profiles of a player and how it would fit. There’s been a domino effect of how guys are now going to spend time and what positions they are going to play and what that opens up and making sure our bench has the right balance. Those are all things we’re going to spend time getting into more detail on.”

The most available players for a spring trade are usually players whose salaries have become burdensome or those who are out of options and can’t be sent to the minors without clearing waivers if they don’t make their team’s season-opening roster – not the most appealing group from which to choose.

“It just depends on what’s available,” Friedman said. “Just because of spring training and the nature of it and typically, it’s a slower trade market and more centered around guys without options. Now, there could be players like that who fit as well, or it could be someone internal.

“We’ve still got some runway left to figure that out, and we’re continuing to debate it. But we’ve got our scouts out, looking for various different profiles. We’re looking at it in the office, as well as assessing the guys we have here.”

CAT LIVES

Tony Gonsolin’s breakout All-Star season last year came to an unsatisfactory conclusion when an elbow injury ended his regular season in August and limited him to 1⅓ innings in his only postseason start. Coming on the heels of a shoulder injury that limited him in 2021, Gonsolin had a clear goal in mind for 2023.

“The goal this year is to go wall to wall, go from start to finish,” Gonsolin said after his first spring start Friday. “Leave the results out of it. Whatever they are, they are. Just go out there and try to do my best.

“Yeah, it sucked (ending the year injured). I feel like I did it back-to-back years in 2021 and ’22. … That was last year, trying to put that past me. Got over it fairly quickly in the offseason. Just go out there and focus on this year.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Gonsolin has “learned his body a lot more” after the past two seasons and looks ready to take down a full season this year – with high expectations after last year’s 16-1 record and 2.14 ERA.

“He was an All-Star last year,” Roberts said. “We expect him to post, make starts and be good.”

​ Orange County Register