Tag: Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City, Okla — Pills, pot, and the politics of pain. That was the topic of discussion as attorneys, doctors and law makers met for an in depth look at the causes and treatments of addiction. Politics have a huge impact on pain treatment according to the professionals from all sides of the opioid epidemic. All of whom say this problem is not easily fixed. and it's rising by two to three hundred percent even in our children," Dr. Larry Bookman said. He added, each patient feels pain differently, describes it differently. It's subjective. "We have to do something to treat the patients who have real pain, but avoid the overuse,” he said. Doctors said with recent legislation, they're on the right track but there's still work to be done. As a society, medical professionals said we tend to place blame on doctors for overprescribing addictive medication, on big pharma for making them too available and even on the addicts themselves.

Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, was the biggest outside spender aiding Democratic House candidates. Cheryl Senter/Associated Press A week before the Nov. 6 election, Kendra Horn, a Democratic House candidate in Oklahoma, received unexpected good news from her television consultant: Michael R. Bloomberg’s political action committee, a leading supporter of Democratic candidates, had purchased more than $400,000 in advertising on Oklahoma City television. Mr. Bloomberg’s organization in many ways mirrors the Senate and House majority PACs that raise and spend money to support individual candidates, focusing on close and winnable races. When the final reports are filed next month, Mr. Bloomberg’s organization says they will show that the former mayor and his organizations spent $44 million on television ads and another $12 million on digital advertising in support of House candidates. Records show that more than $30 million of Mr. Bloomberg’s spending on House races came after Oct. 22. “I had a budget,’’ Mr. Wolfson said. Ten days before the election, polling commissioned by Mr. Bloomberg’s organization showed Ms. Horn trailing by five points. There had been little outside spending in the campaign. Advertising in the Oklahoma City market is relatively inexpensive. Using those metrics, Mr. Bloomberg’s operation was able to identify successful digital ads that they could move to television.

Tulsa mortgage company owner and political newcomer Kevin Stitt has won the Republican nomination in the race to become Oklahoma’s next governor. Stitt defeated former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, who helped oversee a revitalization of the state’s capital city that included landing an NBA basketball team, in Tuesday’s primary runoff. The 45-year-old Stitt is set to face Democrat Drew Edmondson and the winner of the Libertarian runoff. Two-term Republican Gov. The race for the GOP nomination in Oklahoma’s race for governor appeared to hinge less on experience and ideology, and more on the state’s geography and the candidates’ allegiance to President Trump. Cornett, 60, had come under fire from Stitt, who attacked the former mayor in one ad as not being supportive enough of Trump or his immigration policies. Cornett said he supported Fallin’s signing of the bill, while Stitt said he wouldn’t have signed it. “Where have you been over the last 14 years?” Cornett said during the debate on Oklahoma City’s KOCO-TV. “I haven’t been cashing a government check.” Phil Workman, a 66-year-old retiree from Norman, said he liked the fact that Stitt was a political newcomer. The performance of the final two GOP opponents in the 10-candidate field in July broke along geographical lines, with Cornett winning big in Oklahoma City and central Oklahoma, and Stitt taking counties in Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma.