Johnston Pleads Not Guilty
Today, Sherry Johnston, mother of Levi Johnston, Sarah Palin’s soon to be son-in-law made her plea. Not guilty to six felony counts of misconduct involving the possession and sale of the powerful prescription painkiller Oxycontin.
Johnston showed up alone for her first appearance in Palmer court this morning — no lawyer, no friends or family to support her.
Johnston asked for and received a public defender, a lawyer paid for by the state. She told Palmer Superior Court Judge Beverly Cutler that she is in the midst of a divorce and living on medical disability payments and child support.
I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Sherry Johnston. Certainly prescription drug addiction is not an excuse for breaking the law, but at least you can understand how a person’s judgment could be clouded, and how they could make decisions that the sober, non-addicted version of themselves would not. We can rationalize a lot of behavior when we’re not operating on normal brain chemistry. Ask anyone who’s been to a few company Christmas parties. And Sherry Johnston got a lot more than she bargained for when a certain someone got the Vice Presidential nomination.
And it makes me think of a few other law breakers in Alaska this past year. I do not have the same sympathy for those who consciously break the law, and do so because they feel entitled, or immune, or just a little bit too special to have the laws of the land apply to them. They look at themselves in the mirror stone cold sober, and they choose a public life.
And the rule of law marches on. May it march to the same beat for all.
A lesson to us all. Look in the mirror.
Agreed- Well said.
We know that Sarah Palin is guilty of palin’ around with drug dealers by her association with Johnston. Remember how she accused President-Elect Obama of palin’ around with terrorists by associating him with Bill Ayers who was never convicted of any such crime. SP has set the standard by her numb skull attack on Obama. One thing I can’t stand is a flying money hypocrite.
It’s sad that none of her kids would accompany their Mom. I don’t think anyone could fault them for that. Even though what she did was real stupid. At the end of the day she is their mother and clearly she needs some help.
Makes me wonder if Sarah’s meds own affect her judgement – there were rumors of anti-depressant use and that she had a suntanning bed installed in the Guv’s mansion so she could treat herself for seasonal depression.
If she self-treats in one way, she is likely to self-medicate as well.
Yes, it is sad…No one at court to support her, not even a friend?
The bad thing is that, she was dealing my guess her own rx of oxy, and that the election played a part in all this….she was ‘allowed to carry on’, until it was over! That just galls me. It shouldn’t of mattered, one way or the other, they had all the proof, yet it was let to go on for reason’s of politic’s…That certainly was not her fault, and its unethical and not right.
And she will have to “pay” for breaking the law, while others just go on their merry way….Not Fair.
They followed her and video taped her….but others break the laws, make up the laws at will…I see a Big “DOUBLE STANDARD” here.
Well, this is sad. She had no one to accompany her. Where is Levi? Where is anyone? Even if she is stark raving guilty of all kinds of bad stuff, is there NO ONE there to support her during this horrific time? What happened to family values wherein “family” is stuck-with, no matter what?
Ooooh, she’s on her own and everyone else is after their own it seems. Really is sad.
This paints a very sad and pathetic picture, does it not?
I actually feel sorry for this woman. Really. I honestly do not know how to sort and compute all the information that has been released regarding this unfortunate chapter in Alaska’s book…
Where’s that christian good-will & love for family now? Distancing themselves from her now is like closing the gate after the horse has run away. Have to love those christian values that they bring to the table.
It’s not as though anyone in their right (no pun intended) thinks that anyone’s family is perfect. But abandoning family in their time of need is never okay.
What a bunch of hypocrites those people are.
I hope that there are some right winger fundies out there with drug problems in their own families who are revising their opinion of their little darling. Did they also abandon their son/daughter/sister/mother/brother, or did they stand by them through thick & thin?
It would take courage for Palin to stand by the Johnston family, Sherry in particular, right now — and she doesn’t have any. She is soul-less.
As someone on one of these threads so aptly put it: All hat, no horse.
Yes, I do emphatize with her, not even one of her children were with her, not even her closest friend.
What callousness. Yes, she broke the law selling her meds. At the same time, she is surrounded by sp continuously destroying ethical standards….
And no one makes sp pay for her brazenness….
As someone who walks alone, every time I have to venture anyplace unacompanied, anxiety wells up and I worry what I will do….
Let’s look in the mirror and remember what loved ones once said — there but for the grace … go I.
I am one of those people who prescribe these drugs and am furious when someone takes advatage to “score” pills to sell. The end result is that people who are really in pain aren’t treated appropriately because we are afraid to give them the medication. She is a sad and sick person, who should have been busted as soon as the case was made. We can only hope she didn’t sell to someone who died of an overdose in the meantime. PS. if Sarah is on meds I don’t think they are effective, or they are the wrong ones (she’s more likely manic-depressive than just depressed), she’s certainly deluded! You noticed she never released her medical records during the campaign, wonder why?
I have a great deal of sympathy for SJ- really I do. It sounds like her whole life has been difficult for a long time.
However….I fear that backlash AGAINST SP’s callous disregard for the lives of real people (her grandbaby’s grandmother included) will cause a wave of sympathy that might escalate into the placement of SJ onto a pedestal. I don’t think she ought to become a folk hero for any reason. They’ve already taken the dysfunctional kiddies and made them People-fodder celebrities.
Sympathy, yes. She’s still no role model. None of them are. And THAT’s what galls me the most.
WHOA now… maybe she asked that no one go with her… that’s what I would have done. So that no one would be painted with the same brush that I was. I would have told them to either wait in the car or wait across the street at the coffee shop… no the real coffee shop…
But I also think we are missing something else in this story. I am on prescription pain killers. I take them everyday… my doctor and I are very careful, we work together. I have taken them for 6 years now, I regulate myself so that I don’t take to much. If she has so many pills that she can sell them, either the doctor is over prescribing her or she doesn’t really need them. That makes me wonder what her disability really is and maybe someone should be checking on it. I had to fight 4 years to get my SS disability and I finally only got it because of my age basically.
If she is really in severe pain and needs the meds that’s fine but then why is she selling them?? If she is just selling the meds to supplement her income and not really in pain then she needs to give up the disability income and get off the gravy train because that makes it harder for the ones of us who really need it.
I would think it was a deliberate decision to go to court alone. Less attention and less news fodder.
Have read a lot of comments on this story at ADN, and honestly, some really unpleasant people on both sides of the SP aisle.
Whilst trying not to be judgemental, I haven’t got much sympathy for drug pushers, especially if those drugs reach minors. Untold misery, crime, lives ruined etc.
Also not much sympathy for someone on benefits, raking in big bucks, then getting free council. Unless it’s different in the US, you taxpayers are stumping up.
I’ll second the notion that maybe it was deliberate to go alone. I’ll also add that I thought that there was a report that the Feds had intercepted a package being sent to her, and that’s how it all got started. So it doesn’t appear that she was necessarily selling her own prescription.
I have zero sympathy for SJ. She’s a drug dealer. Drug dealers ruin lives. People die. Less than zero sympathy.
What I do have is a lot of contempt for the absence of support from family, though. What in the world is this woman doing asking for a public defender? Nobody volunteering to ensure that she receives the best defense that they can help pay for? Surely the per diem payments that Governor Grifter received would pay for a fine attorney.
They have thrown her to the wolves. Even if she elected to show up without family (which is a bit lame, considering the fact that she IS associated with her family, not much point in attempting to disassociate yourself from your MOTHER), she should not have been there without legal representation asking for a public defender.
Hypocrisy. Lies. Like I said in my above comment.
She says she is living off child support, that money is not for her it’s for the kids. If I were here husband I would be in court the next day and have custody removed from her and cut off any support. Just another drug addict who wants to have the best, drugs money and no responsibility.
@UK Lady —
Don’t read the comments on ADN. Ugly place! You will have to bleach your brain!
As I said in a comment on a different thread, anything that has anything to do with SP brings out the insanity in the pro-palin group. I predicted that they would turn this into a conspiracy against SP, and likely if you read the comments you will find a lot of that going on. SJ busted SELLING drugs and that is still not enough for the palin kool-aid drinkers. What sort of crazy do they preach in those churches???
“prescription drug addiction ”
Sorry but I think that is stretching it at this point.
She, apparently, is on disabilty…assuming “her pills” which she admitted selling are prescribed for pain issues which is all we can really do at this point…. being as she was NOT in possession of all the pills mentioned in ALL the news articles…I cannot refer to prescription drug addiction or her being clouded.
Many many people are taking some form of pain meds in one of the most injured countries on the planet.
…does not make them all ‘addicts’.
Or ‘addicted’…or ‘addiction’.
From todays news I suspect SJ simply sold some pills for extra money re her current situation.
And someone set her up.
UK Lady:raking in big bucks, then getting free council.
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I am on Disability also and I agree with Annette and Madeline. First off, if you are on disability…..you are not “raking in the big bucks” believe me! And in the US everyone is entitled to a Attorney even if you can’t afford one. Period.
I don’t think she was being so over rx’d as she would tell the person “I can only get so much coffee”….but this drug is in such a high demand, 10 pills for $800. That’s insane! Disability a person can not live, with rents, food so high. If you do not have a husband, Boyfriend, roomates, you can not afford to live alone. No way. And don’t say foodstamps, because it said she got “child support” so she would not be eligible for food stamps or anything else.
I’m not making excuses for her, b/c what she did was wrong and reflects on any of us having chronic pain and medical disability. Yes it was abuse, she abused the trust of her Dr. and sold her medication. But people were there buying it too, Hocky Mom’s in Wasilla? Rush Limbagh? She is not the only guilty party here. But she will take the fall, whatever her medical problem is….she will probably never get a pain rx again. As someone who can hardly stand up for more than 10-20 mins at a time, that will be punishment plenty for her….Its a sad situation all the way around.
I’m trying to put myself in SJ’s families’ shoes…I just can’t imagine NOT going to court with my mother if she was in trouble. I don’t care what she did, my mother would deserve my presence at her side. I don’t even think I could possibly stay away even if she asked me to do so. She would be there for me no matter what so why would she deserve less? How many children does SJ have?
Yep, Grifter and her family have quite a magnetic attraction when it comes to funds. There is no reason in this world for SJ to have to go to court without legal representation.
SMR
You are so right. Have replaced cocoa with Parazone for nightcap.
As to her being alone – it is a school day, so any kids still living at home would not be available. And kids don’t belong in a courtroom anyway. Don’t know if she has any siblings or parents – but it would have been good for them to show up with her. As to friends, law enforcement folks will tell you that most druggies only hang out with other druggies – so none of her “friends” would dare be seen with her. And of course anyone who is an alcoholic or other drug addict is not emotionally stable or dependable enough to be a true friend to anyone, even themselves. Looks like she is in a very bad place in her life. I condemn anyone dealing drugs, but I hope that she can turn her life around.
I’m sorry, Levi is old enough to have been there…period. He’s proven that he is old enough for a lot of things lately.
When has school ever been a priority for this crew ?? Seems like someone could have shown some compassion and/or support………..
Crystalwolf
I wasn’t trying to suggest big bucks from welfare. But didn’t I read that there was a package with 179 pills in it. That couldn’t have been from a prescription, and it does translate to big bucks at 10$ a pop. If this was going on for years, as has been suggested that’s a lot of money.
Also, some of these pills at least must have been reaching minors.
UK (17:08:45) :
Crystalwolf
I wasn’t trying to suggest big bucks from welfare. But didn’t I read that there was a package with 179 pills in it. That couldn’t have been from a prescription, and it does translate to big bucks at 10$ a pop. If this was going on for years, as has been suggested that’s a lot of money.
Also, some of these pills at least must have been reaching minors.
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Sorry, I didn’t see the package article I guess. But yeah Disability is not big bucks, for sure.
And I suspect, some of her oxy might of reached a certain…Minor….
As Mustang said:
“And someone set her up”
How many minor children live in the home with Sherry Johnston? The ADN article says she’s living on disability and child support payments. If Sherry is sent to jail, will those kids live home alone?
This story explains why Levi Johnston always looked like a deer in the headlights on the campaign trail. I’m sure he expected his family problems would be exposed any minute.
The whole thing is sad, but if she is guilty of dealing and use (more than what’s really needed for her disability, whatever that is), then, like others, I have no sympathy for her at all. There are plenty of people who have to take pain meds and they don’t turn into drug dealers. Sounds to me like she didn’t really need what she had or she wouldn’t have used it to turn a profit.
I do find it odd though, that no one in her family went to court with her. I get the point about her friends not going as they might still be under the police radar and want to stay hidden. Of course, if the surveillance (where’s spell check when I need it) was thorough, all her friends might be findning themselves in hot water soon anyway.
SJ is old enough to know that what she was doing was risky and wrong, and that she got caught just means that she can’t continue to ruin the lives of her customers, some of whom might have been teens.
Pat
It seems as if SJ was being watched for quite some time. It will be interesting to see who gets caught in this particular web of intrigue.
Question: How far apart are the North Slope where Levi is working and the courthouse ? Too far to travel for Levi, or are they fairly close ? Or is Levi at home now on FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) to help care for his child ?
Another reason that nobody showed up to support her could be the “Sarah Palin factor” too. Nobody wants to get on her bad side, always for fear of repercussion, and maybe they thought if they showed up in court in support of Sherry Johnston, word would get back to SP and they would be on her “Naughty List”.
Off topic, but I have to mention that the holidays were very good to Rachel Maddow. Was just watching her show, and she is looking absolutely super hot tonight. Slightly tousled hair, just a hint of make-up, very natural looking, and I love the little “faux sideburns” thing she has going on.
I could get lost forever in those beautiful brown eyes. Add the fact that she is also extremely intelligent, and you have an amazing package.
OT:
I love the plethora of views expressed and information shared on Mudflats!!! I so appreciate everyone’s perspective and especially that it is shared in such good spirits on this blog.
Thanks AKM and to all others who contribute..also..too.
I thought I read the investigation started right about the time Barbie was picked for VP right around 9/3 or so? I could be wrong b/c I missed the 179 pill package, I didn’t see that. But what a coincidence for it to start at such a time? I think maybe it was so certain people weren’t in town….but the truth squad stepped in and pretty much stopped progress until the campaign was over…just my thoughts….
I guess Bristol could not show up because she is still preggo and has not had the baby. Levi could not be there for the same reason. No family members were there because they are all afraid of a reporter being around. They are hiding so much they are locked up in their own prisons and houses and can not come out until the baby is born. Hmmmm wonder when that will be……I wonder if Judge Beverly is good friends with Sarah? I wonder if the appointed attorney is a friend of Sarah’s. Lots of Funny things always happening at the Palin Ponderosa. Why did the hearing also get changed to Monday when the press and everyone was prepared for tuesday? Boy the POWER of A GOV.
Crystalwolf
Agreed, the timings are very suspicious. If one were the tinfoil hat type, one would think SP had been run over by a bus.
Maybe I am getting my articles mixed up but one of them said that the box of pills was allowed to be delivered to a house, then when they were delivered, the cops moved in to bust the now informants who got that box when it was delivered. Made it sound like the pills went to a hosue **besides** Johnston’s house..then the people who got the box of pills were then given the option of being informants and were sent to buy pills from Johnston.
Could it be that the people getting the pills were asked who locally was a drug seller and they gave Johnston’s name?
UK Lady (17:55:09) :
Crystalwolf
Agreed, the timings are very suspicious. If one were the tinfoil hat type, one would think SP had been run over by a bus.
Maybe the straight talk express got its wheels back??? 
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hahaha….!
Who would have guessed, when we lower-48ers (+Hawaii) first heard of Sarah Palin, first heard her speak (aaauuughhh! as Charlie Brown would say), and endured the McCain/Palin campaign….
….would dream we’d be watching an Alaskan 3-ring-circus, complete with pit bulls, polar bears, mooses, and a blonde bombed to the eyebrows dodging enforcement/judiciary bullets?
On the issue of her dealing drugs, I have absolutely no sympathy for her. Many of us have had hard blows in life and not chosen to break the law. The worst part is that she is a mother and has probably helped others, possibly children, get addicted. Obviously there are people involved in this who also broke the law, but that is beside the fact that she was dealing. I have had to try to teach drug babies and nurture children who have addicted parents for far too long to have one ounce of pity for Sherry getting caught at dealing drugs. I feel sorry for Levi that he has a mother who is a dealer.
Ok. I feel bad for her. Feel bad that maybe she’s addicted, although if she’s selling her ‘scrip’ then she can’t be addicted unless she’s got a Dr. Feelgood who’s supplying her with a whole lot extra. At $80. ea. that could be a tidy sum.
I have serious issues with the pharmaceutical industry. Why is it that prescription drugs are ‘safer’ than tobacco? Why is it that tobacco’s horrible, but erectile dysfunction drugs, bipolar drugs, anti-obese drugs, and painkillers are advertised so heavily in our media? Any connection to this?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/us/14florida.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
When did corporations become so powerful that they consumed and subsumed ‘we the people’? With the election of our President, I’m really hopeful that we’re (‘we the people, who are concerned and involved in our neighborhood and our people) are on our way back – and if we aren’t, I think we better kiss our ass goodbye.
Feel sorry for her??? Really?
This woman is accused of selling a prescription drug in my community. People rob and steal in order to purchase this drug.
See: Wave of Mat-Su burglaries alarms citizens
“Law enforcement agencies point to drugs as the prime motive for break-ins: many burglars steal stuff to buy the drugs of choice in the Valley right now — heroin or pills like Oxycontin.”
Lance the Boil aka Crust Scramble:I have serious issues with the pharmaceutical industry. Why is it that prescription drugs are ’safer’ than tobacco?
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Don’t want to be OT here but serious is right! I am a person whose life has been ruined by one of these so called “safe” drugs…and guess who Sat on the Pharmaceutical company’s board when it got started….Prescott Bush!
That is why these companies are allowed to peddle poison legally. Big Pharma whose tentacles expand into govt. Drug Reps tell the Dr. this drug is good. And the drug company knows its not, has known for years. Not the Dr.s fault. BIG PHARMA!
ValNo Gravatar (18:11:06) :
Feel sorry for her??? Really?
This woman is accused of selling a prescription drug in my community. People rob and steal in order to purchase this drug.
———–
I sympathize – it’s happening in my neighborhood, too. Only difference is the folks peddling ‘oxy’ or ‘meth’ here aren’t connected to my Governor, so they’re not news.
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crystalwolf a.k.a. caligrlNo Gravatar (18:21:01) :
I’m so sorry, caligrl. My Dad was a doctor and he was adamant that we would not take prescription drugs indiscriminately. If we were injured or sick, it was, ‘aspirin, soak it in hot salt water, ginger ale and saltines, or methiolate’. Today, that would probably be considered child abuse, but we all thrived. He told me to always ask for the oldest prescription that would treat my ills (which is why Benadryl is my preferred sleep-aid!)
Not to mention, drug companies give big perks (i.e., kickbacks) to drs. who hand out samples and/or prescribe their drugs.
OMG! Just got a alert from the ADN…Levi quits oil field job….
Levi Johnston quits oil field job
Levi Johnston, the teenager planning to marry Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter, has quit his oil field job over questions about his eligibility to participate in an apprenticeship program.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/643519.html
Val, I’m totally with you. I live in a small community with many meth labs too. I have no sympathy for adult addicts or dealers. They are destroying our country. Ok, I have sympathy for kids on drugs and people who have become addicted legally. It’s time to for people to step up and say that there are other ways to cope with life’s speed bumps. There are no good excuses for using drugs illegally and certainly a special place in hell for dealers who help others get addicted.
crystalwolf – You beat me to that post by 10 seconds- So, Levi could have gone to court to stand by his mom. sad.
‘Palin, in an interview today, denied helping Levi Johnston get the job and called Fagan’s column “a political pot shot taken at me.”‘
————
Well, she should know about taking political pot shots.
OT, but it looks like Levi in no longer on the North Slope. ADN qouted his father, who happens to work there as well, that due to all of the press he decided to leave and further his education first. Dad helped him get into the progam, he is a construction eng. He should make enough that he is paying a fair amount of child support, but does not mention wife at all.
Lance the Boil aka Crust Scramble (18:07:17) :
My apologies in advance, but what does the pharmaceutical industry have to do with the illegal selling of prescription drugs?? And please, don’t assume that some physician is supplying her. SJ could have gotten her goods from a number of sources.
Being married to a physician I can assure you that my husband is EXTREMELY careful with his prescription writing, and refers most people looking for pain meds to a pain specialist. He keeps his pads locked up.
Trust me, people are very creative, err… conniving when they want drugs. I’ve heard many a story from physicians. Sure, there are a few unethical medical professionals out there, and yes, I don’t like prescription drug advertising either, but you can’t blame every physician or the entire pharmaceutical industry for the faults of a few bad apples. And narcotic drugs like Oxycontin are not advertised.
In many cases drugs kill people because of improper use, or by unauthorized use. We don’t live in a perfect world, and sometimes prescription drugs are found to be problematic after they have been prescribed in the 10′s of thousands, instead of the hundreds to thousands in clinical trials.
I have absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for Sherry Johnston. Personal responsibility. Just because one may become hooked on a drug doesn’t give them the right to sell it to others.
WakeUpAmericaNo Gravatar (18:44:53) :
Val, I’m totally with you. I live in a small community with many meth labs too. I have no sympathy for adult addicts or dealers. They are destroying our country. Ok, I have sympathy for kids on drugs and people who have become addicted legally. It’s time to for people to step up and say that there are other ways to cope with life’s speed bumps. There are no good excuses for using drugs illegally and certainly a special place in hell for dealers who help others get addicted.
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True, but it would help if pharmaceutical companies weren’t advertising 24/7 about how we all need a little of their help to get through our day.
@SMR
Please check this out…might answer some of your questions.
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/11/5/13585/8320/
Young Johnston quit his job…per his father…see ADN.
Lance the Boil aka Crust Scramble (18:38:18)
“Not to mention, drug companies give big perks (i.e., kickbacks) to drs. who hand out samples and/or prescribe their drugs.”
WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! That is not true! My husband is not influenced by a pen given to him by a drug rep. Yes, he allows them to tell him about their product, and he will ask specific questions about the drug, it’s use, or it’s side effects, but he does not get any sort of kickback from the rep or the company.
Well I thought I had read about Levi’s dad working there, but since gov grifter made such a issue of GED and such….the mud stuck!!!
Its only fair b/c there could of been a lot of guys/gals ahead of him on the list and it is not fair for preferential treatment. So if, it was Levi who decided to stand down, he must of known he was there under false pretenses, at least he had the guts to stand down. As for gov. grifter, she should just STFU! It was a issue in Oct. apparently but until SHE had to make a huge issue a couple of days ago…..!
Now if Levi quit, why wasn’t he there with his Mom?
Rachel IS hot……..I envy her girlfriend bigtime!!! Levi needs to get a mean as shit agent now that he is unemployed !!
crystalwolf WOW….lolol…
Levi Johnston quits oil field job
Levi Johnston, the teenager planning to marry Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter, has quit his oil field job over questions about his eligibility to participate in an apprenticeship program.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/643519.html
wonder when he quit…
Last Friday the court date was moved up from Tuesday to Monday…
If no one had asked questions he would still be working there, now let them try to blame ‘others’…for challenging SPS version of ‘rules’ and transparency…
It would seem that Sherry Johnston was not involved in that shipment of 179 pills. Two other individuals were and seemingly, as part of a plea deal, they agreed to make purchases of Ocycontin from others in the community who were also involved in the selling of that drug.
Sherry Johnston was one of those individuals, and it is unclear where her sold-on drugs came from. She may have previously purchased her inventory from the two individuals who were seemingly importing the 179-pill, wholesale lots into the community, or she may have sold her own prescription drugs.
In Australia, OxyContin is covered by the gov’t pharmacare plan, and the cost to an individual was as low as $4.90 AUD in 2006 for 60 20-mg pills (about $3.50 US). They were sold to individual end-users for $30 AUD per pill, so that $3.50 US became $1,278 US ($1,800 AUD).
Sherry was selling 80-mg doses at $80 per pill; however, presuming that the costs and margins are the same, her $800 sale (10 pills at $80) may not have cost her much more than about $10 at the pharmacy if covered by some pharmacy plan–Medicare?–(60 20-mg pills for $3.50 in 2006, which is 15 80-mg pills).
Not a bad little mortgage helper.
..”Oxycodone has similar effects to morphine and heroin, and appeals to the same abuse community. Armed robberies of drug stores where the robber demanded only OxyContin, not cash, have happened. In some regions, especially the eastern U.S., OxyContin has been the substance of greatest concern to enforcement authorities, although trustworthy data on the actual incidence of “Oxy abuse” have been difficult to establish.
Because oxycodone is highly controlled, when acquired illicitly it is quite expensive. Black market prices in Washington, DC, and Portland, Maine, for instance, have been reported to reach upwards of one dollar per milligram, though it is more usual to pay $50 for an 80-milligram tablet on the streets of Washington. In parts of Kentucky, especially in Appalachia, the cost is almost $1.25/mg. Legitimately acquired OxyContin is nonetheless rather expensive, costing as much as 400 US dollars for a usual month supply.
Still, in mid-2006, brand-name or similar-quality generic (e.g., Watson, Purdue) eighty-milligram tablets sold for about nine dollars apiece whereas low-end generics (e.g., Teva, referred to in slang as “footballs” after their shape) scarcely pushed five dollars.
In Australia, OxyContin is covered by the PBS, and an individual might get up to sixty tablets for as little as $4.90AUD in total. This has led to Federal enforcement of restrictions from May 2006. The 20mg tablet can cost up to $30AUD-$50AUD on the Gold Coast black market. As such there are professional “Doctor shoppers” making a tidy weekly profit from OxyContin.
Mention of 179 pills…
AK television
ww.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=9578691
Int’l Herald Tribune
ww.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/12/25/america/NA-US-Palin-Johnston-Arrest.php
Information from: Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, http://www.frontiersman.com
btw, I meant SP’s version above….
Lance the Boil aka Crust ScrambleNo Gravatar ;
He told me to always ask for the oldest prescription that would treat my ills
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Your Dad was absolutely right, and that’s what I do now if I need a rx. I have been told I “need” statin’s b/c I’m diabetic. NO Way. I prefer fish oil, lol!
If I had taken a older version of the drug that was “off label” rx’d I would of been fine…Again,
Not’s the Dr’s fault, Big Pharma.
Lance the Boil aka Crust Scramble (18:51:23)
“True, but it would help if pharmaceutical companies weren’t advertising 24/7 about how we all need a little of their help to get through our day.”
You just need to stop beating up on an industry that saves lives. It wasn’t that long ago that people died from simple diseases.
Thanks to the pharmaceutical industry, my son is alive today. He lives on a medication called Prograf, a selective anti-rejection medication that has changed the world of organ transplantation. Thousands are alive today, or have better quality of life because of the pharmaceutical industry. My son is just one example.
I have met many a researcher for the pharmaceutical industry. They are very dedicated to their mission to save lives and improve the quality of people’s lives. I’m personally grateful to them.
I’ll take our pharmaceutical industry, warts and all. And yes, I wish the ads would stop. That is to me the biggest wart.
We are all beneficiaries AND victims of marketing.
Interesting. This is the first time I’ve heard anything attributed to Levi’s father. Of course, Palin turns this latest revelation into, poor me, victim again. Is Mr. Johnston standing up to take the hit? Folks, I’m telling you AKM and the rest of the bloggers up there in the frigid north are going to bring this family down. Keep digging. Damn I’m so sick of this drama queen and her snowmachning hubby. Can’t call him first dude or her the maverick. Lake Superior State University (Mich) has stricken there use of same from the Queen’s english. Guess I’ll work on my education, good idea Levi.
Oh jeeze of course gov grifter makes it all about HER!!! Does anyone have a link to HER statement?
And all these wingnuts think this is conspiracy against Barbie!!!
Well if she keeps talkin’…..maybe she’ll open that door, you know the ONE that will kick her a$$ out the door once and for all….!!!!
…and Palin pals around with a drug dealer. Hmmmm
Oh and I forgot to mention…”go Dan go!” Maybe we need to send him some of Doogan’s/ Dyson’s emails re: troopergate….?
I’m not familiar with him except from AKM blog last night and in the “wiki-leadked” emails I remember (Ivy?) saying something to barbie about him, I guess he was on the $h*t list even then…?
Secret Shopper – Your husband is the exception to business as usual. I have a close friend of over 15 yrs. whose wife is a rep. for a drug company.Every 12 mos. she gets to pick out ANY 4 door sedan G.M. makes. Every 12 mos. she and my buddy go on a FULLY paid for 2 wk. vacation. They have cruised the Caribbean and Greek Islands.They have stayed at luxurious company owned condos in both Hawaii and Aspen. She is not rewarded for handing out pens or chatting.The drug industry has the biggest lobbyist firms pushing their agenda.
I went to the link suggested above concerning Palin and the New Apostolic Reformation. I came away thinking, “Thou doest protest too much…me thinks”
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/11/5/13585/8320/
These whack jobs are pure evil straight out of the devils bowels. They want to kill you if you don’t believe in what they believe. They are no different than other fake religions and are truly insane without a doubt.
They are the republican base. Holy shit.
I read many of the over 1500 comments about Sherry Johnston on the ADN site. So glad to see most of the people who comment here aren’t nearly as rabid and nasty.
But then, we know AKM knows how to handle that shovel.
Hi, Secret Shopper, nice to meet you. No apologies necessary.
“What does the pharmaceutical industry have to do with the illegal selling of prescription drugs??”
—————–
The pharmaceutical industry heavily advertises the glamour (botox), sleep (ambian, rozerem),
depression (Prozac, Elavil, Effexor}, incontinence (Ditropan, Flomax), prostate enlargement (Proscar, Avodart ),
it’s hard to go on here, because there are so many more – erectile dysfunction, migraines, sinus headaches.
The pharmaceutical industry makes their drugs desirable.
—————
“Being married to a physician I can assure you that my husband is EXTREMELY careful with his prescription writing, and refers most people looking for pain meds to a pain specialist. He keeps his pads locked up. “
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Good for him. I believe you.
My stepson suffered a horrific hand injury; he lost two fingers from his dominant hand, one was partially reattached. He couldn’t afford to stop working as a carpenter, couldn’t rehab it like he should’ve, was referred to a pain clinic (attached to a university hospital), they prescribed oxycontin and he fell into the abyss. He was doing all of his prescription plus buying off the street at $80. bucks a pop.
I——————–
Trust me, people are very creative, err… conniving when they want drugs. I’ve heard many a story from physicians. Sure, there are a few unethical medical professionals out there, and yes, I don’t like prescription drug advertising either, but you can’t blame every physician or the entire pharmaceutical industry for the faults of a few bad apples. And narcotic drugs like Oxycontin are not advertised
———-
You’re right about people. But I can blame an industry that 24/7 tells us that there is something wrong with us that we have to go to our doctors, convince him or her that we know what is wrong with us and they should prescribe this (or that). Oh, and that industry is giving perks to physicians (perks being pens, pads, meals, trips – you get my drift).
As for oxycontin – Perdue put it out there with no clue about its long term effects or lie about what they already knew.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/10/health/main2785453.shtml
As for oxycontin – Perdue put it out there with no clue about its long term effects or lie about what they already knew.
As for oxycontin – Perdue put it out there with no clue about its long term effects and lied about what they already knew.
I, too, miss the edit feature.
My suspicion is that SJ was trying to avoid any extra attention on herself, friends and family. Having moved up the arraignment date is a big clue. Second big clue is that she was concerned for Levi (from the get-go) being in the limelight. That’s a concern that SP did not afford her own children.
As far as I’m concerned, Levi has made a move to right a potential wrong. Haven’t seen anyone else in state government do that in these last few months.
What an awful stew! Over-spiced and over-stirred!
@ CenterLeft
Thanks for checking out that site…I have been posting it everywhere I can. Did you check out the side bar on that page as well? The only religion that is even tolerated is Baptist. And someone in that group thinks they may have killed Mother Theresa by climbing a mountain to get rid of demons. Palin has been in that prayer group for more than 20 years.
Please pass it on. They call it a spiritual warfare network and they mean business. The seven mountains referred to is taking over the media, business, education, government, etc. There is even mention of stopping the banking system. And I found a letter on youtube written by a former member who said that she was being prepared for the battle by showing bad stuff to desentize for the upcoming battle. So, it is my belief that the turkeygate was staged for that reason. Not a blunder.
The difference between Sherry Johnston’s abuse of prescription drugs and the prescription drug abuse by Cindy McCain is that Cindy had the money to hire high priced attorney’s to get her out of the mess she created for herself. It’s a known fact that poor people, without financial resources, go to jail and rich people hire high priced attorney’s and never pay the consequences for their illegal behavior.
@ CenterLeft
desentize…should be desensitize…sorry for the typo.
Natalie (20:10:54) :
The difference between Sherry Johnston’s abuse of prescription drugs and the prescription drug abuse by Cindy McCain is that Cindy had the money to hire high priced attorney’s to get her out of the mess she created for herself. It’s a known fact that poor people, without financial resources, go to jail and rich people hire high priced attorney’s and never pay the consequences for their illegal behavior.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cindy wasn’t dealin’ either….just stealin’
Somebody on ADN comments is saying that Levi’s ASRC position is a 5-6yr waiting list??? If that’s true….someONE pulled some STRINGS there!
Couldn’t be Gov Grifter or Dud…..actually I read somewhere about Levi’s Dad, BUT STILL….gov griter would be aware of long waiting periods for such jobs, ya think???? And certainly the ASRC that Fagen asked about a diploma SHOULD KNOW….YA THINK??????
Oh boy, its that damn “Gotcha media” all over again… Just ask poor Sherry….
I do sympathize with SJ. I know how hard it is to raise kids on your own. When my kids and I were younger, right after I got divorced. Was working 3 jobs and not receiving child support. I thought about selling pot (actually, did it once). Then I started thinking about what would happen to me and my kids, if I got caught and sent to jail. How much worse our lives would be…much worse than eating oodles of noodles 4 days a week.
And while sympathize, I don’t understand how if you love your kids you can keep doing unless you are addicted as well as a dealer.
oops sorry wrong thread……?
I don’t think we have enough information yet to either feel sorry for Johnston or to pass moral judgement. She could have been a women in desperate financial straights who resorted to selling her own pain medication to make ends meet or she could have been a long standing dealer who purchased her goods solely for retail. I certainly don’t see any evidence that she is was driven to dealing drugs because she was too doped up to know what she was doing anymore.
I like this quote in the article:
“You guys are watching him so tightly,” Johnston said, referring to the media. “He’s being treated different than an average 18-year-old kid. He has to do everything by the book now.”
————————
Oh ! What a pity ! He ACTUALLY has to follow rules now ?!?!?! How many other rules did he break ? Guess “not doing it by the book” applies to the whole family. Seems to be a trend with anyone associated with the Palin clan.
Natalie – Cindy McCain also had a U.S. Senator husband who picked up the phone and told the D.E.A. to back off . She forged co-workers names on federal forms to feed her habit.She lied to investigators and caused great grief to said co-workers.
As someone who suffers from chronic pain and is made to feel like a criminal everytime I have to go to ask my doctor for medication I would like to give a heartfelt “f*** you” to Sherry Johnston, Rush Limbaugh and any other pill poppers out there! You will find no sypmathy here!
Curious:
I added your YouTube video to my favorites on my YouTube channel, “orfolkjokeapus”.
Do NOT assume Sherry was selling her own meds ! ADN reported a “shipment of 179 pills was isntercepted…” That is a LOT of pills for one script and I doubt these were her own meds, even if she is disabled and has to take them for her own pain. I have had Oxycontin and my doctor weaned me down and off and there was NO problem re: addiction. IF Sherry has chronic pain, lets remember there are many others with it as well and they DO NOT DEAL DRUGS.
LET’S STOP NAMING EVERYONE A VICTIM ! ! ! SHE IS NOT A VICTIM. SHE CHOSE TO OVERTAKE AND TO DEAL A DANGEROUS DRUG. HER CUSTOMERS ARE HER VICTIMS BUT EVEN THEY CHOOSE TO BUY SO THEY ARE NOT VICTIMS EITHER.
One reason we have people who are ( like Palin) deluded, narcissistic, feel they can break rule, or that rules dont apply to them, that they are “entitled” is because AS A SOCIETY WE HAVE MADE “VICTIMS” OUR OF PEOPLE WHO SIMPLE LACK CHARACTER ! Remember when it was the highest of compliments to say, “he is a man of character?” Well, people who lack character are NOT victims. THEY SIMPLY LACK CHARACTER, I.E. PERSONAL COURAGE. They are responsible for the consequences of a life without the exercise of character.
You can gain character from the mistakes you make, IF you learn from those mistakes. If you do not, then you LACK CHARACTER BUT YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM ! ! ! !.
When we label anyone in a difficult position as a “victim” then we are essentially saying, “it’s not your fault, it is not your responsibility, and therefore there is nothing YOU can do about it. You have an “illness.” Bull shit ! When to make a victim out of someone, you deprive them of their power to change themselves ! ! ! ! ! YOU TAKE THEIR POWER AWAY AND PLACE THEM BELOW YOURSELF–THIS IS CONDESCENDING, PATRONIZING AND DISMISSIVE.
Bottom line: we end up with a culture that breeds the childish narcissism that adults should have grown beyond and we end up with Sarah Palins who feel entitled, who feel they have been disadvantaged and are thererore entitled to whatever they want, when they want it and who want it now and dont finish highighschool before becoming electrician apprentices or who think they can go from mayor of Wasilla where they leave the town in $22,000,000 debt and then screw up as a governor and don’t blink when asked to run for VP.
Sarah feels she is a victim still, and blames the media and anyone else standing close by. Pool Levi “now” has to go by the book.
Get the picture ! You do not show real compassion when you label everyone a “victim.” You deprive them of the motivation to revamp their character and to make someothing of themselves. You infantalize them and take their power away. QUIT IT ! You deprive real victims when “everyone” is a victim and that does no one any good !
Trust me 179 pills at one time was NOT Sherry’s own script ! ! ! ! !
$80 per pill x 179 pills ! That ain’t small change !
I feel sorry for her. BUT, she is no one’s victim. She did this to herself. And to her kids. And to the kids she is selling to etc etc etc.
There are consequences for our actions. This is Sherry’s.
A defendant can have the services of a public defender only if she cannot afford to pay for a lawyer. So it would seem the the Johnston family, like many in the Valley, is not affluent at all but more like lives hand-to-mouth, picking up serial low-paying jobs as they come along, bagging a moose now and then, just scraping by. Not that her financial situation in any way justifies dealing drugs, if that is what she did.
And, remember, no direct connection between SJ and SP has ever been shown, except a) they live in the same community, and b) their children fell in love and did the dirty without protection. So, yes, SP’s daughter has been pallin’ around with the son of an alleged drug dealer … but that’s all we can really say about the SP/SJ connection.
CenterLeft…that’s great..I’ll check it out. Thanks!!!
I feel sorry for Sherry Johnston. As you said, when you are addicted to prescription pain pills, it does cloud your judgement.
Another part of the arguement could be, she had to sell some of her pills to get enough money to see a Doctor and pay for her pills. I know many people who have to do that because they cannot be insured due to previous conditions or cannot afford insurance.
Palin, on the other hand, broke the law knowingly and for political and personal reasons. As an elected official, she holds the publics trust. She should be held to a much higher standard, as should all politicians.
$80/per pill? Must be some good sh*t!