Faculty Bibliography

This paper presents a common standard for conflict of interest disclosure. The common standard was drafted by the authors, following consultation with a multi-disciplinary group of journal editors, publishers, bioethicists and other academics. It is presented here for the benefit of authors, editorial managers, journal editors and peer reviewers to stimulate discussion and to provide guidance to authors in reporting real, apparent and potential conflicts of interest. It is particularly relevant to addiction specialty journals because of the potential conflicts of interest associated with funding from the alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceutical and gambling industries. Following an appropriate period of vetting the common standard within the scientific community, it is recommended that journal editors adopt journal policies and reporting procedures that are consistent across journals.

Caplan discusses the four problems with the conclusion that the way to combat organ trafficking is to make it legal. First, there is no reason to think that most nations have the resources to regulate a market in organs effectively. After all, even the US, Britain, and Germany proved unable to regulate their banking, housing and securities sectors. Second, there are other ways to expand the availability of organs and tissue that do not involve treating human beings as commercial body-parts factories. Nations could institute presumed-consent policies, asking those who do not want to be donors to carry cards or register their objection in computer registries. When supplemented with appropriate training and resources, these systems have proven very effective in Spain, Belgium, Austria, and other nations. Third--and perhaps the greatest problem with legalizing organ and body-part markets--is that such markets prey on the grim circumstances of the poor. Fourth, they clearly violate the medical ethics of physicians and health-care workers

Oklahoma County District Judge Vicki Robertson recently ruled that a 2008 state law requiring doctors to perform ultrasound tests on pregnant women seeking abortions is unconstitutional

[...] states with medical marijuana laws have consistently seen a decrease in teen use