“Using Search Engines Without Encountering the GIGO Law”
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern
The third NCP3 educational session was held via Zoom on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Richard A. Lawhern, PhD, Founder Emeritus and Principal Speaker of the National Campaign to Protect People in Pain, led the session. The presentation focused on effective use of AI-based search engines—specifically Perplexity.ai—to identify, evaluate, and counter misinformation in pain medicine and opioid policy. The session was hosted and recorded by Arman Kaviani, NCP3 Technology Specialist.
Participants included Richard Lawhern (presenter), Arman Kaviani (host/recording), David G., Mark Ibsen MD, Norman (Norm) Clement, Barbara Gosar, and L.B. Joshua Taylor.
Dr. Lawhern opened with a demonstration of Perplexity.ai, explaining its function as an AI-based search engine that generates curated plain text answers with links to original data sources. He pointed out the distinction between the free basic service and the paid tier, noting that the basic service is adequate for the vast majority of research queries. He demonstrated a two-question method for investigating any subject: first, ask the direct question; then follow up by asking what published sources suggest the initial characterization may be oversimplified or inaccurate. This method surfaces minority opinions and nuanced perspectives that the initial curated answer might omit.
To illustrate the two-question method, Dr. Lawhern queried Perplexity on the benefits and risks of benzodiazepine drugs. The initial response was accurate but incomplete—listing standard risks (drowsiness, dependence, and falls) without acknowledging that many of these risks are irrelevant when benzos are taken at night. The follow-up question revealed published sources arguing that warnings about benzos may exaggerate certain risks, leading to overly restrictive guidelines that disproportionately cut access for patients. Proponents cited cohort data showing stable long-term use for up to 40 years without escalation or misuse, directly contradicting both CDC and VA guidelines.
Responding to a participant question, Dr. Lawhern queried Perplexity to identify perpetrators of misinformation on opioid safety. The engine’s initial response defaulted to the dominant narrative blaming pharmaceutical manufacturers — which Dr. Lawhern identified as a textbook example of misinformation dominance from the PROP (Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing) playbook. The follow-up question surfaced writers who have effectively contradicted this narrative, including Jeff Singer (critiques of opioid phobia), Sally Satel (under-treatment of pain due to post-crisis hysteria), and the Urban Institute (debunking myths on both sides). Dr. Lawhern also recommended the work of Cathleen London, MD, LLD, whose prize-winning paper on DEA overreach and criminalization of medicine is referenced in his own published works.
Dr. Lawhern acknowledged Debbie Cunningham, who in a previous session demonstrated vocal interaction with AI search engines—showing how spoken queries can produce nuanced, source-cited results in near real time. He stated his intention to invite her to lead a more in-depth session on this capability for the group.
Dr. Lawhern previewed his upcoming presentation for the SYNC 2026 conference in Arlington, Virginia on March 19, titled “An Indictment of US Public Health Policy on Pain and Addiction Management.” The presentation covers six key studies that form the evidentiary core of NCP3’s advocacy positions:
Dr. Lawhern noted that these studies were briefed to senior FDA leadership in July 2024 and to the Chief of Staff at NIDA in October 2024, both of whom have not acted on the findings. He also highlighted that CDC and VA guidelines entirely ignored genetic polymorphism in opioid metabolism, which produces a 15-to-1 range in minimum effective dose between individuals.
Active chat participation included discussion of: the non-scientific basis of morphine milligram equivalent (MME) as a risk threshold; the conflation of dependence with addiction; the role of poly-pharmacy in overdose deaths; filing complaints with state medical boards (with reference to NCP3-supported advocacy in California led by Monty Goddard and Pat Irving); and a participant question on how to “educate” Perplexity when encountering disinformation. Dr. Lawhern advised contacting Perplexity’s creators directly and recommended always including a follow-up question asking for minority opinions. Norm Clement published an article about Dr. Lawhern’s regulatory analysis during the session.
Enhanced Zoom security was in place following the Zoom bombing incident at the previous session. Measures included: waiting room with manual admission, passcode-protected meeting, participants muted on entry, and screen sharing restricted to host. No security incidents occurred during this session.
Dr. Lawhern concluded the session on schedule at 2:30 PM Eastern. He noted that the session’s timing gave him confidence in his ability to deliver within the time constraints of the March 19 SYNC conference. He encouraged participants to share these sessions with others in their networks and indicated willingness to increase session frequency beyond once per month if there is sufficient interest. Follow-up questions can be directed to Dr. Lawhern at lawhern@hotmail.com.