Lobbying for Change

A core objective of the National Campaign to Protect People in Pain is to empower thousands of citizen lobbyists to demand change from healthcare officials concerning:

1.                       Public health guidelines and practice standards in treatment of acute, chronic or intractable pain,
   
   and
    
2.                       Regulatory and legal standards that invade the doctor-patient relationship and subject clinicians to unjustifiable persecution and sanctions. 
   
   Such standards are every day driving doctors out of practice and their patients into disability and suicide.  We’re here to help you stop the madness.

Types of Lobbying

• Lobbying State Boards of Medicine and Pharmacy
   
• Lobbying State Attorney Generals - Abolish Injunctive Relief provisions of National Opioid Settlement
   
• Lobbying Legislators and Governors to Change State Laws - "Safe Harbor" Rules [see https://kevinmd.com/2025/03/when-state-legislators-are-given-the-opportunity-they-vote-overwhelmingly-for-doctor-autonomy-in-pain-treatment.html
   
• Lobbying Deans of Medical Schools
   
• Lobbying major clinical specialty organizations that board certify clinicians
   
• Lobbying legal firms to represent doctors in legal proceedings 
   
• Lobbying AMA and the AMA Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force
   
• Lobbying US Federal Agencies - DHHS, FDA, CDC, NIDA, CMMA, NIH,  DoJ, DEA
   
• Lobbying Congress Members – Representatives and Senators and their senior staff.
   
• Informing the public through US media:  Newspapers, Radio and Television

How Do We Begin?

First:  we must absolutely give up the silly notion that a single email or even a hundred emails will change a damned thing!  We must stop talking to ourselves in social media echo chambers and start getting into the faces of Board officials, legislators and news media – IN PERSON!

Second:  you or your advocate must learn to use a search engine to find the people you need to  influence.  One engine that the National Campaign often recommends is Perplexity.  [click on the word to see the search engine, then ask it some questions]

Third:  you or your advocate will need to study the recent actions or positions taken by people whom you need to influence (or verbally bludgeon into submission over their own strong objections).

Fourth:  you or your advocate will need to follow up consistently and AGGRESSIVELY!  The people you need to influence are likely to be busy.  Many will passively resist dealing with you -- simply by not responding to your calls or emails.  At least some will actively attempt to shut you down for demanding that they do their jobs and act on behalf of people in pain. 

You must refuse to be discouraged or to go silent.  For the rest of your life, your mission is to become someone that these idiots can’t ignore, and to convey the implied message “get with our program or we’ll help you leave politics.”

Fifth: Talk to Us.   You or your advocate should inform the National Campaign about how your efforts have been received. We want to share your lessons learned with others.  See email contacts at the foot of this page.

Asking the Right Questions

The following are example questions that may help you begin to lobby effectively.  You ask these questions and then ask further follow-up questions at Perplexity after filling in the “___(blanks)___”.

1.  “I live in ___(Zip Code)___.  Who are my local, State, and Federal legislators?”

2.  “What is the District Office nearest to ___(Zip Code)___ for State Senator ___(name)___?”

1. “How do I contact their District Office by phone?”
    
2. “Who is Chief of Staff for ____State Senator (name)___ and what is their phone number?”
    
3. “How do I request an in-person 15-minute appointment with ___(staffer or legislator name)___?
    

3.  “On what legislature committees does ____State Senator or Assemblyman____ (name)___ serve?

1. “What are the names of serving members on ____legislative committee name___?”
    
2. “What positions has ____(State Senator name)___ taken concerning the US opioid crisis?”
    

For each of these questions and answers, and for the follow-up questions and answers at Perplexity, it will be a good idea to copy and paste both your question and the answers you get into a permanent text file that you can consult later.  We all tend to forget details.  Be especially careful about recording names and contact data.

Likewise, you should read at least a few of the original documents that Perplexity has used in generating its answers. The project you are now starting (or that your advocate is starting for you) won’t be finished in an hour or a day or a month. 

There will be a lot of study involved.  So what else were you doing?  We’re in this mess partly because a lot of other folks thought change should be easy… and then gave up when they found that it isn’t.

Questions For Various Kinds of Advocacy

What are phone numbers for the California State Boards of Medicine and Pharmacy?

How do I contact the Office of the Carolina Attorney General?
 

What committees in the Arkansas legislature write or amend State laws on healthcare?
 

What are names and contact data for the Deans of the Medical Schools that are closest to ____Zip code____?

How can I contact the Executive Directors of US medical organizations that Board-certify Neurologists and Pain Management specialists?

How can I contact senior staff of the American Medical Association about policy positions they have taken concerning harms caused by CDC prescribing guidelines on opioids?

Where can I contact public policy officials at US DHHS, FDA, CDC, NIDA, CMMA, NIH, DoJ, and DEA concerning healthcare fraud committed by their agencies?

What are the names and contact data for opinion page editors of big city newspapers that serve ____(zip code)_____?
 

As you begin your own active advocacy for yourself and others, we encourage you to go “play” at Perplexity.ai for a while.  And be patient.  You’re not in this alone.  Share your stories and questions with others at [Patient Narratives]. 

For Questions or Comments Contact:  Red Lawhern or Jonelle Elgaway