FDA Approves OxyContin Use For Children As Young As 11

The FDA last week approved the narcotic painkiller OxyContin for pediatric use. The regulatory agency reported the drug is safe for children as young as 11 who are experiencing chronic pain that cannot be treated successfully with other medications. OxyContin is an extended-release version of oxycodone. Physicians have been prescribing OxyContin to children for some time but without the safety and efficacy data. The FDA does not regulate the practice of medicine, which means drugs such of OxyContin may be prescribed for off-label use to children once a caregiver has provided consent. An FDA representative stressed that the drug’s approval is not intended to expand or change the way it is used for pediatric patients.

[MadameNoire]

“Out Of Order:” 95% Of Prosecutors Who Set Charges Against Black Men Are White

… The Daily Beast uncovered just how far we have to go to set things straight in their new series “Out of Order.” In their recent exploration on the misconduct of prosecutors, the publication found that Black men are 65 percent more likely to be charged with the minimum sentence than other defendants. The Daily Beast reported that 95 percent of the prosecutors who set charges against black men are white. What’s worse? Two thirds of the states that elect their prosecutors have no Black prosecutors at all… Prosecutors convict nearly 86 percent of all of America’s prison population, showing an almost all-white cast putting a disproportionate amount of Black men behind bars.

[MadameNoire]

Nelson Mandela’s Grandson Charged With Raping 15-Year-Old

Nelson Mandela was a living beacon for all things true and just. So the news of one his family tree extensions being involved in an underage rape scandal is understandable accompanied with great sadness and disgust. Mbuso Mandela, the late freedom fighter’s 24-year-old grandson, has been charged with the rape of a 15-year-old girl in a Johannesburg, South African bar. Reports NYDailyNews: Mbuso Mandela, 24, appeared in a Johannesburg court Monday. He will stay in police custody until at least Friday, when he is given a formal bail hearing, South Africa’s Star newspaper reported.

[HipHopWired]

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