By Ed Coghlan

Another round of Don’t Punish Pain Rallies is scheduled for late January 2019. State organizers are working with the national organizer Rhode Island’s Claudia Merandi to generate a larger patient response than what happened in September which attracted rallies in most states.

Merandi has paid to have a 15” television commercial promoting the rallies produced—and fund raising has begun in order to run the commercial in different markets to promote attendance in January. The commercial addresses pain patient suffering and providers’ struggles to treat patients and encourages viewers to contact their senators.

Air time is expensive (the bigger the city the more expensive) but Merandi says that all other options have been exhausted and she believes now the most effective way for the population to hear the chronic pain community. is with this television commercial.

A Go Fund Me site has been started—and those who can are invited to donate.

Here’s the site:

“We have state organizers. Each organizer is in charge of pulling a permit for their protest, attracting media attention and to generally promote the event,” Merandi said. “Air time is expensive but we’ve exhausted all other options and now the most effective way for the population to hear our cries is with this television commercial.”

Each state, will receive an amount of money from the GoFundMe to start their fundraising efforts. The state organizer will have the GoFundMe link will be on their state Facebook page.

As Merandi said in a recent Facebook post: “But it’s not only a sick person’s problem, this is an “every person’s” problem. When your loved one comes out of surgery, they will be left to suffer because the anesthesiologist, along with the post-op surgical team, are fearful to prescribe due to the DEA’s constant harassment.”

For more information check the DDP Website.

Here’s a link to the commercial.

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