Though I understand the D.A. and the former Attorney General’s reason for wanting to prosecute and applaud them for sending the message that what happened to Anna Nicole will not be tolerated, I agree with the Judge on Howard K. Stern. Stern is extremely lucky to be a free man after what happened to Anna Nicole.
At the same time Stern was also using, which from the footage I saw on TV was quite evident. The bottom line is however, Anna Nicole was not forced to use drugs; she made the choice.
To say that Stern exclusively furnished drugs to Anna with the intent to feed an addiction was difficult for me to fathom. In my observation, he and Anna appeared codependent when it came to drug use. It has been documented that Anna had been exposed to potent intoxicants long before she met Howard K. Stern. There is no question that Stern could not have foreseen the early consequences resulting in Anna’s death.
At the same time, help is for those who want it, for those who are ready for it, not for those who “need it.” Though there are some addicts who are too far into their addiction to see what they have done to the world around them (like I was) and need help, they cannot be helped, they can only be shown the way. Sometimes that means 5150 involuntary holds, sometimes that means jail, sometimes it means that something incredibly horrific must happen before we have that psychic shift to change.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we got better at recognizing a problem and doing something about it that promotes for the problem to stop at a pace that is healthy and acceptable?
The doctors in the case acted against what is legally, ethically and morally right. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. The doctors should not be allowed to continue to prescribe addictive drugs unless and until a special course is completed regarding the dangers in furnishing drugs to a known addict.
Once bitten, twice shy. If these doctors were in my jurisdiction there would be a two-year course, with a grade requirement after which there would be an assessment as to whether there is competency to continue to practice medicine.
As for Anna Nicole, she has lost her ability to get a second chance at life. It is a tragic ending of a woman who wanted a better life and didn’t know anymore how to hold on to what was real. I will miss her.
As for Howard K. Stern, my advice is for him to start helping people who are hopelessly lost in addiction so we can start preventing what happened to Anna.
