
I’m Jim Elliott. I am an attorney practicing local government law in Georgia; this has been my career for over 40 years. More importantly, I am the brother and brother-in-law of Danny and Gretchen Elliott. My brother, after a 30+ year struggle with pain stemming from an electrical accident, died by suicide after having lost a series of doctors after their arrests and/or license suspensions by the federal government. Sadly, his wife took the same path, having been exhausted by her husband’s long struggle to receive and keep medications he needed. I’m appreciative of the opportunity to participate in this study to honor their memory and hopefully help others in similar situations to avoid their tragic fate.
I know that individually, it would be impossible for me to garner the attention necessary to expose the overreach of government into medical practices, which causes financial loss to physicians but leaves their patient’s life broken. This study will hopefully provide the opportunity to provide wide-spread exposure of the issue to the public at large and, more importantly, elected officials who have the power to mandate changes.
During the initial phase of the study, I have had the chance to hear stories similar to my brother’s; I was not surprised that others had suffered similar consequences but am thankful to make connections with loved ones and friends who have endured what our family has.
As this study proceeds, I simply want the relevant federal agencies to recognize that hard and fast rules and regulations don’t fit every situation. Pain patients are not addicts; they need medications to have some semblance of a normal life. They, and in turn, their physicians, are the victims when bureaucrats create red lines that ignore the fervent needs of many, often with disastrous results.