Penless: Doctors in Massachusettes may soon be forbidden to use drug rep pens:

"If a doctor needs a Caribbean vacation or a mug or a pen, he or she is probably not very successful and needs to be in another business," says state Sen. Mark Montigny, D-Mass., who sponsored the bill.

Caribbean vacations are definitely a little much, but a pen?

UPDATE: In the comments, Flea observes that Massachusettes lawmakers look in the mirror:

The wine is flowing and the laughter plentiful as the group of Massachusetts legislators and their fellow revelers relax inside the restaurant at Hotel Estoril Eden, a four-star waterfront high-rise with expansive views of the coast.Buffet tables are stacked. The rich, creamy flan is a must-eat. 'We need another bottle of wine," someone calls out from one of the tables.

The jovial dinner Tuesday night was another highlight on the group's 10-day excursion through Spain and Portugal, in the balmy climes and laid-back atmosphere of the Iberian Peninsula. There were casino visits, walks along the surf, and seaside cocktails at sundown in a cove west of Lisbon known as the Portuguese Riviera.

....Former state senator Henri S. Rauschenbach, a Republican who is now a State House lobbyist representing many healthcare interests and hospitals, was also scheduled to attend.

No word on who paid for the trip - only that it was "private funds" not taxpayer dollars. Do you suppose the lobbyist had anything to do with it?

....