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Pain and Big Pharma
Published: 10/17/2011 by Eddie Boy
Pain is a big hurdle you have to jump over every time you wake or go to bed. It’s crippling grasp seems to take hold of you at the most inconvenient times. Its hard to be a parent and not be able to run and play with your kids. So it is hard to understand why the choice isn't ours when it comes to medical treatment. Marijuana legalization is a battle that seems to have no end. With dispensaries closing down and close-minded people being the driving force, some confusion has set in. One huge question arises every time I get on this subject. Why is it OK for Pharma to crack out gems like Oxycontin and Methadone for pain but MMJ is federally illegal? It all has to do with money and how to make more off it. Big companies can easily influence the laws by sending out lobbyist to whisper in the ears of lawmakers. Since Marijuana can be grown anywhere, How will big pharma make their money? Well, they have a solution. With Marinol and Sativex they will have nothing to worry about. Marinol is a pharmaceutical that is made from synthetic THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol ). It seems like a good idea but It doesn't substitute REAL THC or CBD. Beside with a little research I found that the FDA has cited 4 deaths in the use of Marinol. What!? They took a great thing and tainted the purity of something that people have been using as medicine for thousands of years. If its medicine already, why change it. That's right, we have to make money off of it. As for the Sativex being developed over seas, it boasts a 50/50 blend of THC and CBD. Sativex is a spray and may be a good solution for those who can’t smoke, vaporize or eat baked goods, However I still think there is no alternative to harvesting your own medicine if you are able to. Just remember that your voice counts. Tell them what we want. Get out there and vote or just plain educate others about the benefits of Marijuana for medical uses.
` Eddie Boy
Pain and Big PHARMA
Doris Lanier from 49337 - 02/14/2012 - 07:36 pm
Big Pharma wants us to think that because these drugs are approved my the FDA they are safe. I don't drink, maybe twice a year. Now my liver is bad due to the drugs big pharma said were SAFE!
I agree with Eddie Boy in saying that big pharma is scared of losing money. If we put the money that big pharma gets into the pockets of small time growers then the economy would boost.
Medical marijuana should be the answer and not the debate.
Absolutely right.
Ministove from Wrightwood, CA - 01/04/2012 - 04:22 pm
Great article--I'm aghast at the complete lack of recognition on behalf of the MMJ industry and its capacity to (relatively) easily provide patients with medicine that works! All we get is increased weariness form the DEA because it lacks federal recognition--and the greater "War on Drugs" still goes on, almost a stalemate.
Pharmaceuticals can be abused, and overdoses occur more often than we'd like to realize.
$690 Billion made in Big Pharma mergers, and only 10% of profits were used to fund research to attempt to cure 90% of all disease. They'd rather develop better boner pills, fight patents and restless leg syndrome, than help cure something like sleeping sickness. Amazing.
All About Money
sourOgGee from Denver, CO - 01/01/2012 - 11:23 pm
It would be a nightmare for Big Pharma if me and you could grow a safe-nontoxic medicine to treat a wide range of ailments for mere pennies in their yard or closet. Medical Marijuana has been cited to help relieve pain, nausea, digestion problems, depression, anxiety, and a wide range of other common conditions.
If seeing how liberally pharmaceuticals are prescribed to treat these conditions is troubling, then seeing their multi million dollar advertising campaigns is downright frightening. I’m astounded at the number of different prescriptions I see at my parents house, many of which treat issues which marijuana is also noted to treat. Now it doesn’t surprise me one bit that my 50 some year old mother isn’t willing to try marijuana for her headaches or anxiety. But when she told me that she would rather me take Oxycodone painkillers instead of use medical marijuana for my pain following a skiing accident, I was astounded. This is when I knew that misinformation contrasting medical marijuana to pharmaceuticals was rampant.
The DEA categorizes controlled substances based on their danger in a scheduling system with Schedule I being the most dangerous Schedule V the least. The drugs in schedule I are said to have “no medical value”. Shockingly marijuana remains in schedule I despite 16 states and the District of Columbia all have medical marijuana. Shockingly drugs such as methamphetamine (under the brand name Desoxyn), Cocaine, Oxycontin, are in Schedule II. So in short the DEA believes that methamphetamine and cocaine possess more medicinal value than marijuana. Oh sweet irony.
It is sad to see so innocent, well meaning people unknowingly altering their lives with pharmaceuticals simply because a doctor said it was safe. I’m not saying doctors aren’t here to help in most cases. I just wish more people would go out, do some research, and form their own opinions, rather than just believe what some professional told them.
