Post by Del Snavely on Nov 13, 2009 11:42:32 GMT -6
Pain Medicine Sales Skyrocket
This months AP story in the August Health Styles section of the Williston Harold and the Plains Reporter hit hard as the pain and suffering is unending for some, even here in North Dakota.
As the rise of addictive painkillers such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and meperidine sales are at a 90% increase over 10 years ago, all across the United States, one of the least addictive and least harmful painkillers is continuously ignored or ridiculed by our Federal Government as having no medicinal value at all.
Marijuana has been adopted in 12 states as having medicinal use for pain as well as many other medicinal uses, due to research done in the past 35 years, that the Federal Government has no interest in reviewing. This research has shown consistently that marijuana is one of the worlds most helpful and non-addictive substances on the planet.
So why then do the Feds. not even want to see the research? The answer is clear. To those of us who understand their mentality. The “plant” known as marijuana / cannabis / hemp, is just that, a “plant”, and pharmaceutical companies are unable to patent it. Therefore, making it useless for them to make the billions of dollars that they can make by “pushing” the harmful and addictive drugs they manufacture.
Pharmaceutical companies have more than 1200 lobbyists on Capitol Hill to stop any kind of research into this plant and stop laws from being passed in favor of it’s medicinal value. They stand to loose billions of dollars per year, if this plant were legalized for medicinal use here in this country alone. If they are unable to patent a drug, they say it has no medicinal value. Yet they continue to study “components” of this plant, so they can recreate those components “synthetically”.
Marinol, Sativex and many other new drugs that are a synthetic version of the marijuana plant can be patented because they are “synthetic” and therefore not created by God but by man. Marinol is 100% pure, synthetic Delta 9 THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the single most active compound found in marijuana (at most, marijuana has 20% D9 THC). Yet the Federal Government allows its sale and distribution by doctors and pharmacists because it is a “patented” drug. Sativex is allowed for sale in the UK and soon will be in the US. Sativex is nothing more than an “extract” directly from the marijuana plant. Yet, since it is not the plant itself, and must be “extracted” from the plant, it is “patentable” and therefore, a legal medicine.
People are dieing every day from the prescription pain killers that these pharmaceutical companies are pushing. I say pushing, because of the advertisements consistently shown in magazines and television, they spent nearly $30 billion dollars in 2005 to push their drugs to the American public. Marijuana has been used as medicine for thousands of years, and there is no record anywhere of even one death from its use.
The medical marijuana movement has many legitimate concerns when it comes to the FDA and drug policy. The people in the medical marijuana movement have seen the misuse of power by pharmaceutical companies to continue their strangle hold over this plant. We have seen the reasons why marijuana “should” be made legal in this country for medicine. The cases of Marinol and Sativex are only the tip of the iceberg. If there is “no medicinal value” within this plant, why do the drug companies continue to “replicate” it? That’s a question we all need to ask.
Studies have shown that “marijuana” is the least harmful and one of the most useful plants on this planet. Uses range from pain management, cancer reduction, AIDS/HIV neuropathic pain and wasting, glaucoma, chemo nausea reduction, ADD/ADHD, slowing the onset and in some cases reversal of Alzheimer’s, and many other uses as a medicine.
The one thing that this plant has against it is that it is virtually free. All a patient has to do, is learn how to grow it themselves. That’s the real reason for it being illegal in all forms. Marinol costs are $14 - $15 per tablet, this plant is free.
The Federal Government does not distinguish between hemp and marijuana for the same reasons. As long as they don’t make a designation on one, they won’t have to look at the other. What a sad and costly situation for the American people.
Sincerely,
Del Snavely
This months AP story in the August Health Styles section of the Williston Harold and the Plains Reporter hit hard as the pain and suffering is unending for some, even here in North Dakota.
As the rise of addictive painkillers such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and meperidine sales are at a 90% increase over 10 years ago, all across the United States, one of the least addictive and least harmful painkillers is continuously ignored or ridiculed by our Federal Government as having no medicinal value at all.
Marijuana has been adopted in 12 states as having medicinal use for pain as well as many other medicinal uses, due to research done in the past 35 years, that the Federal Government has no interest in reviewing. This research has shown consistently that marijuana is one of the worlds most helpful and non-addictive substances on the planet.
So why then do the Feds. not even want to see the research? The answer is clear. To those of us who understand their mentality. The “plant” known as marijuana / cannabis / hemp, is just that, a “plant”, and pharmaceutical companies are unable to patent it. Therefore, making it useless for them to make the billions of dollars that they can make by “pushing” the harmful and addictive drugs they manufacture.
Pharmaceutical companies have more than 1200 lobbyists on Capitol Hill to stop any kind of research into this plant and stop laws from being passed in favor of it’s medicinal value. They stand to loose billions of dollars per year, if this plant were legalized for medicinal use here in this country alone. If they are unable to patent a drug, they say it has no medicinal value. Yet they continue to study “components” of this plant, so they can recreate those components “synthetically”.
Marinol, Sativex and many other new drugs that are a synthetic version of the marijuana plant can be patented because they are “synthetic” and therefore not created by God but by man. Marinol is 100% pure, synthetic Delta 9 THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the single most active compound found in marijuana (at most, marijuana has 20% D9 THC). Yet the Federal Government allows its sale and distribution by doctors and pharmacists because it is a “patented” drug. Sativex is allowed for sale in the UK and soon will be in the US. Sativex is nothing more than an “extract” directly from the marijuana plant. Yet, since it is not the plant itself, and must be “extracted” from the plant, it is “patentable” and therefore, a legal medicine.
People are dieing every day from the prescription pain killers that these pharmaceutical companies are pushing. I say pushing, because of the advertisements consistently shown in magazines and television, they spent nearly $30 billion dollars in 2005 to push their drugs to the American public. Marijuana has been used as medicine for thousands of years, and there is no record anywhere of even one death from its use.
The medical marijuana movement has many legitimate concerns when it comes to the FDA and drug policy. The people in the medical marijuana movement have seen the misuse of power by pharmaceutical companies to continue their strangle hold over this plant. We have seen the reasons why marijuana “should” be made legal in this country for medicine. The cases of Marinol and Sativex are only the tip of the iceberg. If there is “no medicinal value” within this plant, why do the drug companies continue to “replicate” it? That’s a question we all need to ask.
Studies have shown that “marijuana” is the least harmful and one of the most useful plants on this planet. Uses range from pain management, cancer reduction, AIDS/HIV neuropathic pain and wasting, glaucoma, chemo nausea reduction, ADD/ADHD, slowing the onset and in some cases reversal of Alzheimer’s, and many other uses as a medicine.
The one thing that this plant has against it is that it is virtually free. All a patient has to do, is learn how to grow it themselves. That’s the real reason for it being illegal in all forms. Marinol costs are $14 - $15 per tablet, this plant is free.
The Federal Government does not distinguish between hemp and marijuana for the same reasons. As long as they don’t make a designation on one, they won’t have to look at the other. What a sad and costly situation for the American people.
Sincerely,
Del Snavely
