Medical cannabis and recreational adult-use cannabis are blazing a trail of legalization and acceptance across America. Only a handful of states still remain stuck in the past, supporting outdated cannabis policy. Cannabis legalization should be an easy topic. But the federal government makes it a real mess.
Cannabis may do a lot of things according to what’s trending. The need to state that cannabis “may” or “might” help rather than cannabis “does” help is thanks to the FDA, which states that people are not allowed to make any medical claims about cannabis. These same overly unintelligent people say that cannabis is a schedule 1 substance with no medical value and that it has a high addiction rate.
They say cannabis is a schedule 1 substance, yet they approve a cannabis-based drug called Marinol that contains Delta-9-THC. I guess it only works as medicine if somebody (drug company) pays them an undisclosed (lots of zeros) amount of money for the right to use cannabis as a prescription drug. Prescription drugs have ravaged our country and created way more harm than cannabis ever could have. Marinol, according to many people, sucks. They would be better off with real cannabis medicine like FECO oil or tinctures.
The opioid epidemic is still very much alive in our country. Covid-19, the Will Smith slap, and all of the other distractions out there may have people not remembering that our government allowed the pharmaceutical industry to poison our nation, but many of us still remember this. In the cannabis industry, it is quite common to find people that were once addicted to prescription drugs and street drugs successfully running and managing businesses.
They run these businesses with a passion because of the way they feel about cannabis. For many of these people, cannabis was the determining factor in what helped them to break away from a life of addiction and complications. Prescription drug use comes with risks of side effects, just like virtually anything else. A major problem is these side effects are numerous, common, and at times, fatal.
Could Cannabis Each Day Keep These Greedy Pharma Companies Away
Thanks to the medical community across the nation, America became addicted to prescription drugs. Doctors started writing prescriptions like they were giving out candy to kids. Opioids quickly took the top spot, and before too long, an epidemic of epic proportions started fueled by America’s medical and pharmaceutical industries.
On countless occasions, drug makers and those representing them lied in order to boost sales and profits. When and if they were caught, they merely paid a fine and continued business as normal. Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, Lilly, Purdue Pharma, and countless other companies have paid what many would view as hefty fines. An example would be Pfizer, which was hit with a $2.3 billion settlement plus a $1.3 billion criminal fine. Glaxo also faced a large settlement of 3 billion dollars and also holds the title of the “largest civil false claim act settlement on record.”
One of the main companies behind the opioid epidemic, Purdue Pharma, was dissolved and ordered to pay a fine of 4.5 billion dollars to settle opioid claims. That is a joke. After decades of poisoning in America, 4.5 billion dollars is pocket change to a company like this. They will gladly dissolve a company start a new one under a different name, and do it again.
Cannabis Helping Kick Prescription Addiction
Do you see cannabis clinics spread across our nation? Places where people can come in off of the street and get free weed? No, you don’t. Do you see clinics where people can go in and get prescriptions for cannabis and then take them up to your local Walgreens or other pharmacies to have them filled? No, you do not. What you do see is an abundance of methadone clinics across our nation. They are there for individuals who are hooked on prescription and street drugs such as oxycontin and heroin. They go to these clinics to get methadone and Suboxone.
This is something that was fueled by the United States federal government and their partners in crime, the pharmaceutical industry. They get you hooked on their drugs and then send you to their rehab. It’s a pretty good cycle for them, quite profitable. However, if cannabis has anything to say about it, prescription addiction will be a thing of the past. Legalizing cannabis across our nation could change many things in a positive direction.
Recent Study Sheds Light on How Cannabis Can Mitigate Prescription Dependency
A recent study conducted by researchers from Indiana University and Cornell University discovered that states with legal access to medical cannabis or adult-use recreational cannabis saw a reduction in the demand for prescription drugs. Prescription drug purchases for sleep, depression, anxiety, pain, seizure, and psychosis medications showed a significant decrease in areas where people had legal access to cannabis.
Legal cannabis could also help reduce the strain on state Medicaid programs. Shyam Raman told media sources, “The reductions in drug utilization that we find could lead to significant cost savings for State Medicaid programs. The results also indicate an opportunity to reduce the harm that can come with the dangerous side effects associated with some prescription drugs.”
Perhaps the FDA should listen to this doctoral student from Cornell Jeb E Brooks School of Public Policy. They might actually be able to learn something if their ears, eyes, and minds weren’t closed. Cannabis has helped all kinds of people with all kinds of problems. It may or may not work for you because cannabis can treat everyone a little bit differently. A quick glance over the internet will show you countless success stories of children, adults, and seniors benefiting from cannabinoid therapies.
Cannabis is a medicine, and it is a powerful one at that. It works in conjunction with the human body’s natural endocannabinoid system. The time for tip-toeing around the bush about what cannabis may be able to do has come and gone. It is time for our lawmakers and elected representatives to not only listen to the will of the people but to open their ears and eyes to the facts of scientific research.
If the United States federal government were to change its outdated stance on federal cannabis policy, America could stand to substantially benefit from it. Cannabis can be great for the economy, great for the planet, and great for humanity. It’s almost as if the government doesn’t want an improved economy, healthier citizens, and a happier planet. All this could be made possible by adult-use recreational and medical cannabis.
Disclaimer: The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained in this article are for informational purposes only. No material from this article is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
