Big Pharma Not Happy: 80% Of Cannabis Users Give Up Prescription Drugs

[Robert Celt]

Big Pharma must be getting seriously worried by the results of a recent survey conducted by the Centre for Addictions Research of BC

The pharmaceutical (along with the alcohol) industry is a powerful influences in Washington and has long been lobbying against cannabis legalization in order to protect their profits.

Natural Blaze reports:

However, the tide has turned as decriminalization of medical and recreational cannabis sweeps the nation and the continent. With legalization, more and more people are discovering how this plant can provide a safe alternative to the dangerous effects of prescription pills.

The survey of 473 adult therapeutic cannabis users found that 87% of respondents gave up prescription medications, alcohol, or other drugs in favor of cannabis. Adults under 40 were likely to give up all three of these for medical cannabis.

The most startling revelation, and one that will have Big Pharma running to their crony lawmakers, is that 80% of respondents reported substituting cannabis for prescription drugs.

In addition, 52% said they substituted cannabis for alcohol and 32% said they substituted it for illicit substances. These results indicate a very promising trend of people moving away from dangerously addictive and deadly substances in favor of a miracle plant that has never caused an overdose death.

The finding that cannabis was substituted for all three classes of substances suggests that the medical use of cannabis may play a harm reduction role in the context of use of these substances, and may have implications for abstinence-based substance use treatment approaches. Further research should seek to differentiate between biomedical substitution for prescription pharmaceuticals and psychoactive drug substitution, and to elucidate the mechanisms behind both.

As The Free Thought Project has reported before, the U.S. is in the midst of a painkiller epidemic, with overdose deaths skyrocketing as Big Pharma has secured its grip on government and mainstream medicine. Opioid painkillers and heroin have driven overdose deaths to the point where they are now the leading cause of fatal injuries in the U.S. Alcohol is also killing Americans at a rate not seen in 35 years.

The results of this survey confirm that cannabis is the answer to all of these problems.

Americans for Safe Access has a comprehensive breakdown of conditions that cannabis can treat, and comparisons to prescription pills.

Chronic Pain
Arthritis
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Movement Disorders
Multiple Sclerosis

We are just beginning to confirm the benefits of cannabis on other conditions such as anxiety which is normally treated with pills such as Xanax, insomnia which is normally treated with pills such as Ambien, and antidepressants which are treated with pills such as Zoloft. All of these prescription drugs can cause debilitating addiction or severe side-effects.

Although the war on drugs put a stop to medical cannabis research for decades, in recent years we have seen a surge in studies being performed, as prohibition crumbles and the Schedule 1 classification of "no medical benefit" is exposed as a farce.

News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Big Pharma Not Happy: 80% Of Cannabis Users Give Up Prescription Drugs
Author: Staff
Contact: Top Things 2 Know (comment on page)
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Website: Top Things 2 Know

 

[cleanslate]

It is for this reason that cannabis has suffered the unprecedented persecution and slander of prohibition, like no other plant ever has. Not because it was in anyway bad for us but because it is extraordinarily good for us. We have just begun to witness the dawn of the healing and liberating potential of cannabis.

Now Big Pharma will martial all of its considerable financial and political power to strike back against the growing realization that cannabis is a wonder of nature that only bestows benefits and does no harm. The death-dealing and exploitative powers of this word will not prevail against "the Tree of Life."

 

[RockyMountainHigh]

I wouldn't exactly label marijuana 'the Tree of Life'....lol But I do believe it's been a proven healer for certain health conditions and think we can look forward to even more and more great research in its ability to combat more disease. I'm also common-sensy enough to recognize the not so wonderful effects (dizziness/nausea/debilatating,etc) from first-hand experience. But...those can be controlled with proper dosing and experience. I don't think we're going to go backwards on all this legalization, and just really hope the current and future research can prove MJ to be helpful to many more people. I can't forget to say I'm really put out with big Pharma and their personal greed over care and concern for others. Enough is enough.

 

[BrokrnEyes]

You know, not 20 minutes ago I was reading a Tribune article about how he forbearers player has been using medical cannabis in his state of Arizona to treat his early onset dementia from his 15 year career as a quarterback. He was choosing to smoke cannabis over taking painkillers which she said he was taking over 100 a month! Despite this article toting the benefits... The comment section was not kind. I read everything in there from "no one forced him to play football", "great another pothead on welfare" and "he should try X or y pills". I don't think be pharm has too much to worry about as it occurred to me that even when it's completely legalized, and Grant and there'll be some who start using it because it's not legalized , there'll still be a huge group Who choose not to use for their own reasons and will continue to go to big pharm.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink.

 

[Eddie83]

I am surprised that only 52% used cannabis in place of alcohol. Alcohol is like a poison to me, I get a dreadful headache and just feel crappy and hostile. But at an appropriate (low) dose, cannabis has pleasing effects. I can't help but feel that only people who have low body awareness, drink alcohol. Not saying I don't enjoy the taste of a good Pinot or Cabernet, but ... the aftereffects ain't worth it!

 

[RockyMountainHigh]

You don't have to get plastered on alcohol. Of course if you do, you'll suffer for it. Alcohol is no different from MJ in that respect...if you don't know how to take just enough alcohol or MJ to give a nice little buzz, then you probably won't like the outcome.

 

[Peter Parker]

The most startling revelation, and one that will have Big Pharma running to their crony lawmakers, is that 80% of respondents reported substituting cannabis for prescription drugs.

I'll just take a guess that you were high when you wrote that....smh.

 

[papatutti]

Big Pharma Companies make billions of dollars in trying to cure people's ailments.
If Big Pharma Companies actually cured people's ailments, they wouldn't be making the billions they are now.
Medical Marijuana has them running like rats on a sinking ship.

 

[BrokrnEyes]

Big Pharma Companies make billions of dollars in trying to cure people's ailments.
If Big Pharma Companies actually cured people's ailments, they wouldn't be making the billions they are now.
Medical Marijuana has them running like rats on a sinking ship.

The problem is that it doesn't matter if we know how good medical marijuana is for treating a lot of ailments that plague humanity, the problem is is that a lot of key politicians are in the pockets of big Pham. Don't kid yourself, these politicians know full well what they were doing when they excepted the briefcase and then had laws passed to make it easier for doctors to prescribe painkillers for this epidemic were in now.

In ancient Sparta, the other two king system. Whenever a king was about to retire, everything that king had done while in the service of Sparta was brought up for review and if it was found that he his actions by and large did not benefit the nation, his retirement was " Cut short ". It's a pity that sort of practice isn't done today , you have a lot more honest politicians.

I have no doubt that we will soon see the creation all marijuana in the next two presidencies here in America, majority of candidates have said that they are going to make it either medicinal or completely recreational legal, or at the very least allow the states to the side ( which is a pretty limp hand way of doing things ), but I have no doubt that the pharmaceutical companies are going to everything and anything they can to scare the population into not trusting it as much as it's already been scientifically proven to be able to do.

Also I absolutely hate this new screen reader update! The spacing between every single piece of punctuation, damn near every single piece is not my fault!

 

[thinkbetter12]

I think some people, I've seen in my family members, get addicted to the drama of being in and out of doctors' offices, this treatment and that, this pill, that side effect. It becomes 'the story' they tell everyone, their drama. I don't know that it is conscious that people are doing this. But it can come off like they enjoy the drama and are actually addicted to it. These folks would have a hard time giving that up, so some subset of current pharma users won't let go of the pharma drugs, the medical establishment, and the related drama. My older sister just called the other day to tell me all about the results of her last tests -- she's not sick, BTW, and is going to live. She never once asked anything about what I was up to, having just experienced record blizzard conditions in the preceding days. No, who shoveled you out, nothing. She's addicted to the drama of her life, and one element is interacting with the traditional medical system. I would never consider pharma drugs for anxiety, stress, sleep disruption, but I will something that seems so natural to me as a plant - or the dried buds thereof. Some people will never buy into weed anymore than some people will buy into yoga.

You know, not 20 minutes ago I was reading a Tribune article about how he forbearers player has been using medical cannabis in his state of Arizona to treat his early onset dementia from his 15 year career as a quarterback. He was choosing to smoke cannabis over taking painkillers which she said he was taking over 100 a month! Despite this article toting the benefits... The comment section was not kind. I read everything in there from "no one forced him to play football", "great another pothead on welfare" and "he should try X or y pills". I don't think be pharm has too much to worry about as it occurred to me that even when it's completely legalized, and Grant and there'll be some who start using it because it's not legalized , there'll still be a huge group Who choose not to use for their own reasons and will continue to go to big pharm.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink.

 

[morsap]

bs . . . I am off of Oxycontin, Abilify and Nortriptylin. I hope it does put a crimp in Big Pharma because more and more people are doing the same. The money that I've spent on "chasing the pain dragon" with Pharmaceuticals is incredible. Now, I'm not spending anywhere near the same amounts and enjoying it more. I have blepherospasm (legally blind), lumbar and cervical pain as well as depression. The Wellbeing Institute got me hooked on Abilify (by giving me their samples) and kept telling me that once the drug went generic I'd be able to afford my own Rx. Well, that was just not true. Abilify alone cost over $500. The thing that people don't understand is that WE THE TAXPAYERS pay for the research and development on every drug that rolls out of Big Pharma and we still have to pay exorbinate costs to use them. And now, even generics are being overpriced by the Pharma companies.

 

[morsap]

I am free of Abilify, Nortriptylin, and Oxycontin. I am thankful for the MMJ alternative.