Marijuana and Reformed Health Insurance

I have to admit I had much more hope in Obama addressing the drug wars going on than what he has shown so far.

And not just the drug wars, but of opening up discussion and putting forth real effort in even more scientific and medical research about marijuana. We need overkill to wake up some people that make policy on things they don't understand.

The LaGuardia Report just isn't believable to some people nowadays and I don't understand why. But then again, people will believe what they believe, even when facts stare them straight in the face.

Is Obama afraid to shake things up too much right at the beginning? He's already shelved immigration discussion. He had the momentum in the beginning, now that that moment has passed it is all uphill from now.

Even without the narco wars marijuana is long past due being looked at and discussed on an intelligent level.

But, with the healthcare overhaul looming, do you really think big government is going to start accepting prescriptions for medical marijuana for Medicare patients if states were to pass it's acceptance for medicinal purposes? Not even to mention recreational?

I think not.

Will Medicare or any government funded insurance drop patients that have valid prescriptions for marijuana? Will they be dropped if they go and buy it at a store and pay taxes on it but go and get piss tested by their doctor and it's found in their system? I think we all know the answer to these questions. Big government will stick their 2 cents in, not in the best interest of the patient, but for themselves. Big government will become (even more so than now) the new 'insurance" company that looks at oudated notions and beliefs as factual and not at scientifically proven facts.

Many people I know who are severely disabled and/or in chronic pain receive prescription drugs for their conditions through Medicare. I'm talking powerful drugs and in huge doses that would kill the average person not using drugs. Are they addicted? Well, yes. Do they build a tolerance to these drugs? Yes again. But there is a HUGE difference in most of these patients compared to the everyday addicted drug-user that goes out and commits crimes to get his drugs. Alot of these patients I know actually take less than the dose recommended because they want to be as lucid as possible and not be a vegetable. They even put up with pain to a degree we can't even imagine just so they can be productive, useful and coherent human beings.

So why is it ok to prescribe very heavy drugs in pill form (or sometimes by injection) but it is taboo to smoke a drug? If marijuana came in pill form would that make it more acceptable to the ignorant?

Some I know that have chronic and breakthough pain would definitely benefit from using a small amount of marijuana. These patients are on heavy drugs yet they still wake up from a deep sleep because of their pain. Being able to use marijuana for it's medicinal benefits would help them with their pain and to sleep. It would give them a more quality life. So to drop many of our poor and government-insured patients for their use of marijuana would be shameful and against their civil rights (if state and/or medicinally accepted), let alone against basic human rights. Doctors have to be in the forefont of this issue and should not have to be afraid of non-payment or penalty by the insurance company for their actions based on the Hippocratic Oath and (possible) law. Who has the patient's best interest at heart- a doctor or our government/insurance company?

Do I smoke marijuana? No. Do I believe in alcohol, a legal drug to users of age, being used for medicinal purposes? Rarely. Tho I have been known to have a few beers when my back was hurting and after a couple I was able to move around more easily. But going to a chiropractor helps, too. And so would taking prescribed medication - but I don't like taking pills- too hard for me to swallow and I am cognizant of the possibility of becoming addicted. I believe in marijuana's medicinal qualities based on fact and research. Alcohol cannot be used in conjunction with most prescribed pills to help alleviate pain or induce sleep- the combination can kill- we hear about it all the time. Based on fact and alcohol's makeup. But marijuana CAN be used in conjunction in alot of instances without ill effects. Alcohol is a far more dangerous drug and with more ill effects than marijuana. But the people that drink alcohol already put in their protest years ago and finally won their right to drink for whatever reason. It's time marijuana users have that same right. And it's time people who could benefit from medicinal marijuana have that same right. And without fear of prosecution or being dropped by their doctor or insurance.

We need more updated scientific and medical research studies to diminish the stigma marijuana holds over many. Doctors, scientists, professors need to take this ball and run with it to give it the credibility needed for intelligent analysis. This is one issue that has been so blown out of proportion that I don't even think AARP or other large groups can tackle this alone without these other professionals in their corner.