After Medical Marijuana Legalized, Medicare Prescriptions Drop For Many Drugs

npr ^ | 07/06/2016

[Chuckster]

Smoke two Joints

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

A close friend of mine, who, if I mentioned his big hit, you would know, was a Type l diabetic. Severe neuropathy messed him up. We’d be in the recording studio, and he’d have to leave in pain. His meds didn’t help. His son got him to take a couple of tokes, and the meds kicked in, and he was functional. Many meds add aspirin because it makes them work better. Tom is gone now, but a few tokes eased his pain. RIP Tom!

[Marie]

As usual, that’s where the government is screwing up.

Medical MJ is legal in AZ, but it’s about $350 an ounce. That’s if you buy it by the ounce. If you buy smaller amounts, it’s even more. Throw in the $300-400 fee to get the note and the filing fee with the state and it’s just not worth it for a lot of people.

There are *many* people here who qualify for MM, but who simply can’t afford it. Being on the Mexican border, there are plenty of options.

We need to open up the free market to shut down the drug cartels down here, but the government is driving the price too high and creating an inconvenience.

As that’s a *big* benefit of legalizing MJ (shutting down the cartels with competition) you’d think that the state would realize that they’re shooting themselves in the foot.

[Marie]

Or stop having seizures. Or calm the nerves to reduce pain and be able to get off opiates. Or stop muscle spasms. Or be able to sleep without PTSD-induced nightmares. Or be able to overcome ADHD and get off the uppers that the dr prescribed.

[Wolfie]

Pfizer must be thrilled.

[Ken H]

No one buys it in the stores because it is twice as expensive than the street pricrs dp to ridiculous taxes.

Colorado collected $135M in taxes from $1B in sales of marijuana in 2015. That's a lot of sales for no one buying it.

http://fortune.com/2016/02/11/marijuana-billion-dollars-colorado/

[GailA]

Nor does your PCP. Then you don’t have to go in once every 3 months for blood work. I’ve got one who thinks she’s a Endocrinologist, doesn’t know jack about Thyroid or ‘glucose’ readings or what effects them. Or the meds that go with it or the other testing for diabetes A1C1 and Keytone testing. Scripts for the worst of the drugs for an improperly diagnosed patient, you have to have a fit to get a meter, then she gives you only 1 test strip per day. I’ve a type 2 son, he says she’s nuts he test 4 times a day or more.

Was looking at a adjustable bed with latex mattress, as memory foam is all chems and breaks down a lot faster, told I needed a ‘recommendation’ from the doc for one. What the heck, it’s just a piece of furniture that lets you get a better nights sleep. It’s no better than a recliner except it has a remote control unit. I’m paying for it, not health ins., it’s not a hospital bed after all. I could buy a high end recliner and do the same thing, only no remote control.

[BullDog108]

I can’t speak fo Colorado as I am in Washington, but believe me, the underground marjet is 10 times the iegal one.

[BullDog108]

Yikes! I hate phone keyboards...

[Ken H]

I can’t speak for Colorado as I am in Washington, but believe me, the underground market is 10 times the legal one.

WA collected $129M in mj taxes in 2015, similar to CO's $135M.

http://www.502data.com/

[aquila48]

Hey if it works for you go for it, just don’t think that it’s all harmless. Losing your memory and coordination is not exactly harmless.

Pushing it as a harmless recreational drug is very irresponsible.

[T-Bone Texan]

Thanks for pointing out that THC is not the component most people want, it’s the other stuff, like terpenes and CBD.

[fwdude]

LOL!!! They hurt, but just don’t care anymore?

[fwdude]

Whai.................................wut?

You gotta have the picture.

[visualops]

told I needed a ‘recommendation’ from the doc for one

That's controlling the market, controls competition, prices, etc. Sigh. So many things are so screwed up I don't know if we can ever get it back to sanity.

[GailA]

Government regulations is strangling this nation. I seriously doubt we will get back to a sane Constitutional Nation no matter who is elected. You have cities, counties, state and federal government controlling your lives now and they won’t let go easily.

Report: Billions in New Spending Failed to Fix VA Problems, Made Some Worse

More than 300,000 American military veterans likely died while waiting for health care — and nearly twice as many are still waiting

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2016/07/07/cnn-va-scandal-report-n2188501?utm_source=thdailypm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_pm&newsletterad=

[visualops]

Yeah, thankfully Trump has mentioned several times about over regulation. Not sure how much he can do- but at least we know he doesn’t d*ck around.