Thalidomide, sold under the name “Thalomid” in the United States, for the treatment of nausea and loss of appetite, costs about $8,089.00 a month.
Thalidomide is so dangerous that, if you drop a pill on the floor and a pregnant woman so much as picks up the pill and places it on the counter for you, that brief contact will allow enough Thalidomide to be absorbed through her skin to cause serious birth defects in her unborn child.
One of the great success stories of the United States Food and Drug Administration is that, about 50 years ago, the United States would not approve Thalidomide for the treatment of morning sickness in pregnant women. Great Britain, unfortunately, did grant such approval and subsequently suffered the tragic “flipper baby” epidemic of children born with grotesque deformities.
Thalidomide IS approved in the United States for nausea and loss of appetite in cancer and chemo patients, but it is expensive, dangerous and an administrative nightmare to provide the drug. Patients must submit to a recorded voice interview every time they fill a prescription, and they must agree to warn everyone in the household of the dangers associated with Thalidomide, and must agree to proper disposal of the drug in the event that they discontinue usage, and must appoint someone to dispose of the drug in the event of the patient’s death, as well as post signs and warnings where the drug is stored.
Taxpayers and private insurance companies are now paying $8,089.00 per month for a highly toxic, dangerous drug that simply gives Chemo patients the “munchies” and helps them keep their food down, after they eat.
Don’t we have anything out there that might be cheaper, and less dangerous?
Wouldn’t the anxiety and pain-reducing features, in other substances, also be of some benefit, to terminal cancer patients?
I applaud the Wichita Pachyderm Club for inviting Jon Hauxwell, MD to speak on the topic of “Medicinal Cannabis” recently.
I am disappointed that so many elected officials declined to attend, and I am very disappointed with those who do not have the courage to engage in serious debate on this matter.
For the record, I have not come in contact with Marijuana since my college days, years ago. I hold over a dozen different government licenses and certifications and I can’t risk a criminal record of any kind.
This is a matter of fiscal common sense, practical medical application, public safety and simple humanity.
It is well past time to consider medical marijuana. One of my clients was a law enforcement officer, who had cancer. He convinced me that change was needed, on the price and safety issues of Thalidomide, alone.
Is Marijuana more dangerous than Thalidomide? Of course not!
The price of Thalidomide tells us that! Nearly the entire price is due to LIABILITY concerns. The actual drug is not that expensive to make. Must taxpayers and insurance companies spend $8,089.00 a month for every cancer patient, just to give them back their appetite and keep them from vomiting? Marijuana smoke can’t be regurgitated; it is an obvious answer to a very real problem!
Why do I care if my position makes some hippie happy?
On this issue, the “hippies” are RIGHT!
come on you say a dry pill of thalidomide can release enough medication through the skin to be teratogenic? why isn’t it delivered as an enteric coated pill, so that such contamination by casual contact would be impossible?
Why do you trust the Federal Government more than the States to see things your way?
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/09/21/what-you-eat-affects-your-genes-rna-from-rice-can-survive-digestion-and-alter-gene-expression/ ~ this study was done on rice miRNAs which can travel to every part of your body and change your mind! What do you imagine MJ is doing?
>> Why do I care if my position makes some hippie happy?
>> On this issue, the “hippies” are RIGHT!
Why taint an otherwise good post with a reference to hippies?