Prescription Painkiller Deaths Up Again, FDA Cool With It

Via High Times:

By Mike Stobbe, AP

While marijuana remains federally illegal, overdose deaths from powerful painkillers are still rising in the US.

In 2011, there were more than 41,000 drug overdose deaths nationwide, up from more than 38,000 the previous year. More than half of those deaths are from prescription or over-the-counter medicines.

But for many years, prescription opioid painkillers have driven the nation’s soaring overdose death rate. Those numbers aren’t climbing quite as fast lately, says the new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC released the report Tuesday:

The Bad News

Opioid pain relievers are a powerful class of prescription drugs, and in 2011 contributed to nearly 17,000 deaths — more than three times as many as either heroin or cocaine. Death rates from some opioid painkillers, like OxyContin and Vicodin, have continued to rise steadily.

The Good News
There’s been a slowdown in the overall rise in the opioid painkiller death rate. From 1999 through 2006, the rates were increasing by 18 percent each year. From 2007 through 2011, it’s been 3 percent, the study found.

What Happened

The slowdown appears mainly to be due to a decrease since 2007 in the annual number of deaths tied to methadone. Methadone is fingered in nearly a third of prescription painkiller deaths, CDC researchers said. Known mainly for treating heroin addiction, methadone is also prescribed for pain. The Food and Drug Administration in 2006 warned doctors to be more careful in prescribing the drug. And in 2008, methadone manufacturers agreed to limit distribution of the largest doses of the drug to only hospitals and to addiction treatment programs.

More Restrictions

Additional government measures are coming to try to tamp down the death rates from other opioid painkillers. Starting next month, Vicodin and other medicines containing the opioid hydrocodone will become Schedule II drugs. That means prescriptions will be limited to a 30-day supply, and renewals will require a new written prescription. Also next month, a federal rule will take effect to allow patients to return unused, powerful drugs – like opioid painkillers – to pharmacies for disposal.

The Prediction
The restriction’s impact on the death rate won’t be known for a while, said Dr. Len Paulozzi, a CDC epidemiologist who tracks overdose deaths. Perhaps doctors will shift their prescriptions to less-restricted drugs, like the opioid painkiller tramadol, Paulozzi said. Meanwhile, reports from around the country have signaled a recent increase in heroin-related deaths. But the gap is wide and prescription painkillers are expected to remain the leading category of overdose deaths, Paulozzi said.

Bill Hicks calls for mandatory marijuana!

His comedy has a lot of truth to it.

The Bud Guru

Bill Hicks calls for mandatory marijuana!

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The Boundless Benefits of Cannabidiol (CBD)

Via-420 Times:

For decades, delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was the cannabinoid that received all the consideration and interest due to the psychoactive effects it offers its consumers when smoked, vaporized or processed via decarboxylation and then ingested.

And although THC has a plethora of medicinal attributes, the component of the marijuana plant that has taken the proverbial spotlight as of late is Cannabidiol (CBD), which is believed to hold more medicinal benefits than any single pharmaceutical drug available on today’s market.

The wave of support for legalizing the manufacturing, possession and use of CBD concentrated into an oil for ingestion has led to a rapidly growing list of states that have successfully passed (or trying to pass) restrictive legislation allowing the use of Cannabidiol as a treatment for those suffering with certain disorders involving seizures.

So how did those walking around in the dark ages suddenly see the limitless, advantageous light that is Cannabidiol?

Was it via a signal in the night’s sky similar to that of the Bat-signal that read CBD?

Well, as it turns out, it did involve a television broadcast, but the caped-crusader and his worm-loving sidekick were nowhere to be found.

You take a well-known doctor, place him in a documentary about the medicinal benefits of marijuana featuring a little girl that receives reprieve from her daily regimen of seizures via ingesting hash oil rich in CBD, and the next thing you know the whole country has become lovesick for Cannabidiol.

Now don’t get me wrong here. I think the nation being awakened to the beneficial compounds that the marijuana plant has to offer anyone with an endocannabinoid system is monumental.

But there’s a part of me that wonders if the newly-aroused supporters of all-things-CBD even know what the THC they’re so excited about.

So, let’s ring the bell and let class begin as we attempt to school those new to the miracle that is Cannabidiol, so the next time their neighbor asks them about their newfound obsession with CBD they can answer properly as opposed to giving the it-comes-from-marijuana-and-it’s-great-for-treating-seizures reply.

Teacher, what is Cannabidiol?

Well, Timmy, Cannabidiol is the second most abundant cannabinoid found in the most sensational plant genus known to mankind: cannabis.

Teacher, if I ingest or smoke Cannabidiol, will it get me high?

No, Timmy. Cannabidiol is one of the components of cannabis that won’t offer the consumer the psychoactive effect that is sought after by recreational users of the plant’s flowers and resin.

In fact, Cannabidiol has actually been scientifically proven to neutralize or offset some of the effects of THC such as the I-have-to-eat-something-right-now’s. Or in laymen’s terms, the munchies. Which could prove to be an effective treatment for those suffering with eating disorders or struggling to maintain their weight.

Now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag regarding the medical efficacy of cannabinoids like CBD, more research and studies are being conducted exploring the multitude of benefits they have to offer. Which fortunately results in an ever-growing list of conditions and disorders that can be treated using concentrated forms of Cannabidiol.

Teacher, what’s a proverbial cat?

Stifle it, kid, I’m trying to work here!

Now. Where was I?

As of right now, the evidence showing CBD to be an effective treatment for individuals enduring seizures is mostly anecdotal due to restrictions courtesy of our beloved federal government’s antiquated drug policy. (Which may soon be changing for the better.) But research conducted by companies such as G.W. Pharmaceuticals suggests that CBD could be used for treating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, diabetes, nausea, bowel disorders, and numerous other side effects associated with poor health.

Dr. Sean McAllister, a scientist from the Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, made a groundbreaking discovery regarding the powers of CBD. He’s been studying cannabinoid compounds for the last 10 years and is now in search of new therapeutic interventions for various cancers.

Dr. McAllister happily discovered that Cannabidiol is a potent inhibitor of cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and tumor growth. Results from his experiments with breast cancer showed the number of cancer cells shrink the more CBD was administered.

For all intents and purposes, Dr. McAllister’s discovery regarding the tumor-shrinking capabilities of Cannabidiol could prove to be an effective, non-toxic therapy for those suffering with destructive forms of cancer.

Research involving mice conducted by a group of cardiologists at Hebrew University found that a dosage of CBD immediately following a heart attack can reduce infarct size by approximately 66 percent.

Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and Faculty of Medicine, whose been involved with the study of cannabinoids for almost 50 years, examined mice that were bred to have a version of type-1 diabetes designed to manifest right around 14 weeks.

Said mice were treated with CBD for the first 7 weeks of their life and then again 7 weeks later. Mechoulam concluded that only 30 percent of the mice had developed diabetes compared to the 90-100 percent that were given a placebo.

Mechoulam then repeated the experiment but didn’t introduce Cannabidiol until the 14-week mark when the diabetes first developed.

The study’s mice were then tested at the age of 24 weeks and again only 30 percent of the mice that were treated with CBD were found to have diabetes, which led Mechoulam to conclude that “CBD did not just prevent onset, it blocked the development of diabetes.”

It seems that as more studies reveal the boundless medical benefits that cannabinoids have to offer, the closer we’re coming as a nation to realizing that prohibiting a plant that offers all of mankind a plethora of medicinal attributes was truly a colossal mistake.

I’m looking forward to the day when we look back on these times from a better point of view.

Aren’t you?

Free the plant already!

‘F**k it, I Quit’ News Anchor Charlo Greene Explains Why She Said it [Watch]

Black America Web

One day after quitting her job live on the air at KTVA, Charlo Greene is explaining her reason behind making the memorable exit from the TV station … in a cockeyed kinda way.

Via a YouTube video released Monday, the now former Anchorage, Alaska news anchor stated her departure was necessary in order to step up and fully devote her time towards a cause worth fighting for.

“There comes a time in each and every one of our lives where we must choose to continue to spectate or stand up for what’s right,” Greene said. “Why are Americans arrested every 37 seconds, Alaskans every 4.3 hours? Why should an aspiring someone lose their ability to earn a higher education, to become someone they were not meant to be? And why should you lose the ability to get public assistance in times of struggle and need?”

“Advocating for freedom and fairness…

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Peyton Manning Is Glad Weed Was Legalized In Colorado

Book Review “MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION , WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW”

This is a book, written by Johnathan P. Caulkins, Angela Hawken, Beau Kilmerand Mark A. R. Kleiman. They have culminated Nearly 100+ years of information regarding cannabis. Over all a good book. Very informative, but, a bit on the academic side. LOTs of information.

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They site studies on both sides of the argument. They paint a very true and insightful perspective. And leave it up to the reader to decide which side they are on.

I suggest this book to anyone interested in learning about why cannabis is illegal. It may change your perspective. It may solidify the position you already have. Either way… read it!

Thanks for reading this,
100percentdisabledveteran