Donating Big Money to Keep Cannabis Illegal – CVS Pharmacy and Pushers of Mind Numbing Pills

Donating Big Money to Keep Cannabis Illegal - CVS Pharmacy and Pushers of Mind Numbing Pills | Third Monk image 2

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Behind the legal battle for cannabis — both medical and recreational — are deep-pocketed entities who have a stake in the outcome. 

One of the largest anti Cannabis groups is the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, best known for its long-running ad campaign “This is Your Brain on Drugs,” featuring young people cooking eggs and smashing things. While most kids found the message inaccurate, the advertising and anti-drug communities lauded the campaign as one of the most effective PSAs in history.

The PDFK is funded by special interest groups, which means corporations. By law, the organization must make public its donor list. At the top tier, donations of $250,000 or more, there are eight benefactors, here are six of them:

AbbVie

A biotechnology company responsible for Humira, a drug that treats rheumatoid arthritis and has earned the company more than $10 billion.

 

Purdue Pharmaceuticals

Maker of OxyContin

 

Consumer Healthcare Products Association

The leading trade and lobbying organization for makers and sellers of over-the-counter drugs and nutritional supplements.

 

CVS

The drug store chain with more than 7,700 locations in the United States. In 2010, a single location in Sanford, Florida, (population 53,000) ordered more than 1.8 million Oxy-Codone pills.

 

Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

The largest U.S. supplier, by prescription, of opioid pain-killer medications.

 

Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America

One of the biggest and most influential lobbying groups in the United States, representing the interests of 48 pharmaceutical companies.

 

Hmmmm, why would these companies want to prevent access to a natural and medicinal plant?

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Here’s a List of the Biggest Donors to the Anti-Pot Lobby | Marijuana News

Enemies of Peace – Law Enforcement, Private Prisons, Alcohol and Pharmaceutical Companies Spend Against Cannabis Legalization

Enemies of Peace - Law Enforcement, Private Prisons, Alcohol and Pharmaceutical Companies Spend Against Cannabis Legalization | Third Monk image 2

Some of the most lucrative and powerful industries in America oppose marijuana decriminalization because it threatens their financial bottom-line.

Four different interest groups form the backbone of the anti cannabis legalization campaign, according to OpenSecrets.org, which tracks political spending.

Alcohol Companies

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First, there’s the spirits, wine and beer companies. Legalized marijuana represents a direct threat to this industry’s business model. The more people can legally smoke a bud, the less need they’ll have to buy a Bud.

In 2010, the California Beer and Beverage Distributors contributed $10,000 to help defeat California’s Proposition 19, which sought to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.

Law Enforcement

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Law enforcement groups also want to maintain criminal penalties for pot possession. If the country stops waging its war on drugs, including marijuana, fewer government dollars will flow to police efforts to address this public policy issue. Municipalities will also receive less money from property seized in drug raids.

Prison System

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Others in the criminal justice world that want to keep the status quo of locking up marijuana offenders are private prison operators and prison guard unions. States that legalize marijuana use are likely to experience a decline in prison populations—and that will reduce the need for government to hire private prison companies and correctional officers.

Another example is the Golden State’s mighty prison guards union, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA), a major player in state politics for decades. CCPOA contributed $1 million in 2008 to defeat Proposition 5, which sought more drug treatment and rehabilitation programs for inmates.

Pharmaceutical Industry

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Finally, there’s the legal drug industry: Big Pharma. It opposes marijuana decriminalization because it could mean people spend less money on painkillers and anti-inflammatory remedies like ibuprofen.

Its primary lobbying group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), has loads of money to spend. Two years ago, it dropped nearly $22 million on congressional races, demonstrating how big a war chest it can muster.

Who’s Funding the Anti-Marijuana Movement? Private Prisons, Prison Guards, Police and Alcohol, Beer and Pharmaceutical Companies | AllGov

Deaths from Marijuana Vs 17 FDA Approved Pill Drugs (Study)

Deaths from Marijuana Vs 17 FDA Approved Pill Drugs (Study) | Third Monk

Much of the medical marijuana discussion has focused on the safety of marijuana compared to the safety of FDA-approved drugs. ProCon.org sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to find the number of deaths caused by marijuana compared to the number of deaths caused by 17 FDA-approved drugs. Twelve of these FDA-approved drugs were chosen because they are commonly prescribed in place of medical marijuana, while the remaining five FDA-approved drugs were randomly selected because they are widely used and recognized by the general public.

Jan. 1, 1997 was chosen as the starting date of the study because it is the beginning of the first year following the Nov. 1996 approval of the first state medical marijuana laws (such as California’s Proposition 215).

Summary of Deaths by Drug Classification (Jan. 1, 1997 to June 30, 2005)
DRUG CLASSIFICATION
Specific
Drugs per
Category
Primary
Suspect of the Death
Secondary Suspect(Contributing to death)
Total Deaths Reported
1/1/97 – 6/30/05
A. MARIJUANA
also known as: Cannabis sativa L

Marijuana
Cannabis
Cannabinoids

0
279
279
B. ANTI-EMETICS
(used to treat vomiting)
196
429
625
C. ANTI-SPASMODICS
(used to treat muscle spasms)
118
56
174
D. ANTI-PSYCHOTICS
(used to treat psychosis)
1,593
702
2,295
E. OTHER POPULAR DRUGS
(used to treat various conditions including ADD, depression, narcolepsy, erectile dysfunction, and pain)
8,101
492
8,593
F. TOTALS of A-E
Number
of Drugs
in Total
Primary
Suspect of the Death
Secondary Suspect(Contributing to death)
Total Deaths Reported
1/1/97 – 6/30/05
  • TOTAL DEATHS FROM MARIJUANA
1
0
279
279
  • TOTAL DEATHS FROM 17 FDA-APPROVED DRUGS
17
10,008
1,679
11,687

 

> Marijuana vs Pills Deaths | Procon.org

15 Things You Should Know About Marijuana (Infographic)

15 Things You Should Know About Marijuana (Infographic) | Third Monk image 2

If you are anything like me, you love infographics because they make lots of information extremely easy to read and digest. So when the team at Term Life Insurance came to me with the opportunity to work with them on a marijuana infographic I HAD to take the opportunity. So after lots of research and blunts smoked, here is an awesome marijuana infographic that shows 15 things about marijuana that you should know. I even learned a thing or two, this plant is even more amazing than I thought. Enjoy. – Hail Mary Jane