“Do No Harm?”
Laugh Out Loud!
I was just
sitting here thinking about the bewildering behaviour of the Canadian Medical
Association and where it stands regarding Medical Marijuana. It doesn’t make
sense! At the inception of the MMAR they were full supporters and even
suggested decriminalization. Why: Because of the lack of harm that it posed to
their patient pool? Suddenly they have turned tail 180 degrees and are a major
opponent of reform?
Why are they suddenly doing Major Harm?
Think about
it. I don’t care what the ailment is, trying to find any doctor now who will suggest
Marijuana as an acceptable mode of treatment is simply impossible. Every
Doctor/patient discussion of medical marijuana is initiated by the patient who
is probably far more aware of its benefits than is the doctor prescribing it. So
who is this guy I’m asking and what does he know?
The number
of doctors in Canada has risen from about 50,000 in 2000 to the current level
around 67000. During the same period
the number of Licensees has risen from 200
to nearly 30,000. That includes
every surviving licensee from the whole history of the program: an average of 3000 admissions per year from over 50,000
physicians is a capture rate of 6 % prescribing
for the profession.
Go to any
doctor at random, ask for a license and there is a 94%
probability that you are the first patient who’s asked for pot and he
has never really considered his answer. Now that the deterrent effect of the
Kamermans persecution and ruination has sunk in, the CMA is speaking for all of them
collectively in opposing Physician assistance in obtaining a license. What
compelling medical reason prompts such a politically adversarial posture? None!
What then?
Why on the grounds of the unknown risks of long term use! The current President
of the CMA, Dr. Anna Reid voices the
opposition of all her predecessors (none of whom ever asked for any long term studies to validate the risks). They are quite repetitious. All of
the CMA critiques of medical marijuana
studies, regardless of affliction or even significant benefit, all end negatively
with a denial of results based on the unknown risk of long term use.
Three major
facts are obvious from even a cursory assessment of their justification for
obstructionism:
1. They dismiss acceptable evidence
that not one severe side effect resulted from all these unacceptable tests, and
there are hundreds of them.
2. They discount historical fact: there
has not been one death or severe consequence linked to 4800 years of marijuana
use as a medication.
3. They intentionally ignore mountains
of testimonial benefits apparently content to imply that all testimony is
prejudicial perjury by a bunch of desperate tokers.
After
rackng my brains I concluded that the only factor that would create this level
of stupid opposition was MONEY!
We are
talking a lot of money to wield this much power. Looking at the profession I
get the feeling that half of them are in fear of unemployment if marijuana is
widely accepted for its curative power. Suddenly the huge supply of Big Pharma
money devoted to just pain and cancer research at every university in Canada is in peril. Think of all those
unemployed MD/PhD boffins on Employment Insurance: half the CMA annual dues are at stake. It’s no
wonder the bvrakes got put on.
I’m just
curious as to what Doctor Reid is going to regurgitate next.
Probably just
more
Evasive Masculine Bovine Stercorum
I’d lay
odds on that
Blaine Barrett
In the early 60s, the Canadian medical profession strongly opposed Tommy Douglas and his introduction of universal health care to Saskatchewan. The biggest fear of the striking doctors? Loss of income. Then some prudent wag pointed out they would have government backed cash rolling in instead of being reimbursed with bales of wheat. Doctors can be a dubious lot.
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