I have begun to believe my mind is full of tiny little topics that act like pimples.

No one can predict the order they start to fester in, or when they’ll get ripe and burst.

Thursday 3 January 2013

The CMA is Betraying Its Oath.


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

1 comment:

  1. 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.

    ReplyDelete