Big Pharma Funding Cannabis Opposition

The U.S. has a serious problem with opioid addiction, and it's been estimated that roughly 2 million Americans are addicted to or abusing prescription opioid drugs; according to 2014 data. Thousands of people die every single year from overdoses involving opioid prescription drugs. But many have been optimistic that cannabis might be able to help put an end to that epidemic. Cannabis use and popularity continues to grow not only around the United States but also around the world. So it is no wonder that big pharmaceutical companies are feeling threatened and that they'd want to protect their market share.

It's been recently disclosed that they've been helping to fund cannabis opposition ads, as we approach the election and a number of states look toward legalization for medical or recreational purposes.

Millions of people have started resorting to using cannabis to manage their chronic pain and a majority of cannabis users have stopped using opioids entirely or reduced their intake of them, because of their preference for cannabis to help manage their symptoms they say. And research has shown that in states with legalized medical cannabis, they've seen fewer opiate overdoses, and a decrease in prescription use of opioids as well.

Among those who haven't been eager to embrace the changes, are folks like the pharmaceutical executives who have been caught making huge donations to anti-cannabis legalization campaigns. But they claim that their interest in doing so was only because of the safety of their children.

In Arizona, Insys Therapeutics Inc. was found donating $500,000 to campaigns from Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy and their donation made them the largest donor that the group has had. The company has made billions of dollars and is responsible for manufacturing a fentanyl-based painkiller called Subsys. They are also soon planning to launch their own big pharma version of THC with their product called Dornabinol Oral Solution, after (what looks like) spending big to try and cut down the competition.

It's not just big pharma funding the fight either, there has also been heavy funding from alcohol companies too, as research has shown that people aren't just opting for cannabis over opioids but they're opting for it over alcohol as well.

The Arizona Wine and Spirits Wholesale Association, Besides Insys, and the Beer Distributors PAC, have been found donating thousands of dollars to the same group: Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy. The creators of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma and Abbott Laboratories, are also credited with being some of the largest contributors to anti-cannabis efforts in the United States.

Despite the uptick in efforts to squash the progress of cannabis legalization however, the people continue to vote with their dollars and they are voting to support marijuana regardless of the anti-cannabis propaganda and fears. Millions of dollars isn't just funding the anti-cannabis campaigns, but heavy funding is also now funneled to pro-pot lobbying too. And there are 9 more states this fall looking to embrace cannabis for either recreational or medical purposes:

California, Maine, Arizona, Massachusetts, Florida, Nevada, Arkansas and North Dakota

Pics:
reset.me
J. You/Science/Kaiser Family Foundation/US Census Bureau
The Nation
Sources:
http://time.com/4419003/can-medical-marijuana-help-end-the-opioid-epidemic/
http://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/overdose.html
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/12/pharma-opioid-marijuana/
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/11/could-pot-help-solve-us-opioid-epidemic
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-drug-firm-insys-makes-synthetic-pot-compound-spends-big-to-defeat-legal-pot-8628614
http://apps.azsos.gov/apps/election/cfs/search/PublicReports/2016/D7C794C8-8150-4B0A-A46E-E31E86C42564.pdfhttps://www.thenation.com/article/anti-pot-lobbys-big-bankroll/
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/22/recreational-marijuana-legalization-big-business