Excellent post, and I myself argued many points here in another thread about the EU banning many vitamins and suppliments. I made similar arguements.

When I see some sort of drug advertised on TV, I want to laugh, when they get to the side effects part, they hastily list about 10 more health problems that stem from taking a drug designed to treat one problem. In the other thread, different posters called natural suppliments and vitamins "snake oil" while saying that somehow, modern medicine is more legit. If anything, these "cures" touted by the medical industrial complex are comparable to what medieval doctors and their bloodletting, or potions containing bat dung, snake eyeballs, ect.

And i agree. Many psychiatrists really do sit around and practically make up alot of these disorders. I like social anxiety disorder, we call shyness, which is a personality trait, not a mental disease, and medicating it is nothing more that doping a person up. People must overcome their shyness if it is causing them problems, its what people have done for thousands of years. Its only now that suddenly its a mental disorder in need of "treatment.

And people dare ask why I have lost faith and respect in the modern medical establishment? Doesn't take a rocket scientist, really.

Another example of the pharmaceutical hoax is the issue of Marijuana as medicine. Until marijuana was outlawed in the early part of the 20th century, Marijuana -- then more commonly known as cannabis -- was an essential therapeutic substance , used to treat a broad variety of ailments. After it was made illegal, cannabis extracts were banned from use by the pharmaceutical companies because it had no therapeutic value. Of course, in spite of what the US medical establishment states, we now know that cannabis has many therapeutic uses. But it is still, essentially, outlawed. Why? Because the drug companies, unable to patent a plant, would prefer it that way as there is no great profit to be gained from marijuana. Instead, they market a variety of drugs which, in a number of cases; i.e., nausea control, intra occular pressure suppression, pain management, are inferior to cannabis. Legalized marijuana use would, in effect, take away the huge profits that the pharmaceutical companies now garner from psychotropic drugs, sedatives, appetite stimulates and pain medications. Pharmaceutical companies are NOT interested in finding treatments for the ailments that plague humanity but rather they are directed towards one goal ----- money.

Thats another pretty good example, tyrant. Since drug companies cannot get patents and exclusive rights on a plant that until it was outlawed was a common roadside weed. And indeed, for some diseases, especially those that require anti inflamitory substances, marijuana is FAR superior and less dangerous than the poisons and snake oils currently marketed to treat these disorders.

One example is prednazone, a steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is prescribed to treat asthma, glaucoma, and other disorders. However, prednazone is very toxic. Its side efefcts include weight gain, insomnia, hair loss, skin leisions, bone damage, liver damage, water retention, kidney damage, tooth damage, just to name a few. Weight gain with prednazone is in the majority of cases, unavoidable, even when a person eats a healthy diet and exercises. My mom was taking the crap, and she eats little, and has always been slim, but the drug, because it is a type of steroid and thus hormonal, caused her to gain 40 pounds in just 2 months. It also lowered her immune system, and she developed several skin sores and rashes because of it. And it was given to her.....get this, for one single symptom: to open up her airways because she has lung disease. All those side effects and crap, the drug created more health problems than it treated.

And predazone, when taken for longer than 6 months, is highly toxic, causing massive liver, heart, bone, and kidney damage. It killed my dog. The vet gave it to hime because of his flea allergies, yet a year later, he died from an inflated liver and his heart had swelled up to the size of a basketball. And this drug is, as the medical industrial complex calls it, a "wonder drug". ZThese people I trust to cure me and create treatments that will heal me? I thoink not, their snake oil will end up killing me. No thanks.

Marijuana, on the other hand, has the same treatment properties that prednazone does, it has been shown to efefctively treat the same inflammatory conditions the former does, but isn't toxic, does not have the deadly side effects, and can be taken over a longer period of time. Of course, with all things, too much pot is not good for you, but taken in moderate doses for genuine medical disorders, it is a superior anti-inflammatory medication in comparison with the toxic garbage prescribed by greedy doctors and drug companies.

Yes, Skadi, marijuana is an amazing plant that could replace MANY of the drugs which are cash cows for the pharmaceutical companies. Marijuana is an excellent addition for therapeutic treatments for such ailments as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Nausea, painful menstruation, migraine, nerve pain, depression, glaucoma, anorexia.....and many other illnesses as well. Furthermore, it is impossible to overdose from marijuana....in it's four thousand years of usage, there is no reported death from marijuana! Aspirin has hundreds reported deaths annually......mariuana 0!!!!!!

I totally agree with you guys on the Marijuana...

It's the pharmaceutical industry that keep marijuana illegal.

They new in the '30's and they know now that good 'ole weed is a better and potentially almost free answer to a lot of what ails us.
I have always believed there is a natural remedy for most of our ills. At least the natural ones, that weren't created in a lab, wink wink...
The world is full of conspiracy's ain't it?

"Ever had the feeling you've been cheated?"Johnny Rotten

I believe there is a conspiracy...... For years now almost all packaged foods a consumers purchased were packaged in foil that is aluminum based ..... the popularity of foil wrapped foods became even more popular years after the announcement that researchers discovered unusual amounts of aluminum in the brains of alzheimers patients....when this became know, ...... the transfer of aluminum from cookware to food..and ultimately to the brains of individuals..... some threw away their cookware and purchased stainless steel...........so now the drug industry has come out with an alzheimers drug.....
And I say GOOD... for those who need this drug, BUT ...if the drug industry is engaged in a conspiracy to cause alzheimers just to sell their drug then shame on you!!

Seriously....next time you go shopping, take notice of all the foods that come foil lined, when plastic or waxed paper would do the job. Most are snack foods....adults and children lunch items.

Children are our future.

I'm pretty sure there is a conspiracy because for capitalism to survive it has to constantly find new, or maintain the present markets. And I'm sure the big corporations have found some interesting ways to do that. Interesting but cold, calculating and uncaring.

Originally posted by ANOK
It's the pharmaceutical industry that keep marijuana illegal.
Johnny Rotten

It's also most alcohol companies, all oil companies, Dupont, most tobacco companies, Lumber/forestry companies, and even mass farmers of corn and soy. And let's not forget the U.S. government.

It has already been proven safe when taken certain ways, such as with vaporizers or when ingested. The reason it is illegal still is because it would take more than twice the amount of money spent on keeping it outlawed to legalize it. Since almost all of the richest corporations make money off this plant being illegal, it seems like a useless struggle.

One way around the money concept would be for other countries to start legalizing it. Then the U.S. government can't play "World Police".

Originally posted by ANOK
I'm pretty sure there is a conspiracy because for capitalism to survive it has to constantly find new, or maintain the present markets. And I'm sure the big corporations have found some interesting ways to do that. Interesting but cold, calculating and uncaring.

I believe one way is the Medicare prescription drug coverage. On the one hand it looks wonderful, all the old folks need help paying for necessary meds......But in a nursing home environment where most are not able to understand what they're being given and why......the doctors can load them up with any medication, whether it's needed or not, and without telling family members what they are doing.

I found out that my Mother was being given a number of meds that she did not need, when she had to go into the hospital after a fall. The ER staff began reading me a list of meds that she was on, that was so far afield, I thought they'd sent the wrong forms from the nursing home.......but NO, they had ALL been prescribed for her.......shortly after the big drug bill passed.

Did her doctor get a kickback, a bonus for prescribing extra meds?? Why else do it??