Oxycontin Abuse Helping to Push Medical Marijuana Movement
Advocates of medical marijuana have been gaining new fans in the last few months and they have found a rallying point that many would never have thought of. Continuing problems with Oxycontin abuse, addiction, and a string of pharmacy robberies have shed a harsh light on the continued use of Oxycontin, an unforgiving opiate narcotic prescribed as a painkiller, when a much milder alternative is readily available. Marijuana advocacy has become so main stream that President Obama recently took a question from online audiences about the future of the marijuana legalization movement. Although his response was flippant, it was enough to add additional momentum to what was already an inspired movement. As long as people continue to ruin their lives and commit crimes in the name of Oxycontin, Oxycodone, and other opiate painkillers, the medical marijuana movement will continue to gain steam.
An April 28 commentary published in the Chicago Sun Times highlights how the medical marijuana movement is using the continuing issues plaguing Oxycontin as a major rallying point. The article points to the incredible danger inherent with Oxycontin and how the substance is so addictive. They also mention a recent poll that shows a whopping 80 percent of Americans approve of the use of medical marijuana. If you could do a poll showing the approval rating of Oxycontin, chances are, it would be far below 80 percent.
The medical marijuana crowd stresses that all they want is for doctors to have the ability to prescribe marijuana as an alternative to narcotic painkillers like Oxycontin. They aren’t looking to take Oxycontin off the market or petition for the removal of opiate painkillers, they simply want people to have a choice between the two. The battle lines are being drawn on both the state and federal levels. President Barack Obama has said that he would stop authorizing raids on California pharmacies that distribute medical marijuana to those that need it, although according to legalization officials, the raids have continued. For real change on the medical marijuana front to come, federal laws will have to be changed so there is no conflict from state law to federal law.
Where does this leave Oxycontin? Critics of the drug have demanded a review of government regulations regarding it for years, saying that it is simply too addictive and too dangerous to be prescribed. When you look at the laundry list of celebrities and American citizens that have had their lives ruined by Oxycontin, it is difficult to argue against their point. One change that may come with prescribing Oxycontin is a complete ban on prescriptions for anyone under the age of 18. According to a recent study published in late 2008, it is believed that the adolescent brain has a better chance of getting addicted to Oxycontin than an adult brain. The study was done on mice and showed that adolescent brains may be more susceptible to the high given by Oxycontin than an adult brain. The study stressed that this doesn’t mean that Oxycontin should be banned or that it doesn’t have a place in modern medicine but simply that other drugs may want to be used for young people that aren’t so addictive.
Many marijuana legalization fans simply point to the fact that pot is completely natural and Oxycontin is a synthetic opiate. If given the chance to pick between an all natural pain killer and one that comes from a laboratory, many marijuana advocates believe that the public will side with them substantially. Until real legalization legislation gets past, however, the public will be forced to self-medicate under the threat of arrest if they choose to bypass the use of drugs like Oxycontin.
What does the future hold for Oxycontin use and the marijuana legalization movement? It is impossible to tell at this point simply because the marijuana movement has worked so long and so hard for just a serious discussion from lawmakers. It seems that there is a better chance that Oxycontin will be ruled too dangerous and taken off the market long before your doctor can prescribe a marijuana cigarette for you to smoke for pain management. Until then, advocates must continue working and those on Oxycontin need to watch their usage very carefully.