© Ed Oudenaarden/EPAAlcohol and pharma groups have been quietly backing anti-marijuana efforts across the US as calls for legalization ramp up
"Colorado schools were promised millions in new revenues" when the state approved recreational pot use, says the voiceover in one ad. Instead, schoolchildren were plagued by "marijuana edibles that look like candy".
As Election Day approaches, the ads will continue, but the surprise lies in who is backing them. In August, the pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics also cited concerns for child safety when, with a $500,000 contribution, it became the largest donor to Arizona's anti-legalization drive. But their stated concerns have raised a few eyebrows across the state. Insys manufactures Subsys, a prescription painkiller derived from fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine.
And although child safety is a legitimate concern as states legalize cannabis - in Colorado, child emergency room visits for marijuana intoxication have increased to 2.3 per 100,000 kids aged 10 and under since legalization in 2014, up from from 1.2 per 100,000 kids before that - accidental ingestion of pharmaceuticals sends about 318 per 100,000 kids aged five years and under to the emergency room, according to government figures. The frequency of hospital visits from kids accidentally taking narcotic painkillers have increased 225% between 2004 and 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Services said.
Comment: It's rather insidious for pharma and alcohol companies to fight against marijuana opposition when it's perfectly clear that pharmaceutical drugs and alcohol have a far worse effect on a human's health than marijuana. Essentially what you have is corporations fighting very hard to keep people addicted to opiates and alcohol instead of being open to all form of treatments that could improve the quality of life of even one sick person. Clearly none of these companies care about the health of their customers, but rather their interests lie in the bottom line and that's all. See also: