10/30/2009 by Chris Goldstein
On October 19th the Ocean County College in Tom's River, NJ hosted a debate on medical marijuana. A professor of Social Science, Brad Young, moderated. The opposition was Terrence Farley, a former county prosecutor and the now head of the NJ Narcotics Task Force Commanders Assn. Farley is a vehement prohibitionist and we've sparred over this topic on television programs before.
I represented the Coalition for Medical Marijuana - New Jersey www.cmmnj.org
Neither of us saw the questions prior to the debate and this question was particularly interesting. As an added bonus you get to see me address some of the reefer madness we encounter locally.
Essentially, "Should medical marijuana be covered by health insurance."
Looking to see what started my rebuttal ? - watch the Previous Debate Segment.
So I pose the question to you all- Should medical cannabis be covered by health insurance?
More about medical marijuana in New Jersey at www.cmmnj.org
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Comments
Rated for a good question. My guess is you'll get no negatives on this one. Of course that's only a guess.
I argue 'no' that night because we don't ask insurance to cover over the counter medications say like Tylenol. Marijuana is safer than those otc meds and could (should) even be cheaper long term.
In the immediate sense - no coverage.
In the long term, well if there were a change in federal policy cannabis based medications and derivatives as well as whole plant marijuana therapies would develop more quickly. Insurance companies would be wise, as they have been in the past, to embrace a new, scientifically proven medicine.
BTW- Lethal Dose 50 Percent = LD50. It's a toxicity rating - the number of milligrams of medicine given to a set of animals and 50% of test subjects die. For example 800mg of codeine will kill the average human.
A popular brand of over the counter medication, that includes a mix of acetaminophen and codeine, contains 60mg of codeine per dose...and includes 50 doses per bottle - enough to kill almost 4 humans.
There was no way to demonstrably replicate an actual marijuana dose that a human or animal would encounter that would be lethal. And they tried. Marijuana is not lethal to healthy or even sick adults, ever.
The theory, and that is all they have, is that if a human consumed about forty-seven POUNDS of marijuana IN ONE SITTING then it might, MIGHT, be lethal.
Of course, that would be impossible to do through any method.
I'm with you on most of your points, but I feel the bottom line is that if a doctor prescribes it, it should be paid for by health insurance.
Of course if it were totally legal, we wouldn't have to worry about it.
I think it should be left up to the insurance companies what they cover. Presumably, insurance companies will cover treatments that are cost effective.
Better read up!
Oral THC Improves Symptoms Of Schizophrenia, Study Says
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7908
No Causal Link Between Cannabis Use And Schizophrenia, Study Says http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6515
As I say in the media all the time - The most dangerous thing about marijuana is prohibition. The most serious side effect of over-consuming the plant itself is a nap!
bobbot - I totally agree. But even in states where medical cannabis is currently regulated doctors 'recommend' it and cannot 'prescribe' it. In order for that to happen Cannabis needs to move out of Schedule I in the CSA.