The “Gateway Drug” theory is true... but not for cannabis.

A critical theory against cannabis is true – but for a different drug.

Prescription painkillers are likely the “gateway drug” leading people to lethal opioid addictions and overdoses.

Big Pharma is largely responsible for the opioid/heroin epidemic in America. And ironically, cannabis may be part of the solution to this problem.

Discover how legal cannabis could help save thousands of lives - and billions of dollars.

Prescription painkillers actively destroy the american population.

Rural and isolated suburban areas experience the most devastating effects of opioids. The situation has non-traditional activists like Anthony Bourdain and "Dr. Drew" standing up to fight the problem.

Here are the two main problems we're facing with opioids:

• Addiction
• Overdoses

Addiction: The ultimate recurring revenue

The pharmaceutical industry makes billions of dollars from dangerously addictive pills that kill tens of thousands of people every year.

Prescriptions for custom branded opioid pills better known as “painkillers” drive a large portion of their revenue comes from. Chemical compounds like Codeine, Hydrocodone, Morphine, Oxycodone, and many others are commonly prescribed for dozens of different patient conditions.

Single-use and limited-refill prescriptions are rational and effective treatment options for many situations. The risk for addiction come from recurring usage.

Recurring painkiller prescriptions increase tolerance levels, frequency patterns, and enable physical addiction to opioids.

The onset of addiction is almost invisible. The process is slow – but the grip is strong.

Eventually, when people lose access to their pills (or their tolerance is too high) they turn to illegal alternatives.

Some users, crippled by addiction, make the jump straight to heroin. Others seek out the same painkillers - but from the black market instead.

The unregulated context often leads users to increase frequency of usage and volume of dosage. A deadly recipe for overdose.

Overdose Overkill: A true epidemic

One person will die from overdosing on painkillers by the time you finish reading and sharing this article.

Government stats from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) report 45-60 people die from pharmaceutical overdoses every single day.

That's about two-per-hour if you want to start keeping track.

The CDC refers to the insane growth rate of overdoses as "an epidemic".

As pharmaceutical sales continue growing every year; the deaths from overdoses grow too.

Take a look at this chart from the CDC which shows a clear correlation between sales and deaths of prescription painkillers.

Beyond the chart today; the problem is still getting worse. Prescription drug deaths are absurdly high.

In a sentence:

Overdoses on prescription drugs outnumber heroin, cocaine, and alcohol combined.

In a picture:

This is a problem.

This is a HUGE problem.

Nearly 23,000 people die from overdosing on pharmaceutical drugs every year.

Let's put this number of deaths into perspective...

Imagine if "the 9/11 attacks" happened SEVEN times a year (21,000 deaths total)... That still would be less than the number of people that die from pharmaceutical overdoses each year.

Meanwhile, the world is still waiting to record the first cannabis overdose ever... (did anybody notice cannabis is literally safer than water?)

Big Pharma Billions

Big money = Big problems.

The pharmaceutical industry has grown into a multi-billion dollar mega-monster that dominates the healthcare industry.

The legal drug business is one of the largest industries in the world in the entire world.

Total revenue of prescription drug sales exceed $500 Billion annually…

Over $500 BILLION...

It would take over 150,000 doctors their entire combined careers to earn the $500 Billion big pharma makes in a single year.

With so much money at stake; prescription drug companies defend their profits with urgency.

Like many corporate giants; Big Pharma invests billions of dollars back into the system to make sure their revenue grows.

And as long as they earn a good return on investment - they usually don’t care who is hurt (or killed) in the process.

Lobbying, Campaign Contributions, and Job Offers

Big Pharma companies have embedded their roots deep into America's political and healthcare systems.

Pharmaceutical companies use their financial resources to oppose medical policies that would reduce their revenue.

They also fight to support policies that make it nearly impossible for any other companies to compete in their market with safer or cheaper alternatives.

Data exposed by OpenSecrets reveals, Pfizer Inc. pours tens of millions of dollars into government lobbying and political campaign contributions year after year.

The corruption continues as pharmaceutical executives suddenly become government officials - and vice versa.

In fact, earning a nice salary at a pharmaceutical company is one of the most common career-paths of CDC (Center for Disease Control) and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) employees and officials.

Although disheartening; it sort of makes sense.

Would you turn down an offer from a pharmaceutical company that tripled your government salary overnight?

These guys know what it means by, "It takes money to make money."

Hyper-Saturated Marketing

With plenty of cash to spare; Big Pharma floods the media with high-frequency ads digitally shoving their pills down consumers' throats.

I will bet you have heard this more times than you'd ever wish:

“Ask your doctor about ________ today and live a better life! … side-effects may include: nausea, vomiting, increased thoughts of suicide, severe depression, increased blood pressure, strokes, explosive diarrhea, or death…”

They're ridiculous and annoying - I know. But these ads actually work with enough repetition.

Multi-million dollar marketing preys on our basic human fears and desires. They deploy psychological triggers to sell their products.

But what happens when all of those miserable side effects kick in? Oh, don’t worry – they probably have a pill you can buy for that too! (I wish there was a font for sarcasm)

But you can see how people quickly get wrapped up in a pill-popping frenzy.

Big Pharma prioritizes a "profit-over-people" approach in an industry that should be focused on innovative health care.

Just take a peek at their spending budget.

Instead of investing in research & development to improve the safety of their dangerous products; they spend billions of dollars saturating the media with advertising.

A disturbing report from The Huff Post reveals:

big pharma spends about 20x more on self-promotion than basic research.

Oh. Big Pharma also invests heavily in influencing one of the most trusted professionals you know... Your personal doctor.

Doctor “Gifting” & Compensation

Doctor "gifting" is a lucrative strategy to keep prescriptions filled and profits high.

These companies spend billions of dollars paying 600,000+ physicians to prescribe their medications.

Federal government databases reveal thousands of transactions from doctors that have been compensated or “gifted” by pharmaceutical companies. Some of which total more than $30 million.

(Hey, they gotta pay off all that med school somehow right?)

And to make a shady act- even shadier. Their companies are being busted for intentionally misspelling names of their medications in their government reporting. By using several variations drug names in their reporting, it dis-aggregates the data.

But wait, there’s more!

Bribery (Yes, really)

While most of the industry plays financial charades with sneaky donations and gifts... A few companies just directly bribe physicians to fill prescriptions.

Straight savage. No mercy.

These companies are barely bothered by legal consequences; even when they're caught committing federally illegal offenses. So it doesn't really matter to them if they get caught.

In 2012, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was busted for bribing doctors to prescribe dangerous anti-depressants to children whom were entirely unsuitable for the medication.

Yet, GSK sailed through the year with profits still soaring. Even after being busted for bribery and fined $3 Billion dollars.

This type of unethical behavior and financial leverage should not be the dominant force in the health care industry.

Big pharma has proven their priorities. And people are paying with their lives...

Many dangerous drugs are under-researched and over-prescribed for the sake of big profits.

People deserve the power to choose organic, safe alternatives.

People deserve the choice to live.

Legalize, research, educate, and medicate.

Legal cannabis can save lives from deaths and complications caused by prescription drugs.

A Natural Alternative to Painkillers:

We are amid an epidemic of overdoses and addiction to painkillers. But cannabis can help turn things around.

An objective report from JAMA Internal Medicine reveals,

Prescription painkiller deaths have dropped 25% in states with access to medical marijuana.

Cannabis is a safe, natural alternative to prescription painkillers. States that legalize marijuana see positive results.

Cannabis is organic and relatively safe for long-term use. Plus, it's virtually impossible to overdose.

People struggling with prescription painkillers deserve a better choice. And even users avoiding the process or stigma of smoking can switch to a cannabis prescription pill like Idrasil.

Help legalize cannabis today and lead the way towards change.

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