PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FIT DEFINITION OF POISON

Editor:

So I have this back spasm, and I am in excruciating pain, unable to
walk, barely able to crawl to the phone to call for help. I have a
choice to make.

Option #1: I can call a friend to take me to the hospital emergency
room, where I may wait hours to see a doctor.

After looking me over and asking a few questions, he/she will
prescribe pain medication and muscle relaxants.

This commonly used prescription drug is produced by a corporation
whose main goal is not my health, but to make money for itself.

This becomes evident when I look at the warnings from health.canoe.ca:

This medication should not be taken by anyone who:

Is allergic to methocarbamol, ASA, codeine or any ingredients of the
medication (including tartrazine dye); has an active stomach ulcer or
duodenal ulcer; has had a bronchospastic reaction (severe asthma-type
reaction), generalized hives, severe running and itching nose, or
shock brought on by ASA or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs, e. g., ibuprofen, naproxen), the list goes on.

Side effects may include: dizziness; lightheadedness, or feeling
faint; drowsiness, heartburn or indigestion; nausea or vomiting;
stomach pain (mild).

Less common or rare: abdominal or stomach cramps or pain; blurred or
double-vision or other changes in vision; clumsiness or unsteadiness;
constipation; diarrhea; dryness of mouth; false sense of well-being;
frequent urge to urinate; general feeling of discomfort or illness;
headache; hiccups; loss of appetite; muscle weakness; nervousness or
restlessness; nightmares or unusual dreams; trouble sleeping.

Although most of the side effects listed below don't happen very
often, they could lead to serious problems if you do not seek medical
attention...

Option #2: I can call a friend to bring me some of her homemade
organic cannabis tincture.

She will apply it to my back and the spasm will be gone in minutes.
Cannabis is anti-spasmotic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory.

I will get a good night's rest, reapply the tincture whenever the
pain comes back, and take it easy for a few days.

There are no negative side effects.

This plant has been used for 5,000 years to cure pain and spasm,
among many other ailments.

You used to be able to buy it by the pound in the grocery store.

In fact, when it was outlawed in 1937, the American Medical
Association was in an uproar because almost half of what every doctor
carried in his little black bag was a derivative of marijuana.

Of course, owning the cannabis tincture today would be illegal so...
Option #3: Maybe I'll just lie here on the floor and wonder why we
are arresting the wrong people.

Seems to me that the prescription drug fits the definition of a
poison and a danger to society, while the only problem with cannabis
is that it is illegal.

Genevieve Jones

Killaloe