If one arrived here moments ago from Mars, two articles printed side by side in today's Wall Street Journal would tell you all you need to know about the folly of modern man and the foibles of American medicine. The headlines-- "Rise in Knee Replacements Boosts Federal Health Costs" and "FDA Urged to Speed Approval of Drugs"--say it all.
Boiling it down, in 2010, Medicare paid for 243,802 new knees for people 65 and over. (The number is surely higher today.) Many of those knees belonged to overweight people who wore them out just by dragging their fat around. Either they experienced pain or they just wanted new ones so they could run another 10K race. But folks in their 40s and 50s trade in body parts too, accounting for the estimated 600,000 knee replacements performed each year. The surgeries cost our health care system $9 billion annually. Ha! Meanwhile, over at the FDA/White House drug dispensary, a plan was unveiled to "cut red tape for drug approvals." The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is pushing for shorter approval times for a wider range of diseases for "special uses" such as obesity, which is on the rise and shows no signs of slowing down, despite Michelle Obama doing those push-ups on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
There is no mention anywhere of marijuana being one of the drugs slated for approval. Instead, it's likely a whole new crop of manufactured chemicals that will flood the market, each carrying the usual risks of shortness of breath, insomnia, anxiety and thoughts of suicide, whereas marijuana makes you breathe easier, fall asleep quickly, feel quite relaxed and love life. It's also great for pain reduction, and is already prescribed for many people suffering from debilitating diseases. I'm no pothead--in fact I barely touch the stuff anymore--but I'd rather see a natural herb that one can grow for free get the green light from our debt-ridden government and save those Medicare dollars for serious illnesses.
Boiling it down, in 2010, Medicare paid for 243,802 new knees for people 65 and over. (The number is surely higher today.) Many of those knees belonged to overweight people who wore them out just by dragging their fat around. Either they experienced pain or they just wanted new ones so they could run another 10K race. But folks in their 40s and 50s trade in body parts too, accounting for the estimated 600,000 knee replacements performed each year. The surgeries cost our health care system $9 billion annually. Ha! Meanwhile, over at the FDA/White House drug dispensary, a plan was unveiled to "cut red tape for drug approvals." The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is pushing for shorter approval times for a wider range of diseases for "special uses" such as obesity, which is on the rise and shows no signs of slowing down, despite Michelle Obama doing those push-ups on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.There is no mention anywhere of marijuana being one of the drugs slated for approval. Instead, it's likely a whole new crop of manufactured chemicals that will flood the market, each carrying the usual risks of shortness of breath, insomnia, anxiety and thoughts of suicide, whereas marijuana makes you breathe easier, fall asleep quickly, feel quite relaxed and love life. It's also great for pain reduction, and is already prescribed for many people suffering from debilitating diseases. I'm no pothead--in fact I barely touch the stuff anymore--but I'd rather see a natural herb that one can grow for free get the green light from our debt-ridden government and save those Medicare dollars for serious illnesses.
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