Can CBD Oil Help Fix Healthcare?

Political Analyst – Derek Thomas

No matter your political affiliation, most people can agree that health care in the United States is in desperate need of repair. Both sides of the aisle have their issues with America’s health care system, and both sides are right AND wrong. Meanwhile, patients suffer with both ongoing illness and unaffordable costs. A combined approach tackling political, insurance, regulatory, cultural, and lifestyle issues would put us on a path towards real positive change – but we’re not going to accomplish all of that anytime soon.

We can have a pretty realistic conversation about one solution and how many issues that one solution could solve – and it’s been sitting right in front of our faces for thousands of years. We’re talking about CBD Oil (and for simplicities sake were talking about all the varieties of CBD compounds found in cannabis).

In fact, cannabis was known for thousands of years as a medicine and not a narcotic. It was only within the last 100 years that propaganda changed the cultural sentiments about cannabis. Now that technology has allowed us to study and isolate CBD’s we have an even stronger understanding of their specific benefits. A recent article by Forbes.com listed the top 5 problems with healthcare. Let’s look at how CBD Oil could help solve some of these issues.

Too much unnecessary health care was listed as the first issue. Between over-prescribing medication to redundant testing and procedures that aren’t needed, our health care system is bogged down by unnecessary health care. Prescription medications are a big part of that. Consider the resources that one prescription drug ties up in the health care system. Further that thought with the fact that the vast majority of prescriptions treat one specific ailment. CBD oil, on the other hand, is a fairly cost-effective compound to extract and is easy to adjust both in concentration and delivery method. The slam-dunk is CBD’s ability to treat so many illnesses in this cost-effective way.

For example, patient number one is diagnosed with social-anxiety disorder and suffers from chronic back pain. They would more than likely be taking a daily pill regiment of Prozac, Xanax, and Celebrex. Patient two has the same diagnosis but only takes CBD oil, probably as an ingestible for the anxiety and a topical for the back pain. How much simpler of a solution is that? We’ve just cut down drastically on resources needed to treat one patient’s ailments. We’ve avoided all the red tape of complicated lab procedures for three medications by manufacturing one simple solution from the earth.

Problem number two, according to Forbes, is avoidable harm to patients. This one almost goes without saying, but let’s say it anyways. We’re going back to patient one and two. Patient one’s side effects from his medications could include: dizziness, nausea, constipation, insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, difficulty reaching orgasm, rapid weight gain, thoughts of suicide, atrial fibrillation, liver failure, kidney failure, mania, seizures, stroke, hives, and loss of memory – to name a few! Patient number two has a very small chance of noticing dry mouth and slowed motor skills. And usually those side effects are found in lower quality CBD oil. There may not be a stronger case in all of healthcare for avoidable harm done to patients than the overprescribing of prescription drugs where CBD oil could be used instead.

We couldn’t agree more with Forbes number three point, that billions of dollars – possibly as much as 1/3 – of health care costs are wasted. Those same labs that manufacture over-prescribed drugs are bogged down with costs from regulation insurance which in turn raise overhead to incredible highs. These costs are transferred right onto patients which in turn not only raise the cost of drugs but also of healthcare premiums. It’s really a vicious cycle! As more drugs are prescribed, more drugs are needed to alleviate the side effects of the first drugs, which in turn all raises the price of the drugs which creates more stress, uncertainty, and unhealthy action in patients which leads to more drugs!

CBD Oil could easily save consumers billions of dollars as it is relatively easy and cost effective to produce. Once the industry is federally legal and regulated, there will be some regulation – which is needed – costs may rise, but will still be incredibly lower than current prescription costs.

Finally, the last two problems in the article can be mitigated in one point by CBD Oil. Both the perverse incentives for payment in health care and a lack of transparency are the symptoms of an industry consumed with the motivation for profit. I’m a capitalist through and through, but capitalism implies fair competition – and there is clearly a lack of that in health care. Often times, a product wins the hearts and minds of consumers because of the values that the company manufacturing it upholds. I cannot think of one single drug manufacturer or insurance provider that is regarded as ethical or moral, resulting in a perverse payment system and a lack of transparency.

But I have traveled this country and met many CBD Oil manufacturers. The majority are forward thinking kind-hearted individuals that want the best for their patients. Their risking legal trouble bankruptcy to help people and despite the hurdles facing them often still strive for the triple bottom line of profits, people, and the planet for their businesses. It is not CBD Oil itself that can fix perverse incentives or a lack of transparency, it is the entrepreneurs behind the brands that can.