Politicians and decision makers seem to be worried that if we make cannabis legal for medicinal use, then it will become in higher demand and people would abuse the drug more than is happening now. The Institute of Medicine (someone I’d be highly included to trust based on name alone) released a report in 1999 on medical marijuana examining whether the medical use of marijuana would lead to an increase of marijuana use in the general population and concluded that, “At this point there is no convincing data to support this concern. The existing data is consistent with the idea that this would not be a problem if the medical use of marijuana were as closely regulated as other medications with abuse potential.” The report also noted that, “this question is beyond the issues normally considered for medical uses of drugs, and should not be a factor in evaluating the therapeutic potential of marijuana or cannabinoids.”

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In the past few years, you couldn’t turn on the television without seeing an advertisement for some new kind of drug. Erectile dysfunction, blood pressure, allergies, and restless leg syndrome (yes that is real) are all some of the drugs you may have seen splashed boldly in front of you on the screen. If you have been paying close attention, or just spend hours glued to the television, you may have noticed that drug ads have become less and less frequent throughout 2008. What’s causing this ad-less phenomenon, and is just due to the struggling economy?

Drugs Are Denied More Than Approved

Many drug companies are getting many of their fancy new drugs approved by the FDA and other regulatory bodies, so there’s no point in spending money advertising a drug that no doctor is going to buy and prescribe. If drugs are making it past the rigorous approval process, they are often drugs that target smaller population groups, like a cholesterol drug. There is no sense on spending millions on advertising on a drug that won’t be treating millions of people. According to figures from TNS Media Intelligence, U.S. drug ad spending dropped 6% in the first eight months of 2008, to $3.2 billion. That comes after a 3% dip in the full-year 2007, which had a total of $5.3 billion. Ad spending had generally been upward previously, peaking at $5.4 billion in 2006.

A Change in Media

You may not have realized this, but most of the ad spending done by drug companies is in the form of print ads. I don’t read magazines much anymore but when I did, I would see a ton of different drugs being advertised, varying heavily from magazine to magazine and their target audience. As with so many things, the trend now is headed toward the online world. People want their information in an instant, and web advertising can provide that. While you can easily flip through a magazine and read a drug’s information there, it is so much easier for a consumer to have an ad pop up on their screen, click on it and then read all the information they ever wanted to know about a particular drug. It makes complete sense to funnel money into online advertising (but then again, I encourage everyone to get online, whether it’s for fund raising, communication or shopping). Drug giant AstraZeneca told Dow Jones Newswires that some 20% of its consumer marketing budget was for digital advertising this year, up from around 15% in 2007. 1/5 of a company’s marketing budget going toward making sure online consumers get the drug message? It seems smart to me on the part of the drug companies.

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Bud, ganja, grass, herb, Mary Jane, weed…the ever-controversial marijuana has many nicknames, and just as people can’t decide what to call it, the United States can’t make up its mind on the drug’s legality, uses and whether or not insurance companies should cover it. It is a slippery slope, with many pros and cons on both sides of the argument, but just where are people coming from? Medical marijuana is legal in many other countries around the world, so why not here in the United States? Will we ever reach a point where not only is cannabis legal for medicinal purposes, but it is covered under a health insurance plan like other drugs of its ilk?

Medical Marijuana Facts and Figures

Medical marijuana, henceforth to be referred to simply as “cannabis” to save my poor fingers the typing exertion, has a different story if you are comparing state versus federal level here in the United States. At the federal level, cannabis is illegal, period due to falling under the Controlled Substances Act. As far as cannabis as a medical treatment goes, states have the right to choose whether the drug is or isn’t legal. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington all have approved and regulate cannabis for medicinal use. One thing that it is important to be clear on: medical use does not mean that the drug is approved for a prescription as medicine.

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Bankruptcy is no picnic. Having to legally declare yourself officially broke in hopes of someday cleaning your slate and getting back on your feet isn’t easy for anyone, and there are always countless contributing, individual factors as to why someone finds themselves whispering “bankrupt.” For those who gamble away their savings, lose their homes and drink away the last of their pennies, they are left to lie in a bed of their own making. However, President Elect Obama is proposing a dramatic change in some legislature which would help those people and families who had to file bankruptcy because of medical bills. What does this mean for the average American and is it really as good as it seems?

A Bankruptcy Reprieve

If you were to take a peek at Obama’s economic agenda, you’d see this listed in a bullet point: “Obama and Biden will create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. This exemption will create a process that forgives the debt and lets the individuals get back on their feet.” Taken from the horse’s mouth, or as close to that as we can get before Obama takes office, this seems like a dream scenario. If you are someone who has had to give up everything to spend down to the last penny on medical expenses for your loved one (partially covered by your health insurance or not), this may seem like the savings grace you have been dreaming of. But are all people in this scenario: virtuous, thrifty spenders who have only gone into such horrendous debt due to medical bills?

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Insurance carriers are always having to shell out the money-that’s just a part of what they do. When people need to draw on their insurance plans to cover things that happen, insurance companies open their pockets to make it happen. 2008 broke into the top numbers in terms of expenses for insurance companies. Hitting the #3 slot happened due to multiple catastrophes around the world in this past year, causing millions to turn to their insurance companies in the wake of a disaster.

Cyclones, Earthquakes and Hurricanes: Oh, My!

If you watch the news, you know that this hasn’t been an easy year for people around the world. There was the devastating earthquake in China, and the horrendous cyclone in Myanmar, and the list goes on. In fact, if you look up “2008 natural disasters” and visit a few different web pages, you might be surprised at how many events human beings endured around the world this past year. Flooding, tropical storms, landslides, typhoons and in so many different countries. All of these events contributed to making 2008 the 3rd most expensive year for insurers. When people lose everything, it’s insurance companies who take the hit.

Catastrophes and Insurance by the Numbers

Although there were less loss-producing events around the world this past year (dropping 210 from 2007), insured losses in 2008 were 50% higher than the previous year, coming in at $45 billion, as overall losses stood at $200 billion, when they had only been $85 billion in 2007. This past year, over 220,000 people were killed as the result of a natural disaster.

In looking at these horrible events individually, it was the United States who got hit the hardest in terms of losses. Hurricane Ike blasted through the nation like the nasty storm that it was, leaving insurers to clean up the mess to the tune of $15 billion. Following a close second was the terrible Hurricane Gustav, who caused overall losses of $10 billion and and insured loss of $5 billion.

Can This Insurance Trend Be Reversed?

This is a hard question to ponder, because when you’re dealing with things like natural disaster, the solution is quite complex. Such increases in the number of natural disasters and occurrences is caused by changes in our climate like global warming, rising sea levels and higher temperatures everywhere. This may not be able to be reversed, but we can certainly do things to slow it down or even stop it completely. This would require radical changes around the world, and we’re obviously looking at greater issues here than just insurance costs. Human life and quality of it is much more valuable, and we don’t want to lose either.

In the meantime, look over all of your insurance needs. Having health insurance is the first place to start. If you are looking for more information about how to protect your family, take a look online to help some answers to any questions you might have. If you are renting a home, get renters insurance for all your property within. If you own your home, home insurance is a wonderful investment for your future. Life insurance and everything in between may seem like a waste of money as you sign those checks each month, but in the event of an emergency, you will be so happy you spent your money wisely.

photo credit: eschipul

In the last post we reviewed a few of the top health breakthroughs of last year. Here, we’re continuing the series with more information about BDNF, Vitamin D, and 2009 New Year’s resolutions.

A Little More About BDNF

What is this mysterious acronym and what does it do for your body? This snazzy molecule in the body is a great find of the past year, because it is a key player in keeping nerve cells alive and helping stimulate the growth of new nerve cells. Nerves basically keep everything in your body circulating and moving, so you can imagine that their maintenance is a pretty high priority for the body.

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