I have a special friend from Colorado who has rheumatoid arthritis. She has had this terrible disease for a number of years. She was given Methotrexate, which is expensive and trashes the liver. Recently, she has had to discontinue using it because of damage to her liver, which has resulted in her hands and knuckles becoming swollen and extremely painful.

A mutual friend gave her some medical marijuana, and her symptoms disappeared. She experiences no pain, and is active in ways she has not thought possible for a long time.This calls forth some questions. Why is Methotrexate, which trashes livers and is expensive, a legal drug for RA? Another drug prescribed for RA is Embrel, which is even more expensive and can cause lymphoma, and is also legal.

Medical marijuana, however, is illegal in much of this country. I don’t understand. Is the FDA in bed with the pharmaceuticals so completely that harmful drugs can be legal to use, whereas helpful drugs are not? Why isn’t there a watchdog for these two powerful bureaucracies?