Painkiller Company Makes Huge Donation Against Marijuana Legalization

A pharmaceutical company that makes the powerful painkiller fentanyl donated a large sum of money to a group opposed to the legalization of marijuana in Arizona.

Insys Therapeutics Inc. donated $500,000 to Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, a group working to defeat the state’s Proposition 205, which would legalize marijuana for recreational use, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Although used as a common painkiller, fentanyl is an opiate that is highly addictive, prompting the Drug Enforcement Administration to warn users about potential overdoses.

“Drug incidents and overdoses related to fentanyl are occurring at an alarming rate throughout the United States and represent a significant threat to public health and safety,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart in a statement. “Often laced in heroin, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues produced in illicit clandestine labs are up to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30-50 times more powerful than heroin. Fentanyl is extremely dangerous to law enforcement and anyone else who may come into contact with it.”

The marijuana legalization measure has a good chance of passing. About 50 percent of Arizonans want to legalize marijuana, while 40 percent are against the idea and 10 percent are undecided, reported the Arizona Republic.

And if Insys Therapeutics Inc. donated $500,000 to prevent marijuana from becoming legalized, there could be a financial interest at stake.

A recent study by the medical journal Health Affairs found that prescriptions for painkillers have declined in 17 states that have medical marijuana laws in place, reported the Washington Post.

Interestingly, Insys Therapeutics Inc. is currently developing a marijuana-based drug to treat pediatric epilepsy, according to the company’s website.

It’s not clear what, if any, impact marijuana legalization in Arizona would have on Insys Therapeutics marijuana-based drug. 

Sources: U.S. News & World Report, DEA, Arizona Republic, Washington Post, Insys Therapeutics/ Photo Credit: MorgueFile/Wikipedia