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Obama says marijuana should be treated like ‘cigarettes or alcohol’

In an “exit interview” with Rolling Stone magazine, President Obama said that marijuana use should be treated as a public-health issue similar to tobacco or alcohol and called the current patchwork of state and federal laws regarding the drug “untenable.”

“Look, I’ve been very clear about my belief that we should try to discourage substance abuse,” Obama said. “And I am not somebody who believes that legalization is a panacea. But I do believe that treating this as a public-health issue, the same way we do with cigarettes or alcohol, is the much smarter way to deal with it.”

Obama has made comments to this effect before. In a 2014 interview with the New Yorker magazine he said that marijuana was less dangerous than alcohol “in terms of its impact on the individual consumer.” More recently, he told TV host Bill Maher, “I think we're going to have to have a more serious conversation about how we are treating marijuana and our drug laws generally.”

In the Rolling Stone interview published this week, Obama also reiterated his long-standing position that changing federal marijuana laws is not something the president can do unilaterally. “Typically how these classifications are changed are not done by presidential edict,” he said, “but are done either legislatively or through the DEA. As you might imagine, the DEA, whose job it is historically to enforce drug laws, is not always going to be on the cutting edge about these issues.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration recently turned down a petition to lessen federal restrictions on marijuana, citing the drug's lack of “accepted medical use” and its “high potential for abuse.” Congress could resolve the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws by amending the federal Controlled Substances Act, but it has declined to do so.

Marijuana legalization advocates have been frustrated at what they see as Obama's unwillingness to use his bully pulpit to advocate for their cause. “It would have been very helpful if he had taken more concrete positive action on this issue before it was almost time to vacate the Oval Office,” Tom Angell of the pro-legalization group Marijuana Majority said in a statement. “That this president didn’t apply pressure on the DEA to reschedule marijuana this year will likely go down as one of the biggest disappointments of the Obama era.”

There is little disagreement on either side of the legalization debate that personal marijuana use should be treated primarily as a public-health issue. Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation's leading anti-legalization group, says that it “seeks to establish a rational policy” for marijuana use and possession that “no longer relies only on the criminal justice system to address people whose only crime is smoking or possessing a small amount of marijuana.”

But there is vehement disagreement over what such a “rational policy” would look like. SAM advocates for a policy of decriminalization of marijuana use, but not full-scale commercial legalization. Groups like the Marijuana Policy Project, on the other hand, are pushing for the creation of Colorado-style commercial marketplaces where it is completely legal to buy, sell and consume marijuana.

Obama has been hesitant throughout his second term to push for one approach or the other. His Justice Department has created a policy explicitly allowing states to legalize marijuana as they see fit, but he has made no effort to alter the strict federal prohibition on marijuana that complicates any effort to create a legal nationwide marijuana industry.

Pro-legalization advocates are worried that the current Justice Department policy of noninterference on marijuana legalization could be reversed by an incoming Trump administration stocked with harsh criticsof such legalization. Trump himself has said that the matter should be left up to the states.

In the Rolling Stone interview, Obama hinted that he may be more vocal on the issue once he leaves office. “I will have the opportunity as a private citizen to describe where I think we need to go” on marijuana, he said.

www.washingtonpost.com

What You Need To Know About Cannabis And Metabolic Syndrome

Regular weed smokers are 54 percent less likely to have this precursor to heart attack and stroke.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions (i.e. a syndrome) that indicates that the body is having trouble handling all the energy it’s taking in. It’s defined by having three or more of the following risk factors:

• A large waistline—that is to say being apple shaped vs. pear shaped
• High level of fat in the blood
• Low level of HDL cholesterol (AKA “the good kind”)
• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar

Metabolic syndrome is a serious risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

<p>An analysis by the University of Miami, published in the American Journal of Medicine earlier this year, showed that, of the approximately 8,500 adults surveyed, 19.5 percent of non-smokers met the criteria for metabolic syndrome compared to 13.8 percent of those who regularly smoke marijuana. The greatest disparity was seen in young adults, where users were 54 percent less likely than their straight-laced peers to have this condition.

These findings give more detail to a portrait emerging from other studies (such as this one) of cannabis users who are able to take in more calories and stay trimmer than do abstainers.

A study from June of this year adds an unexpected twist: A survey of Australians with psychotic illness showed metabolism syndrome in very high 63 percent of non-users compared to only 43.5 percent of frequent cannabis users. Moderate cannabis use had negligible effects.

So there’s a Sophie’s choice: Smoke weed and save your heart, or abstain to preserve your mind?

To explore these types of marijuana in your area, check out our directory.

Source:
            https://thefreshtoast.com

Melissa Etheridge Arrested For Having Cannabis Oil She Used to Help With Cancer

Musician and cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge was recently arrested in North Dakota after police found cannabis oil on her tour bus.

It was reported this week that rock musician and cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge was recently arrested in North Dakota after police found cannabis oil on her tour bus.

The arrest took place on August 17 but was not publicized until TMZ broke the story yesterday. Like millions of people with cancer across the world, including myself, Etheridge has discovered that cannabis oil not only treats the after-effects of chemotherapy but also promote apoptosis, which prevents cancer from developing again.

In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer and endured a lumpectomy with five rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. It is not clear what her preventative regimen has been this past decade, but it is safe to speculate that cannabis oil has played a role in her continued remission as well as treatment for pain and nausea.

Etheridge looked confident after her arrest and can be seen with a huge grin in her mugshot photo. She pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.

Just weeks after her arrest, fellow rock musician Todd Rundgren was also arrested at the very same spot in North Dakota when police found two small vape pens filled with cannabis oil on his tour bus.

Cannabis oil is legal for medical patients who live in California, as Etheridge does, but the laws are still comparatively harsh in North Dakota, despite the fact that measures were recently passed in the legislature to start a medical marijuana program. As of now, North Dakota exists in a legal gray area because politicians are dragging their feet and bickering about how the program will be implemented.

This situation is sadly common throughout the US. Even in my state of Maryland where I am fighting my cancer, medical cards are available so patients can avoid arrest, but the political process has stalled the establishment of dispensaries for over a year, forcing sick patients into the black market.

In the past several years, the science and strong anecdotal evidence proving the medical value of cannabis has continued to grow, especially in regards to cancer treatment. Just in this past year, we have reported on multiple incidences where studies have confirmed the healing power of cannabis, to the point where organizations tied to big pharma and the US government are now forced to reverse their position on the medicine.

Etheridge said in a recent article that she does not live a party-oriented lifestyle, but found that cannabis is one of the best medicines for a cancer survivor.

“Because I am a musician, people often assume that I must indulge in the fast-paced life that often comes with playing on the road. But they would be wrong. Coming up in the business in the 1980’s, I saw plenty of drugs, but it never really appealed to me. I’m not even much of a drinker,” she wrote in her article at newapproachmissouri.com.

She continued: “But when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, I found that there was one substance that helped me through: Cannabis. My doctors gave me what they called ‘dose dense’ chemotherapy, which is stronger than usual. They could prescribe that level of chemo for me because I was able to take time off work to fight my cancer full time. Unfortunately, the dose dense chemo made the side effects even worse. My friends told me that medical cannabis could help me handle chemotherapy, so I gave it a try. It worked even better than they said it would. Not only did it treat my nausea better than anything else I tried, it alleviated both my physical and emotional pain. I continue to use cannabis to treat the lasting gastrointestinal effects of the chemo and to help me get a good night’s sleep.”

Etheridge is scheduled to perform the national anthem at the Chiefs vs. Steelers game this Sunday to raise awareness and funds for the “Crucial Catch” campaign, with the goal of helping unknowing patients catch their cancer early.

Will Bill to End Federal Prohibition of Medical Marijuana Pass?

While Congress is fighting about almost everything, one thing, it seems, they can agree on, is ending medical marijuana prohibition.

On Thursday, a bipartisan group including U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Corey Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reintroduced the CARERS Act with new 2015 branding.

The CARERS Act of 2017, also known as The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act) basically allows states with medical marijuana to continue doing it, but legally. More importantly, it would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to recommend it to veterans as a treatment, as well as create some important paths for research.

The original bill was submitted in 2015 but it wasn’t able to get a hearing due to a lack of Republican support.

Don Murphy, director of conservatice outreach for the Marijuana Policy Project, notes that this is not only an opportunity to advance cannabis law, but it is also a win for states’ rights.

Medical marijuana suporters hop that the reintroduction of the CARERS Act is the first of many steps this Congress will take to end the federal prohibition of medical marijuana. The addition of Sens. Lee and Murkowski as original co-sponsors will hopefully inspire other Republicans to seriously consider this legislation and the extreme federal overreach that it seeks to correct. The federal government should not be meddling in state laws that allow medical marijuana to help those in need.

Currently, 29 states and Washington D.C. have medical programs, which are technically illegal under federal law. The majority of Americans support medical marijuana legalization, with an April Quinnipiac University poll finding that 94% of U.S. voters support medical marijuana programs.

Will this bill find the same fate that it did last year, or will it find the support it needs to end medical marijuana prohibition.

Ariana Marisol is a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. She is an avid nature enthusiast, gardener, photographer, writer, hiker, dreamer, and lover of all things sustainable, wild, and free. Ariana strives to bring people closer to their true source, 

Mother Nature. She graduated The Evergreen State College with an undergraduate degree focusing on Sustainable Design and Environmental Science.

BREAKING: Sessions Leaves Policy Alone, Says Cannabis Not as Dangerous as Heroin

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said today that Obama-era Marijuana policy remains in effect and also conceded that cannabis is NOT as dangerous as heroin.

“Our policy is the same, really, fundamentally as the Holder-Lynch policy, which is that the federal law remains in effect and a state can legalize marijuana for its law enforcement purposes but it still remains illegal with regard to federal purposes,” Sessions said, referring to his predecessors during the Obama administration.

Later, Sessions said, “I think that’s correct,” when Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) argued that cannabis isn’t as dangerous as heroin. Both are currently classified under Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Sessions also said, “I believe we are bound by” a federal budget rider that bars the federal government from spending money to interfere with state medical cannabis laws. The rider specifically bars prosecution of patients and providers who are acting in accordance with those laws.

Under the Cole Memo, the federal government set out certain criteria that allows states to implement their own laws without intervention. 

In April, Sessions directed a Justice Department task force to review the Obama administration memo and make recommendations for possible changes.

Free marijuana for life -- from the federal government

How to Make Cannabis Capsules at Home

Have you ever wondered how to make your own cannabis capsules? These capsules, often called canna caps, offer a safe, easy, cost-effective and efficient way to medicate orally throughout the day without putting empty calories and unhealthy ingredients into your body. Cannabis capsules have become a standard in the cannabis industry and most dispensaries carry some variety of them. Unfortunately, depending on the source, the ingredients and potency of the product can vary.

Ingredients and Supplies Needed

The necessary ingredients and supplies are relatively inexpensive and can be obtained at a local natural food store or online. Items needed, can vary depending on what is available to you, but these are the basics.

• 7-14 grams of ground cannabis flower (kief and trim can also be used)

• 1/4 – 1/2 cup of coconut oil solid or liquid form (organic, extra virgin is available)

• 1/2 tsp soy lecithin

• Oven or slow cooker

• 50 empty gelatin or vegetarian capsules (standard size is 00)

• Capsule Filling method

• Syringe (any sterile syringe with a tapered tip that will fit inside the capsule)

• 1 cooking pot

• 1 glass bowl that fits inside the rim of your pot 1-2 inches above the softly boiling water

• 1 small bowl

• 1 glass or metal baking dish/sheet

• 2 sheets of aluminum foil

• 1 piece of cheese cloth and 1 rubber band or 1 small fine screened strainer

• 1 spoon or spatula

• 1 small glass jar with screw top lid

• Vinyl gloves

This recipe uses coconut oil and soy lecithin combined, which aids the body in efficiently metabolizing the cannabinoids through the digestive system. The cannabis-infused oil will provide longer periods of effectiveness when compared to smoking and vaping.

Dosing:

Note that a few factors will determine the correct dosing of cannabis capsules. These include:

• Potency of the cannabis

• Proper decarboxylation

• Ratio of flower to coconut oil

There is no standard ratio for determining your ideal dose. It’s a matter of trial and error until you discover what works best for you. This is a basic recipe you can adjust to fit your needs and the materials available to you. It is best to keep a journal of your activities to duplicate the amounts and process you prefer. The only fool proof way to test the potency of your cannabis capsules is by taking them to a laboratory, but it will cost money to do so.

Decarboxylation: Get the Most from Your Cannabis:

Preheat your oven to 220-240 degrees Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures can cook off the cannabinoids and greatly reduce potency. Using your gloved hands, break the flower into small pieces and spread them evenly across your foil covered baking dish or sheet. Place the second piece of foil over the cannabis and pinch foil sides together. This aids the flower in evenly decarboxylating and prevents much of the vapors from escaping. The flower should bake for 30-45 minutes to properly activate all of the cannabinoids. Note that decarboxylation reduces the amount of flower you have by 10%. Make sure to check our guide if you want to get more information on decarboxylation.

Infusion:

Oven Method

Fill ¾ of the pot with water and heat to a soft boil. Add the coconut oil and soy lecithin to the glass bowl and place it in the cooking pot. Once warmed, the oil and lecithin will melt. Then add the decarboxylated cannabis to the bowl and mix together until well-blended. Empty the hot water from the pot then add the oil mixture to the pot. Place the pot back in the oven for at least another 30-45 minutes. Check your infusion frequently and stir if ingredients begin to separate.

Slow Cooker

Add the decarboxylated cannabis, coconut oil, and soy lecithin to your slow cooker and set the temperature to low heat, which is approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You should test your slow cooker with water and a thermometer before attempting to make your cannabis-infused oil.

Cooking the infusion for longer than 45 minutes with either method will affect the potency of the final product and cause further conversion of THC to CBN resulting in a more sedating effect from the finished product.

Now you can either use a small, finely screened strainer and the small bowl, or cheesecloth draped over the bowl and secured with a rubber band to strain the finished oil. Use a spoon or spatula to press all of the oil out of the flower material. Straining the oil at least twice should remove all of the flower particles.

Filling Your Cannabis Capsules

The oil infusion should be less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but not solidifying prior to placing it in the capsules. A homemade capsule filler can be made from a cardboard box you poke holes through with a pen to hold the capsules in place. But, you can get a plastic capsule filling machine for a small amount of money and save yourself a lot of frustration. Follow the instructions on the package to streamline the capsule making process.

Once you have placed the bottom half of your capsules into their holes, it’s time to fill your syringe. Holding the syringe with one hand and pulling on the plunger handle with the other you can dip the tip into the oil and draw your first syringe full of liquid. Carefully place enough oil into each capsule until it is just below the top edge. Spill waste will result if you overfill them. Hand towels or tissues work well to soak up spillage, but you are losing valuable oil each time this happens.

Once filled, place the tops securely on the capsules and put them in the jar, closing the lid securely. Mark jars clearly and store all cannabis products in a cool dark place away from children and animals.

Parents find son's lifeless body after pharmacy switches sleep medication for toxic dose of another drug

Eight-year-old Andrew Sheldrick died after the pharmacy that dispensed his sleeping medication accidentally switched it for something else. He was found dead the morning after taking the wrong medication.

Boy's mother wants legislation that would force pharmacies to make prescription errors public

Eight-year-old Andrew Sheldrick went to bed on Saturday, March 12, after his mom gave him what she thought was his usual dose of medication for a sleep disorder. When his dad went to wake him in the morning, he found the boy dead.

"They did let us know that there was no amount of intervention that could have saved him. He had been gone for several hours by the time we found him," Andrew's mom, Melissa Sheldrick told Go Public.

For four and a half months, the family didn't know what caused Andrew's death.

Then in late July, a coroner's report concluded Andrew had not taken Tryptophan, the sleep medication he'd been prescribed, but Baclofen, a muscle relaxant drug used to treat muscle spasms caused by conditions such as multiple sclerosis.

Boy had nearly 3 times the toxic dose in his system

The coroner found the boy had almost three times the dose of Baclofen in his system that would be toxic to an adult, and no trace of the sleep drug Tryptophan.

A report by Ontario's Office of the Chief Coroner concluded an independent compounding pharmacy in Mississauga had made a mistake and substituted one drug for the other. Andrew died after getting just one dose of the Baclofen.

A compounding pharmacy prepares personalized medications for patients by mixing individual ingredients together in the exact strength and dosage form required by the patient.

According to the report:

"Analysis of the Tryptophan medication that Andrew was prescribed for parasomnia from a compounding pharmacy revealed that it contained approximately 135 mg/ml of Baclofen and no trace of Tryptophan. This would be consistent with the pharmacy mixing the amount of powder that would generate 150 mg/ml concentration of Trypyophan, but substituting Baclofen powder."

Andrew's mom says the family had no indication there was a problem with the medication.

"The liquid that was in the bottle, it looked the same as Andrew's medication, and he didn't say that it tasted any different," Sheldrick said.

"Unfortunately there was no way of knowing that it was anything different than what he was supposed to have."

Melissa Sheldrick says her eight-year-old son, Andrew, had an 'infectious laugh.' (Courtesy Melissa Sheldrick)

Boy used sleep medication for years

Otherwise a healthy boy, Andrew suffered from a REM sleep disorder called parasomnia that caused him to enter his sleep cycle twice as fast as normal, leading him to wake up as many as five times during the night. A sleep specialist prescribed Tryptophan at bedtime.

He had trouble swallowing pills, so his sleep specialist prescribed a liquid dose in October 2014. That's when the family began using the liquid compound from Floradale Medical Pharmacy Ltd.

For years, Andrew had no issues with the medication.

Family launches lawsuit

Floradale Medical Pharmacy Ltd. and Amit Shah, its owner and manager, are named in a multi-million dollar lawsuit. The family's lawyer filed the statement of claim in Ontario Superior Court this week.  

According to that claim, the pharmacy failed to dispense proper medication, failed to keep accurate records and didn't adhere to pharmacy laws and regulations.

To date, no statement of defence has been filed.

The lawsuit also names "Jane/John Doe" referring to the unknown pharmacist or lab technician who prepared the compound.

Pharmacy says 'the matter is being addressed'

The Floradale Pharmacy in Mississauga, where Melissa Sheldrick would pick up her son's sleep medication, declined to comment on this story, saying only that the matter is 'being addressed.' (CBC)

Go Public contacted Floradale Medical Pharmacy. We received a brief response from owner and manager Amit Shah.

"At this time we have no comment. The family has retained counsel. The matter is being addressed," he wrote in an email.

Mom launches petition for change

Melissa Sheldrick wants legislation that would force pharmacies to share prescription errors with the public. (CBC)

Lack of information and accountability is why Andrew's mom Melissa Sheldrick says she's now campaigning to ask Ontario's Health Minister to have medication error reporting made mandatory. So far her petition has more than 1,000 signatures.

To date, there is no requirement to report errors to a formal body unless a pharmacy is inspected by its governing college. Typically, each Ontario pharmacy is inspected every two to four years and error reports are not public.

"To me it's a form of negligence that is being overlooked in the pharmacies and nobody is holding them accountable or responsible, and that's unacceptable," Sheldrick said.

As Go Public reported, Nova Scotia is the only province that requires pharmacists to report all errors to The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Canada.

• 4-year-old 'acting like a slobbering drunk' after pharmacy dispenses wrong dose of antipsychotic drug

All other provinces allow community and retail pharmacies to investigate their own errors and deal with the issues internally.

Melissa Sheldrick wants Ontario Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins to implement legislation that would force pharmacies to be more transparent about medication errors.

"Practices have to change, people have to be held accountable," Sheldrick said.

"The rest of our country has no idea about how many pharmacist errors are being made in a day, in a week, in a month, in a year, and there are many … I think that when there is transparency, training can happen, review of policy and procedures can happen, intervention that can happen."

A soccerball sits in Melissa Sheldrick's home, filled with notes remembering her 8-year-old son, Andrew, who died after a pharmacy switched his sleep medication for a toxic dose of another drug. (CBC)

Minister looking at issue 'in light of tragic situation'

Go Public put Andrew Sheldrick's story to Ontario's Health Minister. 

"I will be looking specifically in light of this tragic situation to see if there is more that can be done ... in a transparent and accountable way," Dr. Hoskins told CBC News.

Hoskins says he'll take the issue to the Ontario College of Pharmacists, and also look at the changes Nova Scotia made to prescription error reporting.

ISMP Canada is now investigating what happened in Andrew Sheldrick's case. Its report should be complete in the next couple of weeks. 

The report's findings will be used to improve the system, according to Julie Greenall, ISMP Canada's Director of Projects and Education.

"Preparing a medication that is not available in a ready-to-use form is a complex process. We anticipate the learning from this tragedy will be widely shared."

She says once the report is complete, ISMP Canada will give it to the Ontario Coroner's Office, which will determine if the findings will be made public.

ISMP Canada has no power to force change or discipline those responsible.

That is the job of the Ontario College of Pharmacists. Andrew's family is now in the process of filing a complaint with the college.

Trump has no idea how much health insurance costs

Photo by Michael Reynolds - Pool/Getty Images

“I know a lot about health care,” President Donald Trump declared in a Wednesday interview with the New York Times.

But Trump’s answers to other questions betrayed how little he knows about health policy. As Ezra Klein wrote yesterday, this has become a major stumbling block in Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. Trump can’t strike a deal on health care when he doesn’t understand health policy.

Trump cited numbers that don’t seem to come from any recent version of the health care debate.

“From the moment the insurance, you’re 21 years old, you start working and you’re paying $12 a year for insurance, and by the time you’re 70, you get a nice plan,” Trump told the Times.

Of course, anyone who has purchased health coverage, let alone studied the health insurance market, knows that a $12 annual premium is nonexistent — and that premiums are typically paid in months rather than years. The numbers Trump cites seem to come from the universe of life insurance rather than that of health insurance. Life insurance premiums are significantly lower and a completely different benefit program than health coverage.

This isn’t the first time Trump has so dramatically underestimated the costs of health insurance. In a May interview with the Economist, he estimated that health coverage ought to cost $15 per month.

“Insurance is, you’re 20 years old, you just graduated from college, and you start paying $15 a month for the rest of your life and you really need it, you’re still paying the same amount and that’s really insurance,” Trump told the magazine.

The fact that Trump settles on $12 or $15 as the appropriate amount to pay for health insurance betrays a lack of familiarity with the actual cost of coverage. You do not have to be a health policy expert to get this — just someone who has ever purchased a health plan.

Most voters I talk to don’t have this expectation. I often ask Obamacare enrollees what they think would be a fair price for health insurance. Usually I hear something between $50 and $100 seems reasonable. The mental math going on here is that you have to pay something in order to get a plan that will cover doctor visits and hospital trips and prescription drugs. They know, from their experience, that health coverage is not as cheap as $15, and have more realistic assumptions than the one Trump makes in this answer.

White House says diabetics don’t deserve health insurance

Donald Trump's budget chief again revealed the Republicans' callous approach to health care, arguing that some diabetics simply do not deserve health insurance, because of how they may have developed the illness.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Donald Trump’s budget director specifically called out people suffering from diabetes as a group of Americans who do not deserve the protection of health insurance.

Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), weighed in on the issue at the Light Forum at Stanford University. He was asked if families should be denied medical care because they can’t afford it, a standard Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) had termed “the Jimmy Kimmel test,” after the late night comedian’s recent emotional call for improved health care.

Mulvaney said he believed in helping to provide “a safety net so that if you get cancer you don’t end up broke,” but separated those situations from others he termed “ordinary healthcare,” what he described as the heart of the debate.

He continued, “That doesn’t mean we should take care of the person who sits at home, eats poorly and gets diabetes. Is that the same thing as Jimmy Kimmel’s kid? I don’t think that it is.”

As of 2014, 29.1 million Americans suffer from diabetes, which is about 9.3 percent of the population.

Under Mulvaney’s standard, an examination of their eating habits and how their disease was triggered would have to be undertaken before it could be determined whether they are deserving of health insurance or not. In the meantime, people will suffer and possibly die from their illness.

The Affordable Care Act mandates coverage for people with pre-existing conditions like diabetes, without casting about for blame or applying some kind of litmus test to discern if they are deserving of treatment.

The system championed by Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and the Republican Party would upend that safety net and contribute to ill health and death, in order to justify their sanctimonious attitude.