U.S. corporations cater to the whims of the rich, white and abled. Some companies even offer schedule I and III narcotics in their ever-growing lists of health options.
Ketamine infusions are their latest luxury branded service, available for $5,000 USD — or £4,000 GBP if you are British royalty, which you basically have to be to afford it.
Olive du Pont knew the treatment was too expensive for most people, but after years of hard work with her life coach, she realized she was worth it. “I read the research about ketamine enhancing mental health, and I’m like, ‘I deserve to feel good like those people with depression and PTSD.’”
Todd (who asked that we use his first name only to protect the privacy of his children’s elite boarding schools) owns ketamine clinics and marijuana dispensaries in eight states. He acknowledges his businesses would not exist if disabled activists hadn’t repeatedly shared the most intimate details of their personal medical challenges in public hearings.
When asked what he was doing to ensure disabled access to the treatments, Todd explained, “I am powerless. The market sets the price. I wish I could do something, but my perfectly manicured, abled hands are metaphorically tied. No one could have predicted this would happen with ketamine right after it happened with marijuana. Rest assured, when we legalize MDMA, we’ll do better.”
Disabled people, and particularly disabled people of color, are more likely to be structurally pushed into poverty and criminalized for drug offenses, even though most drug users and dealers are white. The rich, white and abled monopolize profits and health benefits even as the names of products and services change.
For instance, goop offers drug alternatives, but only people with a trust fund, like Luisa-Lucy Lemon, can afford the opulently priced health products. Lemon said, “I wish everyone’s parents loved them enough to invest in their well-being, but some people just don’t get it.”
When asked what they would say to these corporate and non-corporate monsters, a disabled activist simply replied, “I wish you well.”