Cannabis News Stop the Drug War!
  Medical Use of Cannabis Under Fire
Posted by CN Staff on October 25, 2005 at 17:32:08 PT
By Kevin Lumpkin 
Source: Vermont Cynic  

medical Vermont -- Sativex® is a drug developed by English-based GW Pharmaceuticals, and is the first in a developing portfolio of cannabis-based medicines the company plans to produce.

Dr. Richard Musty, a UVM psychopharmacologist, has been researching the effects of cannabis (the plant from which marijuana is derived) on the human brain for thirty years, and acted as a scientific consultant to GW Pharmaceuticals during the development of this drug.

Sativex® has two active ingredients, both of which are cannabinoids (derived solely from the cannabis plant), and are found in marijuana: THC and cannabidiol. What makes the drug unique, according to Dr. Musty, is that its users do not experience a "high" when it is taken at its prescribed dosage.

Sativex® was approved by Health Canada in 2005, for the treatment of neuropathic pain and decreased mobility in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS.) Although the drug is currently being prescribed in Canada, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are wary of importing the drug.

Dr. Musty has had similar problems with the US government when dealing with cannabis-related drugs in the past - several years ago, when Musty and his colleagues were attempting to obtain approval for a drug containing cannabinoids, "[the FDA] said, 'we have philosophical problems with this.'" The issues the government had with the drug were not scientific, but concerning public policy - "I think if people look at the data, it's undeniable that it's a good drug," says Musty.

In previous meetings with governmental agencies, the psychopharmacologist working for those agencies were not the ones objecting to legalizing the cannabis-based drug. "They didn't raise any issues about the potential medical uses of cannabis products," says Musty.

The government's reaction to drugs containing cannabinoids is drawing sharp criticism from one campus group, the Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP.) Larry Clarfeld, the President of the SSDP, believes that, "there is no reason patients should be denied a drug that is proven effective in treating their symptoms for any reason," and characterized the government's response to drugs like Sativex® as being part of the "war on the sick."

One objection to the import and legalization of drugs such as Sativex® is that such an act would lead down a slippery slope to the legalization of marijuana itself. In fact, Dr. Musty does believe that marijuana should be legal in the United States - "I would support controlled legalization like they have in Holland."

Many legalization advocates draw comparisons between marijuana and legal drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco. Given the current data available, Dr. Musty believes that, "if you compare cannabis to alcohol, I would say alcohol is a much worse drug."

The SSDP plans to host a lecture in the coming weeks featuring Dr. Musty, spotlighting the effects of cannabinoids such as those found in Sativex® on the brain.

For more information about the organization, you can visit: http://www.uvm.edu/~ssdp

Source: Vermont Cynic (VT)
Author: Kevin Lumpkin
Published: Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Copyright: 2005 The University of Vermont
Website: http://www.vermontcynic.com/
Contact: http://www.uvm.edu/talk_to_us/

GW Pharmaceuticals
http://www.gwpharm.com/

CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives
http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml


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Comment #5 posted by charmed quark on October 26, 2005 at 16:51:39 PT
Sativex and high
Sativex doesn't get you high? What a ridiculous statement. It is whole cannabis extract. Of course it will get you high. He did say "at prescribed dosages", but that would also be true for smoked cannabis if very small dosages were all you needed. But I'm guessing these very small dosages of Sativex would be too little for most patients.

And a problem with Sativex is that it takes 15-30 minutes for the sublingual dose to take effect, and some of it is absorbed through the gastro-intestinal tract. So the time for its full effect could be an hour or more. This would make it hard to titrate.

Other than standardization, I can't see what Sativex offers over vaporized whole cannabis. And its delayed response is a significant disadvantage. Really, its only advantage is it might be made legal in some countries where medical cannabis is illegal.

-CQ

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Comment #4 posted by runruff on October 26, 2005 at 02:24:23 PT:

Why oh Why we say?
Cannabis is illegal for one reason and one reason only. PROFIT! Prohibition in and of itself is profitable. If you can bamboozle the public into giving you their money to go chase phantoms. Artificial black market prices. And of course all the industries that do not have to compeat with a cheaper more superior product.

I saw Mark Souder today on C-SPAN. I can't comment. I'm trying to be nice.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #3 posted by b4daylight on October 25, 2005 at 21:18:00 PT
i agree
Given the current data available, Dr. Musty believes that, "if you compare cannabis to alcohol, I would say alcohol is a much worse drug."

it is pure bigotary towards cannabis from the start to the finish.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on October 25, 2005 at 21:01:48 PT
objections
"[the FDA] said, 'we have philosophical problems with this.'"

And the people said, "we have philosophical problems with this. [the FDA]. We think FDA really stands for Fraud and Drug Agency."

The issues the government had with the drug were not scientific,...

Huh? I thought cannabis was being withheld from sick and dieing patients because there was no "scientific" proof it is medicine?

One objection to the import and legalization of drugs such as Sativex® is that such an act would lead down a slippery slope to the legalization of marijuana itself. In fact, Dr. Musty does believe that marijuana should be legal in the United States - "I would support controlled legalization like they have in Holland."

Not to mention the pharmco. objections that their expensively produced and marketed medicines could be easily replaced by natural cannabis, which has worked well for centuries, advertised by word of mouth, produced for free from the soil. But I still say they could develope specific strains for specific illnesses to market and capitalize on, replacing some of these losses. Even if they sold it as smokable med., they could produce massive quantities of convenient, specific remedies sold over the counter to adult customers, or by presciption at the pharmacy. And I agree that HEMP should be legalized in America. The world needs the celulose and the seeds for products and nutrition. Feed a starving nation. Let them grow hemp! Stop cutting down trees! Plant hemp! It's so damn obvious!

Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #1 posted by mayan on October 25, 2005 at 18:27:14 PT
Any Objections?
One objection to the import and legalization of drugs such as Sativex® is that such an act would lead down a slippery slope to the legalization of marijuana itself.

Might as well slide down that "slippery slope" into the lake of legalization! The current policy of prohibition is obviously a complete failure! Anybody object?

WHY IS CANNABIS ILLEGAL? Are there any prohibitionists out there anymore who could answer that?

WHY IS CANNABIS ILLEGAL???

Any DEA agents out there? I know there are!

Joyce? I know you still lurk here!

Is there anybody out there?

Anyone?

COWARDS!!!

The mere fact that we have established "site superiority" and encounter no resistance here in our mission to free the weed is indicative that there is no answer to the question, WHY IS CANNABIS ILLEGAL?

On an unrelated note, here is some very interesting info...

Rumsfeld To Profit From Bird Flu Hoax: http://www.mercola.com/2005/oct/25/rumsfeld_to_profit_from_avian_flu_hoax.htm

THE WAY OUT...

Griffin raises 9/11 questions: http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051025/NEWS/510250318/1037

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