cannabisnews.com: Canada Legalises the Compassionate Joint 





Canada Legalises the Compassionate Joint 
Posted by FoM on July 31, 2001 at 09:04:41 PT
By Sarah Boseley, Health Editor
Source: Guardian Unlimited 
Canada yesterday became the first country in the world to legalise the use of cannabis for medical purposes, allowing those with chronic and terminal illnesses to grow their own and to smoke, inhale in some other way or eat the drug as they prefer. Under pressure from people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis who say cannabis brings them relief, the UK government has agreed to scientific trials to establish whether it has medical benefits and how it - or extracts of it - can be taken without smoking, which itself damages health. 
But the Canadian government has taken the greater leap and allowed people whose doctors certify they have certain conditions to roll a legal joint. The move drew immediate criticism from doctors who want proper research into efficacy and the dose needed, and the Marijuana Party of Canada which argues that legalising the drug altogether would be a lot less bureaucratic. Those with terminal illnesses - with the expectation of only a year to live - and those with certain specified conditions will be eligible for the weed, if their doctor and two other experts sign the legal forms. The conditions include Aids, arthritis, cancer, MS, epilepsy and degenerative muscle and bone illnesses. The patients will be allowed to grow their own cannabis or have someone grow it for them. It will still be illegal for anyone else to produce or sell cannabis, but that could change. The Canadian supreme court has agreed to hear arguments that criminalisation of cannabis is unconstitutional, on the grounds that it poses no significant health risk. The Canadian government is also pushing forward with research. In a mineshaft, deep below a lake in Flin Flon, Manitoba, a government-funded cannabis plantation has been established with tighter security than the Canadian lab that stores the deadly and highly contagious Ebola virus. The plantation, which is bigger than three football pitches, is expected to produce 185kg of the weed next month. This will mostly be used in clinical trials, although some is expected to go to those with official medical approval. One of the advantages of this source is that users can be sure of what they are getting. The amount of tetrahydrocannabinol - the active ingredient in cannabis - in the government plants is only 5-6%, compared with 15-18% in street supplies. UK scientists are currently running clinical trials using cannabis extracts, called cannabinoids, taken orally. GW Pharmaceuticals, one of the British companies involved in UK trials, has been negotiating with the Canadian government. It is researching the use of a cannabis extract that is sprayed under the tongue. Mark Rogerson, the company's spokesman, said: "I fully understand why they are going for the compassionate joint, but we would see that as a short-term measure." The main Medical Research Council-funded clinical trials in the UK are based in Plymouth, looking at the effects of cannabinoids on MS patients and those who need pain relief. In November 1998 a House of Lords select committee urged that cannabis should be legalised immediately for medical use, allowing doctors to prescribe it for patients. But since the trials began, there has been greater willingness to wait for a reliable and safe cannabis pill to be approved. "We want to see results from proper trialling," said David Harrison, spokesman for the MS Society. "Although people try to play down some of the suggestions that have been made about the downside and possible carcinogenic effects, we don't think it is right that somebody with a lifelong condition has their problem exacerbated by something else." But Rod Hermeston, from Disability Now magazine, said 70% of his readers found cannabis greatly relieved their pain or muscle spasms. "If you ask disabled people they don't say we want the outcome of a clinical trial. They just say leave us alone to get on with our lives and alleviate our pain." Complete Title: Canada Legalises the Compassionate Joint for Chronic and Terminally Ill Pot and Pain: Canada Opts for Cannabis Treatment EditorialCanada became the first country in the world yesterday to legalise the use of cannabis by people suffering from terminal illnesses and chronic conditions. It will still be illegal to sell the drug for non medical use but patients, with the approval of physicians, will be able to grow and take the drug or appoint someone to grow it for them. Even bolder, the Canadian government is preparing to produce the drug as well as set up a research study to examine its therapeutic use. Good for Canada. Scientific opinion remains divided over the therapeutic use of the drug. The House of Lords select committee on science and technology, heavily weighted with distinguished medical scientists, conceded three years ago that there was insufficient scientific evidence but was so impressed by the evidence from patients that it concluded "cannabis almost certainly does have genuine medical applications". But a recent report in the British Medical Journal which looked at nine relevant studies on the drug's control of pain - five relating to cancer, two to acute post-operative pain and two to chronic pain - found it was no more effective than codeine tablets. It was worried by the way the drug depressed the nervous system and its side effects when used to prevent sickness in people undergoing chemotherapy. There is more hope with respect to its therapeutic use for multiple sclerosis patients. A pain relief study on this front, funded by the Medical Research Council, is already under way and a commercial pharmaceutical company is examining wider use. Until this research is complete, ministers should insist that there should be no more prosecutions of British patients who decide to try the drug. Meanwhile, our political editor, travelling with the prime minister in Jamaica, reported yesterday that Mr Blair had no intention of liberalising the social use of any drugs. Reformers should not get too depressed. This reform will not be driven by politicians, but the police and public. The Met is already experimenting with decriminalising cannabis in Brixton. For good reasons. A cannabis arrest can take two officers off the street for five hours and end up costing £10,000 in court time. Opinion polls show that half of all adults - let alone young people - believe cannabis should not be illegal and 99% think it should have the lowest police priority. The Brixton pilot should prove the correctness of these polls. Source: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK)Author: Sarah Boseley, Health EditorPublished: Tuesday, July 31, 2001Copyright: 2001 Guardian Newspapers LimitedContact: letters guardian.co.ukWebsite: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Related Articles & Web Sites:UK Medicinal Cannabis Projecthttp://www.medicinal-cannabis.org/Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCanada OK's Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10475.shtmlHigh Hopes for GW's Medicinal Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10254.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 31, 2001 at 15:46:11 PT
mayan
You are making a difference. Each one of us is in our own way. I like this expression.Winners never lose and losers never win.
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Comment #6 posted by mayan on July 31, 2001 at 15:40:51 PT
Trying
You said it FoM.We all have a part to play. I just got on the internet a little over a year ago. I am still pretty clueless about computers but I have managed to have numerous letters printed in publications around the world & have sent you & MAPinc many articles as well. Maybe my efforts are insignifigant, but I am trying.One of my favorite bands,Rush,I think says it pretty well in their song "Resist"You can fight,fight without ever winningBut never ever win,win without a fight
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 31, 2001 at 13:06:38 PT
My Feelings
I've always believed that each person has a talent. A unique talent just for them. Sometimes it's very hard to figure out what yours is and then hard to try to develop it but that's the way I see looking at life. We have the Internet now to help us which is the only reason reform is gaining such momentum. Some people can write, some people can make web pages, some can stir us to a deeper level of thinking and some can make us laugh. As long as we try to make a difference we will.
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Comment #4 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on July 31, 2001 at 12:34:23 PT:
Thanks for the Thanks
The reason I do this is to attempt to make a difference. You all can do the same by maintaining the pressure with voices, letters and votes. When you see lies in print, refute them. When you have the opportunity to get editorial support or a letter published, do that. You can have an impact, but only if you are heard.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on July 31, 2001 at 12:33:14 PT
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
You go Guy! Thanks Dr. Russo! You're the best!
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Comment #2 posted by Shishaldin on July 31, 2001 at 12:24:37 PT
Looks like you're not the only one, Doc...
I checked out the BMJ site to see the other critiques of the earlier article and *EVERY* one picked it apart! It amazes me that such drivel gets so much press in our media.Thank you, Dr. Russo, for providing your knowledge and professional insight on the pages of C-News....peace and strength,Shishaldin
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on July 31, 2001 at 11:12:13 PT:
BMJ Article Meaningless
One of my colleagues likened this study to trying to make a good omelette out of rotten eggs. My critique:http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/323/7303/13#EL10Dear Sirs, It was with great consternation that I read your publication of a purported review article by Campbell et al. 1. While this contribution purports to be qualitative and systematic, it is neither. By focusing on two clinically questionable synthetic cannabinoids and oral THC without providing any focus on the synergistic components of herbal cannabis, while examining only on certain facets of the broad topic of pain, a conclusion of limited efficacy was assured. That is not news. What is surprising, in contrast, is that the authors have chosen to broaden the alleged impact of their limited investigation to relegate cannabis and cannabinoids to a proverbial backseat in future analgesic applications. This contention is not supported by their limited data. We see nothing about pioneering British physicians and their clinical successes with cannabis extracts in a myriad of painful conditions between 1840 and 1940 2-4. We see virtually nothing of modern scientific studies showing the multi-factorial benefits of cannabis on a full range of neurotransmitter systems including serotonergic, substance P, dopaminergic, anti-inflammatory, opiate-sparing and other mechanisms (reviewed in Russo 5). No mention of bureaucratic and political obstructions to clinical cannabis research is forthcoming. One cannot demonstrate results when the requisite studies are not permitted. Thus, until recently we have been left with an overwhelming (but ignored) body of anecdotal evidence from patients and their physicians. What is truly newsworthy here is that the British Medical Journal has ignored peer-review and editorial standards in a scandalous manner. The popular press has seized the opportunity with their customary blood lust, and in the process, valuable laboratory and clinical research and their funding in the area of analgesia and pain control have been severely compromised. Great shame accrues to the Journal as a result. Instead of probity, we have propaganda. Sincerely, Ethan Russo, MD 1. Campbell FA, Tramber MR, Carroll D, Reynolds DJM, Moore RA, McQuay HJ. Are cannabinoids an effective and safe option in the management of pain? A qualitative systematic review. British Medical Journal 2001;323(7 July):1-6. 2. Dixon WE. The pharmacology of Cannabis indica. British Medical Journal 1899;2:1354-1357. 3. O'Shaughnessy WB. On the preparations of the Indian hemp, or gunjah (Cannabis indica); Their effects on the animal system in health, and their utility in the treatment of tetanus and other convulsive diseases. Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society of Bengal 1838-1840:71- 102, 421-461. 4. Reynolds JR. Therapeutical uses and toxic effects of Cannabis indica. Lancet 1890;1:637-638. 5. Russo EB. Hemp for headache: An in-depth historical and scientific review of cannabis in migraine treatment. Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics 2001;1(2):21-92. I have been a consultant with GW Pharmaceuticals, and have received reimbursement of expenses for travel in regard to visits and clinical research. 
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