MedicalNeed
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As Arizona residents prepare to vote on Proposition 203 and the state is poised to become the 15th in the nation to legalize medical marijuana, the debate on the health benefits of cannabis has taken center stage.
Supporters of medical marijuana treatment say no pharmaceutical drugs deliver the same benefits to patients. But opponents point to Marinol, a synthetic version of one of marijuana's key compounds.
Carolyn Short, chairman of the Keep AZ Drug Free campaign against Prop. 203, said patients don't need marijuana: "There is no such thing as medical marijuana," Short said. "If there were, it would be Marinol."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved pill is a synthetic version of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant. The pill is prescribed for nausea and appetite loss to patients going through cancer treatment or with AIDS. Marijuana is categorized federally as a Schedule One controlled substance, which is defined as "drugs with high abuse potential but no currently accepted medical applications," according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). That means doctors are not allowed to prescribe marijuana to patients. Marinol is listed as a Schedule Two substance, which is defined as being addictive, but with accepted and approved medical applications.
Supporters of medical marijuana note that Marinol takes over an hour to begin working, compared to minutes for smoked or vaporized cannabis, and pills can be difficult to take when you have nausea. Dr. Sue Sisley, a private-practice physician and assistant professor at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine, said the pill is simply not effective for the majority of patients.
"Clinically, when I'm taking care of patients, I'm finding that maybe 20 to 30 percent get relief from Marinol and the rest do not," she said.
The difference, according to Sisley, is that Marinol is a synthetic version of only one cannabinoid of 60 found naturally in the cannabis plant. These 59 other chemicals appear also to have medicinal qualities, though research is limited on the subject due to federal restriction on marijuana research.
Sisley says the five worst symptoms associated with chemotherapy treatment and AIDS are nausea and vomiting, pain, depression and anxiety, insomnia, and wasting syndrome due to loss of appetite. "Usually I would have to prescribe five different medications and the patient would have to pay five different copays," she said. "But with cannabis, we can treat all five symptoms with only one plant."
Sisley says it is ridiculous that she can legally prescribe "mega-doses" of addictive pain medications like Oxycontin but cannot prescribe marijuana.
"If this plant was discovered in the Amazon tomorrow, it would be hailed as a miracle cure," Sisley said. "It's a shame it has become a political football."
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed:420 MAGAZINE
Source:/crawfordondrugs.com
Author: David Robles
Contact:Amanda@CrawfordOnDrugs.com:
Copyright: 2010 crawfordondrugs.com
Website:Marinol vs. Mary Jane: the medical marijuana showdown |
Supporters of medical marijuana treatment say no pharmaceutical drugs deliver the same benefits to patients. But opponents point to Marinol, a synthetic version of one of marijuana's key compounds.
Carolyn Short, chairman of the Keep AZ Drug Free campaign against Prop. 203, said patients don't need marijuana: "There is no such thing as medical marijuana," Short said. "If there were, it would be Marinol."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved pill is a synthetic version of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant. The pill is prescribed for nausea and appetite loss to patients going through cancer treatment or with AIDS. Marijuana is categorized federally as a Schedule One controlled substance, which is defined as "drugs with high abuse potential but no currently accepted medical applications," according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). That means doctors are not allowed to prescribe marijuana to patients. Marinol is listed as a Schedule Two substance, which is defined as being addictive, but with accepted and approved medical applications.
Supporters of medical marijuana note that Marinol takes over an hour to begin working, compared to minutes for smoked or vaporized cannabis, and pills can be difficult to take when you have nausea. Dr. Sue Sisley, a private-practice physician and assistant professor at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine, said the pill is simply not effective for the majority of patients.
"Clinically, when I'm taking care of patients, I'm finding that maybe 20 to 30 percent get relief from Marinol and the rest do not," she said.
The difference, according to Sisley, is that Marinol is a synthetic version of only one cannabinoid of 60 found naturally in the cannabis plant. These 59 other chemicals appear also to have medicinal qualities, though research is limited on the subject due to federal restriction on marijuana research.
Sisley says the five worst symptoms associated with chemotherapy treatment and AIDS are nausea and vomiting, pain, depression and anxiety, insomnia, and wasting syndrome due to loss of appetite. "Usually I would have to prescribe five different medications and the patient would have to pay five different copays," she said. "But with cannabis, we can treat all five symptoms with only one plant."
Sisley says it is ridiculous that she can legally prescribe "mega-doses" of addictive pain medications like Oxycontin but cannot prescribe marijuana.
"If this plant was discovered in the Amazon tomorrow, it would be hailed as a miracle cure," Sisley said. "It's a shame it has become a political football."
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed:420 MAGAZINE
Source:/crawfordondrugs.com
Author: David Robles
Contact:Amanda@CrawfordOnDrugs.com:
Copyright: 2010 crawfordondrugs.com
Website:Marinol vs. Mary Jane: the medical marijuana showdown |
