Pubdate: Tue, 15 May 2001
Source: Newsday (NY)
Copyright: 2001 Newsday Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsday.com/homepage.htm
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/308
Author: Jamie Talan Staff Writer

POT PROPONENTS DISMAYED

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that forbids distribution of marijuana
for medicinal purposes comes at a time when research into cannabis'
active ingredient is booming.

Marijuana is used by an unknown number of patients to help ease pain
and nausea associated with such diseases as AIDS, cancer and glaucoma.

"There are promising indications for marijuana use but an inadequate
base of data from clinical trials,î said J. Michael Walker, a
researcher at Brown University in Rhode Island. "There is a need for
rigorous clinical trials in light of this government-driven
controversy.î

Only in the last decade have the major findings on cannabinoids, the
potent ingredients in marijuana that produce its noted effects, have
come to light. Researchers have found that the brain has an abundance
of what are termed cannabinoid receptors. Given that abundance,
scientists have come to realize that the active ingredient in
marijuana -- tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC -- has critical roles in the
brain and behavior. The brain also has its own naturally occurring
marijuana-like compound, anandamide, that seems to be triggered in
response to pain. Those receptors sit along the pain pathways in the
brain and the peripheral nervous system, said Miles Herkenham of the
National Institute of Mental Health. "It implies a natural function of
this system in the brain,î he said.

Many scientists have tried to develop substances like the brain's
natural compound, but they have not yet figured out how to tease out
the benefits without the herb's other effects, including
disorientation, an intoxicated feeling, impaired perception of memory.

Marijuana's active ingredients are known to bind to two receptors, and
the chemicals inhibit an enzyme called adenylate cyclase, which is
crucial for cell signaling.

The NIMH's Herkenham expressed frustration with yesterday's ruling. "I
don't know when the Supreme Court will be satisfied that there are
bona fide medical uses for marijuana,î he said.

Cheryl Miller, 55, of Toms River, N.J., has been using marijuana for
more than a decade to treat the pain and spasticity of multiple
sclerosis. She had never smoked marijuana before. "She's always said
noî to recreational use, said her husband, Jim Miller. "Now, when she
needs it, everyone else is saying ëno.'î Her husband cooks the
marijuana in butter, and she eats it or spreads it on food.

Marijuana is the only pain medicine that helps, according to her
husband, who said they obtain it from friends. "It breaks my heart
that it isn't available,î he added. "She has so much less pain when
she has marijuana.î

Eleven states have adopted initiatives allowing marijuana to be
distributed for people with severe illnesses. New York is not among
them. Nevertheless, the New York Medical Marijuana Patients'
Cooperative is a club similar to the Oakland, Calif., group that
figured in yesterday's ruling. "We will continue to register
patients,î said Ken Toglia, director of the New York organization. A
few hundred people have joined the co-op since 1998, most of them AIDS
and cancer patients.
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