Pubdate: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 Source: Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) Copyright: 2007 The Tennessean Contact: http://www.tennessean.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/447 Author: Kent C. Shih, MD, MAR Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?232 (Chronic Pain) THERE ARE LEGAL DRUGS THAT BETTER RELIEVE NAUSEA, PAIN In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report stating that there are "no sound scientific studies supporting the medical use of marijuana ... and no data to support the safety of marijuana." The American Medical Association has recommended that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I controlled substance which is a drug that has high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use, and has a lack of acceptable safety. Even former Sen. Bill Frist has weighed in on the matter, stating "based on current evidence, I believe that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that there are less dangerous medicines offering the same relief from pain and other medical symptoms." What the FDA, AMA and many physicians including Frist are saying is that marijuana is not better than current FDA-approved drugs, and is not safe. Is this really true? Yes. Studies indicate that we have better drugs for nausea, appetite and pain. Even in the worst of chemotherapy regimens, oncologists can control up to 90 percent of vomiting with anti-nausea drugs without any need of "rescue medicines." With the institution of FDA-approved rescue medicines, oncologists can get nearly 100 percent control of nausea and vomiting. Furthermore, hormone-related treatments have been shown to be better than marijuana for appetite stimulation, and marijuana has the pain-relief ability equal to codeine; i.e., we have much better pain medicines than marijuana. Many of our patients have real physical, emotional, social and spiritual problems. We have a process to help them address their needs, a regimen of medicines and a team of social workers, support groups and pastoral counselors. We want our patients to be healthy, autonomous people who interact socially, engage with life, and remain active. Illegal drugs tend to do the opposite: They make patients withdrawn, isolated, less active and engaged. Ultimately, they do more harm than good. Marijuana also puts society at risk for a tragic car accident on the way to the office. Politicians do not understand the medical research or the clinical risks of marijuana. So why do they continue to push for its legalization? Perhaps some are well-intentioned and misguided, but perhaps others wish to use this issue as a stepping stone to promote a broader drug culture. In the end, any effort to legalize marijuana for medical purposes is an arrogant effort to circumvent the process that keeps citizens like you and me safe. This process is overseen by the FDA, and the FDA has stated unambiguously that marijuana is not effective and is not safe. To borrow a line from the Supreme Court, "medicine by regulation is better than medicine by referendum." While our regulatory bodies have their flaws, they are certainly preferred to a process of drugs by vote. Our legislators should not approve a drug that our system of clinicians and scientists have deemed ineffective and unsafe. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake