Pubdate: Sat, 04 Apr 2009 Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2009 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326 Author: Russell Barth Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n364/a05.html SO-CALLED MARIJUANA PILLS FAIL TO HELP MEDICINAL USERS Re: Marijuana in a pill, March 30. Letter-writer Heather J. Martelock is mistaken. The "pills" that allegedly contain marijuana contain only a synthetic mimic of marijuana, but no actual cannabis. The only medicine in the world that contains actual cannabis is Sativex from GW Pharmaceuticals/Bayer. This sublingual spray has been a disappointment for being made from only a single strain of cannabis. It is only prescribed in Canada for multiple sclerosis (MS). Its value is very limited. I have tried the pills, Marinol and Cesamet, and they don't work. Side-effects outweigh the benefits. Every medical marijuana user I have talked to agrees. Lamentably, the only thing that seems to work is the vaporized or smoked whole cannabis, and that only takes the edge off. Even putting marijuana into tinctures or baked goods is strictly forbidden under the medical marijuana access regulations, and this method of dosing is also inconsistent. We are not allowed to possess tinctures, butter, hash, or oils -- only dried bud. Smoking or vaporizing is the best way to quickly titrate a dose. It acts on the symptoms far better and far faster than a pill or baked good, which can take up to an hour or more to become effective. There is also the "too little too late -- too much too soon" problem with oral dosing of marijuana. This method would also do little to help my epileptic wife, who needs to medicate as quickly as possible if one of her life-threatening seizures or asthma attacks approaches. Smoked pot can stop an asthma attack in seconds, not minutes. As for second-hand smoke, the science indicates that marijuana smoke is less harmful than tobacco smoke. The fact that no one has ever died from using cannabis is one indication of its safety. Recent science out of Germany shows how cannabinoids stimulate the body's production of TIMP-1, which helps healthy cells resist cancer invasion. It seems absurd and discriminatory to ask me to medicate at home or go hide in the alley, while allowing people to crowd the sidewalks and entrances of buildings smoking cigarettes as traffic pollutes the environment, too. The rights of other people need to be addressed. The government has failed to do that. As a federally licensed medical marijuana user, I have a right to use cannabis. Imposing unfair restrictions on where I can use it violates my rights. Russell Barth Ottawa Patients Against Ignorance and Discrimination on Cannabis - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin