Pubdate: Thu, 31 Jul 2014
Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)
Page: A6
Copyright: 2014 The StarPhoenix
Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400
Author: Murray Dease
Note: Dr. Dease is an anesthesiology specialist in Saskatoon.
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n610/a07.html

CANNABIS BENEFICIAL

Re: Welcome to 'legalized dope-pushing' (SP, July 24). With respect, 
I must disagree with Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, president of the 
Canadian Medical Association (CMA), regarding medical marijuana.

His comments in the cited article are misinformed and misleading.
After I recently reviewed the medical literature on cannabis for a
presentation to my colleagues, I can attest that there are, in fact,
hundreds of studies that show the benefits of cannabis in treating
conditions as varied as cancer and the effects of chemotherapy,
chronic pain, HIV, multiple sclerosis, intractable epilepsy,
Alzheimer's disease, and many others.

Studies at our own University of Saskatchewan have shown cannabis-like
drugs promote nerve regeneration in the brain, and may have
anxiety-reducing and anti-depressant effects.

Investigations into the effects of cannabis date back to the Indian
Hemp Commission study of 1893 and the Laguardia Committee Report of
1944. These studies, as well as reports from the British Wooten
Committee, the Canadian Le Dain Commission, the Dutch Baan Commission,
the Commission of the Australian Government, and the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences in the '60s and '70s all came to the general
conclusion that the dangers of cannabis had been greatly exaggerated,
and that the drug might provide legitimate medical benefit.

Few studies were done in the following decades to investigate the
possible benefits of the drug. However, this is starting to change,
and the results of current cannabis research are surprising.

The chief medical correspondent for CNN, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, recently
reviewed the medical literature and concluded: "Cannabis does not have
a high potential for abuse, has very legitimate medical applications
and is sometimes the only thing that works. Regarding marijuana, we
have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years."

I agree with Dr. Francescutti in his implication that marijuana is not
"magical." It is also not harmless. Marijuana is a drug, and it must
be respected. Like any drug, its potential benefits come with risks,
some of them very troubling. We also must remember that all
prescription medications prescribed by doctors today have risks.

For example, an article in The American Journal of Medicine states
that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for
gastrointestinal complications related to non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs such as naproxen and ibuprofen, and at
least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis
patients alone. Yet NSAIDS are widely available over the counter.

The recreational drugs that are sanctioned by our society also have
major risks. The U.S. Centres for Disease Control states that
"excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause
of death in the United States and is associated with multiple adverse
health consequences, including liver cirrhosis, various cancers,
unintentional injuries, and violence. In 2001, excessive alcohol use
was responsible for approximately 75,000 preventable deaths in the
United States."

To expect cannabis to have no potential adverse effects is an
unreasonable standard.

I am disappointed by how Dr. Francescutti flippantly dismissed the
possible benefits of cannabis with comments about "legalized
dope-pushing" and munchies. Cannabis has been used by millions of
people with far fewer ill effects than many legal drugs, both
prescription and recreational.

Cannabis has been shown in good scientific studies to provide benefit.
Many of the therapies, medications and procedures we benefit from
today were ridiculed when they were first introduced. If science
teaches us anything, it is that we need to keep an open mind.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D