Pubdate: Mon, 28 Dec 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Desmond Colohan
Page: A10
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n717/a07.html

EVIDENCE ON POT

Once more, I am confronted by the argumentable claim that there is "a 
paucity of scientific evidence" to support the medical use of 
marijuana ( Evidence, Please - editorial, Dec. 23).

This mantra is being repeated constantly by opponents to its clinical 
use who are not challenged to explain what they mean by a "lack of 
evidence." While I would agree you can never have enough scientific 
evidence to support the safety and efficacy of any medical treatment, 
it is disingenuous to hide one's opposition to the medical use of 
marijuana behind claims that it hasn't undergone the same testing and 
approval process as the pharmaceutical industry's new products, 
something which is never likely to happen because the source material 
isn't patentable and thus there is little motivation for industry to 
incur the expense.

Interested readers should go to Health Canada's website on the 
medical use of marijuana, where there is an extensive review of the 
literature on this topic, including reference to a thousand 
peer-reviewed publications addressing the issues of clinical utility, 
dosage, risk, benefit, efficacy and safety. A little better balance 
when editorializing on this issue would seem fair and reasonable.

Desmond Colohan, MD, Charlottetown
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom