cannabisnews.com: Marijuana’s Medical Usefulness Debated 





Marijuana’s Medical Usefulness Debated 
Posted by FoM on February 01, 2001 at 19:45:03 PT
By Diane Lewis, WNBC.com 
Source: WNBC.com
Although there has been a groundswell of support for the legalization of marijuana and the availability of the drug for medicinal purposes, controversy continues to surround marijuana use -- even for the chronically sick. Proponents claim that the drug is useful for treating the pain, nausea and vomiting that are side effects of cancer chemotherapy and for restoring the appetite in people with AIDS.
Certain states currently allow the use of marijuana for certain medical problems, but the restrictions and protocol for use are strict. Next week, Portland resident Charles Wynott, 37, who smokes marijuana daily to ease nausea caused by his AIDS medicines goes on trial for possessing marijuana. Wynott said that his use of the drug was legal under the medical marijuana law that Maine voters approved two years ago, and he was shocked and angry that prosecutors were taking the case to court.In Maine, one of the requirements is a letter from a Maine doctor certifying that the patient has met the qualifications of the law. Wynott has a letter but it's from a doctor in Florida, where he lived until he returned to Maine last April. "A doctor is a doctor, no matter what state he's in," Wynott maintained.Wynott has spent years working for passage of a medical marijuana law in Maine. He testified before a legislative committee considering the issue in 1997."I fought tooth and nail to pass this law, and it isn't doing us a whole lot of good," he said Wednesday. "I'm a sick person. I shouldn't have to be down there, trudging through their court system." Another Maine resident, 62-year-old Leonard Ellis, a muscular dystrophy patient, was arrested last year. Ellis had 83 plants and several ounces of marijuana at his home in New Vineyard -- far more than the law allows.The Office of National Drug Control Policy has opposed legalization of the medical use of marijuana, citing law enforcement issues and the possibility that some would use it as a pretext to sell marijuana for nonmedical use.Proponents, disregarding the law, have set up networks for the distribution of the drug to people who they judge will be helped by it and continue to lobby for its legalization for medical use. Voters in Alaska, Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Maine and the District of Columbia have approved medical marijuana laws. The Justice Department is challenging those laws, and on Aug. 29, 2000, the Supreme Court barred distribution of marijuana to people in California whose doctors recommend it for medicinal purposes.A 1999 government-sponsored study found that marijuana appeared beneficial for certain medical conditions. Because of the toxicity of marijuana smoke, however, it was hoped that further research might lead to development of new delivery systems, such as bronchial inhalers.Anecdotal, Small-Study Hints of Pot’s Usefulness:The idea of using marijuana to relieve serious symptoms from a number of illnesses isn’t new. Marijuana was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942 and was prescribed for various conditions including labor pains, nausea, and rheumatism. Its use as an intoxicant was also commonplace from the 1850s to the 1930s. A campaign conducted in the 1930s by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) sought to portray marijuana as a powerful, addicting substance that would lead users into narcotics addiction. It is still considered a “gateway” drug by some authorities.According to the National Institutes of Health, there is some evidence gathered from small-scale studies to suggest that the smoking of marijuana may help increase appetite, alleviate nausea and vomiting following chemotherapy, improve neurological and movement disorders, and provide general pain relief and help reduce the pressure associated with glaucoma. Although there wasn’t firm scientific proof, the NIH conference found that there was enough positive evidence to warrant a further large-scale study of marijuana’s potential usefulness.The U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration sees it differently. According to the DEA’s Web site, there are over 10,000 scientific studies that prove marijuana is a harmful addictive drug, and not one reliable study that demonstrates marijuana has any medical value. Although medical marijuana has been promoted for "compassionate use" to assist people with cancer, AIDS and glaucoma, the DEA maintains that scientific studies show the opposite is true -- marijuana is damaging to individuals with these illnesses.The DEA also claims on its Web site that people who are suffering with AIDS and glaucoma are being used unfairly by groups whose real agenda is to legalize marijuana. Note: Although certain states allow the medical use of marijuana to help reduce pain, nausea and loss of appetite, there is resistance to the idea. Critics see marijuana as a “gateway” drug. Proponents point to anecdotal evidence of marijuana’s usefulness to the sick.Related Links: Drug Enforcement Agency: Medical Myths of Marijuana http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/sayit/myths.htm#medicalNational Institutes of Health: Marijuana’s Medical Utility http://www.nih.gov/news/medmarijuana/MedicalMarijuana.htmSource: NBC (NY)Author: By Diane Lewis, WNBC.comPublished: February 1, 2001Copyright: 2001 National Broadcasting Company,Inc. Website: http://www.wnbc.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #9 posted by Dan B on February 03, 2001 at 15:32:07 PT:
Alex:
I am not a physician, but I have been reading about the effects of marijuana on the body for the past three to four years and do not believe it is not true that cannabis causes cardiac arrythmia. Dr. Ethan Russo would be far better qualified to answer your question, but I'll give it a shot. The study that they cite to make the claim that maroijuana causes cardiac arrythmia is rather flawed and has yet to be duplicated. What the study shows is that some people who have heart attacks have used marijuana recently, and they speculate that these heart attacks are caused by an increased heart rate that persists for about one hour after smoking. Most agree that this increase in heart rate is similar to that which occurs after exercising, and in the case of exercise it is normally viewed as a positive thing. I say that they speculate that the heart attacks are caused by the use of marijuana because they have never shown a causal link, only a very slight correlation based on their estimates of marijuana use in the general population. Of course, their estimates of marijuana use in the general population are almost guaranteed to be wrong since all studies of marijuana use in the general population use data based on self-reporting of said use. And because marijuana use is illegal, many are not inclined to divulge their use, either in writing or in a telephone survey.In any case, the vast majority of people who use cannabis do not have heart attacks in association with their cannabis use. The most common side effect of smoking marijuana is bronchitis, and this effect can be significantly reduced by using a vaporizer, smoking higher potency marijuana (thus smoking less to achieve the desired effect), or by using other methods of ingestion (eating it is one alternative). That is my best opinion, although I will stress again that I am not a medical doctor. Perhaps Dr. Russo will visit this thread and offer some more help in this matter.Sincerely,Dan B
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by Alex on February 03, 2001 at 14:00:18 PT
question
I have a question for all: is it true that, as it is sometimes alleged by the propaganda, long term pot use causes cardiac arhythmia?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by Dan B on February 02, 2001 at 09:15:24 PT:
Thank you, Kaptinemo.
I'm sorry to hear that you lost a friend to glial cell brain cancer, and I am saddened that so many have died needlessly because cannabis research is "off message" for too many people in power. You are, of course, correct to be angry, and I am glad that you have chosen drug policy reform as at least one outlet through which you can both express that anger and promote truth and positive change in the process. Your posts continue to be some of my favorites here on Cannabis News.Thank you for including a link to the article to which you referred in your post. I remember it now, and I am glad you called attention to it. Ignoring solid research that could save millions of lives is, without doubt, the most damning evidence against the antis.Fight the power.Dan B
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on February 02, 2001 at 05:36:03 PT:
A little reminder
The article I was referring to:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5972.shtmlHow many good people's lives have been sacrificed on the dark altar of the anti's god of Sobriety and (supposed) Moral Rectitude? How many more must die before this obscene ritual is stopped?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on February 02, 2001 at 05:07:22 PT:
Blood on their hands
A few years ago, I lost a good friend, a kind and decent guy who never hurt anybody in his life, to glial cell brain cancer. He was a brilliant engineer, who got sick of working for an aerospace company making nuke carrying missiles, and devoted the rest of his life to studying states of consciousness and their healing effect at a research facility in Virginia. A few months ago, I learned courtesy of CNews right here, that over TWO DECADES AGO, before the Madrid study, right here in the US, the same results had been achieved. And the research was evidently suppresed. Antis, the needless, painful, horrible deaths of thousands, perhaps millions, of people are on your heads. Not merely through direct violence but through de facto medical malpractice in not pursuing this enormously important research because it didn't fit your politics.Blood drips from the hands of the antis...and they dare to proclaim moral superiority?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Dan B on February 01, 2001 at 22:45:23 PT:
Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts
The book Marijuana Myths, Marijuana facts is (as the title suggests) an engaging account of the lies often told about marijuana and the scientific evidence that refutes those lies. In total, the book contains over different 1200 references (I counted), including hundreds of studies about marijuana and its effects. The authors, Lynn Zimmer, Ph.D. and John Morgan, M.D., devote considerable space in the book talking about government studies that show negative effects of marijuana, and in every case they show that many of these studies are terribly flawed, and most that do show negative effects reveal that these effects are either minor or statistically insignificant.Meanwhile, they provide ample discussion of studies that show marijuana to be relatively benign when compared to virtually any other medication, and they devote an entire chapter to the medical usefulness of cannabis in treating a number of symptoms. The evidence is out there; the antis have simply chosen to ignore it. Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts was published in 1997, and since that time we have had an additional metastudy by the Institutes of Medicine that clearly states the medical usefulness of marijuana, as well as a relatively large-scale study by a Dr. Donald Abrams showing that while smoked cannabis does alleviate symptoms of the wasting syndrome associated with AIDS, it does not damage their already comprimised immune systems. And if smoked cannabis causes no damage to AIDS patients' immune systems, what evidence can the antis offer that it causes damage to those with normally-functioning immune systems?Last year, another study from Spain showed that THC effectively eliminated brain cancer tumors in 1/3 of the laboratory mice in the study, while significantly extending the lives of another 1/3 that also had brian tumors. The final 1/3 were not negatively affected by the THC, but were not helped either. The Spain study shows an enormous potential for cannabis in the treatment of brain cancer, yet it was largely buried by the media, at least here in America. They were more concerned with a terribly flawed "study" that seemed to indicate a higher risk of heart attack after smoking marijuana. The only thing that study actually showed was that a certain percentage of those who had heart attacks had smoked marijuana recently.I am certain that I am leaving out an enormous amount of clinical data that supports the truth that cannabis is an effective medicine for many, many medical patients. But I think the point has been made. So I'll just repeat something I said above: the evidence is out there; the antis have simply chosen to ignore it.Dan B
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 01, 2001 at 22:19:15 PT
It's Running on the TV Channel
How I found this article was on my DSS. We get Channel 4 from New York and they did a segment tonight on marijuana. Mark Emery was in it and his seed sales and they talked about how many people are growing BC Bud and how it is moved into the states etc. Tomorrow night at 11 pm et they will talk about high powered pot. They sure have nice videos of a few gardens too. I hope this helps. http://www.wnbc.com/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by Duzt on February 01, 2001 at 21:51:08 PT
one more thing...
I'm sorry, I just noticed the title, "Marijuana’s Medical Usefulness Debated". Did I miss something? Was there a debate? Was that it? Didn't seem like much of a debate to me. (10,000 scientific studies, come on, 10 kazillion woulda been better, it sounds like so much more)
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Duzt on February 01, 2001 at 21:42:26 PT
WNBC??
Actually I'm a bit believe that WNBC would print something that shows so many blatant lies.  Now the DEA wants us to believe that most AIDS patients are pro-DEA and don't receive any benefit from cannabis. Those darn DEA guys are so compassionate, always doing whats in our best interests....
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: