cannabisnews.com: Marijuana as Medicine! 





Marijuana as Medicine! 
Posted by FoM on March 20, 1999 at 05:53:10 PT

Anti-drug activists fear the day that pharmaceutical instructions will read: "Take one in the morning and one at bedtime and don't Bogart that joint."
If reason and compassion trumped politics, their fears would be realized.The evidence continues to pile up that under certain conditions and for certain patients, smoking marijuana can have a medically beneficial function. It is particularly effective in stopping nausea and boosting appetite and has therefore been sought after by some cancer patients hoping to relieve the side effects of chemotherapy and AIDS patients trying to ward off debilitating weight loss. It is also useful in diminishing muscle spasms that afflict individuals with multiple sclerosis.The latest verification of the potential medical benefits of marijuana came from the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, which conducted the exhaustive two-year study at the behest of the federal government. The review also found no evidence that marijuana leads to the use of harder drugs.The 11 scientists who issued the report cautioned that the identified benefits of the drug are limited by the toxic effects of the smoke, which they found to be potentially more dangerous than cigarette smoke. And they said that eventually an effective alternative delivery system (maybe a patch or inhalant) should be developed.But in the meantime, the panel felt that it is justified to prescribe marijuana in carefully circumscribed circumstances for individuals who cannot find relief through other sources. The government, so invested in a drug war that has targeted marijuana as an irredeemable enemy, is unlikely to be moved by the new evidence. A polite thank you and an acknowledgment that more study is necessary is the standard response.Opponents of the medical use of marijuana argue that some who champion that cause are really interested in an across-the-board legalization. That is no doubt true. But the motives of proponents do not make a good idea bad. Anti-drug crusaders also fear that any recognition of a positive use for marijuana will send adolescents into a pot-smoking frenzy. "It sends the wrong message" is the refrain. But what kind of message are we sending when we let thousands of people suffer who could otherwise be helped?Maturing means understanding nuances and contexts, and parents must help their children in developing those higher level skills. That means it's OK for Mom and Dad to have a glass of wine at dinner, but not OK for their 14-year-old son to go on a beer-drinking binge with friends. It's OK to administer morphine and other narcotics to sick people, but not OK to shoot up in the alley. It's OK to give marijuana to an AIDS patient who is wasting away, but not OK to give it to a 15-year-old at a party.That's not a terribly complex dichotomy to explain. And the payoff for thousands whose suffering can be alleviated is unquestionably worth it.http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/19990320edpot2.asp
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