cannabisnews.com: Arthritis Society Lauds New Drug Rules





Arthritis Society Lauds New Drug Rules
Posted by FoM on April 07, 2001 at 10:20:11 PT
By Juliet O'Neill, The Ottawa Citizen
Source: Ottawa Citizen
The head of the Arthritis Society has welcomed the government's "bold" inclusion of severe arthritis in the list of painful illnesses for which marijuana can be legally smoked under proposed new regulations made public yesterday. However, Denis Morrice also noted that many Canadians with arthritis would not want to smoke marijuana for pain relief and he urged the government to speed approval of a prescription drug, Remicade, that would treat the disease, not just the symptoms. 
The drug, aimed at inhibiting the progression of joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other industrialized countries but has been bogged down in the approval system in Canada for about two years, he said. "That's just not fair," he said. "That's what we're after, treating the disease." About four million Canadians suffer arthritis and there are about 100 forms of the disease. He had no idea how many people might be attracted to marijuana. "It's one more drug that's in the hands of a doctor to treat their patients," he said. While the government has provided 220 people so far with "compassionate exemptions" from the law against marijuana, the regulations codify the conditions under which permission could be granted, spell out a licence system and identify the medical conditions and symptoms required for eligibility. The regulations were welcomed by health critics of three of the four opposition parties, all of which support what Health Minister Allan Rock calls a compassionate approach. The exception was the Bloc Quebecois, which accuses the government of taking a bureaucratic approach and advocates simply legalizing possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana for medical purposes for anyone with a doctor's approval. As well as terminal illnesses with a prognosis of death within a year, the list of medical conditions that will be considered for exemptions includes cancer, AIDS, HIV infection, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury or disease, epilepsy, and severe forms of arthritis. The symptoms from those conditions that could warrant marijuana relief include severe nausea, cachexia (severe weight loss), anorexia (loss of appetite), persistent muscle spasms, epileptic seizures and severe pain. Patients must have the support of a doctor when applying and conventional treatments have have been at least considered. For people with those symptoms but other illnesses, an application submitted by a general doctor must be supported by two medical specialists and the list of therapies tried or considered have to be submitted with reasons why they were found inappropriate. The regulations also spell out a licence system that would allow a patient to grow his or her own marijuana or to designate someone to grow and deliver it to them. A legal grower must not have had a criminal record in the previous 10 years and would be allowed to grow only enough to fill the patient's required dosage. Pharmacists won't be involved initially, but background papers about the regulations say they "could eventually play a key role in the distribution of marijuana products as they do today for pharmaceutical drugs." Note: Marijuana approved for pain relief.Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)Author: Juliet O'Neill, The Ottawa CitizenPublished: April 7, 2001Copyright: 2000 The Ottawa CitizenContact: letters thecitizen.southam.ca Website: http://www.ottawacitizen.comRelated Articles & Web Site:Arthritis Canadahttp://www.arthritis.ca/Canada Issues Plan On Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9296.shtmlRock To Allow Marijuana for Severe Arthritishttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9283.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 07, 2001 at 20:37:13 PT
Very Good Information
Thank You nl5x,Let's compare.Remicade: Chest pain; chills; fever; flushing of face; hives; itching; troubled breathingCannabis: pain relief, helps control nausea, munchies, a little laughter, prone to forgive others, eating too much candy, or cake; relaxation and a feeling that all is ok.Which one should be legal and used?
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Comment #1 posted by nl5x on April 07, 2001 at 20:11:09 PT
toxic Remicade/INFLIXIMAB
RemicadePregnancy—Studies have not been done in either humans or animals. It is not known if infliximab causes harmful effects on the fetus. Before receiving this medicine, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant. Breast-feeding—It is not known whether infliximab passes into breast milk. Because of the risk of harmful effects in the nursing baby, it may be necessary for you to stop breast-feeding during treatment. Be sure you have discussed the risks and benefits of the medicine with your doctor. Children—Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of infliximab in children with use in other age groups. Older adults—Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of infliximab in the elderly with use in other age groups. However, older adults generally get more infections than do younger adults, and it is not known if infliximab may affect the number of infections that older people get.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Precautions While Using This MedicineInfliximab may cause chest pain, fever, chills, itching, hives, flushing of face, or troubled breathing within a few hours after you receive it. Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if you have any of these symptoms.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Side Effects of This MedicineAlong with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:More commonChest pain; chills; fever; flushing of face; hives; itching; troubled breathingCheck with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:More commonAbdominal pain; cough; dizziness; fainting; headache; muscle pain; nasal congestion; nausea; runny nose; shortness of breath; sneezing; sore throat; tightness in chest; unusual tiredness or weakness; vomiting; wheezingLess commonBack pain; bloody or cloudy urine; cracks in skin at the corners of mouth; diarrhea; difficult or painful urination; frequent urge to urinate; high blood pressure; low blood pressure; pain; pain or tenderness around eyes and cheekbones; skin rash; soreness or irritation of mouth or tongue; soreness or redness around fingernails or toenails; vaginal burning or itching and discharge; white patches in mouth and/or on tongueRareAbscess (swollen, red, tender area of infection containing pus); back or side pain; black, tarry stools; blood in urine or stools; bone or joint pain; constipation; falls; feeling of fullness; general feeling of illness; hernia (bulge of tissue through the wall of the abdomen); infection; irregular or pounding heartbeat; pain in rectum; pain spreading from the abdomen to the left shoulder; pinpoint red spots on skin; stomach pain (severe); swollen or painful glands; tendon injury; unusual bleeding or bruising; weight loss (unusual); yellow skin and eyeshttp://www.healthtouch.com/bin/EContent_HT/drugList.asp?cid=HT
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