cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Pill a Legal Alternative
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Marijuana Pill a Legal Alternative
Posted by CN Staff on March 13, 2011 at 07:56:58 PT
By Felice J. Freyer, Journal Medical Writer
Source: Providence Journal
Providence, RI -- People who use the heart drug digitalis don’t need to fill their window boxes with the foxglove flowers from which it derives. They take a pill. People with headaches are rarely seen gnawing the bark of willow trees, the original source of aspirin. And those looking for narcotic painkillers, legally or otherwise, do not resort to smoking poppies.
So why do people who derive medical benefits from marijuana have to smoke or eat the actual plant, whose potency can vary greatly? If marijuana contains therapeutic ingredients, why aren’t they available as prescription medicine?There is, in fact, a “marijuana pill” called Marinol (dronabinol), tested for safety and efficacy and available by prescription since 1985. The pill contains a synthetic version of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana, and it has been approved to treat nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy.But it apparently doesn’t work well enough for marijuana fans, because in pill form, the drug enters the bloodstream too slowly. “Pills and inhalation by smoke are not equivalent methods of administration,” said Alvin K. Swonger, a retired professor of pharmacology and toxicity at the University of Rhode Island. “Pills take longer to get absorbed.” Additionally, dose per dose, street marijuana is cheaper than Marinol, he added.Advocates of medical marijuana also point out that THC is not the only active ingredient in marijuana. Other chemicals in the plant — particularly cannibidiol, or CBD — may interact with THC to enhance its effectiveness. Also, advocates say, by smoking marijuana and feeling its almost immediate effects, patients can control their dosage. Snipped Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/sLNUh4mwSource: Providence Journal, The (RI)Author: Felice J. Freyer, Journal Medical Writer Published: Sunday, March 13, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Providence Journal CompanyContact: letters projo.comWebsite: http://www.projo.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on March 13, 2011 at 20:23:55 PT
kaptinemo #2
Hey, kap, here's a step in the right direction:Judges make the right marijuana ruling.
By Dr. W. Giffordjones, Special to The Windsor Star March 10, 2011
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Judges+make+right+marijuana+ruling/4414428/story.html
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Comment #3 posted by Storm Crow on March 13, 2011 at 13:05:48 PT
One out of three....
"But it apparently doesn’t work well enough for marijuana fans, because in pill form, the drug enters the bloodstream too slowly." That's ONE reason...Funny how she doesn't mention that Marinol is a synthetic form of THC and may not be identical to the natural form (like vitamin E- natural D alpha vs synthetic D/L alpha). Nor that it is ONLY synthetic THC, instead of a natural mixture of cannabinoids which work in concert to heal you! Cannabinoids fit into CB receptors like a key into an ignition switch to "turn on" various functions (tell a cancer cell it's time to die, ease pain, calm your bowels, set off the nursing reflex in infants, etc).THC, synthetic or not, works mainly on the CB1 receptors, which is all well and good, but there are the CB2 receptors that do other jobs. No matter how much Marinol, or potent, high THC cannabis you use, those CB2 receptors will not be "turned on" by THC! You miss out on half of the healing that cannabis can do! And my side of the medicine cabinet is has more herbs in it than pharmaceuticals! If I choose to use a natural substance that I have gathered or grown, that is MY choice. The freedom to choose is the ultimate freedom! I choose natural cannabis!
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Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on March 13, 2011 at 11:35:22 PT:
This is why the issue must be settled in court
With so many professionally paid mouthpieces spouting so much bilge like that found in the article, until they are hauled into court and sworn in, they will continue to propagate the lies. When they realize that they will personally be held accountable for their mendacity, they'll close their pie-holes and stop printing falsehoods real quick.
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Comment #1 posted by runruff on March 13, 2011 at 10:02:56 PT
Felice J. Freyer, Journal Medical Writer
The multi-billion dollar pill industry can and does hire a multitude of vacant headed mouth pieces with impressive degrees they probably earned at a pill funded college?If the pill industry pays their wages, it is not likely they will honestly represent any alternative. I know plants, I grow plants, if a plant is not my friend I leave it alone.I don't know pills? I don't know what all goes into pills. I cannot tell whether or not a pill is my friend, so I choose to leave them alone.Felice does not get it. This does not mean I should not get it. Experts are wrong most of the time, that is why they are called "ex-perts" and not "now-perts"!Now perts know what they are talking about now and not used-to know what they are talking about. Do you know what I am talking about, or am I just another ex-pert spouting here?
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