Marijuana Medicines are Legal in Other Countries: US Trials Ongoing
Prescribed whole-plant cannabis is available in Canada and
is also available from pharmacies in the Netherlands. GW Pharmaceuticals (GW),
based in the United Kingdom, has created a whole-plant cannabis-based medicine
currently available by prescription in Canada and the U.K. for the relief of
neuropathic pain in adults with multiple sclerosis. The GW product, Sativex, is
a whole-plant cannabis extract that is used sublingually.
GW has completed Phase III studies in the U.K. in patients
with MS neuropathic pain and spasticity, and Phase II trials on perioperative
pain, rheumatoid arthritis, peripheral neuropathy secondary to diabetes
mellitus or AIDS, and patients with neurogenic symptoms.The next step in
bringing Sativex to market in the U.S. is to complete Phase III clinical
trials, the last stage of clinical research before a company may submit a
marketing application. However, the U.S. government has unnecessarily slowed
the progress of clinical trials, thus extending the wait for this product to be
brought to market.
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In 2003 the US Dept. of Health and Human Services was awarded a patent (#6,630,507) on the medical benefits of cannabinoids derived from cannabis. This patent, based on research done at the National Institute of Health states that cannabinoids are useful in the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of diseases, including stroke, trauma, auto-immune disorder, HIV dementia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Twelve states allow cannabis to be used medically. Michigan is close to becoming the 13th medical cannabis state.
The current classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance having a great potential for abuse, AND having no current use for medical treatment in the US, is outdated, and legally must be changed. Since cannabis no longer meets the criteria for inclusion on Schedule one, we can demand this change, and we must.
Prohibition affects all of us, whether we smoke or ingest cannabis, or not.