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THE ANTIQUE CANNABIS BOOK |
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WON'T THAT WORK?
The short answer is NO, while the long answer is that it's better than nothing.
Let's begin by looking at what the NCI (National Cancer Institute) has come out with on the subject of Medical Cannabis in General -- only two public statements:
1. That there is no evidence one way or the other, as to whether Medical Marihuana is effective as an anti-chemotherapy agent.Which (recognizing that most government agencies are under quite a bit of pressure to NOT recognize the therapeutic value of Medical Marihuana), is government talk for; "After spending more than 30 years and squandering millions of dollars on studies, specifically trying to prove that Medical Marihuana does NOT work, we haven't succeeded."
2. That Medical Marihuana has been clinically shown to work faster than other anti-chemotherapy agents do. I think they call it the "Speed of absorption factor" etc.In other words (even they admit) that Medical marihuana is superior to other anti-chemotherapy agents -- including Marinol, because its absorbed by the body quicker (in other words it works faster) than the other so-called, "Alternatives to Medical Marihuana" including Marinol. Just how much faster will of course depend upon the individual, but in general Medical Marihuana works within a minute or two, while Marinol's effects are analogous to aspirin. For me it takes anywhere between 20 minutes to two hours before any headache relief is forthcoming. And while this may not seem like a big deal, if your body is suffering from the effects of chemotherapy, those extra minutes or hours can make a big difference -- especially if you happen to be on the borderline between surviving and not surviving the chemotherapy treatment.
Now, let's look at what the manufacturers of Marinol themselves have to say on the matter.
- The Mfg.'s of Marinol openly admit (in literature they themselves hand out) that unlike actual Medical Marihuana [the plant] between 80% to 90% of their drug is useless within the human body. [Something about the body's digestive juices etc.]
- Additionally, their literature states, that for some percentage of the population their drug won't even work, while actual marihuana (the plant) will .
First that only 80% to 90% of Marinol is treated by the human body as medicine. Under normal circumstances, one would simply say, "So What"; ---Just take a bigger dose. However, here two problems quickly appear:
- $$ THE COSTS $$$: -- After all is said and done, MARINOL IS EXPENSIVE, very expensive. Don't believe me, check it out for yourself, I just got back from my local Safeway Supper Market/drugstore, which sells 60 pills (10mg each) for a discounted price of $1,400 dollars. And that's only that's the equivalent of 20 Medical Marihuana cigarettes or 1/20 of a pound. Ought!
- THE SAFETY FACTOR: -- Dr. Edward Creagan an oncologist at the respected Mayo clinic has written; "The study results were overwhelmingly against THC (being given out in pure tablet form). Patients felt detached and spacey, and it wasn't that effective."
Or in baby language, despite despite the fact only 10 to 20% of Marinol is absorbed by the human body as medicine, 100% of it seems to be absorbed as the "Get High" stuff.
Now moving on to what their very own literature states, that for some percentage of the population their drug won't even work, while actual marihuana (the plant) will. And here again it should be noted that the federal government granted FDA approval to Marinol (a synthetic form of marihuana), mainly because, for large numbers standard anti-chemotherapy agents simply weren't working. TRANSLATION: Due to various human biological factors, for some percentage of the population there are no alternatives to Medical Marihuana, nothing else will work.
Now let's look at what the Narc's themselves have to say on the matter. According to Special (Narcotics) Agent Jack Nehr [2], in a guest editorial column in the "Redding Record Searchlight," made it emphatically clear. -- Look at the warning label associated with the synthetic marihuana and see just how many different kind of warnings are associated with the drug. In other words, the artificial stuff is lousy and makes you "High as a Kite".
By contrast, actual Medical Marihuana has the advantage that the users own body tell he or her exactly when enough is enough. Unlike Marinol it begins its medical work within seconds.
Additionally, Agent Nehr, also goes on to express his thoughts/observations regarding the problems associated with substances that effect ones driving ability. Which brings up an interesting point; as has already been stated Medical Marihuana is so benign that even the federal governments own "Department of Transportation" studies show that Marihuana does not even affect ones ability to safely drive an automobile.[3] But, what about Marinol? One can only wonder how many lives are being put either lost or put at risk as a result of our federal government's present anti-Medical Marihuana policy. Humm!
As an aside, one can only wonder how Special (Narcotics) Agent Jack Nehr, can reconcile the very fact that marinol exists in the first place. I mean according to the narc's, their official position to this day, is that Medical Cannabis has NO official medical uses; ---none what-so-ever. But when pressed about medical needs, they always seem to point to Marinol: ----But wait, if Marinol is nothing more than a synthetic form of Medical Cannabis, than doesn't that mean the Medical Cannabis itself has medical used? Humm!
And unfortunately, there are numerous other [non-medical] factors that must be considered. Examples:
- Although Marinol is an FDA approved prescription drug, in many cases doctors are afraid to actually prescribe it. Example; a friend of mine, the late Dr. Tod Miykuria was contacted by the narcotics police and "SPECIFICALLY" told NOT to prescribe Marinol for one of his patients. Why? They told him that the patient was a suspected Marihuana Addict, and that Marinol would serve to mask his drug use. Dr. Miykuria citing medical needs prescribed Marinol anyway, but (he was taken to court) almost lost his license to practice medicine.
- Next, let us return to the matter of costs. And let's face it only a fool will not admit that costs are a factor. HMOs (whether for or none profit) are all trying to cut costs. Marinol is just plain too expensive for realistic use. In some cases the cost can be well over $100,000 per year. And it must not be forgotten that the effects of chemotherapy can go on for years after the actual treatment. Obviously, HMOs are reluctant to use such an expensive drug and so cancer patients suffer.
Just look at the very scientific studies that got FDA approval for Marinol. The long and the short of it (as can be seen from the numerous studies done on the subject) is that when cancer victims are given the choice, between actual Marihuana, Marinol or any other form of anti-chemotherapy agent, the vast majority choose the plant. In fact, one of the biggest problems facing the researchers was keeping the control or placebo groups, off street marihuana once they found out about it. As one San Franciscan, ex-law enforcement official (who used to imprison Marihuana users before developing cancer) so well put it:
. . . it didn't work."
FOOTNOTES:
[1]- Dr. Creagan's words may be seen by some as being taken out of context. He has also said: "It just doesn't seem worth letting the genie out of the bottle in terms of dealing with the legal implications of Medical Marijuana." Which to me implies that his real motives in attacking the synthetic Marihuana are political as oppose to medical. But still his findings have been confirmed by other researchers, Marinol is just plain Lousy and makes the patient "As high as a kit."
[2]- As his title might indicate Special Narcotic's Agent Jack Nehr is no friend to the rights of Cancer Victims. And he may feel that his words are also being taken out of context. However if he did not mean what he said then why did he publish his statement in the newspaper, the "Redding Record Searchlight" editorial column.
[3]- There are two studies that I particularly like to quote. One (DOT HS 808-078) titled "Marijuana and actual driving performance" is important because automobile drivers were actually given Marihuana and monitored. The end result of the study: While there was some effect, it wasn't enough to prevent safe driving. And just to put the coffin nails on the subject. They actually translated the effects into equivalent blood alcohol levels that we can all understand -- those being between a 0.04 and 0.08. In most states blood alcohol lever greater than 0.10 is needed to be considered a drunk driver. So your well within the safety limits. In California the standards are more stringent, a 0.08 or greater is considered a drunk driver. But note that one will never be above a 0.08 (and rarely if ever at .08), at least not in the quantities needed by Cancer Victims. And in yet another study [DOT HS 808 065] conducted by the 'National Highway Traffic Safety Administration' a background check was done on actual traffic accidents was done in which Marihuana was involved. There results were, that given all other factors and traffic conditions, Marihuana users were no more or less likely to have been involve in traffic accidents than any other drivers. Note: These studies have been reproduced by various governmental agencies, with similar results.
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