Pubdate: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 Source: Chomedey Laval News, The (CN QU) Page: 15 Copyright: 2005 The Chomedey Laval News Contact: http://www.chomedeynews.ca Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2596 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?323 (GW Pharmaceuticals) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) SOME MDS RECOMMENDING MARIJUANA FOR MEDICAL USE McGill Study's Findings Come On Eve Of Decriminalization Bill Marijuana has come a long way since the days when it was vilified in public health films like 'Reefer Madness.' As Ottawa prepares to reduce the penalties for possessing small amounts, a new study suggests a few doctors are actually suggesting marijuana to some of their patients. As federal lawmakers prepare to pass legislation decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, Montreal's McGill University Health Centre has issued a study concluding some doctors already are suggesting their patients use cannabis for a variety of medical purposes. According to research published in March by Dr. Mark Ware, a pain physician at the MUHC, 16 per cent of people cited in his survey used marijuana for medical reasons after their doctor made the suggestion. A total of 947 people living in the United Kingdom who participated in the study used marijuana for medical purposes. More than a third (35 per cent) said they used it six or seven days a week. Th e majority (68 per cent) said it helped with their symptoms and made them feel better. Younger males among those likely to use it as medicine The study found that people with chronic pain (25 per cent) were most likely to use cannabis for medical reasons, followed by patients with multiple sclerosis (22 per cent), depression (22 per cent), arthritis (21 per cent) and neuropathy (19 per cent). Younger people, males, and those who had previously used cannabis recreationally, were also more likely to use it for medicinal purposes. Other key findings in the study: - - About 45 per cent of the respondents claimed marijuana worked better than their prescribed medication. About 30 per cent who answered a question on side-effects said prescribed drugs were worse than cannabis, with 34 per cent saying the side eff ects were much worse. About 75 per cent of respondents said their medical symptoms returned or got worse when they stopped using marijuana. - - The majority of users (82 per cent) smoked the drug. Other methods included eating it (43 per cent) and making tea out of it (28 per cent). Twenty-seven per cent of respondents reported using one to two grams of marijuana per day, two per cent used 10 or more grams a day, and seven per cent used between five and nine grams a day. The most extensive study of its kind to date Dr. Ware said in an interview with The Chomedey News that his survey is probably the most extensive study of medicinal cannabis use among chronically ill patients conducted to date. He said he undertook the study after being approached by GW Pharmaceuticals, a drug company which is developing new products based on cannabis. "The interest from the pharmaceutical companies reflects the fact that, at least at that level, there is potential therapeutic value worth investing money and research and, obviously, raising considerable amounts of capital to do this work," he said. "That probably reflects the growing basic science understanding of how the ingredients of cannabis work in various syndromes, including pain." While Dr. Ware said he believed that physicians are gradually becoming aware of the potential therapeutic uses of marijuana, he added that he wouldn't go so far as to say they support or are promoting its use. "I think they're gradually becoming aware of its potential and waiting for drug development to bring the necessary research forward so that safety and efficacy is there, before they actually start prescribing the drug," he said. He acknowledged that recent preoccupation by the public and media with the use of raw herbal marijuana probably heightened corporate interest in developing laboratory-grade cannabis-based pharmaceuticals. Reasons 'political' for not developing marijuana drugs Dr. Ware agreed that a generally negative perception of marijuana until recently, especially among doctors and scientists, may have prevented it from being put to practical use. "I think there were other reasons why the pharmacompanies haven't been interested in the past. Some of those are probably more political than anything else," he said. "It's not a drug that had been recognized to have medicinal value until relatively recently, so there was reluctance to get involved. It may well be that there were considered to be other analgesics that were thought to be easier to prepare and deliver." According to Dr. Ware, what has helped most to improve marijuana's reputation as a viable pharmaceutical has been the discovery of receptors in the body which are targets for compounds found in cannabis. "There's actually a naturally-occurring neurobiological basis for cannabinoid drugs - - drugs based on cannabis - to have an action," he said. How to capture benefits, while avoiding intoxication? "This suddenly made (the drug companies) say 'Well, hang on, maybe there is something we can get involved in here.'" The key issue for most pharmaceutical companies, he added, remains how to capture the beneficial effects of marijuana, while avoiding the psychoactive side-effects that cause people to become intoxicated. With regards to the federal government's decriminalization bill, federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said in a recent interview with The Chomedey News that the Liberals' marijuana legislation, expected to pass before the summer break, will decriminalize possession of small amounts for personal use. "We're not talking about legalization," Cotler said, adding that he has often found himself lately explaining the distinction to legislators from the United States. "It just means that for a particular group of younger people, we don't want to criminalize a younger generation for the personal use of small amounts of marijuana. But we're not saying it's legal. It's a ticketing offence at this point." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom