POT-BASED SPRAY MAY ALTER DEBATE

Canada Approves Drug For Multiple Sclerosis Patients That Offers
Option To Smoking Marijuana

Canada Has Approved A Spray That Is Derived From The Marijuana Plant

The Drug May Take Years To Reach The U.S.

Canadians now have access to a legal spray alternative to medical marijuana.

Beginning this week, multiple sclerosis patients with constant
tingling pain can get a doctor's prescription for a new drug,
Sativex, derived from the marijuana plant.

The under-the-tongue spray, approved only in Canada, is one of
several emerging alternatives to smoking pot for medical relief. The
new pharmaceuticals, some of which may not enter the U.S. market for
years, may alter the public debate about medical marijuana.

"People ... who don't want to break the law" will use the spray, says
Dr. Lester Grinspoon, professor emeritus at Harvard University and an
advocate for legalizing pot use. "They're elevating the debate on
medical marijuana."

But Grinspoon expects many new users will find they prefer smoking
marijuana. "There is no holding back medical marijuana. It's going to
happen," he says.

Tom Riley, spokesman for the White House's Office of National Drug
Control Policy, agrees there's change ahead. But he says the new
drugs will lessen the controversy over medical marijuana.

Riley says the Bush administration, which has opposed medical pot
use, would welcome alternatives that are scientifically proved to be
safe and effective. Several Republicans, led by Rep. Mark Souder of
Indiana, cited the availability of Marinol -- a pill with the active
pot ingredient THC -- in arguing against a bill to protect medical
pot users from federal prosecution.

The U.S. House broadly defeated that bill last week. Its rejection
followed a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that allows
federal prosecution even if smokers are following state laws.
Currently, 10 states allow medical pot use.

"This is a burgeoning field," says Dr. Andrew Mattison, co-director
of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of
California-San Diego. "There's probably going to be great potential
with the Sativex compound."

Sativex is a whole plant extract that contains THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) as main ingredients. The
user gets quick relief but does not get high. About 20,000 MS
patients in Canada with chronic nerve pain could find relief with the spray.

Mark Rogerson, spokesman for Sativex maker GW Pharmaceuticals, says
the British firm is taking the first step toward U.S. regulatory
approval. But he says the U.S. market, while "very big and
attractive" is also "very difficult."

Solvay Pharmaceuticals, maker of Marinol, is also seeking U.S.
regulatory approval for a spray version of its drug. It is conducting
trials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's oversight but
expects the approval to take years. Its spray would give users relief
within minutes. The pills take about two hours to reach peak effect.

Marinol is the only legal pot alternative in the United States.
Approved in 1985, it is used to treat anorexia in AIDS patients and
nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients. It contains only THC,
one of about 400 compounds in the marijuana plant.

The alternatives have the advantage of being smokeless, but they're
costly. A vial of Sativex costs $124.95 in Canada, which provides 51
sprays, enough for 10 days for the average user. That amounts to
about $375 monthly. Insurers are not covering it. Marinol, which has
been on the market 20 years, also costs hundreds of dollars monthly.
Many insurers cover it.