POT MOUTH SPRAY ON THE WAY FOR MS SUFFERERS

OTTAWA -- A mouth spray made from marijuana could be available in
Canada as soon as the end of the spring, m aking it the first
pot-based pharmaceutical for sale in the world.

Just approved by Health Canada, Sativex is a spray made of pulverized
pot plants, used to treat pain symptoms in multiple sclerosis patients.

"It's the first cannabis-derived pharmaceutical product approved
anywhere in the world," said a spokesman for Bayer Inc., which is
distributing the tincture here.

Though Health Canada has asked for more "confirmatory studies" from
the drug's manufacturer, approval for Sativex was expedited to fill
what the agency describes as an unmet medical need.

No treatments currently exist to treat the symptoms of pain suffered
by MS patients. They take everything from over-the-counter aspirin to
morphine in what are often futile attempts to quell their discomfort.

Sprayed into the absorbent red tissue on the inside of a patient's
mouth, Sativex is "a bit like a breath freshener" and tastes like a
"rather bitter Guinness," said Mark Rogerson, spokesman for U.K.-based
GW Pharmaceuticals.

Each dose releases a tincture made of tetrahydrocannabinol, the potent
principal ingredient in marijuana, and cannabidiol, its mellower
counterpart.

Together, they produce an effect that numbs pain affecting the nervous
system without numbing a patient's brain as well.

"It is absolutely not necessary to become intoxicated in order to get
pain relief," Rogerson said.

Getting high can be a major deterrent for patients who would otherwise
benefit from pot's pain-relieving properties.