BETTER PHARMACOPEIA

I would like to respond to the recent letter "Disrespect" addressing the
opinions of Barry McCaffrey, the federal drug czar, concerning the medical
use of marijuana.

The voters of California were fooled by special interest groups into voting
to support medical use of marijuana. Remember watching the "cancer
patients" dancing in the streets of San Francisco when the proposition
passed? Ironically, California voters have expressed their dislike for
people who smoke by their votes against cigarette smoking in the last two
elections.

The initial studies in the early 1980s supporting the medical use of
marijuana lacked compelling support. Marijuana has enjoyed anecdotal
reports of controlling nausea and vomiting, but clinical results ranged
from 60% to 90% responses when used with "mildly emetigenic chemotherapy"
and only about 0 to 20% better than Compazine. These results were major at
the time but have been eclipsed by new eniemetics, Zofran, Kytril and
Anzemet. In the future, newer agents, like the NK-1 inhibitors, will
provide additional control. Today, the major benefit of marijuana is
appetite stimulation, which can be achieved with Marinol, the oral
marijuana available by prescription.

I know the frustration we all feel as a loved one suffers. We all want to
help, but legalizing and smoking marijuana is not the answer.

Glenn Eichhorn, Pharmacist, Fresno