OTHER DRUGS

The debate over medicinal marijuana and cannabis products has been
hotly contested for years. According to a Jan. 23 article on TIME's
website, America has legalized medical use of marijuana in sixteen
states, including the District of Columbia, and can be found in many
products already on the market. Presently, a British company is now
seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a spray
that incorporates raw marijuana into its formula to ease cancer pain.
GW Pharma, the company developing the spray, hopes to secure FDA
approval by 2013.

If the medicine is approved, it would represent a significant shift
in perception of the drug's medicinal properties. Medical marijuana
products have been on the market for some time, but a medicine
utilizing the plant itself will call into question how important its
raw health properties are to patients in severe pain. The drug has
already been approved in New Zealand, Canada, and several European
countries in hopes that its introduction will underline the
distinction, which sets medical use apart.

If its benefits are truly exceptional for cancer patients, the
chances of the drug receiving the necessary approval will surely
increase. In addition, the drug being manufactured in spray form will
be much more practical for patients who are prevented from smoking or
find it inconvenient. Savitex, the drug being produced by GW Pharma,
is instigating optimism in the industry, but whether marijuana in its
"crudest" form is truly useful will require much more research before
it is admitted as fact.

Of course, the drug in question will be regulated through
prescriptions to prevent any form of substance abuse. Potential side
effects of depression will certainly inhibit progress in this
specific field, but GW Pharma is hopeful this product will be an
important breakthrough, helping other drugs emerge and offer another
dimension to pain relief for cancer and relief from muscle spasms
induced by multiple sclerosis. If the substance eases such unbearable
pain, it is worth investigating further in order to explore medicinal
options available to our society.