MEDICINAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE HOPEFUL NEW DRUG WILL OFFER RELIEF FROM MS PAIN

Alison Myrden is excited yet somewhat apprehensive about becoming one
of the first people in the world to try a new prescription drug
designed to alleviate the intense pain experienced by some multiple
sclerosis patients.

The 41-year-old local resident, who says she has suffered intense
facial nerve pain related to MS on a constant basis for about 10
years, has begun using a new medication that is derived from the
cannabis plant.

Long an advocate and also one of a small group of legal users of
prescribed medicinal marijuana in cigarette form -- to help ease her
daily discomfort -- Myrden hopes that Sativex is not only a more
potent analgesic than traditional pot, but will become more socially
acceptable too.

Sativex is a medication delivered via a small spray bottle. It is
administered under the tongue or in the cheek. It was approved by
Health Canada is April and has been available here by prescription
since June. It is currently only available in Canada and only for
neuropathic pain associated with MS.

GW Pharmaceuticals of Great Britain, the developer of Sativex, says
on its Web site that the drug's principal active ingredients are the
cannabis-derived components delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and
cannabidiol (CBD).

Myrden said she tried the new drug for the first time on Sunday
morning. In the few days before that first use she extended the time
between taking her usual daily cocktail of medications -- marijuana
in pill and cigarette form plus morphine -- to see what level of
effect Sativex would have.

She said the initial results are not encouraging but acknowledged it
is far too early to know if she will be able to switch to Sativex
exclusively at some point.

"I have a bad pain in my face all the time but I had a particularly
bad flare-up Sunday morning. I hadn't had anything at all since 5
a.m. I went a little longer (without medication) than I normally
would, a couple of hours more," taking Sativex for the first time
around 9 a.m., she said.

"I used three doses the first time, waited about 30 minutes and there
was no relief at all. Then I took five more sprays and nothing. I
waited 15 more minutes then lit a marijuana cigarette and got relief
within five minutes."

Myrden said she understands, and is patient enough, that it could be
a long time before she knows if Sativex will help ease her condition.

"I've been told it could take three months to slowly come off my
medication and the marijuana cigarettes, if I stay on the Sativex.

"I want it to work desperately because I want relief, and I'm (using)
it exactly as they tell me."

Even if Sativex proves not to be an improvement on her pot cigarettes
in terms of pain relief, she's excited about the prospect of it
possibly helping others. She also hopes the spray format gains
widespread acceptance and erases the social stigma of having to smoking dope.

"Also, it might not be as difficult going to the United States, maybe
I can travel easier some day (with Sativex)," she said, referring to
crossing the border.

Myrden has attended American conferences on medicinal marijuana and
taken her marijuana pills, which she says are accepted by U.S.
authorities. She is planning to speak at the Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition (LEAP) gathering in California in November.

Myrden has been living for years with a severe form of MS. She had
neurosurgery on her face about 10 years ago but got no relief. She
had even tried heroin and cocaine. When the facial pain became
unbearable she turned to smoking marijuana, which she said helped immensely.

MS is a disease of the central nervous system. The MS Society of
Canada estimates that 50 per cent of people with MS suffer from
chronic neuropathic pain. Approximately 50,000 Canadians, the
majority women, have the disease.

Lori Ann Horrigan, communications manager with Bayer Canada -- the
exclusive marketer in Canada of Sativex for the UK's GW
Pharmaceuticals -- said Sativex helps with neuropathic pain.

However, she noted it is only currently approved for use by MS
sufferers, not those with similar pain associated with arthritis,
anorexia, AIDS, depression, epilepsy or Hepatitis C.

Myrden's pharmacist, David Pinkus, of the Roseland Shoppers Drug
Mart, said a drug like Sativex has "definitely been a long time coming."

"It's going to reduce the side effects and, hopefully, the amount of
analgesic medication Alison needs to take," said Pinkus.

For Myrden, and likely many others in her situation, the
effectiveness of Sativex is only one consideration, the other being
its exorbitant cost.

A bottle costs $124.95 and contains 51 spray doses. Myrden figures
she'll use eight bottles per month. She says it is not covered by the
Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), meaning she will need to pay
about $1,000 per month out of her own pocket.

The new drug will compound her financial straits, she said, noting
she already pays about $200 of her own money for a three-day supply
of marijuana, which she smokes.

The 180 marijuana pills Myrden says she uses every month cost about
$4,800; she also takes morphine tablets at a cost of more than $300 monthly.

Myrden said about two-thirds of her medication costs are covered by
public health insurance, but that still leaves her with about $2,000
in direct costs every month.

She doesn't work anymore. The former corrections liaison officer and
medical secretary has trouble walking due to the MS. She lives on her
own and often uses an electric scooter in public.

She said she receives about $1,200 monthly in Canada pension and
Ontario Disability Support payments, far short of covering just her
medical expenses.

"I couldn't do it without my boyfriend and my mother," whom she said
help buy her food and pay her other bills.