MEDICAL MARIJUANA WORKS IN CANADA

ON APRIL 19, Canada delivered what should be the final blow to the U.S.
government's irrational prohibition of the medical use of marijuana. It
approved prescription sale of a natural marijuana extract -- for all
practical purposes, liquid marijuana -- to treat pain and other symptoms of
multiple sclerosis.

Sativex, produced by GW Pharmaceuticals, in Britain, brings the
medical-marijuana debate full circle. Although the technology has advanced
in 70 years, this product is a direct descendant of the marijuana extracts
and tinctures that were a standard part of the medical armamentarium until
the late 1930s -- universally recognized as safe and effective for certain
conditions.

These products were taken away from patients and doctors as a result of the
prohibition of marijuana that began in 1937 -- despite public opposition by
the American Medical Association.

In short, the Canadian government has just certified that virtually
everything our government has been telling us about marijuana is wrong. In
defiance of a large and growing pile of scientific studies, our government
still asserts that marijuana has no medical value.

White House Drug Czar John Walters even compared medical marijuana to
"medicinal crack." Such statements were always scientifically ridiculous,
as has been noted by a wide range of authorities, including the American
Public Health Association, the American Nurses Association, and the state
medical societies of New York, California, and Rhode Island -- to name just
a few.

Now, GW Pharmaceuticals' research has definitively put such nonsense to
rest. Make no mistake: Sativex is liquid marijuana. It is nothing like
Marinol, the synthetic THC pill sold in the United States and sometimes
falsely touted as an adequate substitute for marijuana.

Sativex is a whole-plant extract, containing the rich variety of naturally
occurring compounds, called cannabinoids, that are unique to marijuana. It
also contains trace elements of other compounds in the plant, which
scientists believe contribute to its therapeutic value.

On its Web site, GW Pharmaceuticals explains, "We believe very strongly
that many of the advantages of using the whole plant come from the
inclusion of other components of cannabis [marijuana]," not just THC. "In
the cannabis plant, it appears that some of the components added together
give better effect. Some components seem to work to counteract some of the
side effects of others, and the whole plant is generally well tolerated by
humans."

Sativex is to marijuana as a cup of coffee is to coffee beans. If Sativex
is safe and effective, marijuana is safe and effective. And Sativex is safe
and effective. Studies have shown significant effects against pain and
other symptoms of both multiple sclerosis and other debilitating
conditions. Over 600 patient-years of research have established a
remarkable record of safety.

Sativex should certainly be approved in the United States, but the process
may take years -- if it is allowed to happen at all.

Sadly, our government's reflexive hostility to the medical use of marijuana
shows no sign of abating. But an even larger question is, Now that we know
beyond doubt that marijuana is a safe, effective medicine, how long will
our government continue to arrest patients who use it?

And even if Sativex is approved here someday, it won't be the answer for
every patient now benefiting from medical marijuana. For one thing, it has
been clearly shown that different strains of marijuana -- with different
blends of cannabinoids -- work better for some conditions than for others.
Sativex comes in just one formula, so it won't be right for everyone. And
it will be expensive.

Will we force patients to buy a pricey pharmaceutical version of a plant
that they could grow themselves, for pennies? When our health-care system
is drowning in rising costs, that's insane. We could end up with a policy
every bit as silly as telling coffee drinkers that they can buy a
cappuccino, but they'll be arrested if caught in possession of coffee beans.

The lesson of Sativex is simple. Our government was wrong: Marijuana is
medicine. And patients and doctors should be able to use it in whatever
form works best for their particular situation.