MEDICAL SOCIETY BEHIND ON MEDICINAL POT

With New Developments in Medical Marijuana Coming Every Day, Legal Medical Marijuana Is Now a Matter of When Rather Than If

It is good to see the state Medical Society is attempting to address the
problem of properly diagnosing and treating chronic pain ("Pain treatment
guidelines issued" May 26).

But, while opiate pain meds may relieve pain, their side effects can be
very debilitating, including oversedation, nausea, constipation and other
problems. Many patients are unable to tolerate high doses of these
medications, leaving them in pain and with few options.

Fortunately researchers have found a solution, and the Medical Society
could have heard about it had they accepted the invitation of the medical
cannabis advocacy group, Patients Out Of Time, to attend the third National
Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, held May 20-22 in
Charlottesville, Va. Patients Out Of Time and the University of Virginia
jointly sponsored the conference.

The conference included a presentation by Sandra P. Welch, Ph.D., entitled,
"Interactions of cannabinoids and opioids in analgesia: Potential for drug
combination therapies."

Welch's research into the synergy between opioids and cannabinoids found
that opioid analgesic potency can be enhanced by low doses of cannabinoids,
indicating an interaction between the opioid and cannabinoid systems in our
bodies.

In layman's terms, patients can take much lower doses of opiates in
combination with cannabinoids, including whole cannabis marijuana to obtain
superior pain relief with fewer side effects than a high dose of opiates.

Other presentations at the conference discussed how cannabis may provide
symptomatic relief and slow the progression of certain chronic illnesses,
including Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS) and others.

It was heartening to see the chairman of the Wisconsin Assembly's Public
Health Committee, Rep. Gregg Underheim, R-Oshkosh, who sponsored a medical
marijuana bill this session, in attendance at the conference and taking the
opportunity to fully educate himself on this issue. It seems rather ironic
that a lawmaker is taking the issue of medical marijuana more seriously
than the Wisconsin Medical Society.

With new developments in medical marijuana coming every day, legal medical
marijuana is now a matter of when rather than if. Doctors in some states
will be ready, but in Wisconsin, physicians are apparently on their own.

Gary Storck

Madison

Director of communications

Is My Medicine Legal YET?