RX - A SMALL DOSE OF CANNABIS

First-time visitors to The Netherlands are surprised to note
sharply-pointed cannabis-leaf symbols at coffee-houses and pubs; places
often frequented by people lighting up or eating hash omelettes and
drinking hash tea.

The Dutch have a laissez-faire attitude to cannabis. Holland ignores
personal possession of up to 30 grams of such substances as marijuana (the
dried flower, or "ganja"), hashish (the dried resin, or "charas") and bhang
(the dried leaf).

When the EU opened internal borders, Holland started receiving weekend
"potfans" from France, Belgium and Germany. In effect, Dutch liberality led
to the Eurozone easing its stance vis-a-vis soft drugs, though users from
other nations risk punishment.

Holland is now offering over-the-counter prescription sales of cannabis --
useful for victims of cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis and amputees. It
controls pain and nervous spasms with fewer side-effects and less
addiction-related problems than the alternatives.

Two Dutch companies have been issued licences to grow cannabis to sell to
the health ministry, which in turn packages the drug in small tubs for
supply to pharmacies. The drug is packaged as dried marijuana flowers (grass).

As well as pharmacies, 80 hospitals and 400 doctors will be allowed to
dispense five-gram doses of SIMM18 medical marijuana for 44 euros ($ 48) a
tub and more potent Bedrocan at 50 euros. The health ministry recommends
patients dilute the cannabis into tea or adapt asthma inhalers.

Some doctors say cannabis increases risks of depression or schizophrenia;
other studies suggest it has few side effects. If it is smoked, you're
inhaling carcinogens including nicotine and tar.

The cannabis plant contains over 60 cannabinoids, alkaloids that affect
physical functions. The cannabinoids bind to two cannabinoid receptors in
the body: CB1 and CB2.

CB1 enhances appetite, reduces pain and eases muscle spasms -- and also
produces psychotropic effects. CB2 is expressed by immune and inflammatory
cells, acts as an anti-inflammatory and reduces irritable bowel syndrome.

This combination of CB1 and CB2 alleviates the nausea associated with
chemotherapy, reverses appetite loss in AIDS patients, and controls CNS
motor diseases and certain types of pain.

There are researchers, notably Jerusalem's Hebrew University professor
Raphael Mechoulam, in university and pharmaceutical labs elsewhere who are
trying to isolate specific effects.

Mechoulam was the first to isolate tetra-hydra-cannabinol (THC), which
causes the "high". He is now working on "THC-less" cannabis, though he
believes that such drugs will be less effective at treating CNS problems.

Cannabis is also offered in countries such as the UK, Canada and Australia
as well as in a few US states. However, cannabis is available from a few
sources and distribution is more controlled. Canadian cannabis-users have
complained that the official "baggies" that are offered to members of a
subscription programme, are of terrible quality.

The UK is moving towards decriminalisation. A recent commission, the
Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs, sent a recommendation to the Home
Secretary that cannabis should be treated as a "Schedule C" drug. Schedule
C is of the same risk/criminal status as growth hormones or steroids.
Possession is non-criminal.

Class A drugs including ecstasy, cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin
accounted for 99 percent of "the cost to society of drug use", according to
the UK release. Analysts estimate that relaxing British cannabis laws could
save about $ 71 million per annum and free up 500 police officers for other
duties.

Decriminalisation could be similarly beneficial to India, where scarce
policing resources could be concentrated on chasing more dangerous
substances such as heroin or RDX. In fact, cannabis was sold at state
government shops until the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act,
1985. This treats all drugs as equally dangerous.

Decriminalisation would enable research into the medical properties of
cannabis and help India cope with the flood of HIV cases that will emerge
over the next few years.

Since it is possible to make a strong scriptural case for religious use by
practising Hindus, is it too much to hope that the relegalisation of
cannabis will feature on Hindutva-vadis' future agenda?