MEDICAL MARIJUANA SOLD IN THE NETHERLANDS

Marijuana went on sale Monday at Dutch pharmacies to help bring relief to
thousands of patients suffering from cancer, AIDS or multiple sclerosis.

Around 7,000 patients will be eligible for prescription marijuana, sold in
containers of .16 ounces at most pharmacies. Labeled "Cannabis" and tested
by the Ministry of Health, the drug will be covered by health insurance for
the first time under a new law that went into effect in March.

Canada, Germany and Australia already allow restricted use of medicinal
marijuana or its active chemical, but the Dutch go a step further by
providing the drug and regulating its quality.

In the United States, 14 states allow medicinal use despite a federal ban
on the drug.

Dutch patients will be recommended not to smoke the plant, but to use
vaporizers or make marijuana tea. It will be prescribed to those suffering
from nausea or pain associated with cancer, Tourette's syndrome, AIDS or
multiple sclerosis.

Two varieties will offer a lower or higher content of Tetrahydrocannabinol,
or THC, the active chemical in marijuana. It will cost $48 for the milder
variant, with a THC content of 15 percent, and $60 for an 18 percent version.

Although marijuana is officially prohibited under Dutch law, authorities
tolerate the sale of small quantities under a policy that distinguishes
between hard drugs such as cocaine and heroine and so-called "soft-drugs"
like marijuana.

Marijuana growers and pharmacies will need licenses exempting them from
prosecution.

"For the first time, pharmacies will be able to make legal purchases of
medicinal cannabis for patient prescriptions," the Ministry of Health said
in a statement.

The Dutch parliament approved the change in policy by a large majority in 2001.

Due to limited clinical testing of the effects of cannabis use, the
Ministry of Health said it would recommend that patients use it only if
regular treatment had failed or caused side effects. The decision to permit
medicinal use is based on "case reports and extensive practical
experience," it said.

Recent studies show a small increase in the number of people in the
Netherlands who say they have tried marijuana, but overall use levels
remain well below those in the United States despite the drug's widespread
availability here.