CANNABIS HIGH AIDS DRUG'S EFFECTIVENESS

RE YOUR story "Cannabis spray painkiller to be given in month" (News,
August 17), you state: "Scientists have been working on isolating the key
pain-relieving ingredients in cannabis in order to allow them to develop
painkilling drugs without the mind-altering effects of cannabis. They
managed to isolate two chemicals for use in Sativex - tetrahydrocannabinol
or THC- and cannabidiol, known as CBD.

THC is responsible for 90% of the psychoactivity of whole cannabis. CBD
moderates the effects of THC, producing a more sedate type of intoxication.
It would appear that you have not achieved your goal of eliminating that
evil euphoria.

Besides, the psychoactive effects of whole cannabis or just THC are
sometimes desirable for some patients, such as when attempting to alleviate
anxiety. The US Institute of Medicine report on medical marijuana stated as
such in their evaluation of the medical potential for marijuana. No matter
the outcome with this pharmaceutical product, the debate over whole
cannabis as medicine will not be ended, as hoped by the likes of Brian
Adam, the SNP MSP for Aberdeen North. Some patients will receive better
relief from whole cannabis, for there are 60-plus cannabinoids that
interact synergistically in whole cannabis, albeit most are not
psychoactive. Some patients will not be able to afford the product, or may
just prefer whole cannabis.

There are always going to be sick and suffering folks using cannabis for
medical purposes. They are not going to go away because a pharmaceutical
solution has been provided for some of them. The House of Lords of Science
and Technology Committee recommended strongly in 1998 that whole cannabis
be made available for medical purposes. Holland is doing so right across
the waterway. It is a political reality in countries possessed by reefer
madness, like Britain, that until recreational use is fully legalised,
people like Biz Ivol will continue to be persecuted.

No one in the drug policy reform movement hides behind the medical
argument. We can argue the topic honestly.

Every major drug policy report done in the past 60 years has at the least
recommended decriminalisation of personal marijuana possession. Most
recommend full legalisation. If the scholarly advice were implemented,
there would be no debate at all in the political realm.

Matthew Hulett

New Jersey