Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Andrea Barthwell, Snake Oil Salesman CANNABIS SATIVAEX Former Deputy Drug Czar Andrea Barthwell (more about her here) is, as has been mentioned, the new spokesperson for getting GW Pharmaceuticals' Sativex approved for use in the United States. This is SO right for so many wrong reasons. -- Continue Reading -- 6:42:39 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Don't Mind If I Take a Look, Do Ya? Drug Cops Seek to Use Monkey in Enforcement Efforts at TalkLeft 5:53:30 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

What about the youth? One of the things prohibitionists love to go on about is protecting our youth. And how do they want to do it? By taking away the rights of young people (pee in a cup, get sniffed by dogs) and by passing harsh criminal penalties for drug crimes near schools and parks, etc. None of these methods are very effective, and none even come close to paying off in value compared to the negative effects they have on society. On the other hand, we have a system that is far from perfect, but could be useful for reducing youth marijuana use -- it's called regulated sale with age restrictions (used for products like alcohol and tobacco). It's likely to be more effective than the methods we use now, without the negative effects. But there's one other point that people don't talk about much. Travis is a regular reader of Drug WarRant. He's 17, and he wrote to tell me about a conversation he had recently with some of his friends of the same age. One of them said: "Yeah, but if they were to legalize it, it wouldn't even be fun anymore. It wouldn't even be worth doing." Taking away the lure of the forbidden. There's a whole lot of truth here. Kris Millegan recently noted: Once a substance is banned and enters a black market, the age of the users goes down, the volume of abuse goes up, and civil and criminal corruption rises. Part of that shift in the age of users is due to black market sellers targeting that group, but also part of it is the allure. And when you remove it from the black market, the reverse happens. In the Netherlands, where you can legally buy marijuana at the local coffee shop, teen marijuana use rates have been lower than in the United States. I've read numerous stories of travelers and locals (including law enforcement officers) saying that since it's legal, it's perceived by young people as not being as "cool." That doesn't mean that people don't use it, but that there's less of a reason for young people to join in. Recently in The Guardian, Zoe Williams wrote about the changes in classification for marijuana in Britain: Since it was reclassified from class B to class C at the beginning of last year, cannabis has lost its lustre, especially for the young. ... It has made everyone lose interest. You might just as well have dressed this drug up in a sailor suit and sent it on tour with Geri Halliwell. It just isn't cool anymore. Legalize it. You know -- for the kids. 8:40:04 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Sativex I've been holding off talking about GW Pharmaceuticals' Sativex, but now I think Rob Kampia has written an excellent article - at Alternet - The Lesson of Sativex. On April 19, the Canadian government delivered what should be the final blow to the U.S. government's irrational prohibition against 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 caused by multiple sclerosis. ... In short, the Canadian government has just certified that virtually everything our own government has been telling us about marijuana is wrong. In defiance of a large and growing pile of scientific studies, our government still claims that marijuana has no medical value. White House Drug Czar John Walters even compared medical marijuana to "medicinal crack." ... Make no mistake: Sativex is liquid marijuana. It is nothing like Marinol, the synthetic THC pill sold in the U.S. 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 contained in the plant, which scientists believe contribute to its therapeutic value. ... Now if Sativex makes it here, I haven't been sure what that would mean. Would this be further reason for the government to say that medical marijuana (the plant we use now) is unnecessary because Sativex is available? Rob addresses that question, too. 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 effect against pain and other symptoms caused by multiple sclerosis and other debilitating conditions. Over 600 patient-years of research have established a remarkable record of safety. ... 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 and less well for others. Sativex just comes in one formula, and it won't be right for everyone. And Sativex will be expensive. Will we force patients to buy a pricey pharmaceutical version of a plant they could grow themselves for pennies? At a time 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 on sight if caught in possession of coffee beans. Of course, our government isn't one to avoid a policy just because it's silly. It's going to be interesting. 12:09:52 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []