Synthetic marijuana in and of itself is very deadly and can become an alternative to cigarettes with even more deadly consequences. Street consumers of this product does not really know what the substances are that are mixed together to create synthetic marijuana. Although very new, there have been many deaths that have resulted from it.
However, According to the British company, GW Pharma, it is in the advanced clinical trials stage for being the world's first pharmaceutical developer of a drug from raw marijuana.
This drug is seen as alternatives to synthetic marijuana. It is it hopes to reach the U.S. market in the form of a mouth spray and can be used as a treatment for cancerous pains. It is hoped that the FDA approval be given for use by the end of 2013.
According to drug companies, small biotech firms and university scientists; Such an approved from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be the first prescription drugs in 25 years which is based mainly on the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Also, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself will follow soon and will make their way to U. S. pharmacy shelves.
The FDA’s approval will represent an extremely important milestone in the nation's often uneasy relationship with marijuana. Already 16 states and the District of Columbia have allowed residents to use legally with doctors' recommendations.
It is believed that Sativex contains marijuana's two best known components delta 9-THC and cannabidiol and has already been approved in Canada, New Zealand and eight other European countries for a different usage such as relieving muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.
I am not a proponent of marijuana. Nevertheless, the words on the street relative to marijuana is not so much that it is such a bad drug but rather; how and when the government will control the income generated from marijuana?
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration categorizes pot as a dangerous drug with no medical value, but the availability of a chemically similar prescription drug could increase pressure on the federal government to revisit its position and encourage other drug companies to follow in GW Pharma's footsteps.
We are reminded of the 1930’s America prohibition when bars boasted a full range of quality premium beers and lagers, the finest of spirits, estate bottled wines and a massive range of soft drinks. But cocktails are our big passion and at Prohibition you’ll find the most divine alcoholic and non-alcoholic combinations were all lovingly prepared by highly trained and knowledgeable mixologists. The idea then was about money and the government today marijuana is similarly the same.
Consequently, opponents and supporters of crude marijuana's effectiveness generally agree that more research is needed.
Advocates for marijuana fear that the government will use any new prescription products to justify a continued prohibition on marijuana use.
Thus, Kris Hermes spokesman for Americans for Safe Access said; "To the extent that companies can produce effective medication that utilizes the components of the plant, that's great. But that should not be the exclusive access for people who want to be able to use medical marijuana."
He added; "That's the race against time; in terms of how quickly can we put pressure on the federal government to recognize the plant has medical use versus the government coming out with the magic bullet pharmaceutical pill."
Actually, the interest in new and better marijuana-based medicines has been building since the discovery in the late 1980s and 1990s that mammals have receptors in their central nervous systems, several organs and immune systems for the chemicals in botanical cannabis and that their bodies also produce natural cannabinoids that work on the same receptors.
As a result, one of the first drugs to build on those breakthroughs was an anti-obesity medication that blocked the same chemical receptors that trigger the munchies in pot smokers. Under the name Acomplia, it was approved throughout Europe and heralded as a possible new treatment for smoking cessation and metabolic disorders that can lead to heart attacks.
According to Aron Lichtman, a Virginia Commonwealth University pharmacology professor and president of the International Cannabinoid Research Society who said; "There is a real disconnect between what the public seems to be demanding and what the states have pushed for and what the market is providing. It seems to me a company with a great deal of vision would say, If there are demands and needs, we can develop a drug that will help people and we will make a lot of money."
However, Dr. Geoffrey Guy, received permission to grow it to develop a prescription drug. Guy proposed the idea at a scientific conference that heard anecdotal evidence that pot provides relief to multiple sclerosis patients, and the British government welcomed it as a potential way said; “Possessing marijuana still is illegal in the United Kingdom.”
According to Mark Rogerson a company spokesman; "To draw a clear line, there is an enormous difference between recreational and medicinal use.” We were the first ones to charge forward and a lot of people were watching to see what happened to us. I think we are clearly past that stage."
Apparently, a 1985, FDA approved two drug capsules containing synthetic THC, Marinol and Cesamet, to ease side-effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients. The agency eventually allowed Marinol to be prescribed to stimulate the appetites of AIDS patients.
However, the drug's patent expired just last year and other U.S. companies have been developing formulations that will allow the drug to be administered through dissolving pills, creams and skin patches and perhaps be used for other ailments.
Numerous doctors and multiple sclerosis patients are cautiously optimistic about Sativex. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has not endorsed marijuana use by patients, but the organization is sponsoring a study by a University of California, Davis neurologist to determine how smoking marijuana compares to Marinol in addressing painful muscle spasms.
Actually, Timothy Coetzee, the society's chief research officer believes; “cannabinoids and marijuana will, eventually, most likely to become be part of the clinician's armamentarium, if they are shown to be clinically beneficial. The big unknown in my mind is whether they are clearly beneficial."
The FDA was reviewing its safety as a diet drug when follow-up studies showed that people taking the drug were at heightened risk of suicide and other psychiatric disorders. French manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis pulled it from the market in late 2008.
However, according to according to Lichtman; “Drug companies already are reluctant to touch anything that is THC-like with a 10-foot- pole; the setback had a chilling effect on cannabinoid drug development.”
He continued to say; "Big companies like Merck and Pfizer were developing their own versions (of Acomplia), so all of those programs they spent millions and millions on just went away.”
Nonetheless, scientists and drug companies that are exploring pot's promise predict the path will ultimately be successful, if long and littered with setbacks.
Alexandros Makriyannis, director of the Center for Drug Discovery at Northeastern University and founder of a small Boston company said; he hope there is a market synthetic pain product that is chemically unrelated to marijuana, but work similarly on the body or inhibit the cannabinoid receptors. Also, he added there has been work done on compounds that functions like the failed Acomplia but without the depressive effects. I think within five to 10 years, we should get something.”
Written By:
Ishton W. Morton
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