Earlier this week I found myself browsing through articles depicting several social issues, and found this: “Politicians enjoy beating their chests about ‘zero tolerance’. On drugs. Binge drinking. Bullying. Sexual harassment. But what about zero tolerance for suffering?” On January 18, 2010, Australian columnist Tracey Spicer wrote a powerful argument in favour of the legalisation of medicinal marijuana. It’s somewhat unthinkable to talk about legalising a prohibited substance, but the debate about using marijuana for medicinal purposes has been raging around the world – so isn’t it about time we have the same debate here in Australia?
There is a wide variety of possible therapeutic applications:
AIDS - Marijuana can reduce the nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting from the condition itself and the medications as well.
Glaucoma - Marijuana relieves the internal eye pressure of glaucoma, and therefore relieving the pain and slowing or even stopping the condition.
Cancer- Many side effects of the medication to stop cancer can be relieve with Marijuana, some studies suggest that Marijuana tends to slow down the progress of some types of cancer.
Multiple Sclerosis - Muscle pain, spasms, tremors and unsteadiness are some of the effects caused by the disease that can be relieved by Marijuana.
Epilepsy - in some patients, epileptic seizures can be prevented with Marijuana use.
Chronic pain - Marijuana helps to alleviate the pain caused from many types of injuries and disorders.
Anxiety, Depression or Obsession - Even though mild anxiety is a common side effect in some users, cannabis can elevate your mood and expand the mind.
In the US, thirty-four states have legislatively recognised marijuana’s medical value and seven more have enacted voter initiatives. In Australia, there have been no such acknowledgments of the benefits of medicinal marijuana – rather, the main focus has been on reinstating the current laws and regulations regarding the use of the illegal drug. Should a doctor supply a patient with cannabis therapeutics without adhering to current legislation, he/she would surely be prosecuted for possession and/or dealing of an illegal substance.
According to information found on the Cancer Council website, cannabis has twenty-one chemically-related carbon alkaloids, which are called ‘cannabinoids’ – the most notable of these are THC and cannabidiol. There are actually cannabinoid receptors found in distinct areas of the brain and spinal column. Cannabinoids can refer to pharmaceutical quality drugs that act in the same way in the body as cannabis substances – that is, they relieve pain and have a longer duration in the body. Two such drugs are ‘nabilone’, which is THC in capsule form (available in the UK), and ‘dronabinol’, which is synthetic THC (available in the US. No cannabinoid drugs are available in Australia.
In Tracey’s article, it is said that there has been a growing body of research proving that cannabis – either smoked or in liquid form – can ease the agonizing pain of cancer patients, the spasms of MS (multiple sclerosis) sufferers and the crippling effects of arthritis. Scientific research has shown that the active ingredient present in cannabis, THC, slows the progress of Alzheimer’s, reduces tumor growth in lung cancers and inhibits the spread of breast cancer. With scientific evidence proving the effectiveness of cannabis as a medicinal substance, why has cannabis therapeutics not been considered with open mindedness?
Just this month, Victorian doctors are seeking approval to use marijuana to help treat Victorian patients suffering from MS. If there request is successful, it will be the first time permission has been given for the drug’s legal use in Australia. The drug in question is ‘Sativex’, developed by a UK company (GW Pharmaceuticals) established specifically to develop cannabis-based prescription medicines. This drug is currently legal and widely used in the UK, Canada and Spain, and is also being tested in the US. There is no evidence that patients experience a high such as those experienced by marijuana smokers. In fact, the most common side effects of Sativex are sleepiness, nausea, and dizziness.
Research has shown that Sativex helps to relieve pain and other incapacitating symptoms associated with advanced MS – these include tremors, loss of movement control, and loss of bladder control. It has also been used in some countries for pain relief in cancer patients. The Victorian doctor advocating for the approval of the drug is currently going through the process of applying for approval from the hospital’s Human Research Ethics Committee. His chances, however, are considered to be slim.
Cannabis has been used in Chinese medicine since the 3rd Century AD, and is now used for medicinal purposed in many western countries and increasingly throughout the US – a step in the right direction for these countries.
But what about Australia?
“I’ve always had a very tough line on this stuff – really, really hard line,” Kevin Rudd once told Channel 9. “I’m in John Howard’s camp on this one. We have a unity ticket.” Clearly, the implications of legalising marijuana were too scary for him to consider.
But doctors and advocators of this issue aren’t campaigning for the legalisation of the recreational drug. The dangers of smoking marijuana have long been documented: cancer, heart attack, mental illness, and immune disorders. Obviously, it shouldn’t be legalised… but it should be available to alleviate suffering.
References:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/doctors-want-approval-to-use-marijuana-to-help-treat-victorians-suffering-multiple-sclerosis/story-e6frf7l6-1225819634616
http://www.menzieshouse.com.au/2010/01/the-case-for-medicinal-marijuana.html
http://www.news.com.au/opinion/tracey-spicer-argues-for-use-of-medical-marijuana/story-e6frfs99-1225820679241
