Medicinal cannabis |
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| Studies New Mexico and Tennessee found cannabis reduced nausea and vomiting in more than 90 percent of patient receiving chemotherapy. Studies in New York and Michigan found 80% cancer patients who use cannabis got relief from emesis. A study in Georgia had 73 percent (29).
What is synthetic THC? THC Delta 9 was isolated by Dr Ralph Mechoulam at the University of Tel Aviv in 1964(30 ). THC was developed by the government for animal toxicology studies, A NCI Memo from 1978 said synthetic THC is too "erratic" and "the formulation of THC was felt...to not be acceptable (for use in humans)." The memo concludes, "all in all the (marijuana) cigarette may be the best means of administering the drug"(31 ). THC, is profoundly psychoactive, many older patients have problems have a problem with synthetic THC. Even patients who have smoke cannabis reported the "high", was more powerful and anxiety producing effect. Studies also found problems with synthetic THC, such as one by the Mayo clinic found 50% would rather vomit than take synthetic THC. THC's relief is short lasting only one to three hours relief(32 ). One doctor said that not one in his patients would accept synthetic THC as a substitute for cannabis. Patients had felt betrayed by THC, and one women actually threw the bottle of THC back in his face(33 ). Another report said that more people improve with one cannabis cigarette, than with one dose synthetic THC(34 ). Has the government done everything it can to allow cannabis as medicine? Consider, during the debates over where to place cannabis in the "Controlled Substance Act", a compromised was reached it would be placed on schedule I until federal agencies conducted a thorough scientific investigation then be rescheduled(35 ). Then the during Ford administration in 1976, the NIDA and the DEA banned federal funding into medicinal cannabis research(36 ). The Reagan administration put out soft feelers in Sept of 1983, on the possibility of destroying all research between 1966 and 1976 (37 ). these are the main years that showed cannabises medical utility. When the states tried to break out of the federal control system to meet the needs of its citizens, the federal agencies responded aggressively promoting synthetic THC as a substitute for marijuana(38 ). |
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