THE MEDICAL MAGIC OF MARIJUANA – SHOULD THE FEDS RECONSIDER?

MEDICAL MARIJUANA & THE FEDS –  TIME FOR A TRUCE?

Welcome everyone – it’s time for another #Factual Friday. Today we’re going to look at an old issue that has just resurfaced on the national stage this month.   And, that issue is the classification of marijuana as a drug — specifically asking the questions – does it have medicinal value? And, is it too dangerous to clear for medical application?

As a survivor of three different cancers this is a topic to which I have paid great attention. So, those of you who are familiar with THE SINGLE SOURCE CANCER COURSE know that we cover these questions in detail in Chapter 6 of Volume 2. But, for those who are not familiar with this material, this is how it works.

In the United States, the legal use of certain drugs for medicinal purposes is determined by the Controlled Substances Act, which divided chemical substances into five different classifications. Under this scheme, the classifications were determined by the drug’s potential for misuse and abuse and the drug’s potential for addiction. Listed in a document known as the DEA Schedule of Drugs, this classification is regulated and enforced by the Drug Enforcement Agency or DEA.

Okay, so now let’s get clear on how this document works. To begin, there are five levels of classification. These levels are called “Schedules” and they range from Schedule I to Schedule 5. From the top, Schedule I drugs are those that have a high abuse potential and no approved medical use in the United States. This includes drugs that are available for research only after the US Food and Drug Administration approves the facility conducting the research. Examples of Schedule 1 drugs include peyote, mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD, heroin and yes – marijuana.

Schedule II drugs also have a high potential for abuse but have been approved for medicinal use in the United States. Accordingly, physicians can prescribe these drugs and pharmacies can dispense them although no refills are allowed. Examples of these drugs include codeine, morphine, cocaine, opium, meperidine methadone and methamphetamine.

Schedule III drugs have an abuse potential that is considered moderately high, are approved for medicinal use and can be issued by telephone or a written prescription. These drugs have up to five refills over six months and include Tylenol with codeine, anabolic steroids and paregoric.

Schedule IV drugs have a moderate abuse potential. They too are approved for medicinal use in the United States and can be obtained by prescription. These drugs also are allowed five refills over six months and include diazepam, chloral hydrate, methohexital and phenobarbital.

Our last classification, the Schedule V drugs, have a low potential for abuse, are approved for medicinal use, can be obtained without a prescription and include drugs such as Robitussin A-C, which contains trace amounts of codeine.

So, that’s the Schedule of Drugs. That’s how it works. Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult for those involved in the classification process to reach a consensus about the perceived addiction of most drugs. As a result, drugs on the DEA Schedule are constantly being reinvestigated and reclassified.

And, that’s good news for the future of medical marijuana. Because, classifying marijuana with heroin and LSD as a Schedule I drug having a high potential for abuse and no medicinal purpose whatsoever is quite frankly, in my opinion, ridiculous.

For decades, scientific research has documented the numerous medicinal properties of marijuana. In the 1980s, for example, studies from the National Cancer Institute found that the active ingredient in marijuana known as THC had the ability to relieve nausea and vomiting in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Further research has indicated that marijuana and THC are useful in treating glaucoma by reducing the intraocular pressure in the eyes, in treating epilepsy and in relieving the pain of muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis, paraplegia and quadriplegia.

Clearly, the potential medicinal use of marijuana has been documented for years. So, is it time? Should the Feds reconsider the classification of marijuana? You bet. Absolutely. The value of marijuana as a medical tool is a given. Indeed, states now are even passing the use and legalization of marijuana for individual use without a medical need.

One word of caution, however. And, this concerns the mode of delivery of marijuana in the medical setting. Typically, this drug is smoked.  We already know that smoking tobacco is harmful. Similarly, smoking marijuana exposes an individual to more than four hundred different chemicals, which include most of the hazardous chemicals found in tobacco. Indeed, the level of tar in a marijuana cigarette is four times greater than the level of tar found in a tobacco cigarette.

Opium, for instance, is a drug that has proven itself medically beneficial in a variety of different forms. Scientists have extracted the active ingredients from opium to produce a number of pharmaceutical products, including morphine, codeine, oxycodone and hydrocodone. But, the smoking of opium itself has never been endorsed as a medically sound way of delivering the drug.

Interestingly enough, the active ingredient in marijuana – THC – also has been extracted by scientists and has been approved for medical use with a doctor’s prescription. Marketed as Marinol, it is known as the “medical marijuana in a pill” with patches and inhalants in development. And, this form of marijuana use has been available for years in the medical community.

So, what’s the bottom line? What’s our take-away from this information? How about this:

• Marijuana should be reclassified in the Schedule of Drugs as a drug with proven medical benefits.
• New ways of extracting THC from marijuana should be researched.
• Marinol should be continued as an alternative form of medical marijuana in the treatment of pain and nausea.
• Delivery methods for the use of medical marijuana other than smoking should be investigated and developed.

Now, that’s a lot to think about. The good news is that our Federal government agrees that it’s time to take another look at marijuana and its place in the mainstream world of medical treatment and therapy. In turn, this is good news for the thousands of patients who suffer from a variety of illnesses and conditions that could benefit from the use of medical marijuana.

So, until this is all sorted out and we have all the above criteria in order, perhaps those who have access to legalized medical marijuana should adhere to the old “tried and true” method of delivery. Whip up a batch of gooey dark chocolate brownies and add a few spoons full of marijuana to the mix. Not only will you be getting relief from cancer-related nausea and vomiting, pain from neurological disease, blinding headaches from migraines and cramping from muscular conditions – you’ll be benefiting from all the “feel good” chemicals like serotonin and endorphins found in the dark chocolate. Not bad! AND, you won’t be exposing your lungs and body tissues to the harmful effects of smoking.

Well, that concludes this week’s #Factual Friday everyone. It’s always fun for me to connect with you in this way and thanks again for joining me! Until next time, stay in GOOD HEALTH and . . .

TAKE THE COURSE AND TAKE CHARGE!