Jamiejame911
04-20-2005, 03:40 PM
By ERIC BAILEY
Los Angeles Times
Published on: 04/20/05
Canada became the first nation Tuesday to approve a pharmaceutical spray derived from the cannabis plant, a move that could rattle the medical marijuana debate in the United States.
The new drug, called Sativex, is being produced by GW Pharmaceuticals of Britain and is expected to be available on pharmacy shelves in Canada within weeks, principally for the treatment of pain from multiple sclerosis.
"I think the Canadian approval will change an awful lot of things," said Geoffrey Guy, GW Pharmaceuticals executive chairman. In particular, it should help "create momentum" for approval in other countries, including the United States.
The company isn't expected to apply in the United States until late this year. An exhaustive examination of the drug's merits could take three to five years.
But the Canadian approval of Sativex, announced Tuesday by GW Pharmaceuticals at the opening of the London stock exchange, is already causing ripples in the United States.
Bush administration officials declined to comment but have said privately that approval of a prescription form of cannabis in the United States might ease wrangling by drawing a bright line between real patients and recreational users.
Some medical marijuana activists, meanwhile, see approval of Sativex as proof that cannabis is indeed a worthy medicine.
"Sativex is for all practical purposes liquid marijuana, so the question of whether marijuana is medicine has been settled," said Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project. "The only question is what form people use, and that's best left to doctors and patients."
Meanwhile, a few activists have vowed to travel north of the border to obtain Sativex instead of waiting for the drug's approval in the United States.
"It's not the fault of MS patients that the U.S. is so far behind in medical marijuana research and development," said Steph Sherer of Americans for Safe Access, a Berkeley, Calif., based medicinal marijuana advocacy group.
Ten U.S. states allow medical marijuana, but the federal government maintains strict prohibitions. In a key showdown, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide a case soon involving two California women who smoke marijuana to assuage illnesses.
Los Angeles Times
Published on: 04/20/05
Canada became the first nation Tuesday to approve a pharmaceutical spray derived from the cannabis plant, a move that could rattle the medical marijuana debate in the United States.
The new drug, called Sativex, is being produced by GW Pharmaceuticals of Britain and is expected to be available on pharmacy shelves in Canada within weeks, principally for the treatment of pain from multiple sclerosis.
"I think the Canadian approval will change an awful lot of things," said Geoffrey Guy, GW Pharmaceuticals executive chairman. In particular, it should help "create momentum" for approval in other countries, including the United States.
The company isn't expected to apply in the United States until late this year. An exhaustive examination of the drug's merits could take three to five years.
But the Canadian approval of Sativex, announced Tuesday by GW Pharmaceuticals at the opening of the London stock exchange, is already causing ripples in the United States.
Bush administration officials declined to comment but have said privately that approval of a prescription form of cannabis in the United States might ease wrangling by drawing a bright line between real patients and recreational users.
Some medical marijuana activists, meanwhile, see approval of Sativex as proof that cannabis is indeed a worthy medicine.
"Sativex is for all practical purposes liquid marijuana, so the question of whether marijuana is medicine has been settled," said Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project. "The only question is what form people use, and that's best left to doctors and patients."
Meanwhile, a few activists have vowed to travel north of the border to obtain Sativex instead of waiting for the drug's approval in the United States.
"It's not the fault of MS patients that the U.S. is so far behind in medical marijuana research and development," said Steph Sherer of Americans for Safe Access, a Berkeley, Calif., based medicinal marijuana advocacy group.
Ten U.S. states allow medical marijuana, but the federal government maintains strict prohibitions. In a key showdown, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide a case soon involving two California women who smoke marijuana to assuage illnesses.