IS THIS BEST MEDICAL PRACTICE FOR SICK PEOPLE?
The following medical organisations in the United States have stated that marijuana has not been scientifically shown to be safe or effective as medicine:
- AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
- AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
- NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ASSOCIATION
- AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
- NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
- NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL RESEARCH
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
NOTE:
Cannabis is an addictive narcotic drug (banned by the UN Conventions on Narcotics and the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child). This not surprising since Cannabis is a drug which impairs thinking, judgement, memory, coordination and the immune system. It causes cancer, lung disease, mental illness, leukaemia in babies born to pot smoking mothers and leads to the use of other drugs. Like tobacco executives, and promoters downplay the drug's dangers, using some of the same arguments. Also, as with alcohol and tobacco products youngsters are targeted.
There is a large well-funded lobby in America and elsewhere working to promote drug legalisation. The Medical Marijuana Scam is by their own admission, along with Industrial Hemp one of the measures used to confuse the public. The US financier Mr George Soros is just one of those who has sunk millions of dollars of his fortune into promoting this campaign. Greed and power are the driving forces behind this campaign.
AMERICA
In June 2001, The American Medical Association House of Delegates refused to back the medical use of marijuana. A member of the AMA's council on Scientific Affairs said that compassionate use of marijuana does not help doctors evaluate whether the drug is useful, because it is not done in the context of a controlled clinical trial. Any suggestion of improvement in patients under these conditions is considered anecdotal and virtually worthless as scientific evidence. (UPI Science News, June 19, 2001)
On May 14th 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously with Justice Bryer recusing himself) that there is no "medical necessity" expectation to the Controlled Substances Act's prohibitions against manufacturing and distributing marijuana. It is clear from the text of the act that Congress has made a determination that marijuana has no medical benefits worthy of an exception.
Congressman Bob Barr stated, "Directly defying our efforts as a Congress and a nation,small groups of well-funded activists engaged in deceptive, back-door efforts to legalize drugs that are already banned under federal law. Hiding behind the myth of the so-called "medical" use of marijuana despite the fact that there is no scientific proof that this mind-altering substance provides any real medical relief. Marijuana was, and still is, a gateway drug; a dangerous mind-altering substance that leads to abuse of other drugs." he stated. (Source: Drug Watch International)
"Medical " marijuana is a way to persuade the public that pot is benign" "If marijuana is medicine Dr Kevorkian wrote the perscription"(Don Feder, columnist, Boston Herald, 4/2/01)
Carlton E Turner, Ph.D., D.Sc., Deputy Assistant to the President for Drug Abuse Policy Control, 1982-1987 has stated. "There is no therapeutic use for marijuana. THC, one of marijuana's 483 components, has been replicated synthetically and is already available in theUnited States by prescription under the name "Marinol"." Nabalone" is on the market in Canada. Marijuana is neither "Marinol" or "Nabalone". Many double-blind studies have been done using marijuana proving it is ineffective for medicinal purposes.
This issue belongs to the FDA (Federal Drug Administration), not in state legislatures, and certainly not with groups funded by pro-drug groups or individuals," he said. (Source Drug Watch International News Briefs).
SWEDEN
Studies carried out on conscripts in Sweden reported a substantial number of cannabis users suffering from Schizophrenia.
Marijuana increases schizophrenia by a factor of four to six, disorients the user, causes psychotic reaction, panic anxiety, hallucinations, reproductive cellular disruption and cancer.(National Institute of Health-schizophrenia Bulletin, Vol.23 Nov.1977 page 221.Swedish Conscripts, Lancet 1987; 2; 1483-86. Source Drug Watch International)
NOTE:Juan C.Negrete, McGill University Addictions Unit, Montreal General Hospital, Canada writes: There appears to be agreement on the following findings: Cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia; cannabis use precipitates a more sudden and earlier onset of the illness; cannabis use enhances the "positive" symptoms of schizophrenia (excessive dopaminergic activity, greater hallucinatory and delusional activity); cannabis worsens he "negative" symptoms of schizophrenia(lethargy, autism, anhedonia,social withdrawal). These symptoms might result from cholinergic hyperactivity. These effects of cannabis in the symptoms of schizophrenia are likely to be due to an interaction of THC with central dopaminergic and cholinergic neurotransmission.
SLOVAKIA
Prime Minister Mikulus Dzurinda's cabinet in Slovakia unequivocally agreed that Slovakia would not legalise cannabis products. "No marijuana, no soft way in this area - only zero tolerance to drugs in Slovakia".
This country is clearly adhering to the Internationally agreed U.N. Conventions.
IRELAND
The Irish Government will not support the medical marijuana scam. The Irish MS Society does not support the medical marijuana scam The Irish Cancer Society does not support the medical marijuana scam The Irish College of Physicans does not support the medical marijuana scam.
Note:If and when a compound is isolated and found to be both safe and effective it will be available through medical prescription as a pill, suppository or oral spray. Not through a crude smoked joint with all it's implications for contraindications. So far there is no conclusive medical evidence to support such a case.
CANADA
The Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM), representing doctors across Canada specializing in treating marijuana, alcohol, and other addictions, released a statement (4/10/01) expressing concerns about federal Health Minister Allan Rock's regulations allowing terminal patients, people with AIDS, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, epilepsy, severe arthritis and other serious conditions to use the drug if it eases their symptoms. The society stated that there are, in each disease cited in the regulations, alternative therapies. That the regulations place most physicians in Canada in a serious ethical quandary. That no scientific literature supports the use of smoking marijuana as a method of delivering the active ingredients in the treatment of illness. And that there are significant ill effects for some users of cannabis. The Society's policy states "That, overall there is more risk than benefit in the use of cannabis products for medicinal purposes". Dr Bill Campbell, president of CSAM, said that smoking marijuana has not met he rigorous criteria required before a drug can be considered both safe and therapeutic.
The Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) which is the largest medical malpractice fund in the country is warning Canadian doctors that they could expose themselves to lawsuits and disciplinary action if they prescribe marijuana to patients. The Insurance group represents about 95% (60,000) of Canada's practising doctors. In a letter to the Health Minister responsible for relaxing the laws on prescribing medical pot the CMPA warns the new regulations place an unacceptable burden on it's members as to the effectiveness of medical marijuana in each patient's case, as well as the risks and benefits of the drug and what dosage would be appropriate. This information is simply not available. It is unreasonable to make physicians gatekeepers in this process they state. The new regulations came into force this summer (2001)
The Alberta Medical Association has already warned its members to be cautious about approving the use of pot. "We are asking where is the evidence. There haven't been controlled studies on the side- effects," said AMA spokesman Ron Kustra. Doctors can't be sure what they are prescribing". In medicine, knowledge is typically derived from clinical trials, of which there are very few for marijuana. Interaction with other drugs, whether legally prescribed or obtained illegally, the patient's addiction among other factors would have to be taken into account when noting the patient's history.
THE NETHERLANDS
Dutch researchers report that MS patients don't benefit from cannabis. Swallowing specially prepared capsules with either cannabis or THC did not reduce complaints of patients. The researchers also measured muscular strength, spasticity and fatigue. One of the researchers, neurologist J. Killestrin, said that on the basis of the results of the capsules, he doubts that smoked cannabis would benefit MS patients. "Proofs from the literature for a possible effect, also when being administered in smoked form, are marginal".
(Hospital of the Free University in Amsterdam and the TNO, Organisation for Applied Scientific Research; Delft, The Netherlands Dutch daily "De Volkskrant"Dec.2000)
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