Medicinal Cannabis

Unintended Consequences

Medicinal cannabis is a hot topic.  Some see it as the thin edge of the wedge.  It may or may not be the case.  It all depends upon the compliance regime surrounding it.  After all, opiates have been prescribed by medical practitioners for years--centuries in fact.   "Prescription only" does not mean widespread use of a drug for recreational or non-medicinal usage.

We remain ambivalent about the long term effects of general (non-medical) cannabis use.  Different positions--all claiming to be research based--have been put forward.  The spectrum ranges from allegations of "no harm done" to allegations of significant damage.  But the medicinal applications appear clear cut.

Here is one example:

The cost of medicinal cannabis is set to tumble after Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne approved a Canadian pain relief product.  It is estimated the marijuana-based tincture called Tilray will cost at least 50 per cent less than the existing legal product Sativex, a UK mouth spray made by GW Pharma.

Multiple sclerosis sufferer, Dr Huhana Hickey, who applied to use Tilray, said: "I'm so relieved. It's going to save me $700 a month."  The AUT academic says she has spent $9000 on prescriptions since she started taking medicinal cannabis in February. Hickey says the results have been remarkable.  "I'm living my life again. I'm back to work, I am fully-functioning."

She started using the spray to replace pain killers such as morphine, codeine, tramadol and other opiates which she had been prescribed for years.  "At the start I was sceptical I didn't think it was going to work that well, but I can't believe it. I haven't had opiates for seven months. It really works and I have no side effects."

Hickey says she doesn't get high, just a little dozy at nights.  "And I sleep, which is great because I've been an insomniac for 40 years."  Medicinal cannabis is being used to treat diverse conditions such as chronic pain, terminal cancer, Tourette's and child epilepsy. Patients say it reduces the severity of their symptoms.  [NZ Herald]

 It's time for New Zealand to move resolutely ahead on the medical prescription of cannabis.  Failure to do so makes the law an ass--and when that happens long term deleterious consequences alwaya follow creating much bigger social problems.