No need for medical marijuana Sativex?

Question

Is there any reason for the debate on medical marijuana now that Sativex, which is basically the pharmaceutical whole plant extract in the form of a spray, is out and when it gets approved by the FDA? I can't seem to find much information on this on the web.

People seem to want to legalize smoked Marijuana for medical purposes for the critically ill patients. But with Sativex out, I don't see any reason to legalize marijuana for medical purposes anymore and that making it legal would only lead to more recreational uses. Or am I missing something? Besides maybe the slight cost difference and that Sativex takes maybe 10 more minutes to get through your system, it seems like the solution for the medical Marijuana debate no? This is strictly for medical purposes, not for complete legalization of Marijuana for recreational purposes.

Answer 1

Well i dont think that Sativex will replace crude plant material, just as i dont think robots will replace crude human material.

Sativex is distinct from all other pharmaceutically produced cannabinoids currently available because it is derived from botanical material, rather than a solely synthetic process. However even though it contains THC and Cannabidol (CBD) it is lacking many of the cannabinoids found in the crude content of Marijuana.

Marinol, a THC pill, contains only a synthetic version of THC, which is just one of marijuana's approximately 60 active components, called cannabinoids. Sativex contains THC and other cannabinoids, however only a fraction of waht the plant contains! Sativex takes the ingredients believed to help heal pain, but it is weird how nature works. When you isolate just the two chemicals, they do not preform as they do when imbedded in the matrix of chemicals found in the palnt.

Most medical marijuana users obtain relief without becoming intoxicated, and the same is true of Sativex. While both contain THC, both also contain other natural plant components which moderate its effects, and both allow users to adjust their dose as needed to obtain relief without intoxication. However like I said, Sativex has very few other compounds.

So in my final words:

Sativex acts far more slowly than marijuana that is inhaled (as through a vaporizer). According to the company's official product information, peak blood levels aren't reached for more than an hour and a half -- about as slowly as Marinol, which many doctors and patients consider unacceptably slow. Sativex is also expensive -- about $3 Canadian per spray, or about $15 per day at the average dose. IN ADDITION, PATIENTS HAVE FOUND THAT DIFFERENT STRAINS OF MARIJUANA provide the best relief for different conditions, so Sativex is unlikely to benefit every patient who currently benefits (or could benefit) from whole marijuana.

Sativex is simply another form of medical marijuana, and patients and doctors should be able to choose what works best for each patient’s particular situation. Now that the FDA has approved Sativex, arresting and jailing patients for using herbal marijuana would make no more sense than allowing people to drink coffee while jailing them for possessing coffee beans.

Thank you so much for being interested in a topic that so many are too scared to even look at. Please continue to ask questions for others opinions, share your opinions to others, and fill yourself with factual knowledge and keep an open mind.

Answer 2

I guess time will tell, but it seems people really like their medical marijuana!

Answer 3

dont u think its bogus to see a natural plant in Schedule I that said it has no medical value then see a company make a extract of it and say it has medical value which gets it in schedule 3. what heck is the difference THC is THC it either has medical value or it dosent.

also Dronabinol been on the market for a while which is a pill that is THC.