Feature:
A candid talk with Dr. Lester Grinspoon
Lester Grinspoon MD
is an emeritus associate
professor of psychiatry at
Harvard Medical School.
He has been studying
cannabis since 1967 and
has published two books on
the subject: “Marihuana
Reconsidered” (Harvard
University Press, 1971)
and “Marihuana, the
Forbidden Medicine”, coauthored
with James B.
Bakalar (Yale University
Press, 1993). He maintains
two active websites:
The Medical Marijuana
w e b s i t e
(www.Rxmarijuana.com)
and The Uses of
Marijuana website
( w w w. m a r i j u a n a -
uses.com).
Lester is truly one of
the most respected and
loved marijuana advocates
in the world. His
compassion and commitment
to the truth keep him, at 77, active in the
reform movement and he continues to give his
time to all of us in so many ways. On behalf of
all the volunteers and supporters of Cannabis
Health we would like to thank him, from the
bottom of our hearts. It has been our honor to be
able to work with him.
SNIP
Cannabis Health: Could you explain
what Dr. JM McPartland and Dr. Ethan
Russo meant by the statement: “The
combination of THC, CBD and essential
oils in cannabis based medicinal extracts
may produce a therapeutic preparation
whose benefits are greater than the sum
of its parts”.
Dr. Lester Grinspoon: That is a good description of herbal marijuana, which is
comprised of all of the therapeutically useful
elements, some of which probably behave
synergistically, and some have yet to be identified.
If the extracts McPartland and Russo
speak of contained all of these elements, they
would have the potential for being as clinically
useful as whole smoked or vaporized
cannabis. However, because they are not
intended to be taken through the pulmonary
system, they are handicapped in any medical
competition with herbal marihuana.
CH: GW recently stated in a press
release: “Sativex is not liquid marijuana
- Sativex is a pharmaceutical product
standardized in composition formulation,
and dose administered by means of
an appropriate alternative delivery
system, which has been, and continues
to be, tested in properly controlled
preclinical and clinical studies. Crude
herbal cannabis-often called ‘marijuana’-
in liquid or any other form is none of
those things”.
LG: Over the 38 years during which I
have been studying cannabis I have been so
impressed by both its very limited toxicity
and its versatility as a medicine that I should
think that GW Pharmaceuticals would not
take umbrage with the description of Sativex
as “liquid marijuana”; I would see it as a
compliment. However, I think these folks
have undertaken a bold endeavor to make use
of the anecdotal data generated by medical
marijuana users to create a pharmaceutical
product which now requires them to
persuade the world that manipulated orange
juice is safer, easier to deal with and healthier
than whole oranges; and, of course, it’s
worth the extra cost. It’s an absurd proposition
but GW Pharmaceuticals has to
persuade would-be medical cannabis users
that there is a significant therapeutic difference
between Sativex, an extract of marijuana,
and herbal marijuana.
I believe that they will not be very
successful in selling this extract unless they
succeed in making this distinction. However,
if the prohibition gets more severe, interest in
Sativex is likely to increase in the same way
it has for Marinol — not because it is a better
and safer medicine than herbal marihuana,
but because it is not illegal. If the prohibition
were to disappear and Sativex had to compete
with herbal marijuana on a level playing
field, Sativex would probably suffer a fate
similar to that of
Marinol; some people
would use it, some
might even prefer it, but
it would not be a major
means by which people
make use of the therapeutic
utilities in marijuana.
If marijuana had
been allowed to be
researched in the appropriate
way for such a
widely used medicine, it
would long since have
been... “tested in properly
controlled preclinical
and clinical studies.” It’s
a little inaccurate for
GW to say Sativex
marks the world’s first
approval of a cannabisderived
medicine. Does
GW not think that
Nabilone or Marinol are
cannabis-derived medicines?
In the literal sense
Sativex comes from a
marijuana plant as opposed to a synthetic
compound, but those drugs are cannabisderived
medicines as well. Contemporary
governments may not approve herbal marijuana
as a medicine but a significant fraction
of the medical marijuana patients of the
world use it as a medicine, have done so for
centuries, and will continue to do so.
CH: What is the history of marijuana
extract?
LG: By the mid-19th century, there were
a number of drug companies who were
producing Cannabis indica, the generic name
at the time for extracts of marijuana. One
that was commonly used was Tilden’s
Extract, the brand that Fitz Hugh Ludlow
decided to use. He was emulating writers of
the French Romantic literary movement,
members of Le Club des Haschischins who
would take large amounts of hashish, which
together with their effusive imaginations, led
to extraordinary and often distorted accounts
of cannabis experiences. In fact, in my opinion,
these descriptions led to some of the
myths which, until recently, surrounded
marijuana. These exaggerated accounts even
percolated down to Harry Anslinger [architect
of US prohibition], although he almost
certainly didn’t read them directly.
Extracts such as Tilden’s were most
commonly used to treat insomnia and pain.
They could be purchased from the local
apothecary up until the Marijuana Tax Act
was passed in 1937. Bayer (the same company
which is now partnering with GW
Pharmaceuticals to distribute Sativex) produced the first synthesized acetylsalicylic
acid, or Aspirin, in 1898. Physicians now
could prescribe these little white pills that
would relieve mild to moderate pain. In 1900
the first of the barbiturates was synthesized,
and others came rapidly on its heels. Now
there were pills that one could prescribe for
sleep. The Marijuana Tax Act was not meant
to contribute to the demise of cannabis as a
medicine, but the kinds of paperwork created
by the Act discouraged physicians from
prescribing it. Consequently, with the arrival
of these new drugs which successfully treated
insomnia and pain, the two symptoms for
which Cannabis indica was most commonly
prescribed, its use declined. It was removed
from the pharmacopoeia in 1941. SNIP
Read the whole interview
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July/Aug
2005
Vol 3 Issue 5
Table of Contents
A candid conversation with
Dr. Lester Grinspoon
Festival of Freedom at the Forks
July 22-24 - Click for more info
Ask An Expert
Cannasat Resource Centre
Cannabis and Public Policy
Portrait of Homeland Insecurity
Global Hemp, the power of the US
A day in the life of two Medical Cannabis users
Casualties of Prohibition
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Cannabis & Public Policy
Author, Laura
Webster is a
member of the
recent graduating
class of
2005 from the
University of
N o r t hern
B r i t i s h
Columbia. She graduated with a Bachelor of
Arts earning a major in Political Science and
minors in Human Geography and
International Studies. Living and working in
Prince George, BC has opened her eyes to many
environmental, social and health issues that
exist not only within the jurisdiction of the city,
but problems that are results of provincial and
national spheres of influence. She is primarily
interested in the policy and law that drives
the decision making at all levels of government.
SNIP - Canadian public policy does not exist in a
vacuum; there are many international and
domestic pressures that ultimately affect the
outcome of every policy. The buzz word of
the early 21st century has been globalization.
Some people see this phenomenon as a positive
force and others predict that its overwhelming
presence will ruin the human race.
Either way, it exists in all countries, cultures
and communities. Drug legislation in particular
brings to light many global opinions.
Countries all around the world have experimented
with different drug policies, from
prohibition to legalization. Today in Canada
cannabis, or marijuana, is the most common
drug that has become a candidate for legalization
and debate. While some European
nations have implemented very liberal policies
and gone forward with the full legalization
of cannabis, the most economically
powerful and religiously conservative United
States (US) has opted to declare a war on
drugs. With specific reference to marijuana
legislation, globalization has helped the
public interest in Canada on the issue.
Canadian policy makers cannot ignore
foreign policies, but it remains to be determined
where exactly Canada stands on the
issue. Can we claim to be as liberal as our
European counterparts? Or are we as cynical
and ignorant as our southern neighbours?
READ MORE
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Cannabis Health Journal is the voice and the new image of the responsible cannabis user. The publication treats cannabis as one plant and offers balanced coverage of cannabis hemp and cannabis marijuana. Special attention is given to the therapeutic health benefits of this plant made medicine. Regular contributors offer the latest on the evolving Canadian cannabis laws, politics, and regulations. We also offer professional advice on cannabis cooking, growing at home, human interest stories and scientific articles from countries throughout the world, keeping our readers in touch and informed. Cannabis Health is integrated with our resource website, offering complete downloadable PDF versions of all archived editions. |
