Herb Fellow
New Member
KALAMAZOO - The chief medical officer of Kalamazoo County might use marijuana to alleviate the pain of his glaucoma -- if it were legal. In 2000, Richard Tooker, 54, was diagnosed with pigmentary glaucoma, a rare eye disease where fluid buildup inside the eye can lead to intense pain. Blindness is also possible.
"I would consider taking it, if it were legal, for medical use,'' he said. "I want to keep my vision.'' Studies have shown marijuana can lessen pressure in the eyes of those with glaucoma.
Tooker said he would have to consult with legal counsel before he used the drug. That's because, even if Michigan voters in November decide to allow medical marijuana use by seriously ill patients, it still would be illegal under federal law.
Users of medical marijuana, as well as others who support its use, say the drug offers relief to those suffering debilitating conditions. They also say it would be cheaper than buying the drug off the street and that use and production can be controlled if properly regulated.
How would the appropriate dose be established for those who are deemed eligible users? Are there possible negative health effects from using the drug for medical reasons? Do alternatives to medical marijuana already exist?
"On the balance, it's a good thing,'' Tooker said of medical marijuana. "And if we're going to legalize marijuana for medical use in Michigan, let's legalize it across the country. It's a dicey, difficult issue.''
State Sen. Tom George, R-Texas Township, worked for Hospice of Greater Kalamazoo and sometimes prescribed a synthetic -- and legal -- form of marijuana called Marinol. But the drug is not cheap. Ninety Marinol pills at the middle dosage strength of 5 milligrams cost $1,140 at drugstore.com Online Pharmacy - Prescription Drugs, Health and Beauty, plus more, an online pharmacy. The amount and strength of Marinol taken by a patient depends on their needs. The average cost of an ounce of marijuana on the street is between $125 and $150, said Joseph Taylor, commander of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, which targets illegal drug use in Kalamazoo County.
Smoking risks
George, an anesthesiologist, opposes the ballot initiative because of the availability of Marinol and the possible health risks of medical marijuana. "Marinol is better than smokeable marijuana because Marinol does not contain the additional chemicals, impurities and hazards associated with smoke,'' George said in a statement this month to the Senate. "Also, the resulting THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) blood levels and hence, the effects, are more predictable with Marinol than smokeable marijuana.''
George said other drugs being developed would include THC, the main active component of marijuana. One drug is called Sativex, which if approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, could be used as a treatment for patients with advanced cancers. Approved in November by the FDA for clinical testing, the drug would be administered as an oral spray.
"I'm telling you, as a former hospice physician, it is of no benefit to legalize smokeable marijuana,'' George said.
The FDA agrees.
"There are alternative FDA-approved medications in existence for treatment of many of the proposed uses of smoked marijuana,'' the agency said in a statement in 2006.
But Marinol, available since 1986, has its problems, said Ruth Hoppe, head of the Michigan chapter of the American College of Physicians, the nation's second largest physicians group.
Marinol is absorbed slowly into the body, she said, and a patient experiencing extreme nausea might not be able to use it because the pill must be swallowed to be effective. "We need to look at other routes of delivery,'' Hoppe said.
Potential for abuse?
Smoking anything is harmful to one's health, Hoppe said. But that doesn't mean marijuana doesn't have its place as a legitimate medical treatment or supplement to other medications. The American College of Physicians recently released a position paper on medical marijuana. It concluded that, although more research needs to be done, "reports suggest numerous potential medical uses for marijuana.''
"For patients with AIDS or those undergoing chemotherapy, who suffer severe pain, nausea and appetite loss, cannabinoid drugs may provide symptom relief not found in any other medication,'' the position paper said.
The federal government, however, puts marijuana in the same class as LSD, heroin, mescaline, psychedelic mushrooms and ecstasy. "Marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision,'' the 2006 FDA report said.
The government's classification of marijuana hinders study of the drug for medical use, Hoppe said. The American College of Physicians is recommending reclassifying the drug to allow for more study. "I can see a day when marijuana is seen as a legitimate medical treatment, especially in conjunction with other medications,'' Hoppe said. "There is value in this drug.''
`Trial and error' doses
Marinol comes in doses of 2.5 milligrams, 5 milligrams and 10 milligrams. Determining the proper dose of marijuana from plants is less scientific because it can be smoked, drunk, eaten or inhaled through a vaporizer.
Tooker, who is open to the medical uses for marijuana, said he opposes smoking it. He said ``trial and error'' would be the only way to determine what the appropriate dose of marijuana would be for a patient.
Dianne Byrum, a former state legislator and spokeswoman for the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, said the dose level would depend on the patient's needs and symptoms. "This would be a recommendation, not a prescription,'' she said. She also said smoking marijuana would not be harmful, especially for patients with terminal conditions.
Drug of choice
For about 40 years, Eva Myrick, 62, has had multiple sclerosis, a disease that sometimes has made it difficult for her to speak, see and walk. Shortly after her diagnosis, she used marijuana to ease her symptoms. "It makes it so you can live with what you've got,'' she said. "It's like a cushion.''
Myrick, of Kalamazoo, takes four other prescription drugs, many of which have side effects like constipation. Marijuana, she said, would help make the side effects more tolerable. "If marijuana was legal (for medical use), I'd definitely try to get rid of some of my pills,'' she said.
Myrick said her husband, Bruce, also used marijuana prior to dying of cancer in 1997.
"Now it's a risk to try to find it,'' she said. "I don't (understand) it, though, because we're not hurting anybody.''
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette
Copyright: 2008, Kalamazoo Gazette
Contact: CHRIS KILLIAN, Special to the Gazette
Website: `There is value in this drug'Debate continues whether risks of medical marijuana outweigh the benefits- mlive.com
"I would consider taking it, if it were legal, for medical use,'' he said. "I want to keep my vision.'' Studies have shown marijuana can lessen pressure in the eyes of those with glaucoma.
Tooker said he would have to consult with legal counsel before he used the drug. That's because, even if Michigan voters in November decide to allow medical marijuana use by seriously ill patients, it still would be illegal under federal law.
Users of medical marijuana, as well as others who support its use, say the drug offers relief to those suffering debilitating conditions. They also say it would be cheaper than buying the drug off the street and that use and production can be controlled if properly regulated.
How would the appropriate dose be established for those who are deemed eligible users? Are there possible negative health effects from using the drug for medical reasons? Do alternatives to medical marijuana already exist?
"On the balance, it's a good thing,'' Tooker said of medical marijuana. "And if we're going to legalize marijuana for medical use in Michigan, let's legalize it across the country. It's a dicey, difficult issue.''
State Sen. Tom George, R-Texas Township, worked for Hospice of Greater Kalamazoo and sometimes prescribed a synthetic -- and legal -- form of marijuana called Marinol. But the drug is not cheap. Ninety Marinol pills at the middle dosage strength of 5 milligrams cost $1,140 at drugstore.com Online Pharmacy - Prescription Drugs, Health and Beauty, plus more, an online pharmacy. The amount and strength of Marinol taken by a patient depends on their needs. The average cost of an ounce of marijuana on the street is between $125 and $150, said Joseph Taylor, commander of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, which targets illegal drug use in Kalamazoo County.
Smoking risks
George, an anesthesiologist, opposes the ballot initiative because of the availability of Marinol and the possible health risks of medical marijuana. "Marinol is better than smokeable marijuana because Marinol does not contain the additional chemicals, impurities and hazards associated with smoke,'' George said in a statement this month to the Senate. "Also, the resulting THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) blood levels and hence, the effects, are more predictable with Marinol than smokeable marijuana.''
George said other drugs being developed would include THC, the main active component of marijuana. One drug is called Sativex, which if approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, could be used as a treatment for patients with advanced cancers. Approved in November by the FDA for clinical testing, the drug would be administered as an oral spray.
"I'm telling you, as a former hospice physician, it is of no benefit to legalize smokeable marijuana,'' George said.
The FDA agrees.
"There are alternative FDA-approved medications in existence for treatment of many of the proposed uses of smoked marijuana,'' the agency said in a statement in 2006.
But Marinol, available since 1986, has its problems, said Ruth Hoppe, head of the Michigan chapter of the American College of Physicians, the nation's second largest physicians group.
Marinol is absorbed slowly into the body, she said, and a patient experiencing extreme nausea might not be able to use it because the pill must be swallowed to be effective. "We need to look at other routes of delivery,'' Hoppe said.
Potential for abuse?
Smoking anything is harmful to one's health, Hoppe said. But that doesn't mean marijuana doesn't have its place as a legitimate medical treatment or supplement to other medications. The American College of Physicians recently released a position paper on medical marijuana. It concluded that, although more research needs to be done, "reports suggest numerous potential medical uses for marijuana.''
"For patients with AIDS or those undergoing chemotherapy, who suffer severe pain, nausea and appetite loss, cannabinoid drugs may provide symptom relief not found in any other medication,'' the position paper said.
The federal government, however, puts marijuana in the same class as LSD, heroin, mescaline, psychedelic mushrooms and ecstasy. "Marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision,'' the 2006 FDA report said.
The government's classification of marijuana hinders study of the drug for medical use, Hoppe said. The American College of Physicians is recommending reclassifying the drug to allow for more study. "I can see a day when marijuana is seen as a legitimate medical treatment, especially in conjunction with other medications,'' Hoppe said. "There is value in this drug.''
`Trial and error' doses
Marinol comes in doses of 2.5 milligrams, 5 milligrams and 10 milligrams. Determining the proper dose of marijuana from plants is less scientific because it can be smoked, drunk, eaten or inhaled through a vaporizer.
Tooker, who is open to the medical uses for marijuana, said he opposes smoking it. He said ``trial and error'' would be the only way to determine what the appropriate dose of marijuana would be for a patient.
Dianne Byrum, a former state legislator and spokeswoman for the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, said the dose level would depend on the patient's needs and symptoms. "This would be a recommendation, not a prescription,'' she said. She also said smoking marijuana would not be harmful, especially for patients with terminal conditions.
Drug of choice
For about 40 years, Eva Myrick, 62, has had multiple sclerosis, a disease that sometimes has made it difficult for her to speak, see and walk. Shortly after her diagnosis, she used marijuana to ease her symptoms. "It makes it so you can live with what you've got,'' she said. "It's like a cushion.''
Myrick, of Kalamazoo, takes four other prescription drugs, many of which have side effects like constipation. Marijuana, she said, would help make the side effects more tolerable. "If marijuana was legal (for medical use), I'd definitely try to get rid of some of my pills,'' she said.
Myrick said her husband, Bruce, also used marijuana prior to dying of cancer in 1997.
"Now it's a risk to try to find it,'' she said. "I don't (understand) it, though, because we're not hurting anybody.''
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette
Copyright: 2008, Kalamazoo Gazette
Contact: CHRIS KILLIAN, Special to the Gazette
Website: `There is value in this drug'Debate continues whether risks of medical marijuana outweigh the benefits- mlive.com
