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To: twentyfirstcenturyfox who wrote (7131)	4/16/2001 1:13:16 PM
From: Technopeasant	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14101

Calgary Herald EDITORIAL Monday 16 April 2001 Strange priority Cash to study marijuana, while drugs with more potential still not approved Health Canada has signed a $6-million deal to investigate the therapeutic possibilities of marijuana, but has yet to approve a drug, developed in Canada, that offers relief to sufferers of osteoarthritis. It's puzzling that the department can find time and money to research marijuana, which holds only modest promise as a pain reliever, but can't find resources to approve a drug already shown to ease severe osteoarthritic pain. Pennsaid, developed by Dimethaid Research, has had extensive clinical testing over the past five years, closely monitored under the highest global standards. The tests show Pennsaid is effective and, unlike other drugs used to treat osteoarthritic pain, has no side effects. It has been approved for use in Great Britain. Approvals in Europe and the U.S. are pending, but Canada has yet to act. Marijuana research is useful, even if it just points to what marijuana won't do. But is it a good use of resources when other areas show much more promise? The Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Health of the U.S. Institute of Health has already reported finding little concrete evidence in favour of medicinal marijuana. In many cases where marijuana provided relief, other drugs available by prescription or over the counter would have been more effective. At a series of workshops, people crippled by their illnesses described how marijuana helps them lead normal lives. An AIDS sufferer described how marijuana helped him regain his appetite and put on weight. A woman with multiple sclerosis said marijuana gave her back her mobility. "This collection of anecdotal data, though useful, is limited," said the institute's report. "We heard many positive stories, but no stories from people who tried marijuana but found it ineffective. This is a fraction with an unknown denominator. "Marijuana clearly seems to relieve some symptoms for some people even if it is only a placebo effect. What is the balance of harmful and beneficial effects? That is the essential medical question that can be answered only by careful analysis of data collected under controlled conditions." Marijuana derivatives show some promise in treating some AIDS symptoms, particularly loss of appetite and weight, but the institute warns against smoking the drug in most cases, because of the harm the smoke can cause. More power to Health Canada if it can carefully analyze data collected under controlled conditions. The world will be watching -- this is a big issue, not because of medicine, but because of politics. The idea of marijuana as medicine appeals to many people, while drugs with more promise don't attract the same kind of attention. We urge the government to keep the research from becoming muddied by politics.