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The Straight Dope on Cannabis-Inspired Meds

JacksinPA

JacksinPA

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Last spring Canada became the first and only country to approve a drug called Sativex to treat the chronic pain endured by most of the 2.5 million people with multiple sclerosis. The announcement caused, ahem, quite a buzz. Sativex is a whole-plant extract of high-grade Cannabis sativa, a.k.a. marijuana, and is the first prescription drug to contain all 60-plus of the plant's cannabinoids, those compounds that include the psychoactive chemical THC. Although the drug packs a pain-numbing punch, its mouth-spray formulation slows its release into the body, thus diminishing those consciousness-altering side effects associated with smoking marijuana.

Despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June to uphold the ban on medical marijuana, drug companies are not discouraged. In fact, Sativex is just one of nearly two dozen new pharmaceutical compounds inspired by the herb. Last year the Society for Neuroscience conference featured almost 200 papers on cannabinoids; a decade ago there were exactly zero. And 22 pharmaceutical companies, including giants Pfizer and GlaxoSmith-Kline, helped fund last year's meeting of the International Cannabinoid Research Society.
In 1992 not a single drug company attended, according to executive director Richard Musty. "Now," he says, "they're showing up and madly taking notes."
==================================================
Man has been using marijuana & its derivative form hashish for millennia. Now big pharma smells $$$ instead of just pot smoke.
 
Chomsky said:
:lamo

(Nice article title, too!)
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Pfizer did a lot of work on THC analogs in the latre 70s-early 80s. CP-47,497 was one of the novel molecules that came out of this effort. I met the top researcher, Dr. Melvin, after he moved to Glaxo in NC. CP 47,497 - Wikipedia
 
JacksinPA said:
Thanks.

Pfizer did a lot of work on THC analogs in the latre 70s-early 80s. CP-47,497 was one of the novel molecules that came out of this effort. I met the top researcher, Dr. Melvin, after he moved to Glaxo in NC. CP 47,497 - Wikipedia
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You're welcome!

Interesting.

As an aside, every time I hear the term "the straight dope" I think of the old Cecil Adams' Chicago Reader column. It was finally axed last year, after being around since the late 60's or so.
 
I fear that once Big Pharma gets a foothold, they'll control the market that we'll right back where we started with buying marijuana from the black market.
 
JacksinPA said:
Last spring Canada became the first and only country to approve a drug called Sativex to treat the chronic pain endured by most of the 2.5 million people with multiple sclerosis. The announcement caused, ahem, quite a buzz. Sativex is a whole-plant extract of high-grade Cannabis sativa, a.k.a. marijuana, and is the first prescription drug to contain all 60-plus of the plant's cannabinoids, those compounds that include the psychoactive chemical THC. Although the drug packs a pain-numbing punch, its mouth-spray formulation slows its release into the body, thus diminishing those consciousness-altering side effects associated with smoking marijuana.

Despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June to uphold the ban on medical marijuana, drug companies are not discouraged. In fact, Sativex is just one of nearly two dozen new pharmaceutical compounds inspired by the herb. Last year the Society for Neuroscience conference featured almost 200 papers on cannabinoids; a decade ago there were exactly zero. And 22 pharmaceutical companies, including giants Pfizer and GlaxoSmith-Kline, helped fund last year's meeting of the International Cannabinoid Research Society.
In 1992 not a single drug company attended, according to executive director Richard Musty. "Now," he says, "they're showing up and madly taking notes."
==================================================
Man has been using marijuana & its derivative form hashish for millennia. Now big pharma smells $$$ instead of just pot smoke.
Click to expand...

I bet Monsanto already has their Round Up Ready weed variety patent applications typed up and ready to file the second the drug is legalized at the federal level.
 
This drugs like any of those we see constantly on television are high priced and unaffordable to the majority of people that need them. Check it out one day, notice what drug they're advertising then google the prices. One recently had a small disclaimer on the bottom of the screen that said it's $3,300 per month for a 30 day supply. Drug companies spent 4.5 billion last year on television advertising alone.

This new drug will be like the others. It's great, it works but nobody can afford it.
 
Drawdown said:
I bet Monsanto already has their Round Up Ready weed variety patent applications typed up and ready to file the second the drug is legalized at the federal level.
Click to expand...

I hope so. I'd much rather see pot cultivated in modern farms on private land and using modern methods than in "plantations" in the national forests and national parks using outdated and highly polluting methods and necessitating expensive clean ups when they're done.
 
Dittohead not! said:
I hope so. I'd much rather see pot cultivated in modern farms on private land and using modern methods than in "plantations" in the national forests and national parks using outdated and highly polluting methods and necessitating expensive clean ups when they're done.
Click to expand...

If legalized people will just move onto something else. Getting away with breaking the law is have to fun of it. It is part of the reason underage smoking and drinking are still persistent problems.
 
Drawdown said:
If legalized people will just move onto something else. Getting away with breaking the law is have to fun of it. It is part of the reason underage smoking and drinking are still persistent problems.
Click to expand...

Oh, yes, the lure of forbidden fruit. So, let's pass a law against going to school regularly and doing your homework. That'll show them.
 
Dittohead not! said:
Oh, yes, the lure of forbidden fruit. So, let's pass a law against going to school regularly and doing your homework. That'll show them.
Click to expand...

As long as you get a doctor to diagnose you with some disorder, you can not only get away with it, your parents can get a check from uncle sam due to your disability to get on a bus twice a day.
 
Moot said:
I fear that once Big Pharma gets a foothold, they'll control the market that we'll right back where we started with buying marijuana from the black market.
Click to expand...

That certainly is possible, but the market is evolving quickly, as this article shows.
 
Drawdown said:
If legalized people will just move onto something else. Getting away with breaking the law is have to fun of it. It is part of the reason underage smoking and drinking are still persistent problems.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily so. Many people just want to get high, to alter their perception of reality. Once that urge is satisfied, life goes on.
 
Drawdown said:
I bet Monsanto already has their Round Up Ready weed variety patent applications typed up and ready to file the second the drug is legalized at the federal level.
Click to expand...

Unlikely

The highest concentration weed is grown indoors hydroponically. No weed control just insect and fungal issues to deal with
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
Unlikely

The highest concentration weed is grown indoors hydroponically. No weed control just insect and fungal issues to deal with
Click to expand...

Monsanto is not interested n top shelf producers of anything. They want bulk suppliers who need lots and lots of acreage needing sprayed.
 
Drawdown said:
Monsanto is not interested n top shelf producers of anything. They want bulk suppliers who need lots and lots of acreage needing sprayed.
Click to expand...

Monstano (nee Bayer now) makes more money selling the seeds then it does glyphosate. Glyphosate is off patent and anyone can produce it now. Monsanto is still a massive producer of it
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
Monstano (nee Bayer now) makes more money selling the seeds then it does glyphosate. Glyphosate is off patent and anyone can produce it now. Monsanto is still a massive producer of it
Click to expand...

Lots and lots of acreage needs lots and lots of seed as well. They are no more interested in top shelf weed than they are organic corn. The money for them is in supplying the growers who will be selling to convenience stores along side the tobacco
 
JacksinPA said:
Last spring Canada became the first and only country to approve a drug called Sativex to treat the chronic pain endured by most of the 2.5 million people with multiple sclerosis. The announcement caused, ahem, quite a buzz. Sativex is a whole-plant extract of high-grade Cannabis sativa, a.k.a. marijuana, and is the first prescription drug to contain all 60-plus of the plant's cannabinoids, those compounds that include the psychoactive chemical THC. Although the drug packs a pain-numbing punch, its mouth-spray formulation slows its release into the body, thus diminishing those consciousness-altering side effects associated with smoking marijuana.

Despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June to uphold the ban on medical marijuana, drug companies are not discouraged. In fact, Sativex is just one of nearly two dozen new pharmaceutical compounds inspired by the herb. Last year the Society for Neuroscience conference featured almost 200 papers on cannabinoids; a decade ago there were exactly zero. And 22 pharmaceutical companies, including giants Pfizer and GlaxoSmith-Kline, helped fund last year's meeting of the International Cannabinoid Research Society.
In 1992 not a single drug company attended, according to executive director Richard Musty. "Now," he says, "they're showing up and madly taking notes."
==================================================
Man has been using marijuana & its derivative form hashish for millennia. Now big pharma smells $$$ instead of just pot smoke.
Click to expand...



Nabiximols (trade name Sativex) also has the other most active MJ ingredient than THC being cannabidiol, or CBD, which is non-psychoactive. It affects the body for pain and relaxation and often used for anxiety (unfortunately, THC can make anxiety worse). Nabiximols only has a 1:1 ratio (2.7 to 2.5) of THC to CBD of the product to offer. However, by and large, THC is illegal in the US and where states have legalized MJ, there can be many prohibitive localized restriction. But because of the specific chemical 1:1 ratio and scientific label of “Nabiximols”, it is scheduled separately from cannabis and the drug is legal in the US, even though it is made from cannabis. I haven’t found anything that says otherwise. Go figure.

You can see by the size of the bottle, with the spray head being nearly the same size as the bottle and the thumb and forefinger for measurement, that Sativex is not very affordable.

Order Sativex Online Without Prescription
 
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