vol1 - Page 325
Page 325
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Inhalation therapy [marijuan_mokin_] was
found to be more consistent.
Simply stated, the scientific quest for the _Holy
Grail n -- a synthetic substitute for marijuana _a has either
failed to produce an alternative, as in the topical THC-based eye
drop, or has produced an inferior substitute, like oral THC. The
Alliance encourages qreater effort in this pursuit_ but also
realizes that, within the context of medical treatment,
physicians and patients must deal with immediate realities.
The use of marijuana Uin treatment _ is informed by two
centrally important facts: i) marijuana, for all its chemical
diversity, is an incredibly _safe" drug and0 2) patients who
employ marijuana nself-titrate _ to control the dose of the drug.
As discussede _ at IV, marijuana is an extremely
Usafe _ drug. It has an extraordinarily i_igh LD-50. -4_/ Thus, it
is impossible to induce a lethal overdose and there are no
clinically confirmed reports of debilitating, long-term adverse
effects. _/ Hence, employing marijuana in therapy does not
expose the patient to any significant ri_k of injury.
From the testimony of many witnesses, it is also
obvious that patients who smoke marijuana in therapy quickly
learn to adjust their dose. Raphael Meclloulam, Ph.D. testified:
44/ Affidavit of Clarence Fortner_ _ 18o
_/ Affidavit of Raphael Mechoulam_ Ph.D.s _ 8. Later,
Mechoulam notes that_ because marijuana's LD-50 is so high it
cannot be quantified, marijuana could not receive NDA approval
from FDA. In effect, marijuana is too _safe n to demonstrate an
ability to be lethal. /_.
__6/ Affidavit of Dr. A/_drew Weil, I 44.
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