Commentary
on Institute of Medicine Marijuana Study
As one of the final reviewers of the Institute of Medicine evaluation of
marijuana, and as a physician who has studied this issue for over twenty
years, I am aggravated by the inaccurate portrayal of marijuana that
the media has generally set forth.
The IOM summary should be seen as a victory for opponents of smoked marijuana.
It supported research into naturally occurring or synthetic cannabinoids,
but it also stated that any research using any form of THC should culminate
in the development of non-smoked forms of THC.
The body of the study evaluated the health risks of marijuana in depth.
It highlighted the effects on motor coordination, the respiratory system,
the immune system, and addiction. Furthermore, the study should serve
as a death knell for the ballot initiatives and state laws allowing the
prescribing of marijuana to virtually any patient.
With regard to the use of smoked marijuana, the final recommendations speak
for themselves: "Short-term use of smoked marijuana (less than six
months) for patients with debilitating symptoms
(such as intractable pain or vomiting) must meet
the following conditions:
-
failure
of all approved medications to provide relief has been documented;
-
the
symptoms can reasonably be expected to be relieved by rapid-onset cannabinoid
drugs;
-
such treatment
is administered under medical supervision in a manner that allows for assessment
of treatment effectiveness;
-
and involves
an oversight strategy comparable to an institutional review board process
that could provide guidance within 24 hours of a submission by a physician
to provide marijuana to a patient for aspecified use."
The IOM findings are consistent with previous evaluations by the American
Medical Association and the National Institutes of Health. They are a long
way from wide support for the use of marijuana. If anything, the headlines
should say,"Smoked
marijuana as a medicine is dead."
Eric
A. Voth, M.D., FACP
Chairman,
The International Drug Strategy Institute
901
Garfield Topeka, Kansas 66606
785-354-9591
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