 | NORML News: EXCLUSIVE: Govt to allow Sativex medicinal cannabis spray |
 NORML NEWS SUMMER 2008
Former Minister of Health Pete
Hodgson ordered officials to pave
the way for New Zealand doctors to
prescribe the cannabis extract Sativex.
Sativex is an extract of whole cannabis
from the UK that is sprayed into the
mouth and quickly absorbed by the mucus
membranes, allowing immediate relief
and easy dosage - without the smoke.
A draft application form for doctors
obtained by Norml News says Sativex
will be approved under s8 of the Misuse
of Drugs Act and s109 and s29 of the
Medicines Act for “nausea, anorexia and
wasting (cachexia) associated to cancer and
AIDS, or chronic pain (including cancer
pain) for which other pain relief treatments
are ineffective, or have significant/severe
adverse side-effects; or neuropathic pain
(associated with conditions including
multiple-sclerosis, stroke, cancer, spinal
cord injury, severe physical trauma and
peripheral neuropathy resulting from
diabetes) or muscle spasm and spasticity
associated with MS or spinal cord injury.”
The application form says Sativex is “a
desirable and divertible pharmaceutical
due to the inherent nature of its active
substances” and highlights that “prescribers
should consider they are initially prescribing
this medication on a trial basis.”
NORML understands officials are already considering the first
application from a doctor.
The move seems intended to sink or stall
the Green’s Medicinal Cannabis bill. By
allowing Sativex, MPs could ignore pleas
from patients to be allowed to grow their
own. But it’s also a long-overdue admission
by the Government that cannabis is an
effective medicine - and that could pave the
way for other medicinal cannabis products
or allowing home cultivation.
However, while we commend the
Government for doing something,
legislation that allows only for Sativex
would be ineffective. Herbal cannabis is
easy and cheap to grow, whereas Sativex
is thought to cost around $300 per week.
Patients will continue to grow their
own if that is the cheapest and most
accessible option.
Several clinical
trials have also shown natural
cannabis is more effective than single
extracts or synthetic alternatives such
as Marinol. The advantages include:
 Natural cannabis contains about 60 unique
compounds. Patients prefer different strains
for different symptoms, due to the unique
combinations of active ingredients;
Inhalation means more accurate dose
titration and faster relief.
Vapourisers are an effective method of
smokeless cannabinoid delivery;
Synthetic THC can be more psychoactive
and take up to 3 hours to reach full effect;
Sativex and Marinol are more expensive
than natural cannabis;
Some patients have experienced adverse
reactions to Sativex such as burns in the
mouth due to extract’s alcohol base.
Sativex is approved in Canada only for
neuropathic pain due to MS and cancer pain. There are sufficient anecdotal reports and
clinical trials to indicate natural cannabis
is effective for a much wider array of
conditions;
Ultimately, patients prefer natural
cannabis to extracts or synthetic alternatives.
More info is at www.medsafe.govt.nz and www.gwpharm.com
See also: Study Says Smoked Cannabis More Effective
 Share your experiences in the Medical Marijuana Forum
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