Medical marijuana is the use of cannabis and its constituent cannabionoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine or therapy. The Cannabis plant from which the cannabis drug is derived has a long history of medicinal use, with evidence dating back to 2,737 BCE.
Although the extent of the medicinal value of cannabis has been disputed, and despite the opposition to research and use put forward by most national governments, it does have several well-documented beneficial effects. While cannabis for recreational use is illegal in all parts of the world, though decriminalized in some, its use as a medicine is legal in a number of territories,
In general, the U.S. government has been against the research and medicinal use of medical marijuana and even the American Medical Association (AMA), until 2009, claimed pot has no medical value. However, despite that, big Pharma has been busy getting patents for marijuana products and striving to bring new, cannabis-based medicines to the market. This pattern is reflected in the number of cannabinoid drugs in pharmaceutical development from two in 1995 to 27 in 2004. Pharmaceutical companies have already received multiple patents for the medical properties of marijuana. These include patents for:
Synthetic pot derivatives (such as the oral THC pill Marinol)
Cannabinoid agonists (synthetic agents that bind to the brain receptors) like HU-210
Cannabis antagonists such as Rimonabant
Oral marijuana spray Sativex (GW Pharmaceutical), is a patented standardized dose of natural cannabis extracts.
In Fact even the U.S Government admits medicinal value of marijuana and it’s Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) website has this to say about Facts on "Medical" Marijuana:
“ Medical marijuana already exists. It's called Marinol. A pharmaceutical product, Marinol, is widely available through prescription. It comes in the form of a pill and is also being studied by researchers for suitability via other delivery methods, such as an inhaler or patch. The active ingredient of Marinol is synthetic THC, which has been found to relieve the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite with AIDS patients….Marinol has been studied and approved by the medical community and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)… There are no FDA-approved medications that are smoked… The FDA has not approved smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes, but has approved the active ingredient-THC-in the form of scientifically regulated Marinol… The DEA helped facilitate the research on Marinol.”
A number of Pharmaceutical drugs have been developed which either contain or have similar chemicals as those found in the marijuana (cannabis) plant. Pharmaceutical drugs based on marijuana are divided into four categories and are listed below, along with the company and suggested use.
I. Drugs that contain chemicals taken directly from the marijuana plant
Treatment of neuropathic pain and spasticity in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS); Analgesic treatment in adult patients with advanced cancer who experience moderate to severe pain. Mouth spray whose chemical compound is derived from natural extracts of the cannabis plant. Sativex contains two cannabinoids: THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidio
II. Drugs that contain synthetic versions of chemicals naturally found in marijuana
1. Dronabinol/Marinol, Unimed Pharmaceuticals
Treatment of nausea and vomiting for patients in cancer treatment; Appetite stimulant for AIDS patients; Analgesic to ease neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis patients Synthetic Delta-9 THC
2. Dronabinol Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI)/ Marinol aerosol Solvay Pharmaceuticals
Treatment of nausea, vomiting, migraines, spasticity in MS patients, and neuropathic pain Human-made THC inhaler
III. Drugs that contain chemicals similar to those in marijuana but not found in the plant
1. Nabilone/Cesamet, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International
Treatment of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing cancer treatment Synthetic cannabinoid similar to THC
2. Dexanabinol, Pharmos.
Neuroprotective (protects brain from damage) for use after cardiac surgery
Regain memory and other high-level function following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
3. CT-3 (ajulemic acid), Atlantic Technology Ventures
Treatment of spasticity and neuropathic pain in MS patients Synthetic
4. PRS-211,375/ Cannabinor and Cannabinor, Oral Pharmos
Anti-inflammatory, Treatment of pain Synthetic chemical that specifically binds to the brain's secondary cannabinoid receptor (CB2)
5. HU 308, Pharmos(licensed from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Treatment of hypertension Anti-inflammatory
6. HU 331, Cayman Chemical
Treatment of memory, weight loss, appetite, neurodegeneration, tumor surveillance, analgesia, and inflammation Synthetic chemical compound composed of central cannabinoid (CB1), peripheral cannabinoid (CB2), and non-CB receptor-mediated pharmacology
IV. Drugs that do not work like marijuana but use the same brain pathways
1. Rimonabant/Acomplia, Sanofi-Aventis
Anti-obesity Synthetic chemical that blocks endocannabinoids from being received in the brain, and, as a result, suppresses appetite.
2. Taranabant/MK-0364, Merck
Anti-obesity Targets receptors in the brain linked to appetite.
3 URB597 or KDS-4103, Cayman Chemical and Kadmus Pharmaceuticals Inc
Treatment of pain (acute - post-surgical; inflammatory - arthritis; neuropathic - damaged nerve cells from shingles, H.I.V., diabetes), anxiety, and depression
4. O-3246
Neuroprotective for use in association with septic shock
