The Bias in Health Canada’s Medical Marijuana Data Base

Health Canada Information for Health Care Professionals

 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/marihuana/med/infoprof-eng.php#a4_6_5

This is presented to the Medical Community as Health Canada’s up to date state of the art information regarding the medical efficacy of cannabis related to various complaints or ailments where its use was indicated. I wanted to determine just how much propaganda rather than factual information was presented.

The information is presented as a list of 30 different symptoms and conditions and Health Canada’s assessment of the Medical Evidence: the response of each, and its variants, to cannabis treatment. These conditions are:

Alzheimer's disease and dementia                        dermatitis, psoriasis, pruritus

Anorexia nervosa                                                     loss of appetite (AIDS and cancer

Anti-neoplastic properties                                      Movement disorders

Asthma                                                                       Multiple sclerosis

Bladder dysfunction                                                 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Cancer pain                                                               spinal cord injury

Dystonia                                                                     Nausea and vomiting

Epilepsy                                                                     Neuropathic pain

Fibromyalgia                                                              Non-cancer pain

Headache                                                                  Parkinson's disease

Huntington's disease                                               Psychiatric disorders

Hypertension                                                            Rheumatoid arthritis

Inflammation                                                              Tourette's syndrome

bowel disease (Crohn's disease, colitis)              Wasting syndrome

For every one of these symptoms or conditions there are studies that usually show an indication or sometimes marked improvement. This is usually negated by sample size, dosage, duration, or mode of application. The fact is that nearly all the research into cannabis effects in the past ten years is directed at determining the effect of the individual components: the cannabinoids. This specificity has severed their applicability when applied to the whole plant i.e. the multiple cannabinoids involved are never administered as the medical “cocktail” they compose when consumed all at once by smoking a joint or eating a hash brownie.

And there the Government leaves us hanging.

What stands out to me and every other knowledgeable person is that they neglect to point out the most important fact of all: the complete absence of negative side effects.

There is not one substantiated linkage of cannabis use as harmful or detrimental to the user in the 4800 year history of its use and abuse. The first recorded use of cannabis as medicine is in Chinese pharmacopoeia in 2727 B.C. To my knowledge and lacking in any literature related to cannabis is there any mention of negative side effects in that 4800 year history. In every part of the world humankind has used cannabis for a wide variety of health problems yet here in Canada we have a Medical Community now balking at being Gatekeepers in the new program. Here goes more argument and negotiation that is simply sheer obstructionism.

Dr. Anna Reid, President of the CMA is opposed on the ground that there aren’t enough long term statistically validated clinical studies and there are too many unknown risks in prescribing marijuana. She apparently believes that 10 years scientific employment and research grants for long term statistically validated clinical studies will provide a better predictor of future risks of marijuana use than what? The complete absence of risk or harm for half the history of civilization is statistically insignificant.

Bullshit! What about the risk of prescribing a drug that has passed all these statistically validated clinical studies? Big Pharma spent millions and millions creating fake THC substitutes named Sativex and Marinol and the Medical community has no qualms about prescribing these as safe. They completely ignore the warnings that go with these drugs and the severity of these potential killers:

Every doctor who prescribes it as Health Canada recommends is violating his Hippocratic Oath to “First, Do no Harm!” and is thrusting his patient directly into Harm’s Way. They have all been exposed to the following extract from a Sativex product monograph regarding possible side effects and their severity and the risks are listed.

Although most of the side effects listed below don't happen very often, they could lead to serious problems if you do not check with your doctor or seek medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:

• anxiety
• blurred vision
• confusion
• fainting
• falls, or difficulty with balance
• hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there) or strange ideas
• intoxication (a feeling of being drunk; e.g., difficulty paying attention, dizziness, sleepiness, disorientation, changes in mood, a feeling of unreality, or a feeling of general happiness or a "high," such as easy laughter or heightened awareness)
• loss of appetite
• mouth sores
• rapid heartbeat
• severe dizziness
• severe tiredness
• signs of depression (e.g., poor concentration, changes in weight, changes in sleep, decreased interest in activities, thoughts of suicide)
• blood in the urine
• inability to urinate, bladder pain, or abdominal pain
• signs of a severe allergic reactions (e.g., hives; difficulty breathing; or swelling of the tongue, face, mouth, or throat)

Stop taking the medication and seek immediate medical attention if any of the following occur:

• blood in the urine
• inability to urinate, bladder pain, or abdominal pain
• signs of a severe allergic reactions (e.g., hives; difficulty breathing; or swelling of the tongue, face, mouth, or throat)

Some people may experience side effects other than those listed. Check with your doctor if you notice any symptom that worries you while you are taking this medication.

Now why would I think

the CMA

might have political rather than medical

reason for obstructionism?

It’s that barnyard odour when Anna Reid speaks for the CMA.

Now there’s something to research Lady

What effect does cannabis have on Halitosis?

LOL

Blaine Barrett

The Smee Goan Guy