Health Canada has approved its use and prescriptions can be written by any Physician in Canada. The drug assists in controlling pain experienced by those with MS more effectively than any other known pain reliever available. The drug remains illegal in the United States.
Approval of SATIVEX® with Conditions Fact Sheet
What is SATIVEX®?
SATIVEX® is a cannabis based medicine containing Tetranabinex® and Nabidiolex®extracts of chemically and genetic characterized Cannabis sativa L. plants. The principal active components are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
Health Canada has approved SATIVEX® with conditions, under the Notice of Compliance with Conditions (NOC/c) policy. This authorisation reflects the promising nature of the clinical evidence which must be confirmed with further studies. Products approved under Health Canada's NOC/c policy, have demonstrated promising benefit, are of high quality and possess an acceptable safety profile based on a benefit/risk assessment for the approved use.
What is SATIVEX® used for?
SATIVEX® is used for the adjunctive treatment for the symptomatic relief of neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis in adults.
The Globe and Mail on May 12, 2004 announced that Health Canada was looking at approving the drug Sativex. The process normally takes 18 months. The Drug was approved for use in Canada in April of 2005 in less than 7 months. Sativex is not smoked or eaten but sprayed under the tongue.
Dr Geoffrey Guy, CEO of GW Pharmaceuticals told the media in April, " We are delighted that Sativex has received regulatory approval in Canada. This event marks the world's first approval of cannabis derived medicine."
Americans will not be able to purchase Sativex in Canada and bring it into the U.S because marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug under federal law, doing so would be a felony. Indeed, importing less than 50 kilograms of marijuana,even a small amount of marijuana for medical use is punishable by up to five years in federal prison.
The United States government allows seven patients to use marijuana as a medicine, through a program closed to new applicants. The laws treat all other patients currently using medical marijuana as criminals. The irony is physicians are presently allowed to prescribe cocaine and morphine, but not marijuana.
Many patients and physicians find marijuana to be a useful medicine as part of the treatment for AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and other ailments. In Canada use for medical reasons is widely accepted and condoned. Many people access their marijuana from compassion clubs located around the country.
The issue here is where do the police and government think these people at Compassion clubs get their product. Currently to maintain quality they use growers. Yet these growers from time to time are raided by police. Certainly legalization would go a long way to addressing this problem.
Rumours abound that those given the authority to grow their own supply have been told to call Marc Emery's seed business. That will course be difficult to establish as people run for cover in the face of all the attention being brought Canada's stalling legalization.
No one expects to go to jail in Canada for have a couple of joints. Even some plants for your own use won't likely get you hauled out of your home.
We have allowed Marc Emery to operate for years. We have allowed compassion clubs to operate and now we have allowed "legal" Marijuana made by Bayer.
What are we waiting for? Are we going to allow Canadians to be sent to a US prison for something we know would never happen here? What kind of Government do we have?
Tags: Marijuana, Drugs, Politics, News, Current Affairs, Culture, Weed, POT, Hemp, Canada, USA, Marc Emery, legalize it
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