Medicinal marijuana

Gurley RJ, Aranow R and Katz M (1998). Medicinal marijuana A comprehensive review. 

Institute of Medicine. Marijuana and Health. Washington, D.C. National Academy Press. 1982. 188 p. 

While those in favor of medicinal marijuana provide large amounts of data indicating the benefits of making it a prescription drug, government authorities and others counter with claims that the data is unscientific. Recently, the Office of National Drug Policy has pledged to consider more serious clinical research on medicinal marijuana. 

The balance between medicinal use of a drug and the abuse potential is a delicate balance. One of the main points brought by the medicinal marijuana proponents is the fact that the currently available soft gelatin capsule formulation is very expensive and lacks consistency in its effects. The latter point could be explained based on the fact that oral THC has erratic absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, is subject to the first-pass effect resulting in heavy metabolism with production of high levels of 11-OH-THC, and undesirable side effects. 

From Methods in Molecular Medicine Marijuana and Cannabinoid Research Methods and Prr ocols Edited by E.. Onalvl Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ... 

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