Sativex – New Spray from Mary J?
Sativex – New Spray from Mary J?
Medical marijuana seems to be a constant source of societal scrutiny. Whether marijuana dispensaries are being raided for distributing drugs inappropriately or whole states are being criticized for their policies regarding the substance, the issue is rarely far from public attention. Now, a British pharmaceutical company wants to change the way we think about medical marijuana.
GW Pharma has developed Sativex, a medicated, marijuana-based mouth spray to treat pain in cancer patients. According to CBS St. Louis, Sativex has already been approved to treat individuals with multiple sclerosis in countries including Spain, Germany and the UK and could be FDA approved as early as 2013. If successful, it could replace medical marijuana. There are some promising advantages to marijuana mouth spray. First, although it contains the compounds responsible for the marijuana plant’s “high”, experts think marijuana mouth spray has a lower likelihood for abuse. This is because smoking marijuana delivers high-causing ingredients to the brain much more effectively than ingesting it. Furthermore, there are few known serious side effects of marijuana mouth spray, making it “safer” than many synthetic painkillers as well as its smoked counterpart, which has been linked to psychotic breaks and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Arguments against marijuana mouth spray cite that it still has a potential for abuse and absence of a large body of experimental results due to the product’s newness.
What do you think about marijuana mouth spray? Could it be a good alternative to medical marijuana, its smoked counterpart? Tell us your thoughts on our Facebook page.