RAGGA LITTLE PILLS

Cannabis-Based Drugs Are Storming the Pharmaceutical Industry

Ever since a government grow-op in Flin Flon, Manitoba failed to turn
in properly potent pot for now-legal prescriptions, the free market
has taken a foothold, putting a variety of new pot-based products on
the market.

Sativex, a "cannibinoidal spray" has received the most press by far,
primarily because it delivers marijuana's active
ingredient--tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC)--without the need of a pipe or rolling paper. The drug helps
ease the neurological symptoms of Mulitple Sclerosis sufferers.

Meanwhile, a more modest product call Med-Marijuana has hit pharmacy
shelves across the country, promising pain relief for osteo-arthritis
sufferers. The natural remedy carries a low profile in legalization
debates since there's no potential to get high: all it offers is a
dose of marijuana-seed oil in a gel caplet. But the product has
rapidly gained a following in a middle-aged population tired of
testing every new anti-inflammatory, pain-killing, gut-corroding
arthritis pill being pushed by the mainstream pharmaceutical industry.

Shirley Martin, a 53 year-old arthritis sufferer, is Alberta's first
distributor of the herbal remedy. She began promoting the natural
remedy after trying Med-Marijuana on the advice of her sister, another
arthritis sufferer.

"I'm open minded. I've never even tried marijuana, never smoked it,
but I'm not a prude," she said.

Arthritis hit Martin's sister hard. Barely able to cope with climbing
a staircase on her worst days, she fell into a depression.
Conventional painkillers didn't help much, so she tried out
Med-Marijuana, and found some relief. Martin followed suit.

"I get a little emotional about it. Having arthritis for so many
years, it's pretty amazing to go just a day without any pain," the
pill promoter said. "Once you get past the 'tee hee, it's marijuana'
thing, it's a serious product."

Martin scored big by getting the product into 19 Super Drug Mart's in
Calgary, but average folk in rural Alberta are also buying in.
Med-Marijuana is now sold in pharmacies in Drumheller, Okotoks,
Airdre, and Strathmore. This week the pills are due to hit the shelves
in Ft. McMurray's Real Canadian Superstore.

Med-Marijuana is little more than hemp oil derived from what the
company calls "pharmaceutical quality" cannabis seed pressings. The
key ingredient, GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid), is also found in Evening
Primrose Oil (but in far lesser quantity, according to Med-Marijuana),
and is an essential Omega 6 fatty acid.

Most North American diets already contain too much Omega 6, which
contributes to long-term diseases such as heart disease, cancer,
asthma, arthritis, and depression as well as, possibly, increased risk
of infection, according the University of Maryland Medical Centre.

But not all Omega 6's are equal. GLA has even been found to counter
the inflammation caused by a high Omega 6 diet. And it has a history
of folk use for the treatment of allergies and muscle stiffness. The
University observed that scientific studies are mixed on the overall
benefit of GLA, but tend to support Med-Marijuana's claim that the
GLA-rich essential oil could provide benefits to many sufferers of
many different ailments. The University outlined evidence supporting
the use of GLA to help ease symptoms like the numbness some diabetics
feel in their extremities; Sjogren's syndrome (often demonstrated,
ironically, by dry eyes and dry mouth); menopause and premenstrual
syndrome; eczema and allergies; attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder; and genetically linked obesity.

Natural supplement producers aren't the only ones jumping on (or off)
the pot wagon. Pharmaceutical corporation Sanofi-Aventis plans an
early 2006 release of a weight loss/anti-obesity drug called Acomplia.
The company's scientists, working from the observation that pot users
get "the munchies" after smoking, guessed that blocking cannabinoid
receptors might reduce the urge to eat. The great hope is that the
drug will help users shed pounds without suffering the amphetamine
side effects associated with other weight loss drugs. Clinical trials
are said to be promising. No word on whether this legal drug will kill
your illegal buzz too.