Caveat emptor

The interview by Katherine Ryan, RNZ, with Dr Irene Braithwaite, co-author of the paper in the NZ Medical Journal, on August 16, was interesting when she said she would be prepared to try cannabis for patients, where there was no ease from pain from any pharmaceutical product.

There are thousands of people suffering from pain from a variety of conditions, and most doctors will not prescribe cannabis, although it is currently legal for them so to do. That support needs to be heeded by general practitioners. If they feel uncomfortable, they could follow their practice of trialling it to see if it will work, as they do with the many drugs they prescribe already.

How many people have been prescribed drugs, and had terrible reactions or died from those prescribed approved pharmaceutical drugs? Dr Jonathan Coleman said that of the reported 136 possible adverse drug reaction deaths 2015, only 30 per cent were likely to be due to medicine. It is estimated there are 100,000 prescribed drug deaths in the US each year. When there have been no deaths in the past 10,000-plus years of cannabis use, that should be accepted as sufficient data.

There are three categories when the ministry gives approval – products have purportedly been through the prerequisite independent clinical trials, products have provisional approval for use, and approval where there is no control evidence or data of their effectiveness from clinical trials. If patients are prepared to take the socalled risks when using cannabis, that should be sufficient.

In an ‘industry’ that is protected from being sued, we would suggest there is no valid reason for their reluctance to prescribe, when asked. Are they so hamstrung by the pharmaceutical industry they cannot prescribe something that may heal or help that is not a pharmaceutical drug?

Cannabis needs to be re-legalised immediately, and doctors need to prescribe cannabis for patients who are willing to take the same risks as those we already take with pharmaceutical drugs.

BEVERLEY ALDRIDGE KATHLEEN PATTINSON Seniors’ Voice

Otamatea