02/03/2011James Brokenshire MP,Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Crime Prevention,2 Marshem Street.London SW1A 0AADear Mr Brokenshire Thank you for you response to my previous email on the subject of cannabis tincture now rebranded at great expense to the British taxpayer as Sativex, though I note your reply was not directly to me of course but to Mary McCleod MP and her request that you respond to me, I have not had the courtesy of a direct reply.In your response you failed to answer the questions with any credibility. Claiming that Sativex is not the same as raw cannabis despite it having exactly the same range of cannabinoids as normal/natural cannabis; it is pharmaceutically identical in its chemical make up. I am writing again and expect a much more detailed answer; I would very much like to know exactly ‘how’ it is different; chemically, or perhaps on a molecular scale. Unless of course it is an interaction between cannabis and the other ingredients, one unknown to me, or for that matter anyone else.You have also ignored/ failed to properly address my question over licensing Sativex by referring to the communication from ACMD which while it refers to Cannabis/Sativex and its need to be listed appropriately in Schedule 4 or 2 it is not the answer to the question asked. Which is to do with licensing approval which is I believe the responsibility of the Medicines and Health care products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to make these decisions not as you have implied the responsibility of the ACMD. Neither does it answer how cannabis can be scheduled as a ‘Dangerous drug of little or no medical value’ in schedule 1, while also existing in schedule 4 (the appropriate schedule or schedule 2 (the compromise to fit international requirements) as a ‘Medicine of little or no known harm’, which is impossible to achieve without a falsification of the facts. I believe you are also well aware that your and the governments attitude to the right of those of a Muslim faith in this country to effective health care is being compromised as there are no effective other medicines that work as well as cannabis, no matter which form the cannabis comes in.The only things different between Cannabis and Sativex are the impurities, Cannabis in its natural form can be produced free of contaminants with a licensing and testing approach (such as should be employed by GW Pharmaceuticals when they grow their Skunk* Cannabis, while Sativex, by its method and nature of production has contaminates infused into the mix deliberately; why? These contaminate are only included to facilitate the function of the patented dispensing device, Sativex contains Ethanol Anhydrous the rest being made up of Propylene Glycol, Peppermint Oil and Cannabis oil. Only one of these ingredients has any medical application claimed for it ‘Cannabis’ (despite its inclusion in schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Act as a drug of little or no medical value)? Propylene Glycol on the other hand; a cosmetic form of mineral oil found in automatic brake and hydraulic fluid and industrial antifreeze. In the skin and hair, propylene glycol works as a humescent, which causes retention of moisture content of skin or cosmetic products by preventing the escape of moisture or water? The Material Safety Data Sheet warns users to avoid skin contact with propylene glycol as this strong skin irritant can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage. Propylene glycol is commonly found in: Makeup – shampoo – deodorant - detangler-styling mousse - cleansing cream – mascara – soap - skin cream - bubble bath - baby powder – conditioner – toner - after shave - baby wipes. It is also in: Tyre sealant - Rubber cleaner - De-icer - Stain removers - Fabric softener – Degreaser – Paint - Adhesive - Wallpaper stripper.I know of no positive Medical claims for this product!ETHYL ALCOHOL (ANHYDROUS) INGESTION • May cause dizziness, faintness, drowsiness, decreased awareness and responsiveness, euphoria, abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, staggering gait, lack of coordination and coma. SKIN ABSORPTION • No adverse effects with normal skin; However, potentially harmful amounts of material may be absorbed across markedly abraded skin when contact is sustained, particularly in children. INHALATION • High vapor concentrations may cause a burning sensation in the throat and nose, stinging and watering in the eyes. At concentrations which cause irritation, dizziness, faintness, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting may occur. EYE CONTACT • Severe eye irritant even vapors can irritate eyes. Eye damage from contact with liquid is reversible and proper treatment will result in healing within a few days. Damage is usually mild to moderate conjunctivitis, seen mainly as redness of the conjunctiva. EFFECT OF REPEATED OVEREXPOSURE• Long term repeated oral exposure to ethanol may result in the development of progressive liver injury with fibrosis. MEDICAL CONDITIONS AGGRAVATED BY OVEREXPOSURE • Repeated exposure to ethanol may exacerbate liver injury produced from other causes. OTHER EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE • Repeated ingestion of ethanol by pregnant mothers has been shown to adversely affect the central nervous system of the fetus, producing a collection of effects which together constitute the fetal alcohol syndrome. These include mental and physical retardation, disturbances of learning, motor and language deficiencies, behavioral disorders, and small size head.I know of no positive Medical claims for this product!Peppermint while not controlled or illegal is banned from having medical claims made on its behalf under the EU Medical Herbs Directive.I find it interesting to note that the warnings over Sativex and pregnant/ breast feeding women only mentions the possible (speculative) effects of cannabis on the fetus/infant whilst ignoring the known effect of Ethanol Anhydrous. It should also be noted that most side effects attributed to Sativex are those known to be a problem with the alcohols used to make the cannabis oil used thin enough to be used in the patented mist dispenser.I recently appeared on a BBC 3 broadcast where I warned people over contaminated street cannabis, the truth is this medical cannabis also has some questionable pollutants / contaminants that add nothing to the medical affectivity of cannabis. Indeed these contaminate are only included to facilitate the function of the patented dispensing device and Sativex itself seems to be nothing more than cannabis tincture as was available in any chemists pre 1963 and not, a new revolutionary drug worth the £10m that the British taxpayer has put into cannabis as medicine.Natural cannabis in its many varieties has the ability to offer a broader spectrum of cannabinoids tailor made to offer more effective relief to the many and diverse medical problems cannabis is documented as being an effective treatment of.Vaporizing devices such as are available freely in many outlets across the UK are effective medical delivery systems that need no contaminants to work, do not contain alcohol as such they compromise no ones religion or right to ‘effective medical treatment’ as the government current stance does. The governments current policies also act to protect GW Pharmaceuticals strangle hold on its competitors by restricting medical competition such as is accepted in much of the EU and the USA. It is a hypocrisy that allows foreign nationals to use medical cannabis in the UK while arresting the sick and dying of the UK for using the same medicine. Now we are informed that cannabis minus the fibre of the leaf and flower mixed with a selective blend of contaminants / alcohols is to be placed in schedules 4 or 2 as a medicine of little or no danger, while cannabis in its natural non toxic form is to stay in schedule 1 as a drug of little or no medicinal value. This is pure protectionism in its most base form. It is interesting to note that vaporized cannabis is more effective by being better absorbed than Sativex/tincture and has immediate effect; below is an extract from the MHRA web site dealing with Sativex;Absorption:The inhaled route results in a very different plasma concentration /time profile from that following oromucosal administration of Sativex. A rapid increase in plasma THC levels occurs when Cannabis is smoke is inhaled, in contrast to the Tmax for Sativex of approximately 90 minutes. From the available published literature it can be demonstrated that the plasma levels of THC following smoked or vaporised THC BDS (mean dose 6.6mg, mean Cmax =118ng/mL, Study GWPKO114) are over 10 times higher than those achieved with a cautious omucosal administration with Sativex (mean dose 10.4mg THC + 10mg CBD mean Cmax = 4.9ng/mL (THC), Study GWPK215).* Skunk; I use this term, as this is the term applied by the press, police and government when describing plants grown using the methods employed by GW Pharmaceuticals or plants hybridized to adjust cannabinoid ratios, I believe both plants currently used by GW Pharmaceutical’s has been bred to achieve pre conceived results in common with all other cannabis ‘labeled as skunk’ despite this name not being botanically accepted. One plant being high in THC and one high in CBD, these plants I believe are not naturally occurring land races but hybridizations aka skunk.I request a proper accurate statement of ‘fact’ over these issues, not the fudge of prohibition led falsities and sweeping generalisations that your last letter contained.
Philip Walsh ● 5510d