As more countries move towards legalizing medicinal or recreational marijuana, or at least to decriminalization, is it time for lawmakers in The Bahamas to take a closer look at similar policy shifts?
The controversial use of the plant, the possession of which is currently illegal in this country, has become a medical option for many patients with chronic or terminal illnesses around the world.
The arguments for and against marijuana’s use medicinally appear equally compelling, but concluding whether the plant’s reported benefits outweigh its harmful effects is a complex issue.
The main active ingredient in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its content in marijuana ranges from one percent to eight percent.
THC binds with certain protein receptors in the brain ultimately leading to the “high” people experience.
In Canada, where medicinal marijuana is legal, it is prescribed for relief of pain or persistent muscle spasms related to multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, anorexia, cancer, HIV/AIDS infection, arthritis, and seizures from epilepsy. It is also allowed for compassionate end-of-life care.
While the dried flower is more commonly smoked, the plant can also be mixed in food, brewed as a tea, or processed to create a resinous form of the substance called hashish and a black liquid called hash oil.
Some studies and advocates of the plant’s use claim it is safer and has less side effects than pharmaceutical drugs.
John Smith (name changed to protect identity), 41, a father of two diagnosed with cancer at age 27, claims marijuana helped save his life during his decade-long battle with the disease.
He told The Nassau Guardian he endured chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy and cannabis, which he smoked and cooked, helped him gain the weight he lost during chemo.
Smith said just a few years ago, after several surgeries to remove cancer spots that showed up in different parts of his body, his doctor told him that the cancer was in remission.
“I was cured of cancer by marijuana and have not had any signs of it since 2009,” said Smith.
“It allowed me to eat, to sleep and relieved my pain. From the beginning I believed that cannabis was the best medicine, and I am living proof of that.”
Less commonly spoken of is cannabidiol (CBD), a non-toxic, non-psychoactive chemical compound found in the cannabis plant, which researchers at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco think could stop metastasis in many forms of aggressive cancer.
In a Huffington Post article posted yesterday, Pierre Desprez, a molecular biologist, and researcher Sean McAllister combined CBD and cells containing the gene ID-1 that reportedly causes cancer to spread.
“What we found was that his cannabidiol could essentially ‘turn off’ the ID-1,” Desprez said.
Dr. Delon Brennen, deputy chief medical officer at the Ministry of Health, said the ministry has not had the opportunity to look into whether the reported benefits of medicinal marijuana have any merit.
Gloria Hanna, center supervisor at the Cancer Society of The Bahamas, said that while patients do not inquire with them about marijuana they frequently ask about the benefits of “bush medicines”.
“I don’t know of anyone who can say that they were really cured from a natural medicine. None of them come back here to say they were on that solely and they were cured of their cancer, but I do know there is a lot of interest on getting into the natural medicine,” she said.
Hanna expressed concern about the addictive properties of any substance, pharmaceutical or medicinal marijuana, but acknowledged her medicinal marijuana knowledge is limited.
According to the Institute of Medicine in the book,“Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base”, “The profile of cannabinoid drug effects suggest that they are promising for treating wasting syndrome in AIDS patients.
“Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting, and all can be mitigated by marijuana. Although some medications are more effective than marijuana for these problems, they are not equally effective in all patients.”
In contrast, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) states that marijuana can affect the immune system by impairing the ability of T-cells to fight off infections, “demonstrating that marijuana can do more harm than good in people with already compromised immune systems”.
A Legal Push
In the United State 19 states have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana, two occurring within the last few months. However, the federal government considers marijuana illegal regardless of state laws.
Voters in Colorado and Washington, and in some cities in Michigan and Vermont, recently passed measures to legalize the plant by way of referenda in the United States. This move could further the push toward legalization.
Other legal medical marijuana states or districts include Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Despite the initiatives of those states in recent years, The Bahamas has taken steps in the opposite direction by introducing stiffer penalties and mandatory minimum jail terms for numerous offenses, including possession of marijuana.
Parliament last November curbed judicial discretion in sentencing by requiring magistrates to impose a minimum sentence of four years for people convicted of drug possession with intent to supply, regardless of the amount of drugs involved.
Critics of the new sentencing regime have said it creates disparity in penalties, and in some cases sentencing is disproportionate related to the crime.
By Royston Jones Jr.
Guardian Staff Reporter
