GW Pharma and Georgia

I saw this meme today and thought, “Interesting, but I’m gonna check that out before commenting”.  Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd I did!

This is a bit lengthy, but stay with me.  I think there is a huge lesson in weed-onomics and Government Corruption in this.

I found the following .pdf document online.  It is the
Package leaflet: Information for the patient
Sativex® Oromucosal Spray
http://www.drugs.com/uk/pdf/leaflet/615282.pdf (Opens new window/tab)

Turns out this meme is based on factual information, which we are warned about in this pamphlet.  The more of this pamphlet I read the confuseder (intentional misspell) I got.

Then I just got righteously  angry.

I’ll try to keep this in order with the page numbers, but some of the lines blur.

From page 4:
“Warnings and precautions:
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Sativex:
• If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
• Whether male or female you must use a reliable contraceptive method while using this medicine (see also “Pregnancy, breast-feeding and contraception (men and women)”, below).
• If you are under 18 years of age. • If you have epilepsy or regular fits (seizures).
• If you have liver or kidney problems.
• If you have a serious heart problem such as angina, a previous heart attack, poorly controlled high blood pressure or a problem with your heart rate or heart beat.
• If you are elderly, especially if you have problems doing everyday activities such as making hot food and drinks.
• If you have previously abused any drug or substance.
If any of the above apply to you (or you are not sure), talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Sativex”.

Pretty straight forward.  My only comment is “Too bad they don’t attach that warning to every bottle of alcohol distilled, brewed or fermented”.  (* watch the asterisks, they’ll connect later on)”

From Page 5:
“Other medicines and Sativex:
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using or have recently used
or might use any other medicines. This is because Sativex may affect the way some other medicines work. Also, some other medicines can affect the way Sativex works.

In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using any of
the following medicines:
• Medicines that reduce anxiety (sedatives) or make you sleep
better (hypnotics). These medicines may increase the side
effects of Sativex and may increase the risks of falls and other
accidents.
• Medicines to relax your muscles such as baclofen or diazepam.
This is because taking Sativex with these medicines may
increase the risk of you falling over.

If any of the above apply to you (or you are not sure), talk to your
doctor or pharmacist before using Sativex.
If you see a different doctor or go into hospital, let them know all
the medicines you are using”.

Layman’s terms “THC is an effective anti-anxiety treatment. It is also an aid for insomnia and muscle relaxation. Don’t use Sativex if you are already using a Big Pharma poison that has the same medicinal qualities as THC.”

From page 6: (* connection)
“Sativex with food, drink and alcohol
• In general, alcoholic beverages should be avoided whilst using
Sativex especially at the beginning of treatment or when
changing dose. If you do drink alcohol while using Sativex,
be aware that using Sativex and alcohol together may increase
their effects (such as loss of balance or ability to respond quickly)
which could increase the risk of falls and other accidents”. (** … pesky asterisks)

Duhhhhhhh … Chronic Chronickers have known this shit for, what, 9 decades?

From pages 7 & 8:
“Driving and using machines
• You must not drive or use machinery when you first start to take
Sativex and until you are established on a stable daily dose.
• Sativex may cause you to feel sleepy or dizzy, which may impair
your judgement and performance of skilled tasks. It has also
rarely been reported to cause a brief loss of consciousness.
• Once you are more used to taking Sativex and your dose is
stable, you should still not drive or use machinery if Sativex
causes effects such as sleepiness or dizziness that could impair
your ability to perform these tasks. If you are not sure, do not
drive or operate machines.
The medicine can affect your ability to drive as it may make you
sleepy or dizzy.
• Do not drive while taking this medicine until you know how it
affects you.
• It is an offence to drive if this medicine affects your ability to
drive
• However, you would not be committing an offence if:
-The medicine has been prescribed to treat a medical or dental
problem and
-You have taken it according to the instructions given by the
prescriber or in the information provided with the medicine
and
– It was not affecting your ability to drive safely”

Let’s pick that apart some!!
“• It is an offence to drive if this medicine affects your ability to drive
• However, you would not be committing an offence if:
-The medicine has been prescribed to treat a medical or dental problem and
-You have taken it according to the instructions given by the
prescriber or in the information provided with the medicine and
– It was not affecting your ability to drive safely”

SAY WHAT? The active ingredient in this medication is MARIJUANA for God’s sake!!! (** … pesky asterisks)
Ask ANYONE involved in the Criminal “JustUs” System in Georgia what would happen, ohhhhhhhhhhh, let’s say if you were hit by another vehicle and blood tests were done. They would CHARGE YOUR ASS WITH DUI.

So not only are they stealing our medicine so they can charge exorbitant prices for it (***), they’re giving us BAD LEGAL ADVICE!!!! (Which is a Felony, unless you are an Attorney.  If you’re an attorney it is perfectly normal [sorry Catherine Bernard, et al]).

(Author’s aside:  This “medicine” is not yet approved by the FDA, so I assume this references Brit or Canadian law, not U.S. law)

From page 9 (** – here’s a connection)
“Sativex contains ethanol and propylene glycol
• Sativex contains about 50% v/v of ethanol (alcohol) i.e. up to
40 mg per dose. The amount of alcohol in the maximum daily
dose for most people (12 sprays) is about the same as found in
two teaspoons (10 ml) of beer and about one teaspoon (5 ml)
of wine. This product can be harmful for those suffering from
alcoholism.

• Sativex contains propylene glycol which may cause irritation.
Symptoms of irritation are pain, itchiness, dry cough, sore throat”

So, even though they warn against drinking alcohol earlier in the pamphlet, they now tell us that 50% of this “medicine” is alcohol?  (* – another connection)  Makes complete sense to ME [sarcasm emphasized]!!

It can be HARMFUL to alcoholics because of the alcohol content!!

It contains propylene glycol (foreign to the “Natural” form) that can cause pain, itchiness, dry cough and sore throat.

Now, I’ve had Strawberry Cough and Raspberry Cough and I’ve coughed my lungs out taking too big a toke on a new strain (****) but I’ve NEVER had BUD cause pain, itchiness, dry cough or a sore throat!!

 

From page 12 – This is where I really started to get heated up
“Working out how much to use
The number of sprays you need each day depends
on you as an individual. Each person needs a different number of
sprays to give them the best relief from their muscle stiffness,
with the fewest unwanted effects”. 

So if you get a prescription for Sativex (main ingredient Delta9 THC), you have to determine your own dosing?

Ohhhhhhhhhh WAIT ….. let’s start looking at some anomalies at this point.

One of the primary arguments against medical marijuana in Georgia is the issue of dosing.  Yet here is a THC based BigPharm “medicine” that says to “work your own dosage out“!

Hell, ain’t we already doing that with bud? (**** -connection)

A different GWPharm “medicine”, Epidiolex is being used in research done by Dr. Yong D. Park at Georgia Regents in Augusta.  Epidiolex is CBD based.  Dr. Park just happens to be on the Deal appointed Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis.  Here’s a self-serving article Dr. Park wrote for The Atlanta Journal Constitution concerning CBD vs THC.  In this article he states:
“It’s important to note cannabis-derived oil is not medical marijuana, which is typically a dried form of the marijuana plant administered by smoke or vapors, or added to foods or drinks. Medical marijuana contains all components of the marijuana plant, including cannabidiol, THC and many other compounds“.

He also stated:
“Last year, through a public-private partnership involving the state of Georgia; GW Pharmaceuticals, a United Kingdom-based company, and Georgia Regents University, the Georgia Cannabidiol Study began at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. Children are being enrolled at Children’s Hospital and at study partner sites in Atlanta and Savannah for an expanded 50-person trial“.

So GWPharm is funding Dr. Parks’ research, Dr. Parks considers medical marijuana as the plant form, and the company sponsoring his research has a THC based “Medical Marijuana” oral spray it’s trying to get past the FDA in the United States.

Is anyone else scratching their nuts (sorry ladies) and seeing this as MORE than a “tenuous connection” between Dr. Park and GWPharm?

Personally, I view it as a giant net being hauled in by “peek and deal”.  I see a steel cable run through it that directly connects GWPharm to the “Gold Dome”.

Now, I’m not accusing our Governor and Representative of Conspiracy to   ….. fuck that!!  I AM accusing them of Conspiracy:
a) to defraud the citizens of Georgia of their RIGHT to profit from all forms of Cannabis and
b) To increase their own financial worth in doing so.

Here’s a little math problem for you to solve: (*** connection)
“According to Bayer Canada, the cost of Sativex per vial is $124.95 (base price). Each vial contains approximately 51 sprays.  The dosing chart for Sativex instructs that no more than 12 sprays per day be administered.  If a patient uses the maximum recommended dosage per day, what will his monthly Sativex cost be?”  Ok, don’t burn your cogs up.  It’s  $882.00, based on a 30 day month.

You CAN do the math on this yourselves: (*** connection)
“While GW Pharmaceuticals won’t say specifically, Jennifer May, the mother of an 11-year-old boy with Dravet syndrome, says families have been quoted a price of $10,000 to $15,000 a year for Epidiolex (Dr. Park’s favorite).   In comparison, the treatment that May and others are pushing for, a CBD-rich extract (Charlotte’s Web?) from the Colorado non-profit Realm of Caring, costs less than $200 a month“. From http://www.leafscience.com/2013/11/19/pharmaceutical-cannabis-hasnt-won-support-utah-families/

I’m calling BULLSHIT!!

ALMOST DONE!!

Now here’s the part that just really chafes my Ancient Alabama Ass!!

From pages 15, 16 and 17:
“Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. These are more likely when you start your treatment. In most cases side effects are quite mild and they generally wear off within a few days, please use less sprays or stop using Sativex until you feel normal again. When you start using the medicine again, go back to the number of sprays where you did not feel these unwanted effects.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any side effects not listed in this leaflet”. (15)

 If you get any of the following side effects please stop taking the medicine and contact your doctor:
• Difficulty speaking.
• Blurred vision.
• Problems with your memory or having trouble concentrating.
• Feeling over excited or losing touch with reality.
• Feeling depressed or confused.
• Seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations).
• Believing ideas that are not true.
• Feeling that other people are against you.
• Thoughts of suicide.
• Changes in pulse rate, heart rate or blood pressure.

Very common (affecting more than 1 in 10 people)
• Feeling dizzy or tired.
Common (affecting less than 1 in 10 people)
• Feeling sleepy or giddy.
• Eating more or less than usual.
• Changed sense of taste or a dry mouth. (16)

• Constipation or diarrhoea.
• Feeling or being sick.
• Mouth problems, including burning, pain or mouth ulcers. (What started this, shall we say expose’)
• Lack of energy or feeling weak or generally unwell.
• Feeling abnormal or drunk.
• Loss of balance or falling over.
Uncommon (affecting less than 1 in 100 people)
• Fainting.
• Sore throat or throat irritation.
• Tummy pain.
• Mouth or teeth changing colour.
• Irritation where Sativex is sprayed.
• Red and swollen mouth or peeling inside it. Do not keep spraying onto these areas“. (17)

So they take a plant which is beneficial to us in its natural state,  having no known serious side effects, they extract the Delta9 THC and CBD from it, mix it with some other stuff and create a “medicine” that causes mouth ulcers for 1 in 10 users?  Amongst other serious side effects?  And expect us to just be OH FUCKIN’ KAY with it?

FINALLY Page 19: (** – connection)
“What Sativex contains
• The active substances are cannabis extracts. Each millilitre (ml) contains 38-44 mg and 35-42 mg of two extracts (as soft extracts) from Cannabis sativa L., leaf and flower, corresponding to 27 mg/ml delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 25 mg/ml cannabidiol (CBD). Each 100 microlitre spray contains 2.7 mg THC and 2.5 mg CBD.
• The other ingredients (excipients) are ethanol, propylene glycol and peppermint oil“.

Is anybody catching on yet? I didn’t make this shit up. The EVIDENCE is right before your eyes.

BIG PHARMA is driving Georgia’s War on Marijuana!!

GWPharm’s Q&A page is kind of interesting too!!
http://www.gwpharm.com/FAQ.aspx

(I apologize to any fuckin’ body the word FUCK offends.  It’s a fuckin’ word, and a damned, good fuckin’ word too!  Especially when you are fuckin’ pissed!!  Get the fuck over it!)