THE 'POT PILL' WAS NOT DEVELOPED FOR PATIENTS

Drug Policy Letter August / September 1993 p. 12

Rather than respond to public and political demands for marijuana's medical availability, federal drug agencies are instead promoting bureaucratically sanctioned alternatives that are synthetic, expensive and often inneffective. It is ironic that after decades of pretending marijuana is medically useless, the federal drug agencies are now agressively pushing the synthetic substance dronabinol (trade name Marinol), the so-called "pot pill," by arguing it is as safe and effective as marijuana.

In the early 1980's, federal agencies were overwhelmed by demands for legal access to government supplies of marijuana cigarettes for use in legislatively authorized state programs of patient care. FDA and DEA, unable to meet these state requests for marijuana, began promoting synthetic THC pills as a substitute for marijuana.

In September 1980, federal agencies released the "pot pill" through the National Cancer Institute's Group C Treatment Program. Then federal agencies frantically searched for a private-sector pharmaceutical company to sponsor a New Drug Application for the federally developed THC pill. In exchange, federal agencies promised the company exclusive control over the market for synthetic THC. [A euphemism for Economic Fascism.]

This promotion of synthetic THC was not designed to meet legitimate human needs. It had only one objective: to maintain the medical prohibition against marijuana.

The public was told "Pot Pill Approved." Federal drug agencies assisted in a disinformation campaign by saying marijuana was no longer medically needed because the modern, synthetic "pot pill" had arrived. Federal agencies knew this was a lie. [They still do].

Robert Randall and Alice O'Leary