Why not pot in a pill?

I am puzzled by all the debate about medical marijuana.

People use MJ (pot, hashish, bhong, the magic dragon, etc.) to alter their brain functioning, their consciousness, to induce euphoria, to “get high,” to create an artificial heaven (heaven is being stoned). MJ is a psychotropic drug.

Like any drug, MJ can be therapeutic, but can also be toxic and even lethal if its dosage, frequency and duration of use are not controlled. The THC content of MJ is not standard or uniform or predictable. “BC bud,” at 6 percent, has more than Colville mountain pot. “Punk” can be up to 25 percent THC. The toxicity of MJ is largely unmeasurable and uncontrollable.

That’s why educated and truly compassionate physicians prescribe marinol or dronabinol, which come in capsule or pill form. Dosage is thus measured, controllable and therapeutic. The toxic effects of leaf MJ are largely avoided.

And so I ask, why don’t medical MJ users take their THC in pill or capsule form? The registered pharmacist is easier and cheaper to deal with than the shadowy medical MJ dealers or street dealers, and marinol/dronabinol usage would almost eliminate MJ emergency room usage (16 percent of drug-related ER patients).

James J. Flynn

Spokane