WSU High On Marijuana As Medicine But Only In Synthetic Form, Study Concludes

The state should expand availability and research of medicinal marijuana, according to a Washington State University study commissioned by the Legislature.

The report is drawing fire in some circles because it backs medicinal use of marijuana and in other circles because it recommends supplying only synthetic forms of THC, the drug’s active ingredient.

Critics, including a senator who requested the study, said a political haze hangs over the report. WSU maintains it just did what was asked - and then some.

“We should be exploring the use of the active ingredient, but we can use synthetic THC and don’t have to be growing marijuana,” said College of Pharmacy Dean Mahmoud M. Abdel-Monem, who directed the effort.

He noted that WSU, as requested, studied how the state could grow marijuana “in a tamper-free fashion. However, as a scientist, I felt it was our responsibility to provide a scientific assessment of whether pursuing such an activity is appropriate.”

The report found “no compelling reasons” to endorse supplying marijuana cigarettes to people who suffer chronic pain. But it also found that “hundreds or even thousands of patients may benefit if an appropriate delivery form of THC is made available.”

The $70,000 state-commissioned study, “Tamper-Free Production of Marijuana for Medicinal Uses,” was requested by two senators. One is conservative Spokane Valley Republican Bob McCaslin, 70, whose wife died of cancer in 1995.

McCaslin was unavailable for comment Thursday. But the study’s other advocate, Sen. Jeanne Kohl, D-Seattle, called WSU’s effort misdirected, biased and flawed.

“What we directed WSU to do was research a tamper-free means of cultivating effective and safe THC not evaluate whether marijuana should be used for patients,” Kohl said in Olympia.

Growing or possessing marijuana is illegal under federal law. As a Schedule I drug, it’s classified as having no medical use and high abuse potential.

Synthetic pills of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. Taken orally, the synthetic THC, or Marinol, is filtered by the liver, making it less effective than options such as chewing gum, lozenges, nasal spray, inhalers, atomizers, patches and even rectal suppositories, the study reported.

Because Marinol is available only in pill form, research into other synthetic forms of THC is needed, the study said.

“It is strongly recommended that efforts be focused on clinical studies of appropriate delivery forms of THC and to expand their use to all patients who may benefit from this drug,” the study said.

WSU’s study sheds light on one clear disadvantage of manufacturing marijuana cigarettes: It takes dough to grow.

The report contains cost estimates for growing marijuana indoors and outdoors as well as buying it from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Cost estimates per cigarette are 50 cents for indoor growing, 54 cents for outdoor growing and $1.22 for buying it from the institute.

Patients are expected to need 10 cigarettes a day, the report said. Supplying marijuana to 200 patients a year would cost from $362,600 to $892,000, the report estimated.

David L. Edwards, a retired pathologist and medical coordinator for the Olympia-based Washington Hemp Education Network, lobbied to fund the study last year. He criticized its rejection of marijuana cigarettes as a viable therapy option.

“It is strictly politics that they don’t want it smoked,” Edwards said.

Smoked marijuana bypasses the stomach, Edwards said, which is helpful for a nauseated person. Smoking also activates the THC more quickly so a patient knows when to stop medicating, he added.

Edwards isn’t the only member of Washington’s medical community taking a controversial stand in the debate. Tacoma physician Rob Killian filed a petition earlier this year to ease restrictions on prescribing Schedule 1 drugs, a move opponents worry may be a first step toward total legalization of drugs.

Resolution of the issue may hinge on the outcome of a Washington Supreme Court case, Seeley vs. state of Washington. Tacoma attorney Ralph Seeley sued the state in 1994, arguing marijuana’s classification as a Schedule 1 drug violates state uniform drug laws. Pierce County Superior Court ruled in his favor. A state Supreme Court decision is expected this spring.

Seeley, who suffers from chordoma, a rare form of spinal bone cancer, claims smoking marijuana cigarettes eases his pain and nausea. Reached at his home Thursday, he blasted WSU’s rejection of marijuana cigarettes for medicinal use.

“It’s typical academia - they are not known for their courage,” Seeley said.

“I’ve had dozens and dozens of pills that cost $10 and $15 each disappear down the toilet because I can’t keep them down more than a few minutes,” said Seeley, who is on his third round of chemotherapy. “Marinol makes me too high. By the two hours it takes to kick in, I’m completely dysfunctional.”

But University of Washington researchers, who reviewed and endorsed the study’s findings, echo WSU’s argument that synthetic THC is more effective because of its consistency.

“By ‘effective,’ they are referring to something that can be monitored and measured in quantitative doses,” said UW School of Pharmacy Dean Sidney Nelson.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Pot costs