Sativex is a mouth spray derived from marijuana plants. It is one part THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive substance found in a cannabis plant, and one part CBD (cannabidiol), the part of the plant that moderates the euphoria and seems to add a sedative effect.
GW Pharmaceuticals has begun late stage clinical trials on the buccal spray in both the U.S. and Europe. It was approved in Canada for the treatment of neuropathic pain in Multiple Sclerosis in 2005 and as an adjunctive analgesic treatment for peole with advanced cancer with moderate to severe pain.
According to GW Pharmaceuticals "Sativex is a pharmaceutical product standardized in composition, formulation, and dose...which has been, and continues to be, tested in properly controlled...studies," according to the company's website. "Crude herbal cannabis (marijuana) in any form...is none of those things."
The U.S. currently has two synthetic cannabinoid pills, Marinol and Cesamet, that are used in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Marinol is also indicated for the treatment of AIDS related appetite loss.
[Source: USAToday]
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