"Marijuana, in the scheme of things, is a relativity safe drug," Bernstein said. "Even as a smokeable drug of abuse, it's relatively safe…compared to cocaine or heroin."

However, Villarreal noted that for people with psychiatric disorders, smoking marijuana has been shown to make the patients' mental problems worse. It's possible Sativex may also cause this problem in some patients, he said.

Could it help patients?
So far, the studies that have been conducted do not provide enough evidence to say Sativex is effective in improving pain symptoms, Villarreal said.

Sativex has mainly been tested as a drug to treat pain caused by damaged nerves. If the drug is approved by the FDA, Villarreal speculated, its use could be restricted to certain pain patients. Those with cancer pain that is not caused by damaged nerves may not be candidates for the drug, Villarreal said.

About 1 in 11 people who try pot end up addicted to it, Haney said. It would be interesting to study whether Sativex could help people in dependent marijuana users quit the drug, she said.

Pass it on: Because it takes longer for people to get high from an oral form of marijuana, there is little potential for abuse of a marijuana-based mouth spray.

• How Marijuana May Drive the Brain into Psychosis
• 7 Side Effects of Cancer Treatment, and How to Cope with Them
• 10 Do's and Don'ts to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

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13 Comments

1. 1. housemusic3 04:10 PM 1/31/12

   regardless of it's potential to be abused (just like any other drug on the market) it's going to be far safer than any opiate based drug, that they currently use for Cancer patients for pain. End the hypocrisy concerning Marijuana, It's "High" time we give up the refer madness and follow logical Science

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2. 2. bigbopper 05:33 PM 1/31/12

   What's the rush (pun intended)?

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3. 3. bigbopper 05:35 PM 1/31/12

   OMG! A person could get very uncomfortably intoxicated! Nobody would want that, now, would they?

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4. 4. bigbopper in reply to JeffCorkern 05:36 PM 1/31/12

   How long do you hold it in after you inhale?
   
   Should you order pizza before or after you inhale?
   
   Is it true that it will cause your sperm count to drop? (I mean, if you're a guy?)

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5. 5. Comanche 06:59 PM 1/31/12

   I guess they lied to me about marijuana having no medical value, after all it is a schedule one drug. Listed as having a higher probability of abuse the cocaine and heroin.
   I bet now big pharma is in the weed business it will make its way off the schedule one list.
   Don't worry we will continue to round up young black men and send them off to prison for smoking weed. They will much more productive in the prison slave labor industries.

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6. 6. Comanche in reply to JeffCorkern 07:04 PM 1/31/12

   I could clearly see how emotion drug users like Carl Sagan where stifled by smoking weed.

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7. 7. housemusic3 07:18 PM 1/31/12

   comanche, you rhetoric is ridiculous. haha
   

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8. 8. housemusic3 07:26 PM 1/31/12

   sorry that last comment was meant for Jeff Corkern and I'll add this as well.
   
   Comanche, which is more harmful to society? Marijuana or the the effects and oppression caused by Marijuana Prohibition? not to mention the wasted time of law enforcement, the wasted money of taxpayers incarcerating individuals (40,000$ a year) or perhaps we should just keep ruining the lives of our youth. How is marijuana prohibition different to alcohol prohibition? Put that in your pipe and smoke it pal

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9. 9. neiltyson 08:58 PM 1/31/12

   Congrats, world on our way to a smoke-free dystopia...
   
   but ya know I'm pretty glad because I'm extremely mildly kinda but very addicted to marijuana...it has ruined my life and I am no longer a contributing member of society. I used to enjoy things like relaxing in my room, listening to Phish. Now, (that I'm addicted) I just go to work, walk my dog, play with my children, and love my wife. And this has gone on for years, no months, no...wait...no clue. I'm ruined. My college career went down the drain when I started daily usage. I had a solid 3.3 GPA and it dropped to a 3.5. I always knew that if I hadn't started I would've gotten into Yale Law, but since I was a dirty bastard and smoked anyway I ended up at Penn. I suppose I'm just lucky to be alive. I also whole-heartedly believe this study done showing an increased risk for schizophrenia. I hallucinate all the time. It's especially bad when I'm driving; the sun hits the distant road and there appears to be a gigantic puddle! It's truly frightening, lightning, trifling, sodomy!!!!!!! (five is enough)
   
   
   

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10. 10. dandawdy@gmail.com 09:04 PM 1/31/12

    The article is mistaken possibly as I believe, Sativex has the same hodgepodge of about 64 different substances(cannabinoids is most likely meant here, as whole cannabis plant contains many more than just 64 substances).

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11. 11. neiltyson in reply to JeffCorkern 10:34 PM 1/31/12

    I would like to respectfully disagree. Imagine the books Sagan would have written if it had not been for his "emotion drug"(whatever that means). They would probably be dull enough that you wouldn't even know his name. Many writers, mathematicians, and scientists have used psychoactive chemicals and attribute some of their findings to the perspective gained by this usage. Emotion drugs certainly do not disintegrate cultures. Instead I would say emotion drugs facilitate, rather than retard scientific progress. It's all a matter of who uses the drug, rather than the drug itself.

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12. 12. Wes55 10:51 AM 2/1/12

    "In addition, while marijuana is a hodgepodge of about 64 different substances, Sativex is composed mainly of two ingredients: THC and another cannabinoid called CBD."
    
    This statement is misleading. Sativex is made from two cloned varieties of whole cannabis plants. One variety is high in THC, the other high in CBD, but the entire "hodge podge" of substances are also extracted from the plants. Sativex contains ALL the same substances as the "dangerous illicit drug" marijuana.
    
    Patients in the several medical cannabis states have been able to access an equivalent medicine in the form of cannabis tinctures for years, at a fraction of the cost of Sativex. It is good that the rest of America will have access to this useful medicine in a few more years. It is certainly safer than vicodin and other narcotic pain killers.
    
    The only advantage Sativex has over "crude marijuana", is that the "right" people will make the money.

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13. 13. cannabis_is_medicine 01:56 PM 2/5/12

    Have you read the Statutory Product Characteristics?
    
    In the section "common side effects" ,"euphoric mood "is listed. Its exactly the same stuff as cannabis oil with a little alcohol and peppermint added but at a grossly inflated price. 10ml for £125 a bit more expensive than the local pot dealer.

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