Tincture of Cannabis

The Marijuana Policy Project notes that the Canadian government is close to approving Sativex, a liquid cannabis extract produced by the U.K.-based GW Pharmacueticals. The product, which is reminiscent of the cannabis-based remedies that were sold in the U.S. in the 19th and early 20th centuries, is designed to be sprayed into the mouth. Research has shown it to be useful in treating neuropathic pain associated with multiple sclerosis, and it is likely to have other applications as well once it's available by prescription.

"GW Pharmaceuticals has proven--and the Canadian government has acknowledged--that marijuana is indeed a medicine, one that is both effective and remarkably safe," says MPP's Rob Kampia. "The real lesson from this is that patients should have access to marijuana in whatever form they and their doctors find most useful. Sativex is to marijuana as a cup of coffee is to coffee beans, and there is simply no justification for arresting patients for using different varieties of the same medication."