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Two questions I'd like someone more knowledgable than I to address:

Has Marijuana ever been medically proven, by studies in accordance with accepted scientifc method, to alleviate symptoms from the various diseases claimed?

If, in fact, the active ingredient in Marijuana (THC, i.e. Tetrahydracannabinol) has been, or can be, proven to be medically effective, is there any reason why the THC cannot be synthesized and administered pharmaceutically in the same fashion narcotics etc. are?

If the answers to these questions are indeed 'yes,' I'd assume the pharmaceutical companies would be salivating about developing a new, and it would seem very marketable (!), arrow for their quiver?

- knightshadow.

If the answers to these questions are indeed 'yes,' I'd assume the pharmaceutical companies would be salivating about developing a new, and it would seem very marketable (!), arrow for their quiver?

Ahhh... ya see, there you'd be wrong.

Given that THC is a natural occuring compound, it is not patentable.

Much better for the bottom line ($$$) for the pharmas to push strong, physically addictive manmade painkillers.

I am no expert on current research, but here are a few sources of information on medical research and the denial of requests for medical research:

MAPS (Medical Marijuana Research
http://www.maps.org/mmj/

Government Finally Allows Marijuana-for-AIDS Study(1998)
http://www.mpp.org/archive/abrams98.html

Canada Approves Cannabis Medication Sativex® For Use By Multiple Sclerosis Patients
http://www.medicalmj.org/canasat.htm

Just a few. There are more. The Feds say it doesn't work, other research says different. The users say different too. http://www.glaucoma.org/treating/treatment/marijuana.html

"If, in fact, the active ingredient in Marijuana (THC, i.e. Tetrahydracannabinol) has been, or can be, proven to be medically effective, is there any reason why the THC cannot be synthesized and administered pharmaceutically in the same fashion narcotics etc. are?"

THC has been synthesized. It is called dronabinol, marketed under the name Marinol. See www.marinol.com

By the way, THC is not the only "active ingredient" in marijuana. There is another product now approved in Canada being marketed by a company called GW Pharmaceuticals in conjunction with Bayer that is a whole cannabis extract that comes in the form of a mouth spray. Supposedly it soaks right through the mouth into the blood stream, acting more quickly than what might come in a pill form and therefore is supposed to be better for treating nausea and other conditions. It is not yet approved in the U.S. but their lobbyist her is a former spokesperson for the ONDCP. It will be interesting to see if it is approved, being that it is actually made from marijuana.

"If, in fact, the active ingredient in Marijuana (THC, i.e. Tetrahydracannabinol) has been, or can be, proven to be medically effective, is there any reason why the THC cannot be synthesized and administered pharmaceutically in the same fashion narcotics etc. are?"

Duh, yeah. Why should I pay a small fortune for a synthesized drug when I can go out in the backyard and pick my own?