Why does anyone need to use the actual cannabis plant when Marinol is available by prescription?
Marinol (Dronabinol) is nothing but synthetic THC. A large part of cannabis’ medicinal value stems from the synergistic interactions of all of its active components (in other words, from the whole herb). Treatment with Marinol has had very mixed results. Many patients are unable to tolerate it or to establish a consistently therapeutic dose. Without the mitigating and balancing effects of such compounds as Cannabidiol (CBD), which has multiple medical uses of its own, THC (not to mention synthetic THC) tends to cause increased problems and side effects, such as dysphoria and tachycardia. In his report on the ICRS conference (O’Shaughnessy’s et al, pg. 10), Mr. Gardner stated, “Several studies supported the notion that cannabis is more than simply THC. This should be no surprise, given the number of people who consume medical cannabis yet cannot tolerate Marinol…” The simple fact is, a synthetically-produced single compound can never be as efficacious as the whole plant, which industr
