KUALA LUMPUR – If an opioid drug called diamorphine made from morphine – a derivate of heroin obtained from opium poppy plants – is legally used in hospitals in Malaysia, why can’t a derivate of marijuana (ganja) called cannabidiol (CBD) be used for medical purposes in the country?
Former chief justice Tun Azmi Zaki raised this question as a speaker during a recent conference titled Use of Psychoactive: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly hosted by the Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahsa University.
He said diamorphine (morphine) is used for the treatment of acute pain, physical trauma, angina, post-surgical pain, and end-stage terminal illnesses universally in hospitals worldwide.
Quoting several studies, he explained that CBD is the extract of the marijuana plant (cannabis sativa) that is used for medical purposes in countries where its use has been approved.
“CBD differs from tetrahydrocannabinol, another active plant compound in marijuana, which is responsible for causing psychoactive reactions (a high or euphoric feeling).
“Many countries like Thailand and China have approved the use of CBD to treat epilepsy, anxiety, pain, muscle disorder, and other neurological conditions.
“It is unfortunate that the government here, especially health officials, continue to hold on to conservative and prejudiced views regarding the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in the country.”
He said if CBD benefits 1%, 2%, or 3% of the population, the government must allow its use, especially when regular doctors are prescribing stronger drugs like morphine and codeine.
He also pointed out that the same Dangerous Drugs Act that prohibits narcotics such as marijuana also authorises the health minister to grant exemptions for restricted medicinal use of the same.
“The government could already provide exemptions for the use of CBD in the country or at least give exemptions for CBD imports without having to go through the difficult task of legislating new laws or provisions for this purpose.”
He said the law is already there, so there is no need to go to Parliament to amend laws. This will take a long time.
He also said there is no need for local research to study the efficacy of CBD on patients as such studies conducted overseas attest to the efficacy and safety of CBD, besides, new research is expensive and time-consuming.
Zaki shared two short videos of young patients suffering from epileptic fits who were given a CBD spray into their nostrils and almost immediately the symptoms ceased.
The US Food and Drug Administration in 2018 approved Epidiolex, a CBD-based oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy.
This is the first FDA-approved drug with a purified substance derived from marijuana. – The Vibes, September 24, 2022
