Nebulized Marinol Offers Advantages Over Oral Pill

[ReformMaryJaneLaws]

Nebulized Marinol Offers Advantages Over Oral Pill, Study Says

October 22, 2003 - Tampa, FL, USA



Tampa, FL: Pulmonary administration of synthetic THC is faster acting and delivers greater concentrations of the drug than does oral administration of the Marinol pill, according to clinical trial data presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Peak plasma concentrations of the drug were achieved in volunteers who inhaled THC within 15 to 30 minutes versus 45 minutes to 2 hours for those administered the drug orally. Volunteers who inhaled THC also had lower plasma concentrations of the 11-OH-dronabinol metabolite, a psychoactive compound produced by the liver when THC is ingested.

Through pulmonary delivery, THC "will be able to reach the systemic circulation quickly while bypassing first-pass metabolism, resulting in a rapid onset of action," lead researcher Jodi Miller of Solvay Pharmaceuticals said. "Higher bioavailablity may lead to lower therapeutic doses which may decrease adverse events."


Though Marinol has been legal in the US since 1985, many patients report that they prefer whole smoked marijuana because it's faster acting, easier to titrate, and less psychoactive than the oral pill.

For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation at (202) 483-8751.

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5795