Marijuana is Safer Than Most Painkillers

By Barbara McKee
Source: Albuquerque Tribune

Before 1899, pain relief was treated with herbs. Then "the wonder drug of the century" - a synthesis of the compound acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin - was introduced by Bayer in Germany. Originally a trade name, aspirin passed into the popular vocabulary.


The use of salicylic acid and its derivatives dates back to 400 B.C. when Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) prescribed the bark and leaves of the willow tree (rich in salicin) to reduce pain and fever. In A.D. 100, Dioscorides mentioned willow leaves.

The pain-relieving effects of Salix (willow) and Spiraea (meadow sweet) species were forgotten by doctors in the Middle Ages but lived on in folk medicine. In 1763 the Rev. Edward Stone, who tested it on 50 feverish patients, presented the first scientific study of willow bark extract to the Royal Society in London.

In 1828 a German chemist, J.A. Buchner (professor of pharmacy in Munich), experimented with salicin. Other people also worked on salicin, like Hermann Kolb, who first identified its structure as ortho-oxybenzoic acid and managed to synthesize it. Artificial production of salicylic acid couldn't compete with the natural product until 1873. In 1876 its anti-rheumatic effects were clinically proven, and its pain-killing and fever-relieving effects were rediscovered.

Another wonder drug was introduced around the same time as aspirin: heroin. Bayer claimed the drug as a cough remedy, which was important at the turn of the century with the high number of deaths due to tuberculosis and pneumonia. Heroin suppressed the respiratory system and was a powerful sedative. Studies endorsed heroin, stating its effectiveness in treating asthma and bronchitis.

By 1899, Bayer was producing about a ton of heroin a year, exporting the drug to 23 countries. Manufacturers of cough syrup were soon lacing their products with Bayer heroin. Bayer never advertised heroin to the public, but the publicity material it sent to physicians described the product thus: "Heroin: the Sedative for Coughs." In 1913, Bayer decided to stop making heroin. There was an explosion of heroin-related admissions at New York and Philadelphia hospitals, and in East Coast cities a substantial population of recreational users (some supported their habits by collecting and selling scrap metal, hence the name "junkie"). Heroin was outlawed in the United States in 1919.

Fast forward to the 21st century. New drugs to treat pain, Vioxx, Celebrex and Naproxen, have been pulled from the shelves or warnings on dosages have been issued. Many doctors are now recommending aspirin to treat moderate chronic pain.



There's another drug that has been around for centuries that has little to no life-threatening side effects: marijuana. It relieves pain and nausea and is inexpensive to produce, but its use is in the same category as heroin. Most of the studies I've read show it's a medication that is much safer than most of the painkillers on the market today.

This old herb has been around for centuries for a reason: to help humanity. What better reason do we need?

Source: Albuquerque Tribune (NM)
Author: Barbara McKee
Published: December 28, 2004
Copyright: 2004 The Albuquerque Tribune
Contact: letters@abqtrib.com
Website: http://www.abqtrib.com/