THE 'POT PILL' WAS NOT DEVELOPED FOR PATIENTS

Drug Policy Letter August / September 1993 p. 12

Rather than respond to public and political demands for marijuana's
medical availability, federal drug agencies are instead promoting
bureaucratically sanctioned alternatives that are synthetic, expensive and
often inneffective. It is ironic that after decades of pretending
marijuana is medically useless, the federal drug agencies are now
agressively pushing the synthetic substance dronabinol (trade name
Marinol), the so-called "pot pill," by arguing it is as safe and
effective as marijuana.

In the early 1980's, federal agencies were overwhelmed by demands
for legal access to government supplies of marijuana cigarettes for use in
legislatively authorized state programs of patient care. FDA and DEA,
unable to meet these state requests for marijuana, began promoting
synthetic THC pills as a substitute for marijuana.

In September 1980, federal agencies released the "pot pill"
through the National Cancer Institute's Group C Treatment Program. Then
federal agencies frantically searched for a private-sector pharmaceutical
company to sponsor a New Drug Application for the federally developed THC
pill. In exchange, federal agencies promised the company exclusive control
over the market for synthetic THC. [A euphemism for Economic Fascism.]

This promotion of synthetic THC was not designed to meet legitimate
human needs. It had only one objective: to maintain the medical
prohibition against marijuana.

The public was told "Pot Pill Approved." Federal drug agencies
assisted in a disinformation campaign by saying marijuana was no longer
medically needed because the modern, synthetic "pot pill" had arrived.
Federal agencies knew this was a lie. [They still do].

Robert Randall and Alice O'Leary

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