We know marijuana is a gateway drug among adolescents who go on to use harder drugs. It is a key drug to understanding the pathways to addiction . . . It is a pivotal drug in drug- addiction careers. Many habitual users are so drawn to the drug they spend their days smoking instead of making productive use of their lives, he says. Kanof does concede that marijuana can be an effective tool in relieving the wasting syndrome that plagues AIDS patients.
Prescription drugs exist, but they are much more expensive than pot.
In relieving nausea and vomiting, he counts about 10 agents that work to some degree. The right drug, he says, can eliminate 90 percent of nausea. Sometime this year, Kanof says, the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine is expected to issue a report on its review of the therapeutic use of marijuana. He does not expect much fanfare. More research is needed.