Barbadians urged to use tested and approved drugs

THERE is still a belief in Barbados that medicinal marijuana can treat cancer.

Dr. Abdon DaSilva described this as a “huge lie”, saying that there are no studies that can show that this drug actually works on cancer cells.

The President of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners was one of the guests speaking at a panel discussion hosted by the DLP’s St. James South branch at Queen’s College on Sunday evening on the topic, “Understanding Medical Cannabis”.

He noted however that that there are products already approved, tested and used in spasticity, pain, epilepsy, stimulation of appetite, treatment in nausea primarily induced by cancer drugs.

“Having said that, there is evidence to show that people who use cannabis and who smoke cigarettes, there is some evidence that it increases the rate of cancer of the prostate. And we already have a huge problem in Barbados with cancer of the prostate. It has anti-inflammatory effects, so that’s where most of the pain relief will come from, but when you think in terms of anti-inflammatory effects, you are actually talking about your immune system. You dampen your immune system. It is likely to make some cancers worse. So the science is there, the proof is not there yet.”

He noted that it was strange that the Ministry of Agriculture is speaking to medicine rather than seeking to develop cannabis as an alternative in terms of an industry. “It certainly has the potential for textiles, soap, all sorts of other things besides medicine.”

Dr. DaSilva stated the fact that it is a huge generator of income could be a major driving force behind the introduction of medicinal marijuana in Barbados. “My caution about using marijuana as a drug and in terms of your taxes or whatever you might derive from it, if we use alcohol as an example, it has been shown in the US that for every dollar you collect in revenue for alcohol, you pay as much as $10 treating the effects of alcohol. I don’t know what the figures are going to be like with marijuana,” he said.

“If we are going to be introducing other things that ... have been tried, tested and licensed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)... I don’t think any doctor has a problem with those preparations. Our problem as a profession is going to be how do we prescribe something that is really and truly a proprietary product.

“So in terms of the medical profession, we will want to see drugs that have been tried, tested and proven to be effective, safe... One of the problems we are going to have is somebody is going to have to make sure they are actually have to be free of herbicides, pesticides ... they’re going to have to be free of fungi, free of bacteria...”

Dr. DaSilva told the audience that all drugs have side effects. “How are these things that are being promoted going to interface with medication you take?” he queried.

Saying that Barbados still has a long way to go, he noted he would not use the products unless it is known specifically what they will or won’t do.

“If we don’t know what the drugs are going to do, consumers are going to have to be prepared to sign onto something that says, ‘I am going to be able to take something I don’t know what it is going to do to me … but you are free to it because I won’t sue,’” he stated. (JH)

Barbados Advocate

Mailing Address:
Advocate Publishers (2000) Inc
Fontabelle, St. Michael, Barbados

Phone: (246) 467-2000
Fax: (246) 434-2020 / (246) 434-1000