Newsgroups: alt.drugs
From: [g j h] at [galen.med.Virginia.EDU] (Galen J. Hekhuis)
Subject: Re: Willful Time To Die, Drug Help
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 23:17:24 GMT

In article <[sd 3761 mh 13 795800120] at [amber.indstate.edu]>,
SD3761 <[sd 3761 mh] at [amber.indstate.edu]> wrote:
}
}>What is the real name for Marinal ? or a more common name if this one
}>is yet the scientific one ? Is it available from everwhere legally for
}>everybody ? What are the difference between Marinal and marijuana ?
}>Thanks.
}>
}It is spelled Marinol and is a synthetic form of THC. According to medical 
}reports I have read there is not supposed to be any difference in the effect 
}of sythetic THC and natural THC. Although I have never had the chance to 
}Experiment.

Sorry to enter this discussion late, but Marinol is the name that Roxane
uses for the generic dronabinol.  It is supposed to be synthetic THC,
and it may well be, but I know of no one who has had natural THC to
make such a comparison.  Marijuana is definately not Marinol, nor
are the effects of smoking anywhere near the same as taking a THC
pill.  I have a prescription for it, btw, and personal experience
to boot.  I have also found that there are great medicinal benefits
from marijuana that I have not been able to duplicate with Marinol.
Marinol is fairly available, although it may take some time to get
it stocked in your local pharmacy, as demand isn't as great as for,
say, Vallium.  Besides, there are some (fairly easy) hoops the DEA
would like your physician to jump through.

Anyway, don't think that Marinol will be like marijuana -- in my 
experience it isn't.  It isn't that Marinol doesn't have effects,
it does, and I take it.  It is really hard (unlike smoking) to
titrate, and to figure out effective dosages. 

In short, if you want to deal with something that can be legally
obtained, Marinol would probably be a wise choice.  If you want
something that is fairly effective, that you can control the dosage
of, and that has very few contra-indications, use marijuana.  Of
course, the political consequences of such an action can be quite
draconian. 

Oh, and another thing.  My Marinol costs about $.83 a milligram.
That's $830 a gram.  Or a little over $23k an ounce.  You can buy
a *lot* of marijuana for 23 grand, not to mention how many grow
lights you can purchase for that amount if you decide to grow
your own.   With these kinds of finances involved, it isn't 
surprising that some folks have a vested interest in preventing
you from growing your own.  

No, marijuana isn't legal, even for medicinal uses, and Marinol is
a poor substitute.
--
                 Galen Hekhuis  Np.D.    [g j h] at [virginia.edu]  
[X]               We are the Neanderthals of the future