Man turns to marijuana to escape side-effects from pain killers
Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:17p.m.

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A paraplegic man has been charged and fined in the Tauranga District
Court for using cannabis for pain relief.

The judge said he had sympathy for Graham Coote, but that had to be set aside to uphold the law.

Graham Coote had been working as a tree feller for over 20 years when a log fell on his back, severing his spinal cord and paralysing him from the waist down.

Since the accident, Mr Coote has suffered chronic back pain. Doctors
prescribed methadone, but unhappy with the side-effects from the pain
killer, he turned to marijuana to alleviate his pain.

"Another bloke I was talking to, who was in a wheelchair, told me to try
it," Mr Coote says. "And i tried it and it worked. It worked well."

While clinical studies have shown marijuana can provide pain relief for
some, doctors say it is an unpredictable substance and has too many
adverse effects when inhaled or taken by mouth.

"We can't condone marijuana," says Dr Rick Acland. "The issue is that
within marijuana, there are these chemicals called cannabinoids which
are known to be effective. And what medical science is trying to do is
to combine the right cannabinoids in a medication that can be used
therapeutically."

Sativex is one such medication that is available overseas. It comes as a
mouthspray and is currently being assessed for approval in New Zealand.

In the meantime, Mr Coote will be back at the Auckland Spinal Unit next
month, where doctors will once again try to make his life a little less
painful.

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