The two faces of Andrea Barthwell

Thanks to Michael Krawitz for pointing us to this hot rumor posted by Fred Gardner at the always interesting Counterpunch.

A hitherto reliable source says that G.W. Pharmaceuticals has hired Andrea Barthwell, MD, to lobby for approval of its cannabis-plant extracts in the U.S. G.W. manufactures a high-THC spray called Sativex that is awaiting marketing approval in Britain and Canada. They also make a high-CBD formulation, and a 50-50 mix. Barthwell, a specialist in addiction medicine, is a liberal Republican from Illinois. She was employed for two years in the Office of National Drug Control Policy under Bush's "drug czar," John Walters, and she left with an eye towards running for the Senate (for the seat that was won by Barak Obama).

I don't know where he came up with the "liberal" Republican part but nonetheless I find it very interesting that Ms. Barthwell, after making a living for years on anti-marijuana rhetoric, declaring that there was absolutely no medicinal value in cannabis, all of sudden found some value in Sativex when she found a way to make money on the position.

Especially galling since she is currently offering her services as a prohibition speaker for hire via her corporation Illinois Marijuana Lectures. A quick look at the site today finds the opening words to be, "Surgeon General, pediatiricians, AMA warn parents about marijuana." They didn't even spell it correctly and they say we're impaired?

I was almost surprised to find the site still alive after she was caught lying about her sponsors. How she can bill herself as the Honorable Andrea Barthwell with a straight face is beyond me but then again, blatant hypocrisy becomes professional liars. And there's more.

G.W. has also hired John Pastuovic, who headed the Bush-Cheney campaign in Illinois in 2000, to handle public relations in the U.S. The implication of the hires is that G.W. founders Geoffrey Guy and Brian Whittle will use any means necessary to push their products as alternatives to smoked marijuana. Our source says, "As a stockholder -bravo! As a citizen -what a shame!"

This is just the last in a string of odd news lately that speaks of a broader interest in isolating the elements in cannabis that do the medical job without the high of smoking the plant. Gardner goes on to look at anti-inflammatory aspects that are being studied with an eye to isolating the non-psychotropic inhibitors from those that affect perception.

I have a feeling the prohibitionists are brewing this new strategy of keeping the plant illegal by vilifying the innocuous buzz so they can control the market with derivatives and chemical synthetics. They've known for decades the plant is safe but they couldn't figure out how to keep people from obtaining the drug on their own by growing it. This lets them work both sides of the fence.

I can see the commercial now. Open with long shot of John Walters, now former head of ONDCP, purposefully striding down a corridor. Voiceover: "We told you MMJ was bad medicine." Pull in to talking head shot, serious but vaguely contrite expression on his face. "We were wrong." Pull out to John standing between two wheelchair bound patients. Sincere and vaguely cheerful expression on JW's face. "We discovered the problem was the [bad chemicals] in the plant. Thanks to [insert pharma here] people like Sam and Linda here can enjoy the relief of Greend* without the terrifying side effects of relaxation and expanded thinking.