Monthly Archives: February 2012

Cannabis Use Associated With Reduced Intake Of Prescription Drugs

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Survey data collected from the members of prominent Berkeley, California medical marijuana collective indicates that most patients minimize their intake of conventional medications following their initiation of cannabis therapy.

Sixty-six percent of respondents said that they consumed cannabis as a prescription drug substitute, according to the results of an anonymous survey. Many respondents said they preferred cannabis as it possesses fewer health side effects than conventional medications.

Some 70 percent of the respondents said they made use of cannabis for treating a chronic condition, such as diabetes or arthritis. Just over half said that they used marijuana for pain relief, including arthritis, migraines, and accident-related injuries. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said that they possessed health insurance coverage.

Reference:
Berkeley Patients Group

Synthetic THC reduces motility In Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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According to clinical trial data to be published in the journal Gastroenterology, the administration of synthetic THC (aka dronabinol) decreases colonic motility compared to placebo in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The impact of oral THC versus placebo in a randomized trial of 75 patients with IBS was assessed by investigators at the Clinical Enteric Neuroscience Translational and Epidemiological Research (CENTER) in Rochester, Minnesota.

It was reported by researchers that active THC reduced motility of the large intestine during fasting compared to placebo in all of the study’s participants. The administration of dronabinol yielded the most significant results in IBS patients with diarrhea and in subjects with alternating diarrhea and constipation.

“Dronabinol may provide potential benefit to those [IBS patients] with accelerated transit,” researchers concluded.

Dronabinol is presently a schedule III controlled substance that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of severe nausea and cachexia (wasting syndrome).

Earlier this month, survey results published online in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology reported that patients with IBD commonly use cannabis therapeutically.

Reference:
Pharmacogenetic Trial of a Cannabinoid Agonist Shows Reduced Fasting Colonic Motility in Patients with Non-Constipated Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Gastroenterology

Cannabinoid and Acute Alcohol Withdrawal

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According to data published online in the journal of the Public Library of Science (PLoS ONE), the administration of the synthetic cannabinoid agonist HU-211 decreases nerve cell death in an in vitro model of ethanol withdrawal.

The anti-excitotoxic effects of the synthetic cannabinoid HU-211 in culture were assessed by an international team of investigators from the INSERM medical research center in Caen, France, and Complutense University in Madrid, Spain. It was demonstrated by researchers that administration of cannabinoid protects neurons from cell death in an experimental model of ethanol withdrawal. By contrast, the administration of a cannabinoid antagonist (rimonabant) during ethanol withdrawal greatly increased the likelihood of cell death.

“These observations show, for the first time, that the stimulation of the endocannabinoid system could be protective against the hyper-excitability developed during alcohol withdrawal,” investigators concluded. “By contrast, the blockade of the endocannabinoid system seems to be counterproductive during alcohol withdrawal.”
Separate pre-clinical studies have previously documented that the administration of the non-psychotropic organic cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) in lab animals is neuroprotective against cerebral infarction and ethanol-induced neurotoxicity (alcohol poisoning).

Reference:
Pharmacological Activation/Inhibition of the Cannabinoid System Affects Alcohol Withdrawal-Induced Neuronal Hypersensitivity to Excitotoxic Insults- PLoS ONE.

Alcohol Is More Dangerous Than Cannabis

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The consumption of alcohol causes far greater harms to the individual user and to society than does the use of cannabis.

The finding was made in a review published online in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, the journal of the British Association of Psychopharmacology. Investigators at the Imperial College of London assessed “the relative physical, psychological, and social harms of cannabis and alcohol.”

It was reported by the authors that cannabis inhalation, particularly long-term, contributes to some potential adverse health effects — including harms to the lungs, circulatory system, as well as the exacerbation of certain mental health risks. By contrast, alcohol was described by the authors as “a toxic substance” that is responsible for an estimated five percent “of the total global disease burden.”

Researchers determined, “A direct comparison of alcohol and cannabis showed that alcohol was considered to be more than twice as harmful as cannabis to [individual] users, and five times more harmful as cannabis to others (society). … As there are few areas of harm that each drug can produce where cannabis scores more [dangerous to health] than alcohol, we suggest that even if there were no legal impediment to cannabis use, it would be unlikely to be more harmful than alcohol.”

They concluded, “The findings underline the need for a coherent, evidence-based drugs policy that enables individuals to make informed decisions about the consequences of their drug use.”

Reference:

Popular intoxicants: what lessons can be learned from the last 40 years of alcohol and cannabis regulation-Journal of Psychopharmacology

Cannabis Improves Symptoms Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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According to a pilot prospective study, inhaled cannabis improves quality of life measurements, disease activity index, and causes weight gain and rise in body mass index in long-standing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.

Thirteen patients with IBD were included in a pilot prospective study conducted at a Department of Gastroenterology belonging to Tel Aviv University, Israel. The study was conducted for investigating the effects of a treatment with inhaled cannabis.

Several parameters were assessed before treatment and after three months of treatment including the Harvey-Bradshaw index that offers information on disease activity in Crohn’s disease, including general well-being, abdominal pain, number of liquid stools and complications. Patients, after three months of treatment, reported improvement in general health perception, social functioning, ability to work, physical pain, and depression.

A schematic scale of health perception showed an improved average score from 4.1 to 7. The patients experienced an average weight gain of 4.3 kg and an average rise in BMI (body mass index) of 1.4, while the average Harvey-Bradshaw index was reduced from 11.36 to 5.72.

It was concluded by authors that “three months’ treatment with inhaled cannabis improves quality of life measurements, disease activity index, and causes weight gain and rise in BMI in long-standing IBD patients.”

Reference:

Lahat A, Lang A, Ben-Horin S. Impact of Cannabis Treatment on the Quality of Life, Weight and Clinical Disease Activity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: A Pilot Prospective Study. Digestion. 2011;85(1):1-8.)

Medical Marijuana And Hepatitis C

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Hepatitis C is a viral disease of the liver that afflicts an estimated four million in the United States alone. Chronic hepatitis C is typically associated with depression, fatigue, joint pain and liver impairment, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Patients diagnosed with the disease frequently report using cannabis for treating both symptoms of the disease and the nausea associated with antiviral therapy.

An observational study by investigators at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) revealed that patients afflicted with hepatitis C who used cannabis were significantly more likely to adhere to their treatment regimen than patients who did not use it. However, no clinical trials assessing cannabinoid use for this indication are available in the scientific literature.

It is indicated by preclinical data that endocannabinoid system could moderate aspects of chronic liver disease and inflammation could be reduced by cannabinoids in experimental models of hepatitis. Nevertheless, other clinical reviews have reported a positive association between cannabis use on a daily basis and the progression of liver fibrosis (excessive tissue build up) and steatosis (excessive fat build up) in select hepatitis C patients.

Investigators from Canada and Germany, writing in the October 2006 issue of the European Journal of Gastroenterology, concluded that cannabis’ “potential benefits of a higher likelihood of treatment success [for hepatitis c patients] appear to outweigh [its] risks.”

References:

[1] Schnelle et al. 1999. Results of a standardized survey on the medical use of cannabis products in the German-speaking area. Forschende Komplementarmedizin (Germany) 3: 28-36.
[2] David Berstein. 2004. “Hepatitis C – Current state of the art and future directions.” MedScape Today.
[3] Sylvestre et al. 2006. Cannabis use improves retention and virological outcomes in patients treated for hepatitis C. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 18: 1057-1063.
[4] Zamora-Valdes et al. 2005. The endocannabinoid system in chronic liver disease (PDF). Annals of Hepatology 4: 248-254.
[5] Gabbey et al. 2005. Endocannabinoids and liver disease – review. Liver International 25: 921-926.
[6] Lavon et al. 2003. A novel synthetic cannabinoid derivative inhibits inflammatory liver damage via negative cytokine regulation. Molecular Pharmacology 64: 1334-1344.
[7] Hezode et al. 2005. Daily cannabis smoking as a risk factor for progression of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C. Hepatology 42: 63-71.
[8] Ishida et al. 2008. Influence of cannabis use on severity of hepatitis C disease. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 6: 69-75.
[9] Parfieniuk and Flisiak. 2008. Role of cannabinoids in liver disease. World Journal of Gastroenterology 14: 6109-6114.
[10] Fischer et al. 2006. Treatment for hepatitis C virus and cannabis use in illicit drug user patients: implications and questions. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 18: 1039-1042.
[11] Schwabe and Siegmund. 2005. op. cit.
[12] Hezode et al. 2005. op. cit.
[13] David Berstein. 2004. op. cit.
[14] Hezode et al. 2008. Daily cannabis use: a novel risk factor of steatosis severity in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Gastroenterology 134: 432-439.
[15] Purohit et al. 2010. Role of cannabinoids in the development of fatty liver (steatosis). The AAPS Journal 12: 233-237.

Medical Marijuana And Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by the selective loss of motor neurons in the brain stem, spinal cord, and motor cortex. It is estimated that around 30,000 Americans are living with the complication that often arises spontaneously and afflicts otherwise healthy adults. More than half of the affected patients die within 2.5 years following the onset of symptoms.

An absence of clinical trials investigating the use of cannabinoids for ALS treatment was revealed by a review of the scientific literature. However, it is indicated by recent preclinical findings that cannabinoids may delay progression of the disease, lending support to anecdotal reports by patients that cannabinoids may be efficacious in moderating the disease’s development and in alleviating certain ALS-related symptoms like depression, drooling, appetite loss, and pain.

Investigators at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, writing in the March 2004 issue of the journal Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Other Motor Neuron Disorders, reported that the administration of THC both before and after the onset of ALS symptoms staved disease progression and prolonged survival in animals compared to untreated controls.

The administration of other naturally occurring and synthetic cannabinoids may also moderate disease progression but not necessarily impact survival, according to additional trials in animal models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. A recent study has demonstrated that blocking the CB1 cannabinoid receptor did extend life span in an ALS mouse model, indicating that the beneficial effects of cannabinoids on ALS could be mediated by non-CB1 receptor mechanisms.

A team of investigators writing in the American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine in 2010 reported, “Based on the currently available scientific data, it is reasonable to think that cannabis might significantly slow the progression of ALS, potentially extending life expectancy and substantially reducing the overall burden of the disease.” They concluded, “There is an overwhelming amount of preclinical and clinical evidence to warrant initiating a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of cannabis as a disease-modifying compound in ALS.”

References:

[1] Amtmann et al. 2004. Survey of cannabis use in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care 21: 95-104.
[2] Raman et al. 2004. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: delayed disease progression in mice by treatment with a cannabinoid. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Other Motor Neuron Disorders 5: 33-39.
[3] Weydt et al. 2005. Cannabinol delays symptom onset in SOD1 transgenic mice without affecting survival. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Other Motor Neuron Disorders 6: 182-184.
[4] Bilsland et al. 2006. Increasing cannabinoid levels by pharmacological and genetic manipulation delay disease progression in SOD1 mice. The FASEB Journal 20: 1003-1005.
[5] Ibid.
[6]Carter et al. 2010. Cannabis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: hypothetical and practical applications, and a call for clinical trials. American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine 27: 347-356.

Cannabis influences blood levels of appetite hormones in HIV patients

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Scientists of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) of the University of California in San Diego, USA, have investigated among others the effects of cannabis on appetite hormones in the course of a placebo-controlled trial with HIV patients, who suffered from pain.

Twenty-eight patients had been included to investigate the effects of smoked cannabis on their pain in the original already published clinical study. Seven of these patients selected for investigating the blood levels of the hormones leptin, ghrelin, peptide YY, and insulin after exposition with cannabis and placebo in a cross-over design.

Cannabis administration, compared to placebo, was associated with significant increases in plasma levels of ghrelin and leptin, and decreases in peptide YY. It however did not significantly influence insulin levels. Authors stated that “cannabis-related changes in these hormones had a magnitude similar to what has been observed with food intake over the course of a day in normal volunteers, suggesting physiological relevance. “They concluded that “these findings are consistent with modulation of appetite hormones mediated through endogenous cannabinoid receptors, independent of glucose metabolism.”

Reference:

Riggs PK, Vaida F, Rossi SS, Sorkin LS, Gouaux B, Grant I, Ellis RJ. A pilot study of the effects of cannabis on appetite hormones in HIV-infected adult men. Brain Res. 2011 Nov 7. [in press])

Medical Marijuana And Incontinence

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Urinary incontinence, defined as a loss of bladder control, may result from many biological factors, including weak bladder muscles and inflammation, as well as from nerve damage associated with diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease. It is believed that more than one in ten Americans over age 65 suffer from incontinence, particularly women.

Several recent clinical trials in the past have indicated that cannabinoid therapy could reduce incidents of incontinence. Investigators at Oxford’s Centre for Enablement in Britain, writing in the February 2003 issue of the journal Clinical Rehabilitation, reported that bladder control was improved by self-administered doses of whole-plant cannabinoid extracts when compared to placebo in patients suffering from MS and spinal cord injury.

These initial findings were followed by investigators at London’s Institute for Neurology in an open-label pilot study of cannabis-based extracts for bladder dysfunction in 15 patients with advanced multiple sclerosis. Investigators determined “urinary urgency, the number of and volume of incontinence episodes, frequency, and nocturia all decreased significantly” following cannabinoid therapy. “Cannabis-based medicinal extracts are a safe and effective treatment for urinary and other problems in patients with advanced MS.”

A multi-center, randomized placebo-controlled trial involving 630 patients administered oral doses of cannabis extracts or THC confirmed these findings in 2006. It was reported by researchers that subjects administered cannabis extracts experienced a 38 percent reduction in incontinence episodes from baseline to the end of treatment, while patients administered THC experienced a 33 percent reduction, suggesting a “clinical effect of cannabis on incontinence episodes.

“In light of these findings, experts have recommended the use of cannabinoids as potential ‘second-line’ agents to treat incontinence.

References:

[1] Wade et al. 2003. A preliminary controlled study to determine whether whole-plant cannabis extracts can improve intractable neurogenic symptoms. Clinical Rehabilitation 17: 21-29.
[2] Brady et al. 2004. An open label pilot study of cannabis-based extracts for bladder dysfunction in advanced multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis 10: 425-433.
[3] Freeman et al. 2006. The effect of cannabis on urge incontinence in patients with multiple sclerosis: a multicentre, randomized placebo-controlled trial. The International Urogynecology Journal 17: 636-641.
[4] University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Press Release. May 21, 2006. ” Marijuana-derived drug suppresses bladder pain in animal models.”
[5] Kalsi and Fowler. 2005. Therapy insight: bladder dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis. Nature Clinical Practice Neurology 2: 492-501.

Medical Marijuana And Gastrointestinal Disorders

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Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, including functional bowel diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease and colitis) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) afflict more than one in five Americans, particularly women. While some of the disorders could be prevented by diet and pharmaceutical medications, others are poorly moderated by conventional treatments.

 The symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders often include cramping, abdominal pain, inflammation of the lining of the large and/or small intestine, rectal bleeding, chronic diarrhea, and weight loss.

Though several anecdotal reports and a handful of case reports exist in the scientific literature supporting the use of cannabinoids for treating symptoms of this disorder, virtually no clinical trial work has been performed in this area, aside from a 2007 clinical study assessing the impact of oral THC on colonic motility.

Nevertheless, it has been demonstrated by numerous preclinical studies that activation of the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors exert biological functions on the gastrointestinal tract. In animals, effects of their activation include suppression of gastrointestinal motility, reduced acid reflux, inhibition of intestinal secretion, protection from inflammation, and promotion of epithelial wound healing in human tissue.

As a result, it is believed by many experts that cannabinoids and/or modulation of the endogenous cannabinoid system represents a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of numerous GI disorders — including inflammatory bowel diseases, functional bowel diseases, gastro-oesophagael reflux conditions, secretory diarrhea, gastric ulcers, and colon cancer.

References:
[1] Gahlinger, Paul M. 1984. Gastrointestinal illness and cannabis use in a rural Canadian community. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 16: 263-265.
[2] Swift et al. 2005. Survey of Australians using cannabis for medical purposes. Harm Reduction Journal 4: 2-18.
[3] Baron et al. 1990. Ulcerative colitis and marijuana. Annals of Internal Medicine 112: 471.
[4] Jeff Hergenrather. 2005. Cannabis alleviates symptoms of Crohn’s Disease. O’Shaughnessy’s 2: 3.
[5] Esfandyari et al. 2007. Effects of a cannabinoid receptor agonist on colonic motor and sensory functions in humans: a randomized, placebo-controlled study. American Journal of Physiology, Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology 293: 137-145.
[6] Massa and Monory. 2006. Endocannabinoids and the gastrointestinal tract. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation 29 (Suppl): 47-57.
[7] Roger Pertwee. 2001. Cannabinoids and the gastrointestinal tract. Gut 48: 859-867.
[8] DiCarlo and Izzo. 2003. Cannabinoids for gastrointestinal diseases: potential therapeutic applications. Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs 12: 39-49.
[9] Lehmann et al. 2002. Cannabinoid receptor agonism inhibits transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations and reflux in dogs. Gastroenterology 123: 1129-1134.
[10] Massa et al. 2005. The endocannabinoid system in the physiology and pathophysiology of the gastrointestinal tract. Journal of Molecular Medicine 12: 944-954.
[11] Wright et al. 2005. Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing. Gastroenterology 129: 437-453.
[12] Massa and Monory. 2006. op. cit.
[13] Izzo and Coutts. 2005. Cannabinoids and the digestive tract. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 168: 573-598.
[14] Izzo et al. 2009. Non-psychotropic plant cannabinoids: new therapeutic opportunities from an ancient herb. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 30: 515-527.

Marijuana Good or Bad?

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The call to legalize marijuana continues to grow louder despite opposition by some sections of the society. The point of laugh is that these sections of the society (the latter category) believe marijuana has no medicinal properties despite no valid reasons or proof to justify, and are trying to override numerous studies in the scientific and medical literature’s about the usefulness of marijuana to treat health complications, ranging from mild to severe.

Even independent labs and government agencies have confirmed that marijuana does not constitute a danger to public safety and is the safest and the most useful drug known to the mankind. If marijuana was bad, why does the U.S. federal government owns a patent (number 6630507) for the medicinal use of marijuana? Time for a rethink!

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s own administrative law judge, Francis L. Young, held that “marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record.”

It is worthwhile to note here that marijuana, unlike other drugs, is quite safe to be used recreationally by responsible adults. Moreover, it is non-addictive in nature, has not caused a single death, and could not be over-dosed. If that is not all, medical marijuana has been allowing patients across the world.

Marijuana has been and is commonly used for treating health diseases such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), chemotherapy-related nausea, migraine, depression, skin cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), autism, multiple sclerosis, and trauma.  In addition to this, medical marijuana has also demonstrated effectiveness in treating complications such as stuttering, HIV, AIDS, post polio syndrome, malignant melanoma, testicular cancer, diabetic peripheral vascular disease, obesity, autoimmune diseases, schizophrenia, writers’ cramp, alcohol abuse, tobacco dependence, Tourette’s syndrome, and persistent insomnia.

Medical studies have also confirmed that marijuana shows great promise in offering significant relief to patients suffering from nightmares, non-psychotic organic brain disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, paralysis, Bell’s palsy, muscular dystrophies, glaucoma, and chronic sinusitis.

In addition to these medical benefits, legalizing marijuana could easily open new avenues of employment and wealth from an economy’s point of view. By regulating and taxing marijuana, the United States alone could earn $40 billion to $100 billion in new revenue. Moreover, legalization of marijuana could easily prevent drug users and sellers from being termed as “criminals.” Legalizing marijuana would also promote entrepreneurial spirit among marijuana sellers and help them become respectable and accepted individuals in our society. In addition to that, governments could easily control how marijuana is consumed by increasing or decreasing the taxes on the drug, once it is legalized.

With governments scrambling to identify new sources of revenue to pay for important social objectives and recession hitting almost every segment of the economy, the time is not far when the nature’s great gift (marijuana) would be legalized. This is primarily because legalization of marijuana would inevitably add a new and powerful industry to our draining economy.

All in all, legalizing marijuana is the best thing that could be done to save the mankind from diseases, constraints, and stigma.

References:

Marijuanainfo.com
Marijuana Mission
Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) Library
MedicalMJ.org – Medical Marijuana News and Facts
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
The Drug Reform Coordination Network
The Hemp & Cannabis Foundation

Legalizing Marijuana

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What would be better than a new economic foundation that is based on renewable energy sources? Wouldn’t it be better to create thousands of jobs by a stroke of the pen? By classifying marijuana (also known as hemp and cannabis) as a medicine and granting the legal status, the world would surely be a better place to live.

Marijuana is one of the most commonly used drugs across the world, yet it is given an illegal status by some countries. The valid reason for this illegality is none and the valid reasons for granting it the legal status are endless.

If you have been wondering why marijuana is an illegal drug, this is because big pharmaceuticals are threatened by marijuana, the wonder drug, which could be used to treat almost every medical complication known to the mankind. Drug cartels in Mexico and beer distributors in California opposed the legalization of marijuana as they feared it would reduce their profits.

If that is not all, some politicians oppose legalization of marijuana as they are afraid they will be accused of being “pro-drug”, labeled as weak on crime, and believe that marijuana is not a wonder drug (even if that means overriding scientific and medical evidences without any valid reason and proof). Moreover, how would court expenses that are paid by marijuana offenders be justified and how would the police departments justify their budgets fighting marijuana and making a lot of money by seizing property during marijuana busts?

Why Legalize Marijuana?
Legalization of marijuana would not only create thousands of jobs based on a clean and sustainable source of fuel, medicine, and fiber, but it would also help the treasury earn taxes worth billions. Moreover, legalizing marijuana would save taxpayers’ money by the elimination of the money spent on law enforcement, the courts, and the prisons. More importantly, it would help individuals and families who have been criminalized by a system that promotes arrests, fines, and confiscation.

Legalizing marijuana would not only restore social consent and help billions of people worldwide get cured of medical complications, but to also avoid lives of people getting ruined by unjustified arrest and confiscation.

The belief that people who advocate marijuana use are either uninformed or their jobs depend upon the mandatory acceptance of marijuana prohibition is nothing but a pure myth. This is primarily because the laws against marijuana are arbitrary, unjust, and wrong and the findings that gave birth to these laws are biased towards big pharmaceutical companies that are threatened by the greatest gift of the Mother Nature, marijuana.

The findings of the Canadian Senate Special Committee (on Illegal Drugs. 2002. Cannabis: Summary Report: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy. Ottawa) says it all. “We believe … that the continued prohibition of cannabis jeopardizes the health and well-being of Canadians much more than does the substance itself or the regulated marketing of the substance. In addition, we believe that the continued criminalization of cannabis undermines the fundamental values set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and confirmed in the history of a country based on diversity and tolerance.

… It is for this reason that the Committee recommends that the Government of Canada amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to create a criminal exemption scheme, under which the production and sale of cannabis would be licensed, [and] … to permit persons over the age of 16 to procure cannabis and its derivatives at duly licensed distribution centers.”

In short, marijuana prohibition is nothing but unjust, the epitome of unwarranted big government intrusion into and interference with our private lives, and a huge waste of police, legal, and taxpayer resources. The time is not far when marijuana would be made easily accessible for adults who choose to use it, whether for medical use or pleasure and relaxation.

References:

Dr David Bearman’s Home Page
Dr Tod Mikuriya’s Home Page
Eugene (Oregon) – Compassion Center
Falcon Cove Biology Laboratory
Forfeiture Endangers American Rights

Could Marijuana Cure Cancer

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Marijuana is nothing but a wonder drug when it comes to offering relief to the mankind, especially to those suffering from health complications, ranging from multiple sclerosis to the dreaded cancer.

The term medical marijuana took on a dramatic new meaning in February 2000 when researchers in Madrid made an announcement that they had destroyed incurable brain cancer tumors in rats by injecting them with the active ingredient in cannabis, THC.
It was revealed:

“All the rats left untreated uniformly died 12-18 days after glioma (brain cancer) cell inoculation … Cannabinoid (THC)-treated rats survived significantly longer than control rats. THC administration was ineffective in three rats, which died by days 16-18. Nine of the THC-treated rats surpassed the time of death of untreated rats, and survived up to 19-35 days. Moreover, the tumor was completely eradicated in three of the treated rats.”

In a local section of the Washington Post on August 18, 1974, under the headline, “Cancer Curb Is Studied,” it was reported, “The active chemical agent in marijuana curbs the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice and may also suppress the immunity reaction that causes rejection of organ transplants, a Medical College of Virginia team has discovered.” The researchers “found that THC slowed the growth of lung cancers, breast cancers and a virus-induced leukemia in laboratory mice, and prolonged their lives by as much as 36 percent.”

The Spanish researchers were led by Dr. Manuel Guzman of Complutense University and the findings were reported in an issue of “Nature Medicine.”
The following studies also demonstrated that marijuana is highly effective in treating cancer.

1. “Cannabinoids, the active components of Cannabis sativa and their derivatives, act in the organism by mimicking endogenous substances, the endocannabinoids, that activate specific cannabinoid receptors. Cannabinoids exert palliative effects in patients with cancer and inhibit tumour growth in laboratory animals.
“The best-established palliative effect of cannabinoids in cancer patients is the inhibition of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. ….
“Other potential palliative effects of cannabinoids in cancer patients — supported by Phase III clinical trials — include appetite stimulation and pain inhibition. ….
“Cannabinoids inhibit tumor growth in laboratory animals. They do so by modulating key cell-signaling pathways, thereby inducing direct growth arrest and death of tumor cells, as well as by inhibiting tumor angiogenesis and metastasis.

“Cannabinoids are selective antitumor compounds, as they can kill tumor cells without affecting their non-transformed counterparts. It is probable that cannabinoid receptors regulate cell-survival and cell-death pathways differently in tumor and non-tumor cells.
“Cannabinoids have favorable drug-safety profiles and do not produce the generalized toxic effects of conventional chemotherapies. … “

Source:
Guzman, Manuel, “Cannabinoids: Potential Anticancer Agents.” Nature Reviews: Cancer (October 2003), p. 746.

http://www.brainlife.org/reprint/2003/guzm%C3%A1n_m031000.pdf

2. “Our results, which were obtained in a clinically relevant animal model of ErbB2-positive breast cancer, suggest that these highly aggressive and low responsive tumors could be efficiently treated with nonpsychoactive CB2-selective agonists without affecting the surrounding healthy tissue.”
From the abstract: “Conclusions: Taken together, these results provide a strong preclinical evidence for the use of cannabinoid-based therapies for the management of ErbB2-positive breast cancer.”

Sources:
Caffarel, María M; Andradas, Clara; Mira, Emilia; Pérez-Gómez, Eduardo; Cerutti; Camilla; Moreno-Bueno, Gema; Flores, Juana; García-Realm, Isabel; Palacios, José; Mañes, Santos; Guzmán, Manuel; Sánchez, Cristina, “Cannabinoids reduce ErbB2-driven breast cancer progression through Akt inhibition,” Molecular Cancer (London, United Kingdom: July 22, 2010), p. 1 and P. 8.

http://www.molecular-cancer.com/content/9/1/196

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2917429/pdf/1476-4598-9-196.pdf

3. “In conclusion, our data indicate that cannabidiol, and possibly Cannabis extracts enriched in this natural cannabinoid, represent a promising nonpsychoactive antineoplastic strategy. In particular, for a highly malignant human breast carcinoma cell line, we have shown here that cannabidiol and a cannabidiol-rich extract counteract cell growth both in vivo and in vitro as well as tumor metastasis in vivo. Cannabidiol exerts its effects on these cells through a combination of mechanisms that include either direct or indirect activation of CB2 and TRPV1 receptors and induction of oxidative stress, all contributing to induce apoptosis.”

Source:
Ligresti, Alessia; Moriello, Aniello Schiano; Starowicz, Katarzyna; Matias, Isabel; Pisanti, Simona; De Petrocellis, Luciano; Laezza, Chiara; Portella, Giuseppe; Bifulco, Maurizio; and Di Marzo, Vincenzo, “Antitumor Activity of Plant Cannabinoids with Emphasis on the Effect of Cannabidiol on Human Breast Carcinoma,” The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (Bethesda, MD: The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, March 2004) Vol. 318, No. 3, pp. 1386-1387.

http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/318/3/1375.full.pdf
4. “… we show that cannabinoid administration selectively down-regulates MMP-2 [matrix metalloproteinases] expression in mice bearing gliomas as well as in two patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. Cannabinoid-induced inhibition of MMP-2 expression was also evident in cultured glioma cells, indicating that the changes observed in gliomas in vivo reflect—at least in part—the direct effect of cannabinoids on tumor cells. MMP-2 expression is upregulated in almost all human cancers, including gliomas, and this has been shown to be closely associated with negative prognosis.”

“As MMP-2 up-regulation is associated with high progression and poor prognosis of gliomas and many other tumors, MMP-2 downregulation constitutes a new hallmark of cannabinoid antitumoral activity.”

Source:
Cristina Bla´zquez, Mari´a Salazar, Arkaitz Carracedo, Mar Lorente, Ainara Egia, Luis Gonza´lez-Feria, Amador Haro, Guillermo Velasco, and Manuel Guzman, “Cannabinoids Inhibit Glioma Cell Invasion by Down-regulating Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Expression,” Cancer Research (March 2008), pp. 1951 and 1945.

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/reprint/68/6/1945.pdf

5. “Cannabinoids have a favourable drug safety profile. Acute fatal cases due to cannabis use in humans have not been substantiated, and median lethal doses of THC in animals have been extrapolated to several grams per kilogram of body weight. Cannabinoids are usually well tolerated in animal studies and do not produce the generalized toxic effects of most conventional chemotherapeutic agents. For example, in a 2-year administration of high oral doses of THC to rats and mice, no marked histopathological alterations in the brain and other organs were found. Moreover, THC treatment tended to increase survival and lower the incidence of primary tumours. Similarly, long-term epidemiological surveys, although scarce and difficult to design and interpret, usually show that neither patients under prolonged medical cannabinoid treatment nor regular cannabis smokers have marked alterations in a wide array of physiological, neurological and blood tests.”

Source:
Guzman, Manuel, “Cannabinoids: Potential Anticancer Agents.” Nature Reviews: Cancer (October 2003), p. 752.

http://www.brainlife.org/reprint/2003/guzm%C3%A1n_m031000.pdf

6. “Cannabinoids, the active components of marijuana and their other natural and synthetic analogues have been reported as useful adjuvants to conventional chemotherapeutic regimens for preventing nausea, vomiting, pain, and for stimulating appetite. Before the discovery of specific cannabinoid systems and receptors, it was speculated that cannabinoids produced their effects via nonspecific interaction with cell membranes. Cannabinoids are proving to be unique based on their targeted action on cancer cells and their ability to spare normal cells. Variation in the effects of cannabinoids in different cell lines and tumor model could be due to the differential expression of CB1 and CB2 receptors. Thus, overexpression of cannabinoid receptors may be effective in killing tumors, whereas low or no expression of these receptors could lead to cell proliferation and metastasis because of the suppression of the antitumor immune response.”

Source:
Sarfaraz, Sami; Adhami, Vaqar M.; Syed, Deeba N.; Afaq, Farrukh; and Mukhtar, Hasan, “Cannabinoids for Cancer Treatment: Progress and Promise,” Cancer Research (Philadelphia, PA: American Association for Cancer Research, January 2008) Vol. 68, pp. 341-342.

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/reprint/68/2/339.pdf

Cannabinoids Effective In Treating Parkinson’s Disease

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Researchers have found that Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol (CBD), two plant-derived cannabinoids, are neuroprotective in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease (PD), presumably because of their antioxidant properties.

The neuroprotective effects of a series of cannabinoid-based compounds with more selectivity for different elements of the cannabinoid signaling system in rats with unilateral lesions of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons caused by local application of 6-hydroxydopamine were evaluated for the research purposes.

The CB1 receptor agonist arachidonyl-2-chloroethylamide (ACEA), the CB2 receptor agonist HU-308, the non-selective agonist WIN55, 212-2, and the inhibitors of the endocannabinoid inactivation AM404 and UCM707 were used and all of them administered i.p. Daily administration of ACEA or WIN55, 212-2 did not reverse 6-hydroxydopamine-induced dopamine (DA) depletion in the lesioned side, whereas HU-308 produced a minor recovery supporting a likely involvement of CB2 but not CB1 receptors.

AM404 produced a significant recovery of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced DA depletion and tyrosine hydroxylase deficit in the lesioned side, possibly caused by the antioxidant properties of AM404. The AM404 properties are derived from the presence of a phenolic group in its structure, rather than by the capability of AM404 to block the endocannabinoid transporter as another transporter inhibitor devoid of antioxidant properties, UCM707, did not produce the same effect.

The researchers also evaluated the timing for the effect of CBD in offering 6-hydroxydopamine-induced DA depletion when it was administered immediately after the lesion. However, it failed to do that when treatment was initiated a week later. Moreover, the effect of CBD implied an upregulation of mRNA levels for Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase, a key enzyme in endogenous defenses against oxidative stress.

In short, the results indicate that those cannabinoids having antioxidant cannabinoid receptor-independent properties offer neuroprotection against the progressive degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons occurring in PD. Furthermore, the activation of CB2 (but not CB1) receptors, or other additional mechanisms, may also contribute to some extent to the potential of cannabinoids in Parkinson’s disease.

The study was conducted by García-Arencibia M, González S, de Lago E, Ramos JA, Mechoulam R, Fernández-Ruiz J. from Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular III, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, 28040-Madrid, Spain.

Reference:
Brain Res., 2007 Feb 23;1134(1):162-70

Marijuana And Diabetes Mellitus

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Diabetes mellitus is a group of autoimmune diseases characterized by defects in insulin secretion that results in an abnormally high concentration of glucose in the blood, hyperglycemia. There are two types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes: People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes) are incapable to produce pancreatic insulin and must rely on insulin medication to survive.

Type 2 diabetes: People diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (also known as adult onset diabetes) produce inadequate insulin amounts.

Over a period of time, diabetes could result in blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage, hardening of the arteries, and even death.

A search of the scientific literature identified a small number of preclinical studies that indicated cannabinoids may modify the disease’s progression and provide symptomatic relief to those suffering from it.

Injections of 5 mg per day of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD significantly minimized the incidence of diabetes in mice, according to a 2006 study published in the journal Autoimmunity. It was reported by investigators that 86% of untreated control mice in the study developed diabetes and only 30% of CBD-treated mice developed the disease, by contrast.

Researchers at the Medical College of Virginia while writing in the March 2006 issue of the American Journal of Pathology reported that rats treated with CBD for periods of one to four weeks experienced significant protection from diabetic retinopathy.
A pair of studies published in the journal Neuroscience Letters in 2004 suggested that “cannabinoids have a potential beneficial effect on experimental diabetic neuropathic pain.”

References:
[1] Croxford and Yamamura. 2005. Cannabinoids and the immune system: Potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Journal of Neuroimmunology 166: 3-18.
[2] Lu et al. 2006. The cannabinergic system as a target for anti-inflammatory therapies. Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 13: 1401-1426.
[3] Weiss et al. 2006. Cannabidiol lowers incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice. Autoimmunity 39: 143-151.
[4] Ibid
[5] El-Remessy et al. 2006. Neuroprotective and blood-retinal barrier preserving effects of cannabidiol in experimental diabetes. American Journal of Pathology 168: 235-244.
[6] Dogrul et al. 2004. Cannabinoids block tactile allodynia in diabetic mice without attenuation of its antinociceptive effect. Neuroscience Letters 368: 82-86.
[7] Ulugol et al. 2004. The effect of WIN 55,212-2, a cannabinoid agonist, on tactile allodynia in diabetic rats. Neuroscience Letters 71: 167-170.
[8] Li et al. 2001. Examination of the immunosuppressive effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in streptozotocin-induced autoimmune diabetes. International Immunopharmacology (Italy) 4: 699-712.
[9] Rajesh et al. 2010. Cannabidiol attenuates cardiac dysfunction, oxidative stress, fibrosis, and inflammatory and cell death signaling pathways in diabetic cardiomyopathy. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 56: 2115-2125.

Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths

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Laws legalizing medical marijuana have resulted in a nearly nine percent drop in traffic deaths and a five percent reduction in beer sales, according to a groundbreaking study.

“Our research suggests that the legalization of medical marijuana reduces traffic fatalities through reducing alcohol consumption by young adults,” said Daniel Rees, professor of economics at the University of Colorado Denver who co-authored the study with D. Mark Anderson, assistant professor of economics at Montana State University.

Data from a variety of sources including the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System was collected by the researchers. This is the first study for examining the relationship between the legalization of medical marijuana and traffic deaths.
“We were astounded by how little is known about the effects of legalizing medical marijuana,” Rees said. “We looked into traffic fatalities because there is good data, and the data allow us to test whether alcohol was a factor.”

Traffic deaths are significant from a policy standpoint, noted Anderson. “Traffic fatalities are an important outcome from a policy perspective because they represent the leading cause of death among Americans ages five to 34,” he said.

It was cautioned by Rees and Anderson that legalization of medical marijuana may result in fewer traffic deaths as it is typically used in private, while alcohol is often consumed at bars and restaurants.

“I think this is a very timely study given all the medical marijuana laws being passed or under consideration,” Anderson said. “These policies have not been research-based thus far and our research shows some of the social effects of these laws. Our results suggest a direct link between marijuana and alcohol consumption.”

“Although we make no policy recommendations, it certainly appears as though medical marijuana laws are making our highways safer,” Rees said.

Reference:
D. Mark Anderson, Daniel I. Rees. Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities, and Alcohol Consumption. IZA Discussion Paper, November 2011

Marijuana And Dystonia

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A neurological movement disorder characterized by abnormal muscle tension and involuntary and painful muscle contractions, Dystonia, is the third most common movement disorder after Parkinson’s disease and tremor that affects more than 300,000 people in North America.

Recent scientific literature provides references to a small number of case reports and preclinical studies investigating the use of cannabis and cannabinoids for symptoms of dystonia.

A 2002 case study published in the July issue of The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management reported improved dystonia symptoms in a 42-year-old chronic pain patient after smoking marijuana. It was reported by the investigators that subjective pain score of the subject ell from 9 to zero (on a zero-to-10 visual analog scale) following cannabis inhalation and that no additional analgesic medication for the following 48 hours was required by the subject. “No other treatment intervention to date had resulted in such dramatic overall improvement in [the patient's] condition,” investigators concluded.

A second case study that reported “significant clinical improvement” following cannabis inhalation in a single 25-year-old patient with generalized dystonia because of Wilson’s disease was documented by an Argentinean research team in the August 2004 issue of the journal Movement Disorders.

A German research team at the Hannover Medical School reported successful treatment of musician’s dystonia in a 38-year-old professional pianist following administration of 5 mg of THC in a placebo-controlled single-dose trial in 2004. The investigators reported “clear improvement of motor control” in the subject’s affected hand, and noted, “[Two] hours after THC intake, the patient was able to play technically demanding literature, which had not been possible before treatment.” The subject had been unresponsive to standard medications and was no longer performing publicly prior to cannabinoid treatment. “The results provide evidence that … THC intake … significantly improves [symptoms of] … focal dystonia,” investigators concluded.

References:
[1] Chatterjee et al. 2002. A dramatic response to inhaled cannabis in a woman with central thalamic pain and dystonia. The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 24: 4-6.
[2] Roca et al. 2004. Cannabis sativa and dystonia secondary to Wilson’s disease. Movement Disorders 20: 113-115.
[3] Jabusch et al. 2004. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol improves motor control in a patient with musician’s dystonia (PDF). Movement Disorders 19: 990-991.
[4] Fox et al. 2002. Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the potential of cannabinoid receptor stimulation in the treatment of dystonia. Movement Disorders 17: 145-149.
[5] Richter et al. 2002. Effects of pharmacological manipulations of cannabinoid receptors on severe dystonia in a genetic model of paroxysmal dyskinesia. European Journal of Pharmacology 454: 145-151.
[6] Consroe et al. 1986. Open label evaluation of cannabidiol in dystonic movement disorders. International Journal of Neuroscience 30: 277-282.
[7] Richter et al. 1994. (+)-WIN 55212-2, a novel cannabinoid agonist, exerts antidystonic effects in mutant dystonic hamsters. European Journal of Pharmacology 264: 371-377.

Cannabinoids Inhibit Behavioral And Endocrine Alteration Developments

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In recent times, cannabinoids have emerged as a possible treatment option for stress and anxiety-related disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A research was aimed to examine whether cannabinoid receptor activation may inhibit the effects of traumatic stress on the development of behavioral and neuroendocrine measures in a rat model of PTSD, the single-prolonged stress (SPS) model.

During the research, rats were injected with the CB1/CB2 receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 (WIN) systemically or into the basolateral amygdala (BLA) at varying time points following SPS exposure and were tested a week later for inhibitory avoidance (IA) conditioning and extinction, acoustic startle response (ASR), hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, and anxiety levels.

It was revealed that SPS exposure improved conditioned avoidance and impaired extinction while increasing ASR, negative feedback on the HPA axis, and anxiety. WIN (0.5 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally 2 or 24 h (but not 48 h) after SPS inhibited the trauma-induced alterations in IA conditioning and extinction, ASR potentiation, and HPA axis inhibition. SPS-induced alterations in IA and ASR were prevented by WIN microinjected into the BLA (5 μg/side). The effects were blocked by intra-BLA co-administration of the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (0.3 ng/side) and suggested the involvement of CB1 receptors.

It was suggested by the findings that there could be an optimal time-window for intervention treatment with cannabinoids after a highly-stressful event exposure and some preventive effects induced by WIN are possible of being mediated by the activation of CB1 receptors in the BLA. It was also revealed by the research findings that cannabinoids may serve as a pharmacological treatment of stress and trauma-related disorders.

Reference:
Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

Legalizing Marijuana Efforts Gaining Momentum

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Despite fierce opposition from the federal government, efforts for legalizing marijuana for recreational use gaining momentum in Colorado and Washington state. Recently, officials in Washington remarked that an initiative for legalizing pot has enough signatures to get qualified for the ballot in November. Officials in Colorado are about to make a similar determination about an initiative in the state.

Pot supporters are ready to possibly spend millions of dollars ahead of the ballot in November, when they are hoping for a strong voter turnout, especially among youth, for the U.S. presidential election will aid their cause.

“Whether it’s make or break depends on what public opinion does after 2012, but in terms of voter turnout this is the best year to do it,” said Alison Holcomb, director of New Approach Washington, the initiative’s sponsor.

Marijuana use for medical purposes is presently being allowed in 16 states, including Washington and Colorado, along with the national capital. However, cannabis still remains an illegal narcotic under U.S. law and opinion of public is sharply divided on the merits of full marijuana legalization.

The U.S. Department of Justice has cracked down on medical cannabis operations in California after voters from the state turned back a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for recreational use in 2010.

“Our highest priority are the folks that violate both state and federal law,” said Rusty Payne, spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration. “There are places that have made a lot of money who claim to be nonprofit, and they have faced both local and federal scrutiny.”

Supporters of the Washington state initiative in an undeterred manner said it represents the “grown-up” approach to legalization.

“Voters aren’t being asked to imagine as much as they are in other states, they have seen that marijuana can be regulated and it doesn’t result in significant problems,” said Mason Tvert, co-director of the Colorado-based Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.

Public disclosure records show that Washington effort organizers have been able to collect over $1.1 million in campaign funds, with $250,000 of that coming from Progressive Insurance chairman Peter Lewis.
“If young voters turn out in droves like they did in 2008 or even start to approach those numbers … then I think this will pass, but they very well may not,” said Loren Collingwood, senior researcher for the nonpartisan Washington Poll run by the University of Washington.

“There’s a set of factors that suggest both the Washington and Colorado initiates have a better chance of winning than any of the initiatives that have happened before,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance.

“But that said, even with a majority of likely voters in both states saying they favor legal marijuana, we know in the final stretch there’s always a small percentage that get nervous or scared off or fearful of change,” he said.

Legalization “is not good for states and citizens who live in those states, and it’s certainly not good for the outlook of children who live in those states,” said Calivina Fay, head of the Florida-based Drug Free America Foundation.

“Right now in Seattle, we’re feeling that it’s a bit unfair that we are being tolerant of medical cannabis users, when other localities are not, because we tend to become suppliers for the whole state rather than our own citizens,” said Washington City Attorney Peter Holmes.

Marijuana Use Reduces Risk Of HNSCC

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The constituents of marijuana smoke, cannabinoids, have potential anti-tumor properties and the use of marijuana has now been associated with reduced risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

A recent study found that 10 to 20 years of marijuana use was associated with a significantly reduced risk of HNSCC [odds ratio (OR) 10-<20 years versus never users, 0.38; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.22-0.67] after adjusting for potential confounders (including smoking and alcohol drinking). Moderate weekly use was associated with reduced risk (OR0.5-<1.5 times versus <0.5 time, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.32-0.85) among users of marijuana.

The magnitude of minimized risk was more pronounced for those started marijuana use at an older age (OR15-<20 years versus never users, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.30-0.95; OR≥20 years versus never users, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.17-0.90; Ptrend < 0.001). The involved researchers observed attenuated risk of HNSCC among those who use marijuana compared with those who do not or the subjects who have the same level of smoking or alcohol drinking.

The study suggested that moderate marijuana use is linked with reduced risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. This study was supported by grant from the NIH (CA078609, CA100679) and Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute.

Legalizing Medical Marijuana Does Not Increase Use Among Youth

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The study findings on whether legalizing medical marijuana in Rhode Island would be increasing its use among youths were presented by a Rhode Island Hospital physician/researcher.

Lead author Esther Choo, M.D., M.P.H., presented the findings of the study at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition on November 2.

The state-level legalization of medical marijuana has raised concerns about increased accessibility and appeal of the drug to youth, who are most vulnerable to public messages about drug use and to the adverse consequences of marijuana, Choo, an emergency medicine physician with Rhode Island Hospital, and her coauthors explained. Their study was performed for assessing the impact of medical marijuana legalization in Rhode Island in 2006.

Trends in adolescent marijuana use between Rhode Island and Massachusetts, using a self-report called the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System, were compared by researchers. In their study, they included surveys completed between 1997 and 2009.
It was found by the researchers based on their analysis of 32,570 students that while marijuana use was common throughout the study period, there were no statistically significant differences in marijuana use between states in any year.

Choo says, “Our study did not find increases in adolescent marijuana use related to Rhode Island’s 2006 legalization of medical marijuana; however, additional research may follow future trends as medical marijuana in Rhode Island and other states becomes more widely used.”

Seattle Endorses Medical Marijuana Regulations

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Under a new Washington state law that will be enforced soon, the City Council recently voted for instituting a municipal licensing and regulation system for the distribution of medical marijuana in Seattle. The regulation is said to be signed and approved by the Mayor of Seattle Mike McGinn. It is contradictory to a sequence of new restrictions and prohibitions inflicted by other municipalities around the state on medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation facilities.

Governor Christine Gregoire permitted cities for regulating and licensing the production, processing, and distribution of medical marijuana on a limited basis by signing a new measure in to law.

According to the bill, storefront dispensaries and other medical pot dealers are required for restructuring themselves as small, cooperative enterprises catering to approximately 10 patients. These “collective gardens” are limited to cultivating 45 plants in total and not exceeding more than 15 per person.

A recent increase in storefront dispensaries, neither permitted under a 1988 voter-approved scheme legalizing pot for medicinal purposes nor explicitly banned, caused the approval of the state law. Gregoire vetoed any provisions that would have established a license for the cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana at the state level.

It was argued by officials of Seattle (Washington’s largest city) backing the proposed city regulation that the ordinance will effectively regulate to the upcoming supply chain. Seattle Councilwoman Sally Clark said, “We’re saying, ‘You’re already here, now we need to regulate you.’”

Although Seattle has given rise to around 80 medical marijuana dispensaries, only about 50 of them have registered with the city, Clark said.

No Grey Area In Canadian Pot Laws

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According to a professor at Thompson Rivers University’s Faculty of Law, there is no grey area as far as the legality of marijuana in Canada is concerned.

“I’m not sure how grey it is from a legal perspective,” Micah Rankin told KTW. “I think a lot of times police are using some restraint and discretion in not bothering to do anything, but it’s black and white insofar as this is not something that’s been challenged in the courts.”

Rankin, a teacher of criminal and constitutional law at TRU, spoke to KTW in the wake of last week’s RCMP raid on the Canadian Safe Cannabis Society (CSCS), which is a so-called compassion club on Tranquille Road.

Compassion clubs, sometimes referred to as marijuana dispensaries, are places where medical marijuana users access their drugs. The use of medical marijuana is legal in the country and drug access is available legitimately through Health Canada.
“It seems to me the problem is not using marijuana, but the problem is selling marijuana,” Rankin said.

CSCS staff and clients have said the facility provides marijuana only to people with Health Canada certification or a note from a doctor. Neither of those makes their sales legal, according to Health Canada.

Effort to Legalize Medical Marijuana in Ohio

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Peter Lewis, one of the biggest backers of medical marijuana in the United States, is seeking proposals to conduct a ballot initiative campaign to legalize marijuana for medical use in Ohio.

According to the request for proposals, fifteen states have made marijuana legal for qualified patients, most through the passage of similar voter initiatives.

Lewis is presently pushing it through in his home state of Ohio.

“Of the states that continue to prohibit medical use of marijuana, Ohio stands out as having particularly high levels of voter support,” stated the RFP, “This provides an opportunity to enact a new law that will directly help patients and to do so in a manner that will serve as a model for other states.”

The goal of the proposals is not just to pass a voter initiative legalizing medical marijuana in Ohio but for designing a campaign that could create a model for future campaigns in other states.

“You shouldn’t take it as a given that there will be a ballot initiative this campaign,” said Graham Boyd, Lewis’ lawyer and adviser, “But we want to see proposals.”

Lewis has already given millions to Marijuana Policy Project, the reform group, including $900,000 in 2010 besides giving 200,000 in support of California’s Proposition 19, the bill that sought unsuccessfully last November to legalize marijuana in California.

Better Fertility For Heavy Smokers With Marijuana-Like Compound

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According to researchers from Buffalo and Boston, a compound that is similar to chemicals found in marijuana can help a heavy smoker’s sperm bind to eggs more effectively. The finding was presented at an Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

The same researchers earlier wanted to find out whether treating sperms of a smoker with a marijuana-like compound might improve sperm binding. Sperms of humans have chemical receptors that respond to nicotine and marijuana-like compounds (cannabinoids).

The study involved eight volunteers, who were all heavy smokers. While four of them had normal sperm function, the remaining hour had reduced sperm function. Some of their sperm was washed in a regular medium and some was washed in a low-concentration cannabinoid solution. It was found that the sperm of smokers who had reduced sperm function improved to a significant extent after being washed in the low-concentration cannabinoid solution, while the sperm of the smokers with normal function did not.

Craig Niederberger, MD, President of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology (SMRU) said, “Numerous studies have shown that tobacco smoking is harmful to parents, and to their unborn and living children. It is important to note that in this study, sperm were washed with the active chemical in marijuana, as it is also known that smoking or taking marijuana in other ways harms a man’s fertility. But the best way to improve a smoker’s overall health, his fertility, and the health of his family is to help him quit smoking.”

Reference:
L. J. Burkman, S. Tambar, A. Makriyannis, M. Bodziak, R. Mroz, B. Telesz
HIGHLIGHTS from the 62nd ANNUAL MEETING AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE

Bladder Pain In Animal Models Suppressed By Marijuana-Derived Drug

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P 751, a potent synthetic analog of a metabolite of THC -the principal active ingredient of marijuana – is effective in suppressing pain in hypersensitive bladder disorders such as interstitial cystitis (IC), according to animal model study results presented today at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association.

The synthetic analog is a potent anti-inflammatory and a powerful analgesic and its administration directly into the bladder is difficult as it is insoluble in water.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine addressed the hydrophobic properties of IP 751 for the study with the introduction of the drug into a liposome, allowing for the drug to be introduced directly into the bladders of rat models of varying degrees of bladder inflammation. The bladder over-activity in both the animal models was significantly suppressed by IP 751.

“Interstitial cystitis is a difficult disease to treat, and not all treatments work well on all patients,” said Michael B. Chancellor, M.D., professor of urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “Any new option we can give our patients to alleviate their painful symptoms is very important.”

The study was supported by the NIH and the Fishbein Family Foundation Center of Urologic Research Excellence – Interstitial Cystitis (CURE-IC) Project.

Reference:
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center