So it’s more than a little odd that CADCA and the other groups leading the fight against relaxing marijuana laws, including the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids (formerly the Partnership for a Drug-Free America), derive a significant portion of their budget from opioid manufacturers and other pharmaceutical companies. According to critics, this funding has shaped the organization’s policy goals: CADCA takes a softer approach toward prescription-drug abuse, limiting its advocacy to a call for more educational programs, and has failed to join the efforts to change prescription guidelines in order to curb abuse. In contrast, CADCA and the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids have adopted a hard-line approach to marijuana, opposing even limited legalization and supporting increased police powers.
A close look at the broader political coalition lobbying against marijuana-law reform reveals many such conflicts of interest. In fact, the CADCA event was attended by representatives of a familiar confederation of anti-pot interests, many of whom have a financial stake in the status quo, including law enforcement agencies, pharmaceutical firms, and nonprofits funded by federal drug-prevention grants.
The anti-pot lobby’s efforts run counter to a nationwide tide of liberalization when it comes to marijuana law. In 2012, voters legalized pot in Colorado and Washington State; this year, voters in Alaska appear poised to do likewise. Since 1996, twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana or effectively decriminalized it, and a contentious ballot initiative in Florida may result in the South’s first medical marijuana law. Meanwhile, legislatures across the country are debating a variety of bills that would continue to ease marijuana restrictions or penalties. On the federal level, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has challenged the Drug Enforcement Administration in testy hearings, and many have called for removing marijuana as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, which puts it in the same class as heroin and LSD.
The opponents of marijuana-law reform argue that such measures pose significant dangers, from increased crime and juvenile delinquency to addiction and death. But legalization’s biggest threat is to the bottom line of these same special interests, which reap significant monetary advantages from pot prohibition that are rarely acknowledged in the public debate.
CANNABIS could be used to reduce tumour growth in cancer patients, scientists have said.
New research reveals the drug’s main psychoactive ingredient - tetrahydrocannabino (THC) - could be responsible for its success in shrinking tumours.
It is hoped that the findings could help develop a synthetic equivalent with anti-cancer properties.
But researchers warned that cancer sufferers should not be tempted to self-medicate.
Dr Peter McCormick, from the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) school of pharmacy, said THC’s anti-cancer properties have been known for some time but the study had identified the receptors responsible for fighting tumours.
“Our findings help explain some of the well-known but still poorly understood effects of THC at low and high doses on tumour growth,” he said.
ONE of the United States’ most prestigious newspapers has called for the legalisation of marijuana, comparing the federal ban on cannabis to Prohibition.
In an editorial on Saturday, the New York Times said marijuana laws disproportionately impacting young black men and that addiction and dependence are “relatively minor problems’’ especially compared with alcohol and tobacco.
“It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished,’’ the newspaper said.
“It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol. The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana.’’
Noting that the editorial board reached its conclusion after much discussion, the New York Times described the social costs of marijuana laws as “vast.’’
The Tasmanian company that applied to trial medicinal cannabis in the state has been given the go-ahead elsewhere.
Like Tasmania, Norfolk Island has an historic past that struggles financially and depends on assistance from the Commonwealth.
But as the island's Health Minister Robin Adams explained, it was keen to pull itself out of that mire.
"We are open for investment, we are open for business on Norfolk Island," she said.Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia - it is not part of Australia's taxation or welfare system.
Dependent on tourism, it was hit hard by the global financial crisis.
Ms Adams said the island saw visitor numbers halve from around 40,000 a year to 20,000.
"We see this as a great opportunity both for the economy of Norfolk Island whilst providing a much needed medical product for export," she said.
The island's government has given Tasman Health Cannabinoids (THC) approval to grow medical cannabis.
THC had wanted to conduct its trial in Tasmania, with the view to it becoming a multi-billion-dollar export industry.
"The Health Minister on Norfolk Island Robin Adams has now given us a production licence to go ahead and progress to grow on Norfolk medical cannabinoids," said the chairman of THC, Dr Mal Washer.
Medicinal cannabis will be legalised in Victoria if Labor wins the November state election.
People who suffer terminal or life-threatening conditions will be able to access the drug in liquid or tablet form but smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes will not be decriminalised.
Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said it will be made available to treat people in exceptional circumstances.
"We're talking about a medication to make people better, to improve quality of life, to provide dignity and pain relief, nothing more, nothing less," Mr Andrews told reporters on Sunday.
The Victorian Law Reform Commission will be asked to design a regulatory framework by August next year with a view to having legislation before the parliament before the end of 2015.
The move follows public campaigns by Victorian families who have successfully treated their chronically ill children medicinal cannabis when other medicines failed.
Importance Opioid analgesic overdose mortality continues to rise in the United States, driven by increases in prescribing for chronic pain. Because chronic pain is a major indication for medical cannabis, laws that establish access to medical cannabis may change overdose mortality related to opioid analgesics in states that have enacted them.
Objective To determine the association between the presence of state medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality.
Design, Setting, and Participants A time-series analysis was conducted of medical cannabis laws and state-level death certificate data in the United States from 1999 to 2010; all 50 states were included.
Exposures Presence of a law establishing a medical cannabis program in the state.
Main Outcomes and Measures Age-adjusted opioid analgesic overdose death rate per 100 000 population in each state. Regression models were developed including state and year fixed effects, the presence of 3 different policies regarding opioid analgesics, and the state-specific unemployment rate.
Results Three states (California, Oregon, and Washington) had medical cannabis laws effective prior to 1999. Ten states (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont) enacted medical cannabis laws between 1999 and 2010. States with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8% lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate (95% CI, −37.5% to −9.5%; P = .003) compared with states without medical cannabis laws. Examination of the association between medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality in each year after implementation of the law showed that such laws were associated with a lower rate of overdose mortality that generally strengthened over time: year 1 (−19.9%; 95% CI, −30.6% to −7.7%; P = .002), year 2 (−25.2%; 95% CI, −40.6% to −5.9%; P = .01), year 3 (−23.6%; 95% CI, −41.1% to −1.0%; P = .04), year 4 (−20.2%; 95% CI, −33.6% to −4.0%; P = .02), year 5 (−33.7%; 95% CI, −50.9% to −10.4%; P = .008), and year 6 (−33.3%; 95% CI, −44.7% to −19.6%; P < .001). In secondary analyses, the findings remained similar.
Conclusions and Relevance Medical cannabis laws are associated with significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates. Further investigation is required to determine how medical cannabis laws may interact with policies aimed at preventing opioid analgesic overdose.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has thrown his support behind the legalisation of cannabis for medical purposes.
In a letter to talkback radio host Alan Jones, Mr Abbott went even further than NSW Premier Mike Baird – who has approved a clinical trial of the use of medical cannabis – by saying that no further testing should be needed on the drug if it is legal in similar jurisdictions.
"I have no problem with the medical use of cannabis, just as I have no problem with the medical use of opiates," Mr Abbott wrote in a letter to Jones dated August 23.
"I was under the impression that the personal use of cannabis was no longer an offence in NSW.
"If a drug is needed for a valid medicinal purpose though and is being administered safely there should be no question of its legality. And if a drug that is proven to be safe abroad is needed here it should be available.
"I agree that the regulation of medicines is a thicket of complexity, bureaucracy and corporate and institutional self interest.
"My basic contention is that something that has been found to be safe in a reliable jurisdiction shouldn't need to be tested again here."
Jones read out the letter from Mr Abbott – who has not commented publicly on the issue before – on his 2GB breakfast program on Wednesday. The influential presenter has been campaigning on behalf of 24-year-old Dan Haslam, who has been using cannabis to relieve nausea associated with chemotherapy to treat his terminal cancer.
Mr Abbott's intervention was welcomed by Mr Haslam's mother, Lucy, who has launched a popular online petition to decriminalise cannabis for pain relief.
Mr Baird announced on Tuesday that a clinical trial into medical cannabis will report back to the government by the end of the year.
He also told the NSW Parliament that he would formalise new guidelines to clarify the NSW police discretion to not charge terminally ill adults if they are caught using cannabis for pain relief.
Jose Alberto Mujica has only a few months left as the head of this country. The constitution prohibits him from consecutive terms; once he hands over power, he plans to grow flowers, and teach young people to farm. At 79, after a life packed full of drama, he is due for a rest. He has accomplishments to savour.
And yet he leaves his country’s highest office without having accomplished all he had hoped. The President sees himself as a fighter in an epic struggle – for justice, for equality, for liberty – and that fight, by any measure, is not won. So, Mr. Mujica admits with a shrug, he may keep one hand in the game of regional diplomacy.
He retires as a man of some influence, a perhaps surprising amount for the leader of a nation of 3.3 million people tucked into the southern tip of Latin America, its very name a frequent synonym for obscurity. But in the course of Mr. Mujica’s term, Uruguay has been the subject of unprecedented international interest.
Two things have sparked this attention: a law Mr. Mujica pushed making this the first country to regulate the production and consumption of marijuana – and the President himself.
At the end of 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to fully legalize marijuana. VICE correspondent Krishna Andavolu heads over to Uruguay to check out how the country is adjusting to a legally regulated marijuana market.
Along the way, he meets up with Uruguay's president, José Mujica, to burn one down and talk about the president's goal of a chicken in every pot, a car in every garage, and six cannabis plants per household.
The federal government would be given oversight over the production and distribution of medical cannabis under new legislation to make the make the drug available to patients with chronic pain.
The push to legalise medical cannabis is gathering pace, with Greens Senator Richard Di Natale, chairman of the cross-party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy and Law Reform, now finalising a bill that is set to be introduced into Parliament next month.
Supporters of legalised medical cannabis have been buoyed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott's strong public support for the legalisation of the drug for medical use.
"I have no problem with the medical use of cannabis, just as I have no problem with the medical use of opiates," Mr Abbott wrote in a letter to 2GB radio host Alan Jones, dated August 23.
"If a drug is needed for a valid medicinal purpose … and is being administered safely there should be no question of its legality."
Jones, who has been campaigning in support of medical cannabis, read Mr Abbott's letter on air earlier this month.
Senator Di Natale, a former GP, is also pushing for the Therapeutic Goods Administration to create a special category for the drug so that it can be available with a doctor's prescription. The TGA currently lists cannabis as a prohibited substance.
Senator Di Natale said his bill would cover the licensing of cannabis growers, quality control standards and how the drug should be processed and distributed. The regime would mirror the regulation of the cultivation of poppies for use in medical opiates.
Senator Di Natale said he favoured the creation of a new independent statutory authority to regulate the drug, but that the Department of Health could also serve this role.
"I am open to any discussions with the Prime Minister's office to maximise the chance of success," he said.
Medical cannabis can be used to alleviate pain and treat nausea – including for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and for people with multiple sclerosis.
The federal government is looking for pot farmers. Although it may seem like some sort of cruel hoax, it’s not. It’s been confirmed that the federal government has begun its search for the best and brightest in the world at growing pot.
A job listing was placed on a federal government business opportunities website earlier this week, soliciting proposals from qualified persons that are interested in possibly assisting them with cannabis research. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a research institute dedicated to studying the science of addiction, is seeking skilled, large-scale farmers to cultivate, harvest, process, analyze, store and distribute marijuana.
In order to qualify, interested applicants must currently be registered to handle Schedule II through V substances with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and be able to obtain permission to manufacture, research or distribute Schedule I substances. Applicants can choose whether they prefer to grow marijuana indoors or outdoors but must be able to prove that they possess a certain amount of space before any contracts can be awarded. Outdoor cultivators must possess 12 acres of secure land monitored by video. Indoor cultivators will need to possess facilities that have at least 1,000 square feet of space available with controls for light intensity, temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentrations.
The world of 3D printing shows no signs of stopping. From 3D printed guns and medical implants to food and shoes, it seems that just about anything can be 3D printed.
An Israeli company, Syqe Medical, thinks it has a way to make medical marijuana more accepted with the help of 3D printing. The company has printed a pocket-sized metered dose cannabis inhaler they hope will help move the bar forward in medical inhalers and help physicians overcome the unpredictability of prescribing cannabis.
The inhaler is the first drug delivery platform of its kind. Not only is it 3D printed, but it’s Wifi enabled and can be connected to a smart phone or tablet.
The connected device aspect of the inhaler adds another layer to the challenge of monitoring dosages of medical marijuana giving both patients and doctors the ability in real time to monitor and administer the correct dosage. Researchers will also be able to see the data to determine best dosages for different conditions.
Plastics Today reported that 75% of the parts of the medical inhaler were printed on a Stratasys 3D printers which sped up the manufacturing process and got them to clinical trials faster than if they had used traditional manufacturing methods.
It is an all-too-familiar scene: a beautiful autumn day dawns outdoors and a group of pale coders are hard at work inside a downtown bar in Denver, Colorado, which has been transformed into the home base of a hackathon.
The only difference? The people smoking a "bong" in the corner.
This is not an anachronism, but rather an obvious feature of what event organisers MassRoots have called the first-ever Marijuana Technology Startup Weekend.
While code and cannabis might seem incompatible, for the 150 attendees at the sold-out event, the concept makes perfect sense.
Combine the frenzied start-up scene with the so-called Green Rush in Colorado and Washington - the two US states where marijuana has been legalised - and suddenly, the idea does not seem as half-baked.
Starting October 20th, possession of small amounts of marijuana will be a civil offense in the city of Philadelphia.
Mayor Michael Nutter signed Jim Kenney’s marijuana decriminalization bill in a ceremony at City Hall today. It goes into effect later this month.
This isn't legalization, but most possession offenses have been turned into fines. Those possessing 30 grams or less of marijuana will be cited and fined $25. Those smoking in public will be cited and fined $100, or made to perform nine hours of community service. Cops will also confiscate any weed they find. Thirty grams is just a little over an ounce; most pot smokers make purchases of only an eighth of an ounce or less at once.
An increasing proportion of Britons favours a more liberal approach to drugs and would support decriminalisation strategies, according to a comprehensive survey commissioned by the Observer.
An overwhelming majority also believes that the so-called "war on drugs" is futile, with 84% saying that the decades-long campaign by law enforcement agencies against the global narcotics trade can never be won.
The poll provides welcome reading for those campaigning for illegal drugs to be decriminalised, with 27% saying that Britain's drug laws are not liberal enough. A previous Observer survey into the nation's drug-taking habits, in 2008, recorded a figure of 18%, suggesting a society that is steadily moving towards greater tolerance of drug use.
The proportion of Britons who believe certain drugs should be decriminalised has risen from 27% to 39% since 2008.
More than half (52%) support the introduction of initiatives like that recently pioneered by two US states, Colorado and Washington. Colorado's decision to legalise the sale of recreational marijuana has been hailed a success by some, with reductions of crime reported in the state capital of Denver and concerns about social breakdown yet to be borne out.
Federal, state and territory governments have lost the “consent of the governed” on the issue of medical marijuana, the president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation says.
Dr Alex Wodak’s comments follow a clash between the parents of a three-year-old boy and a Melbourne hospital after doctors stopped administering cannabis oil to the child because of concerns about legal ramifications.
Rhett Wallace and Cassie Batten were told by doctors at the Northern Hospital the treatment was withdrawn due to uncertainty about potential criminal charges, the ABC reported.
They turned to cannabis oil to treat their son Cooper’s seizures about a year ago, after doctors told them they had no way of stopping them. They said it had been highly effective.
But after at first helping to administer the drug, the ABC said, hospital staff warned Wallace and Batten that if they continued to give Cooper the oil, police would be informed.
Colon carcinogenesis is inhibited by the TRPM8 antagonist cannabigerol, a Cannabis-derived non-psychotropic cannabinoid.
Abstract
Cannabigerol (CBG) is a safe non-psychotropic Cannabis-derived cannabinoid which interacts with specific targets involved in carcinogenesis. Specifically, CBG potently blocks transient receptor potential (TRP) M8 (TRPM8), activates TRPA1, TRPV1 and TRPV2 channels, blocks 5-HT1A receptors and inhibits the reuptake of endocannabinoids. Here, we investigated whether CBG protects against colon tumorigenesis. Cell growth was evaluated in colorectal cancer cells using the MTT and NR assays; apoptosis was examined by histology and by assessing caspase 3/7 activity; ROS production by a fluorescent probe; cannabinoid (CB) receptors, TRP and CHOP mRNA expression were quantified by RT-PCR; shRNA-vector silencing of TRPM8 was performed by electroporation. The in vivo antineoplastic effect of CBG was assessed using mouse models of colon cancer. Colorectal cancer cells expressed TRPM8, CB1, CB2, 5HT1A receptors, TRPA1, TRPV1 and TRPV2 mRNA. CBG promoted apoptosis, stimulated ROS production, up-regulated CHOP mRNA and reduced cell growth in colorectal cancer cells. CBG effect on cell growth was independent from TRPA1, TRPV1 and TRPV2 channels activation, was further increased by a CB2 receptor antagonist, and mimicked by other TRPM8 channel blockers but not by a 5-HT1Aantagonist. Furthermore, the effect of CBG on cell growth and on CHOP mRNA expression was reduced in TRPM8 silenced cells. In vivo, CBG inhibited the growth of xenograft tumors as well as chemically-induced colon carcinogenesis. CBG hampers colon cancer progression in vivo and selectively inhibits the growth of colorectal cancer cells, an effect shared by other TRPM8 antagonists. CBG should be considered translationally in colorectal cancer prevention and cure.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25269802
WHEN Alice Cowles was born eight years ago, doctors declared her a perfectly healthy baby.
But just weeks later she was suffering several life-threatening fits a day and just recently her daughter almost died.
Doctors told the devastated mother there wasn’t much more that could do.
Pushed to desperation, the Tasmanian mum decided it was either try medical marijuana or watch her child die.
Ms Cowles began giving Alice cannabis oil to help control her life-threatening seizures back in February.
The youngster, who suffers a rare genetic disorder called CDKL-5, which includes epilepsy, has since suffered just one seizure since, is able to walk, and go to school full-time.
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