American College Of Physicians Support Pot Research

The American College of Physicians have released a Position Report advocating research into the therapeutic use of Cannabis.

For the U.S. this is a great step forward into legitimizing further intensive research into the benefits of Cannabis for chronically ill people. Grab a PDF of the full Position Report here.



Here is the executive summary of the report:

Executive Summary

Marijuana has been smoked for its medicinal properties for centuries. Preclinical, clinical, and anecdotal reports suggest numerous potential medical uses for marijuana. Although the indications for some conditions (e.g., HIV wasting and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting) have been well documented, less information is available about other potential medical uses. Additional research is needed to clarify marijuana’s therapeutic properties and determine standard and optimal doses and routes of delivery. Unfortunately, research expansion has been hindered by a complicated federal approval process, limited availability of research-grade
marijuana, and the debate over legalization. Marijuana’s categorization as a Schedule I controlled substance raises significant concerns for researchers, physicians, and patients. As such, the College’s policy positions on marijuana as medicine are as follows:

Position 1: ACP supports programs and funding for rigorous scientific evaluation of the potential therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana and the publication of such findings.

Position 1a: ACP supports increased research for conditions where the efficacy of
marijuana has been established to determine optimal dosage and route of delivery.

Position 1b: Medical marijuana research should not only focus on determining drug
efficacy and safety but also on determining efficacy in comparison with other
available treatments.

Position 2: ACP encourages the use of nonsmoked forms of THC that have proven
therapeutic value.

Position 3: ACP supports the current process for obtaining federal research-grade
cannabis.

Position 4: ACP urges review of marijuana’s status as a schedule I controlled substance and its reclassification into a more appropriate schedule, given the scientific evidence regarding marijuana’s safety and efficacy in some clinical conditions.

Position 5: ACP strongly supports exemption from federal criminal prosecution; civil
liability; or professional sanctioning, such as loss of licensure or credentialing, for physicians who prescribe or dispense medical marijuana in accordance with state law.

Similarly, ACP strongly urges protection from criminal or civil penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted under state laws.

Cannabis Dispensary Scores Victory

From the Desert Sun, California:

The criminal case against the owner and managers of a Palm Desert medical marijuana dispensary (CannaHelp) was dealt a setback Friday when a judge invalidated the search warrant used to investigate the defendants...

...

Riverside County Superior Court Judge David B. Downing said he looked at the facts carefully and concluded the three defendants were in compliance with the state's Compassionate Use Act, and that they were operating a "legitimate business."

He further concluded that the affidavit in support of the search warrant was flawed because Robert Garcia, the sheriff's investigator who prepared it - although familiar with drug cases - was not adequately trained in handling medical marijuana cases.

"He made mistakes in the affidavit the problem was he didn't have a clue about the Compassionate Use Act," Downing said.

He noted that police see people dealing drugs every day but rarely deal with medical marijuana.

He also said Garcia wrongly asserted the dispensary had made a $1.6 million profit because the investigator admitted under cross-examination that most of the money was used to buy more pot...

Read More

Our half-baked drug policies - Viewpoints

Our half-baked drug policies - Viewpoints

Jeff May from the Michigan Daily has this viewpoint:

Regardless of whether Hash Bash is held this year on the Diag, every U.S. citizen should critically evaluate the continuation of America's failed drug policy, exemplified by the War on Drugs. Michigan and our country as a whole are facing economic and fiscal problems with no clear solutions in sight. But we continue to spend billions of tax dollars on policies that are proven failures. The War on Drugs is nothing but a financial blackhole. In fact, America's War on Drugs under the reign of George W. Bush has actually led to a two-fold increase in cocaine production worldwide.

Cannabis Turns Innocent Kids Into Criminals

An article in the British Daily Mail today, claims that according to a study, children who smoke Cannabis are more likely to commit crimes than those who don't.

The article linked above led me to do some searching about the web for other articles and news items relating to Cannabis and children/teens. What I found over a couple of hours is quite interesting.

Firstly, let me make it clear that I do not condone the use of Cannabis by kids. I don't believe kids should be using any psychoactive drug in their younger years and I find it difficult to accept that pre-pubescent kids are being given 'speed' derivatives to treat ADHD and other diagnosed mental disorders when there are other options available. However, it seems that in a number of extreme cases, chemical or natural psychoactives may be the only short term option available to some people.

The 'Daily Mail' article suggests that Cannabis is the cause of anti-social behaviour in kids and further clouds the medicinal Cannabis debate, as well as the real issues that affect kids' mental health today.
Might I suggest that if this is looked into further, it could be found that children who have ongoing psychological disorders, or have emotional issues that they can't easily deal with are more likely to commit crimes, including smoking Marijuana.

Let's have a look at some cases and reports where it shows that Cannabis may be a drug that can prevent anti-social behaviour and reduce the symptoms of ADHD in children.

Cannabis Used to Treat Multiple Disorders in 8 Year Old (48 Hours Report)

Cannabis as a First Line Treatment for childhood mental disorders

Cannabis used to control ADHD in children

Here is an article relating to Cannabis use by teens:

Researchers Say Marijuana is Less of a Drag Than Cigarettes

The above article references this research paper that compares the smoking habits of 16 - 20 year olds in Switzerland.

The biggest problem with the Cannabis debate is the huge amounts of conflicting data around. It can be so confusing, that the decision makers in our governments won't get off the fence, just in case they find that they've landed on the 'wrong' side.

This report is a good example:

Below is a summation of a research report from the Australian Government published in June 2007:

'The evidence reviewed above suggests that cannabis use is associated with the development of mental disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. However, there is ongoing debate over exactly how this association should be characterised. In brief, it appears that while the majority of cannabis users will not develop mental illnesses as a consequence of their cannabis use, a ‘vulnerable minority appear to be at increased risk of experiencing harmful outcomes’. As noted above, there is good evidence that young people and heavy users are particularly at risk.

The public-policy implications of this are complex. According to a recent review, the main challenge will be in communicating with young people about the probable risks of cannabis use:

This task will be complicated by the conflicting interpretations of the evidence on either side of the policy debate about the legal status of cannabis. We can expect those who defend current policy to support a strong causal interpretation of the evidence and proponents of cannabis liberalization to dismiss the evidence as the latest version of ‘reefer madness’. These contrasting responses may amplify scepticism among young people about messages about the mental health risks of cannabis use.

In other words, it is crucial that emerging evidence about the links between cannabis use and mental-health problems is communicated clearly (particularly to those most at risk) and in a way that acknowledges the complexity of the issues involved without obscuring the level and gravity of the risks posed by cannabis use to vulnerable groups.'

There also needs to be a strong distinction between Cannabis use as a social drug, Cannabis use as a medicinal drug, and Cannabis abuse.

I have been a Cannabis social user, abuser and medicinal user. I know the differences and know what the effects of Cannabis use can have on some people. Govts and organisations around the world need to continue research into Cannabis to ensure that its beneficial effects can be recognised and exploited, whilst at the same time educating people against abuse of this powerful drug.

Thirty years ago, the pot that I was smoking was nothing like what's available today. I read an article in the eighties that suggested that if as much experimentation had been done on Tomatoes as had been done on Marijuana back then, we'd have Tomato 'trees' with football sized fruit.

We need research, not ignorance that fuels fear.

Can Hemp Oil Cure Cancer?

I don't know, but Rick Simpson is sure it can. Check out the Phoenix Tears website for more information.

The SETH group has been conducting experiments with THC on cancer cells and are getting some very interesting results.

It seems that in 20 hours, Delta 9 - THC can kill GBM brain cancer cells while leaving healthy brain cells unharmed:






You can watch the video here (Quicktime required).
Full text about the experiment is here.
Still images available here.

Risk Chart for Commonly Used Drugs

The risk chart below comes courtesy of 'Patients Out of Time'. It gives a general overview of the risk factors involved in six of the most commonly used drugs.

You can download a PDF file of this chart from the Medical Marijuana website.

New Cannabis Pill Available in US

From the NORML website:

Rockville, MD: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week re-approved a synthetic cannabinoid analogue for prescription use in the United States.

The oral pill, marketed as Cesamet (also known as naboline), is an analogue (a structural derivative) of the cannabinoid THC. It will be available as a Schedule II controlled substance for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conventional anti-emetic treatments.

Read the full text here

Read more about Cesamet here

Small steps in what I consider the right direction. Other countries (hello Kevin Rudd and Nicola Roxon) should be looking at what progress is being made in The States in regards to medicinal uses for Cannabis.