UK: Government intends to liberalize recreational cannabis use!

ACM: News at the 2nd IACM Conference on Cannabinoids in Medicine (II)

* Cannabis reduces postoperative pain Dr. Anita Holdcroft of Imperial College in London investigated the effects of a capsulated cannabis extract in post-operative pain in 57 patients with doses of 5, 10 and 15 mg THC. Relief of pain and adverse effects were dose related. Dr. Holdcroft recently started a multi-centre study with 400 patients to test a cannabis extract with 10 mg THC. (Lecture by Anita Holdcroft)

* Cannabis alleviates symptoms in cancer patients In an open study at the Lukas Clinic in Arlesheim, Switzerland, the effects of a capsulated cannabis extract were tested in 40 palliative cancer patients. Under the guidance of Dr. Silke Helwig the study intended to find out the maximally tolerated dose (MTD) to be used in a future controlled study. Based on side effects the MTD was concluded to be 0.15 mg THC/kg body weight. 24 patients noted an increase of appetite, 20 relief of pain, and 9 relief of nausea. (Lecture by Martin Schnelle)

* Endocannabinoids reduce size of myocardial infarction In an animal study researchers of Cardiff and Cambridge University, UK, found out that the endocannabinoid anandamide limits myocardial infarction. One possible mechanism of action is via interaction with either cannabinoid-1 or cannabinoid-2 receptors, but other mechanisms of action may be involved. (Lecture by Willam Ford)

* Cannabis improves night vision Inspired by reports of Jamaican and Moroccan fishermen Dr. Ethan Russo of Missoula, USA, and colleagues of Spain and Marocco investigated the effects of THC (dronabinol) and cannabis on night vision. The study examined the results of double- blinded placebo controlled THC administration in doses between 2.5 and 20 mg in one subject and in three subjects before and after smoking cannabis. In both test situations, improvements in night vision were noted after THC or cannabis. It is believed that this effect is dose-dependent and mediated by cannabinoid receptors in the retina. (Lecture by Ethan Russo)

* Alleviation of neuropathic pain with CT-3 Dr. Udo Schneider and colleagues of the Medical School of Hanover tested the efficacy of CT-3, a synthetic cannabinoid, in 12 patients with chronic neuropathic pain. Pain was significantly reduced without relevant side effects. (Lecture by Udo Schneider)

*Industrial-Hemp has no psychoactive properties following definition of the European Economic Community (EEC); THC content is less than 0.3%. In general, low THC-seed varieties without psychoactive properties are those that have a THC content of less than 1%. (See also No-THC Hemp-seed.) THC= Delta-9 TetraHydroCannabinol.