Recent Cannabis; News End of August 2003

Recent Cannabis News; End of August 2003

***Canada: First government grown cannabis provided to patients The first bags of officially produced medical marijuana are finally making their way into the hands of patients. The first patients received their supply which contains about 10% THC from their doctor. Each 30-gram pack costs $150 - about $100 cheaper than street prices - and additional sales tax. The program announced in July 2003 by Health Minister Anne McLellan provides marijuana grown by the government in a former copper mine in Manitoba. (Source: Associated Press of 27 August 2003)

***UK: Cannador to be tested for pain relief A multi-centre study will start in 36 hospitals across the UK to investigate the efficacy of a capsulated cannabis extract in relieving the pain of post-operative patients. 400 patients will take one of four medications, cannabis capsules called Cannador, THC capsules, a standard pain-relieving drug or placebo capsules after surgery. The study will be funded by the Medical Research Council with about 500,000 British Pounds (about 720,000 EUR) and be led by Dr. Anita Holdcroft of Imperial College London. (Sources: Reuters of 20 August 2003, BBC News of 20 August 2003)

***USA: Lawsuit against DEA blocked On 28 August a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by Santa Cruz County and Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana that attempted to block the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from raiding a farm that cultivated medical marijuana. U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel ruled that federal laws make growing cannabis illegal in California despite the Californian medical cannabis laws, which allows the drug to be grown for medical purposes. (Source: Associated Press of 29 August 2003)

***Science: Neuropathic pain New basic research at the University of Pecs, Hungary, supports the benefits of cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. The endocannabinoids anandamide and palmitylethanolamide inhibited the RTX-induced release of two neuropeptides, that play an important role in the development of neuropathic hyperalgesia. RTX (resiniferatoxin) provokes the release of neuropeptides. Additionally, the two endocannabinoids significantly decreased neuropathic mechanical hyperalgesia (increased pain sensation) 7 days after damage to the sciatic nerve in animals. (Source: Helyes Z, et al. Life Sci 2003 Sep 19;73(18):2345-53)

***Science: Quality of life About 6,000 Danes participated in a survey on drug use and quality of life. There was no difference in quality of life between cannabis users and those who had never used psychotropic drugs, while users of LSD had a 10% lower quality of life score. The groups with the lowest quality of life were users of heroin, morphine, methadone, and a mixture of alcohol and tranquilizers. (Source: Ventegodt S, Merrick J. ScientificWorldJournal 2003 Aug 18;3(8):694-706.)

***Science: Withdrawal In a study at the University of Vermont, USA, the time course of withdrawal symptoms was analyzed in 18 cannabis users. For 5 days they smoked as usual which was followed by a 45-day abstinence phase. Withdrawal symptoms, e.g. aggression, anxiety, decreased appetite, irritability, restlessness, and sleep problems, typically set in between days 1-3, peaked at days 2-6 and lasted 4- 14 days. (Source: Budney AJ, et al. J Abnorm Psychol 2003 Aug;112(3):393-402)

*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.