ORGANIZATION NEWS:

* OPN Patient Physically Restrained by Hope Taft

* Schweickart Loses Bid for Ohio House

* Inaugural Patient Forum Educated and Entertained: Next Meeting Set for December 5

STATE NEWS:

* Ohio Issue 1: Treatment-Over-Prison Plan Rejected

* Funding Sources of Ohio Treatment Initiative Revealed

NATIONAL NEWS:

* Election 2002 Wrap-Up

* Marijuana Arrests for Year 2001 Second Highest Ever Despite Feds' War on Terror, FBI Report Reveals

* Drug Czar, Prohibition Establishment Seek "Zero Tolerance" for "Drugged Driving"

* The Myth of Potent Pot

* Time Magazine Features Marijuana Cover Story

* Time/CNN Poll: Majority of Americans Support Medical Marijuana for Patients, Decriminalization for Adults

* Twins Who Smoked Marijuana Show No Adverse Effects Compared to Non-Using Siblings, Study Says

* Application Filed With FDA for U.S. Clinical Trials on Pot for Head Trauma

INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

* Nearly Half of Parkinson's Patients Who Try Pot Experience Therapeutic Relief, Study Says

* NORML Head Dismisses British Lung Report as Nothing But Hot Air

* Cannabis Drugs Pass Testing 'Milestone'

The following items are included in every OPNews:

* OPNews Disclaimer

* You Are Invited to OPN Meetings

* How to Get Your Information in OPNews

* How to be Removed from the OPNews List

* How To Contact Your State Representative And Senator

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OPN PATIENT PHYSICALLY RESTRAINED BY HOPE TAFT

(Cleveland, OH) OPN Director of Patient Advocacy Deirdre Zoretic encountered a blockade – called Hope Taft – when she tried to speak to Governor Taft after the final gubernatorial debate November 3.

For details of the episode see OPN’s November 4 press release "Medical Marijuana Patient and Questioner Physically Restrained By Hope Taft" (http://ohiopatient.net/OPN_Press_Releases.htm).

Daniel Forbes’ extensive article "Medical Marijuana Activist Claims Ohio First Lady Manhandled Her At Debate", which was published November 4, 2002 at DrugWar (US Web - http://www.drugwar.com/), recounts:

"…Deirdre A.  Zoretic, Director of Patient Advocacy for the Ohio Patient Network, who's afflicted with the devastating nerve disease, reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), claims that Hope Taft grabbed her by the shoulder and physically steered her away from the governor in the scrum of reporters and well-wishers at the conclusion of the debate.  The governor then exiting the hotel ballroom where it was held, Zoretic charges that Taft held on to her blazer for several minutes, preventing her from leaving. 

Rather than protest, Zoretic said she took the opportunity to try to reason with Taft about cannabis's absolute necessity for some patients.  Besides, she was so stunned that the first lady - who would tower over the 5'5" Zoretic - had physically intervened that she could not muster a verbal protest.  Zoretic said that in hindsight, she wished she had raised a ruckus, but, short of trying to rip her coat or wriggle out of it, she saw it instead as an opportunity to try to reason with Taft on drug policy, the first lady's primary policy interests…."

Read all the details at: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2049/a03.html.

NOTE: Daniel Forbes writes on social policy. His recent report on state and federal political malfeasance geared to defeat treatment rather than incarceration ballot initiatives was published by the Institute for Policy Studies. Much of his work, including his series in Salon that led to his testimony before both the Senate and the House, is archived at http://www.mapinc.org/forbes.htm.

Forbes’ story about Zoretic’s episode was referenced in The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #262 -- November 8, 2002. See: Ohio "Treatment Not Jail" Initiative Runs Into Drug War Buzzsaw  (http://www.drcnet.org/wol/262.html#ohio) and Web Scan:  Forbes on Hope Taft    (http://www.drcnet.org/wol/262.html#webscan)

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SCHWEICKART LOSES BID FOR OHIO HOUSE

By Jean Taddie

(Columbus, OH) After a hard-fought battle, OPN Director of Development Ken Schweikart conceded Ohio’s 22^nd House district seat to Republican incumbent Jim Hughes. The campaign results were on par with the rest of the state and country’s conservative voting. Like many other campaigns, including the one for Ohio governor, Ken was hugely outspent by his opponent.

"I was disappointed to lose," Ken said, "but I was even more disappointed that only 35 percent of the district’s registered voters actually voted." It’s a sad day for democracy when only a small percentage of citizens get to decide who’s elected.

Another blow to the democratic process occurred when the signs of Schweickart and other Democratic candidates were vandalized. Campaign signs were found ripped, slashed and torn down. On election morning, Schweickart volunteers witnessed sign vandalism and were able to identify a license plate number. A complaint was also filed.

On the plus side, Ken made contacts with Democratic party leaders and introduced creative solutions into the political scene. "Let us hope that our positive ideas along the campaign trail will help," he said.

Schweickart’s team had no lack of spirit along the way. "If it weren’t for all of my loyal volunteers and supporters, I could never have come this far. You all have my eternal thanks!"

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INAUGURAL PATIENT FORUM EDUCATED AND ENTERTAINED

Next meeting set for December 5

By John Precup

We had plenty to talk about at our first patient forum on November 7. Rather than the usual OPN business, we discussed several topics of interest for those in attendance.

During our internet-based voice/text meeting, one patient learned that she wasn’t imagining her asthma doing better since starting to smoke cannabis. Yes, the herb has documented benefits to asthma patients. A great place to learn more about cannabis and asthma is at http://www.rxmarijuana.com/search.htm. Just type in asthma or whatever medical condition you're interested in.

Sharing knowledge is just one example of the value of a patient forum. We get to learn more about each other and our medical conditions. We exchanged ideas and even recipes; a good time was had by all.

The OPN invites all its members to take advantage of this powerful networking tool. With just a little effort, you can download the free PalTalk program (http://www.paltalk.com/) and join in. If you need assistance with attending the patient forum, please send your questions to jprecup@ohiopatient.net.

OPN patient forums are held the first Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. e.s.t. Join with us at the next meeting on Thursday, December 5.

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OHIO ISSUE 1: DRUG TREATMENT

Treatment-Over-Prison Plan Rejected

Source: November 6 Cincinnati Enquirer. Copyright: 2002 The Cincinnati Enquirer http://enquirer.com/today/. This article is archived at: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2061/a04.html

By: Spencer Hunt, Enquirer Columbus Bureau

Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have put thousands of drug offenders into treatment programs instead of prison.

The drug-treatment amendment known as Issue 1 was being defeated by a 2-to-1 ratio with nearly all state precincts reporting results.

The lopsided results mirrored recent polls that found voters turned off by the plan's $247 million, seven-year cost.

Issue 1 supporters argued their plan would save taxpayers a net $108 million in reduced prison and jail expenses. But most voters never heard that, seeing instead the $247 million highlighted in every ballot summary.

[snip]

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FUNDING SOURCES OF OHIO TREATMENT INITIATIVE REVEALED

Source: DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE http://www.drugpolicy.org ...on the web eNewsletter: Thursday, November 14, 2002

Misled into believing that a treatment initiative would have cost taxpayers money instead of saving it, Ohio voters rejected a treatment instead of incarceration initiative in this year's election.  Wording on the ballot led voters to believe the initiative would have cost taxpayers $247 million.  A report by the Ohio Department of Taxation concluded that the initiative, if passed, would have saved taxpayers as much as $22.4 million per year by replacing costly incarceration with cost-effective treatment.  Using his incumbent status, Ohio Governor Bob Taft was able to elicit large contributions from political donors to fund a misinformation campaign aimed at undermining the initiative.  Data reported by the Ohio Secretary of State reveals that two-thirds of the $777,549 raised by the campaign to derail the drug offenders treatment initiative has come from people and businesses whose employees have contributed generously to the governor.

"We have never run into the kind of corruption of the initiative process anywhere in America that we've seen in Ohio under the coordination and control of Gov. Taft," said Bill Zimmerman, head of the Campaign for New Drug Policies, the California organization backing Issue 1. "He's, from the beginning, been determined to prevent the people of Ohio from getting truthful information about this initiative." Nearly one-third of Issue 1 Opponents' Contributors were alcohol distributors. Edward Orlett, Issue 1 campaign director, said, "There is something very peculiar about alcohol suppliers fighting to preserve laws that punish illegal drug use with prison time. We are surprised to see such heavy representation of the liquor industry in the opposition to Issue 1." For a list of contributors to the anti-treatment coalition please visit: http://www.ohiodrugreform.org/docs/Issue1oppo$.pdf

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ELECTION 2002 WRAP-UP

Disappointing Results Provide Opportunity For Self Assessment

Source: NORML News, November 6, 2002 http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5454

(Washington, DC)  Yesterday's defeat of a trio of marijuana reform initiatives in Arizona, Nevada and South Dakota mark a temporary setback, but also offer an opportunity for self assessment, NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup said today. 

All three initiatives targeted separate aspects of marijuana law reform.  Arizona's proposal, which won 43 percent of the vote, would have replaced criminal penalties on minor marijuana offenses with a civil fine, and mandated the state to distribute medical marijuana free to qualified patients.  Question 9 in Nevada, which won 39 percent of the vote, sought to eliminate all penalties on the possession of three ounces or less of marijuana, and mandated state officials to implement a system whereby adults could obtain pot through a legally regulated market.  South Dakota's Initiative 1, which gained a reported 38 percent of the vote (with 769 of 844 precincts counted), sought to establish a state-licensing system so that farmers could legally grow the non-psychoactive variety of cannabis known as hemp.

Local marijuana reform initiatives fared much better in yesterday's election.  In San Francisco, 63 percent of voters approved Proposition S, which encourages the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to enact legislation authorizing the cultivation and distribution of medicinal pot by city officials.  In Massachusetts, voters in 19 State House districts approved non-binding resolutions instructing their state representative to vote in favor of making marijuana possession a civil rather than a criminal violation.  Voters in Massachusetts' 14th Worchester District also endorsed a non-binding resolution supporting the use of medical marijuana, and voters in the state's 2nd Franklin District endorsed a proposal to legalize hemp cultivation.

Broader statewide drug reform initiatives also yielded disappointing results.  An Ohio initiative (Initiative 1) mandating treatment rather than incarceration for non-violent drug offenders gained 33 percent of the vote, and an Arizona proposal (Prop. 302) re-instituting probation and incarceration for some non-violent drug offenders passed with 69 percent of the vote. 

A Washington DC proposal (Initiative 62) mandating alternative sentencing for some drug offenders did pass overwhelmingly, but must still be approved by Congress.

[snip]

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MARIJUANA ARRESTS FOR YEAR 2001 SECOND HIGHEST EVER DESPITE FEDS' WAR ON TERROR, FBI REPORT REVEALS

Source: NORML News, October 28, 2002

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5444

(Washington, DC)  Police arrested an estimated 723,627 persons for marijuana violations in 2001, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, released today. The total is the second highest ever recorded by the FBI, and comprises nearly half of all drug arrests in the United States.

"These numbers belie the myth that police do not target and arrest minor marijuana offenders," said Keith Stroup, Executive Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).  "In fact, the war on drugs is largely a war on pot smokers.  This effort is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources that should be dedicated toward combating serious and violent crime, including the war on terrorism."

Of those charged with marijuana violations, 88.6 percent - some 641,108 Americans - were charged with possession only. The remaining 82,518 individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture," a category that includes all cultivation offenses - even those where the marijuana was being grown for personal or medical use.

The total number of marijuana arrests far exceeds the total number of arrests for all violent crimes combined, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

Since 1992, approximately six million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges, a greater number than the entire populations of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined.  Annual marijuana arrests have more than doubled in that time.

"It's time we stopped arresting adults who use marijuana responsibly," says Stroup.

2001                    723,627

2000                    734,498

1999                    704,812

1998                    682,885

1997                    695,200

1996                    641,642

1995                    588,963

1994                    499,122

1993                    380,689

1992                    342,314

NOTE: The FBI’s annual report, "Crime in the US 2001," is available at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/01cius.htm.

For further analysis, see:

"More Than 700,000 Marijuana Arrests Last Year -- Meanwhile, Violent Crime on Increase" in The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #261 -- November 1, 2002 http://www.drcnet.org/wol/261.html#marijuana-arrests

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DRUG CZAR, PROHIBITION ESTABLISHMENT SEEK "ZERO TOLERANCE" FOR "DRUGGED DRIVING"

Sober Marijuana Users in the Crosshairs

Source: The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #264 - November 22, 2002. A Publication of the Drug Reform Coordination Network http://www.drcnet.org/wol/264.html#druggeddriving.

In a coordinated series of announcements beginning late last week, federal agencies and private sector prohibitionists opened a new front in the drug war -- this time targeting "drugged driving." But the solution they are proposing, "zero-tolerance" laws that would consider drivers with even the "mere presence" of illicit drugs in their system as guilty of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI, or in the drug czar's lexicon, DUID -- driving under the influence of drugs), seems designed more to further criminalize marijuana smokers than to improve highway safety.

It is one of the cruel ironies of the drug war that relatively innocuous marijuana -- by far the most widely used illicit drug -- remains detectable in peoples' blood for up to 10 days after smoking a single joint.  Under the "zero-tolerance" model legislation the drug czar and others are proposing, the person who smoked a joint on Friday night could be busted for DWI a week later and regular pot smokers, in whom cannanaboid metabolites are presumably always present, could be subject to a DWI arrest any time they got behind the wheel.

Eight states (Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Rhode Island and Utah) currently have what are referred to as "per se" laws, meaning the mere presence of illicit drug metabolites is considered evidence of intoxication.  The rest of the nation should follow their lead, said Dr. Michael Walsh, head of the President's Advisory Committee on Drugs under President Bush the elder, and lead author of a massive study of drugged driving done under the auspices of the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation's (RWJF) Substance Abuse Research Program and the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Substance Abuse.

[snip]

Marijuana researcher Dr. Ethan Russo of Montana Neurobehavioral Specialists in Missoula echoed Earleywine's conclusions.  "Based on the science, there is no rational basis for the federal government to impose a zero tolerance test for cannabis or its metabolites with the prospect that its implementation will improve highway safety," he told DRCNet.  "Cannabis in isolation rarely causes serious impairment in motor skills or driving safety. Blood levels of THC and urinary measurement of THC metabolites do not correlate with brain levels or mental effects in any meaningful fashion," Russo added.  "The only reasonable measure to assess 'drugged driving' is a field sobriety test, much as is commonly done for alcohol ingestion.  A person who fails such a test based on evidence of impaired or reckless driving certainly deserves to be arrested and investigated for the sake of public safety."

[snip]

Visit http://saprp.org/druggeddriving.html to read the documents from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation research presentation. Visit http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press02/111902.html to read the drug czar's press release announcing the new offensive.  Visit http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5448 for recent scientific studies on marijuana and driving.  Visit http://www.parl.gc.ca/illegal-drugs.asp for the most recent overview of the scientific literature, by the Canadian Senate Select Committee on Illegal Drugs.

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THE MYTH OF POTENT POT

The Drug Czar's Latest Reefer Madness: He Claims That Marijuana Is 30 Times More Powerful Than It Used To Be. 

Source: Slate (US Web - http://slate.msn.com/), November 19, 2002. Copyright: 2002 Microsoft Corporation. The article is archived at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2119/a11.html

By: Daniel Forbes

Marijuana lost big on Election Day.  Nevada's pot legalization proposal took only 39 percent of the vote.  An Arizona decriminalization initiative did little better with 43 percent.  And a mere 33 percent of Ohioans voted for a measure to treat instead of incarcerate minor drug offenders. 

One reason for the ballot-box failure may have been the full-throttle, anti-marijuana campaign tour by White House Drug Czar John P.  Walters.  Walters, whose official title is director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, inveighed against the demon weed in campaign swings through Ohio, Arizona, and Nevada ( twice ).  At the heart of Walters' sermon: "It is not your father's marijuana." Today's users, he claims, confront pot that's up to 30 times stronger than what aging baby boomers smoked. 

In an early September op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, Walters wrote: "In 1974, the average THC content of marijuana was less than 1 percent.  But by 1999, potency averaged 7 percent." This is plain wrong.  According to the federal government's own Potency Monitoring Project at the University of Mississippi, 1999's average was 4.56 percent.  Referring to Walters' 7 percent figure, Dr.  Mahmoud A.  ElSohly, who runs the project, says, "That's not correct for an overall average." ( THC is tetra-hydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in pot.  )

Walters also wrote that the THC level in "today's sinsemilla ...  averages 14 percent and ranges as high as 30 percent." ( Sinsemilla is the highest-quality pot.  ) He concluded, "The point is that the potency of available marijuana has not merely 'doubled,' but increased as much as 30 times."

A couple of weeks later in the Detroit News, Walters gave even more alarming numbers about regular pot, claiming that "today's marijuana is 10 to 14 percent [THC].  And hybrids go up to 30 percent and above."

Walters' figures are grossly distorted.  For starters, his figures for "today's sinsemilla" actually come from 1999.  He ignores data from 2000 and 2001.  That's presumably because sinsemilla potency spiked in 1999 at 13.38 percent ( which, incidentally, rounds off to 13 percent, not 14 percent ).  But the most recent full-year figure available, 2001, shows a potency of 9.55 percent.  Yes, sinsemilla's THC count has been increasing, but its average over the past decade is only 9.79 percent.  More important, the potency of sinsemilla has little to do with quotidian reality for most pot-smokers.  Sinsemilla comprises only 4.3 percent of the University of Mississippi's sample over the years.  It's prohibitively expensive for casual ( and young ) users: On the East Coast, the very best stuff is $700 an ounce. 

The pot that most people, especially most kids, smoke is nowhere near as powerful as sinsemilla: The THC content of all pot last year was 5.32 percent; during the past decade, it averaged 4.1 percent.  In other words, the marijuana that most kids smoke is about 5 percent THC--not 14 percent and certainly not 30 percent. 

[snip]

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TIME MAGAZINE FEATURES MARIJUANA COVER STORY

If you haven’t already read the Time Magazine articles that appeared in the November 4, 2002 issue, you can view them online at http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101021104/story.html.

The Time cover taunted: "Is America Going To Pot?" and the issue featured two lengthy articles.

The first was "The New Politics of Pot: Can It Go Legit? How the People Who Brought You Medical Marijuana Have Set Their Sights on Lifting the Ban for Everyone" by author Joel Stein (archived at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1995/a07.html). This slanted article stated and implied that medical marijuana was a ruse to legalize marijuana completely.

The second article, "Is Pot Good For You?" by John Cloud was somewhat more balanced and featured some possible side effects and therapeutic benefits of cannabis (archived at: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1998/a09.html).

In response to derogatory statements about people who use cannabis, the Media Awareness Project featured an action alert at http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0256.html. A MAP search on Time Magazine will also produce several letters to the editor.

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TIME/CNN POLL: MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT MEDICAL MARIJUANA FOR PATIENTS, DECRIMINALIZATION FOR ADULTS

Support For Legalization Rises To 40 Percent - More Than Doubling Since 1986

Source: NORML News, October 31, 2002. http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5452

(Washington, DC)  Eighty percent of Americans support the legal use of medicinal marijuana by patients, and 72 percent say that adults who use marijuana recreationally should be fined, but not jailed, according to a nationwide poll conducted last week by Time Magazine and CNN.  Only 19 percent of respondents favored jailing recreational pot smokers.

[snip]

According to the Time/CNN poll, 47 percent of Americans admit having tried marijuana, up from 31 percent in 1983.  This figure is dramatically higher than the percentage reported by annual government surveys, which maintain that only one-third of Americans have smoked marijuana.   However, most experts believe that federal surveys generally under-report illicit drug use.

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TWINS WHO SMOKED MARIJUANA SHOW NO ADVERSE EFFECTS COMPARED TO NON-USING SIBLINGS, STUDY SAYS

Source: NORML News, November 14, 2002

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5462

(St. Louis, MO)  Male twins who smoke marijuana show no significant health or socio-demographic differences than their non-using siblings, according to the findings of a recent study published in the medical journal Addiction.

Fifty-six pairs of twins participated in the study.  The mean number of days for which the marijuana user twin used pot was 1,085.  Non-marijuana users were defined as having tried the drug five times or less.

Authors reported, "No significant differences were found between the former marijuana user twins and their siblings for current socio-demographic characteristics; current nicotine or alcohol use; lifetime nicotine or alcohol/dependence; past 5-year out-patient or hospitalizations; or health-related quality of life."

They concluded, "Previous heavy marijuana use ... does not appear to be associated with adverse socio-demographic, physical or mental adverse health effects."

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APPLICATION FILED WITH FDA FOR U.S. CLINICAL TRIALS ON POT FOR HEAD TRAUMA

Source: NORML News, November 14, 2002.

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5463

(Iselin, NJ)  An Israeli-based pharmaceutical company announced recently that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin Phase III human trials on the effectiveness of the synthetic marijuana derivative Dexanabinol for the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).  If their application is approved, it will be the first time that such human trails have been conducted in the U.S.

A previous Phase II trial of 67 Israeli patients by the Pharmos Corporation http://www.pharmoscorp.com/ demonstrated that Dexanabinol reduced mortality and eased intracranial pressure in patients suffering from severe head injuries.

Currently, more than 400 patients worldwide are taking part in the Phase III study on Dexanabinol, including volunteers from Australia, France and Germany.  Pharmos hopes to establish an additional 30 recruitment centers in the U.S. to assist with the study, according to the company's press release.

Phase III is the final stage of drug testing before regulatory approval.

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NEARLY HALF OF PARKINSON'S PATIENTS WHO TRY POT EXPERIENCE THERAPEUTIC RELIEF, STUDY SAYS

Source: NORML News, November 14, 2002

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5461

(Prague, Czech Republic) Nearly half of Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients who have tried marijuana have experienced therapeutic relief from it, according to the results of a survey presented this week at the Movement Disorders Society's Seventh International Congress of Parkinson's and Movement Disorders in Prague.

According to the study's findings, among those patients using marijuana, 46 percent said pot provided symptomatic relief.  Forty five percent said that marijuana relieved symptoms of bradykinesia (slowness of movement), 38 percent said pot relieved muscle rigidity, and 31 percent reported that it relieved their tremors.

The survey's author, neurologist Evzin Ruzicka of Charles University in Prague, said that patients were more likely to report therapeutic benefits from cannabis the longer they used it, and speculated that it was unlikely respondents were experiencing a placebo effect.  Among the total number of respondents to the survey, 25 percent reported having used marijuana.

Although few human trials have been conducted on the use of marijuana to treat symptoms of PD, a 1999 review by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded, "The abundance of [cannabinoid] receptors in the basal ganglia and reports of animal studies showing the involvement of cannabinoids in the control of movement suggest that [cannabis] might be useful in treating movement disorders" such as Parkinsons Disease in humans.

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NORML HEAD DISMISSES BRITISH LUNG REPORT AS NOTHING BUT HOT AIR

"Any risk presented by marijuana smoking falls within the ambit of choice we permit the individual in a free society," Stroup Says

Source: NORML News, November 14, 2002.

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5460

A questionable report (http://www.lunguk.org/news/a_smoking_gun.pdf) released this week by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) alleging that marijuana smoke is potentially more hazardous than tobacco smoke must not overshadow years of clinical data indicating that marijuana smokers have no higher rates of lung cancer than non-users, according to NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup.

"The bottom line is that there exists no epidemiological or aggregate clinical data showing higher rates of lung cancer in people who smoke marijuana," Stroup said.  He cited conclusions from a May 2000 John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) study (http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4144) that found no association between marijuana use and head, neck, or lung cancer in young adults.  That study, which featured 164 participants, is the largest case-controlled study addressing marijuana use and cancer to date.

Stroup noted that the BLF literature review did not cite the John Hopkins study, nor did it cite a 1997 study (http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3720) by Kaiser Permanente that observed no increase in deaths over a ten-year period among 14,000+ marijuana smokers when compared to non-smokers.

Stroup did agree that marijuana smoke arguably carries some health risks.  "Like tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke contains a number of irritants and carcinogens.  However, most marijuana-only smokers likely do not inhale enough smoke to cause serious lung damage.  In addition, many of these carcinogens may be reduced or eliminated by the use of marijuana vaporizers and other alternative smoking devices currently banned by the U.S. government."

Stroup also noted that the chief psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC, is not carcinogenic and may actually offer protection against the development of some malignancies.  A 1996 U.S. toxicology study found that rats administered THC over long periods of time failed to develop cancer and had fewer tumors than rats not given the agent.  A follow up study (http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3720) by a Spanish research team in 2000 found that injections of synthetic THC eradicated malignant brain tumors - so-called gliomas - in one-third of treated rats, and prolonged life in another third by as much as six weeks.

Lastly, Stroup argued that nothing in the BLF report justifies arresting and jailing responsible adult marijuana smokers.  "Any risk presented by marijuana smoking falls within the ambit of choice we permit the individual in a free society," he said.  "We do not suggest that marijuana is totally harmless or that it cannot be abused.  That is true for all drugs, including those that are legal.  Clearly, however, marijuana's relative risk to the user and society in no way justifies criminal prohibition or the continued arrest of more than 700,000 Americans on marijuana charges every year."

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CANNABIS DRUGS PASS TESTING 'MILESTONE'

Source: NewScientist.com news service, November 5, 2002.

By: Emma Young

Cannabis-based drugs could be prescribed in the UK as early as 2003, following successful final-stage trials in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Compared with standard treatments alone, the drugs significantly improved symptoms of MS and reduced pain caused by other types of nerve damage, GW Pharmaceuticals has announced. The company is the sole UK holder of a licence to cultivate and supply cannabis for medical research.

"These results represent a milestone in the pharmaceutical development of cannabis-based medicines," says Geoffrey Guy, GW's executive chairman. "Subject to regulatory approval, we are now on track to deliver our first prescription medicine to the UK market next year."

Existing legislation would have to be altered to permit doctors to prescribe cannabis-based medicines. But the UK government has said it would make these legal changes if large-scale trials showed the medicines offered a "clear benefit".

Other research groups around the world are testing cannabis-based drugs. But the GW results are from the most advanced large-scale trials.

Psychoactive effects

On Tuesday, GW announced the results of four randomised, double-blind Phase III trials. Phase III trials are normally the final round before the creators of a new drug seek regulatory approval.

The GW trials investigated the effectiveness of a "whole plant medicinal cannabis extract", containing active ingredients tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) as its principal components. The drug was delivered as a spray into the mouth.

Throughout the trials, patients receiving either the treatment or a placebo continued to take their regular prescribed medications.

The trials on about 350 patients showed significant reductions in spasticity and pain and improvements in sleep in people with MS. Patients with another type of nerve damage also reported a reduction in pain. No serious psychoactive effects were reported.

Illegal use

The UK's Multiple Sclerosis Society said the results are "very encouraging". An estimated 10 per cent of the UK's MS sufferers use cannabis illegally to help combat symptoms. GW has another five cannabis trials in progress. These are investigating other uses of the drug, for treating pain in cancer and spinal cord injury, for example. The results of these trials are due in 2003.

However, the results of previous trials in Europe have suggested that cannabis-based drugs are no better than existing treatments for cancer pain and have more serious side effects.

In May 2001, the US Supreme Court ruled that cannabis could not be legally used as medicine. If cannabis-based drugs are given the all-clear in the UK, analysts expect that the rest of Europe and Canada will be next to grant approval, within about six to nine months. But the US might not follow for at least two years, due to stricter tests required by its Food and Drug Administration.

NOTE: This story was also featured November 6 in The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/) article: "High Hopes For Cannabis On Prescription" (archived at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n2070.a07.html).

View the November 5 GW Pharmaceuticals press release, "GW Announces Positive Results From Each of Four Phase Three Clinical Trials," at http://www.gwpharm.com/news_pres_05_nov_02.html

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The following items are included in every OPNews:

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OPNews DISCLAIMER

OPNews, a publication of Ohio Patient Network (OPN), provides medical cannabis news that affects Ohio patients, caregivers, and health professionals.

All articles are intended for educational purposes and do not reflect an official position, either positive or negative, by the OPN or its Board of Directors.

Ohio Patient Network does not endorse any candidates running for office. The reports of campaign-related activities are for educational purposes only.

For more information, contact Jean Taddie, Editor (editor@ohiopatient.net).

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YOU ARE INVITED TO OPN MEETINGS

The OPN Board of Directors invites you to participate in the OPN planning meetings. Electronic voice/text meetings are held at the OPN chatroom in PalTalk.

To receive PalTalk and meeting room instructions, as well as date and time information, contact info@ohiopatient.net.

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HOW TO GET YOUR INFORMATION IN OPNews

OPNews is published monthly. To have your information considered for publication, submit your story to editor@ohiopatient.net.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS. Please do not boldface or italicize text. Include a contact name with a phone number and/or e-mail address with submissions.

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HOW TO BE REMOVED FROM THE OPNews LIST

You may sign off this list at any time by using the webform at www.ohiopatient.net.

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HOW TO CONTACT YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATOR 

Find your Representative in the Ohio House at http://www.house.state.oh.us/jsps/Representatives.jsp

Find your Ohio Senator at http://www.senate.state.oh.us/senators/

Write to your officials care of their district office, or send your letter to their Columbus office at:

The Honorable (name)

Ohio House of Representatives

77 South High Street

Columbus, Ohio 43266-0603

-or-

The Honorable (name)

Ohio Senate Building

Columbus, Ohio 43215

Telephone calls and emails are also persuasive, especially when the constituent contacts the district office.