Www.cannabis-med.org
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ACM-Bulletin of 9 January 2000
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* Spain: Acquittal due to medical use of hashish
* Australia: Judge accepted cannabis as painkiller
1.
Spain: Acquittal due to medical use of hashish
For the first time a Spanish court has accepted cannabis as a medicine. A man from Austria who had been arrested in July on the airport of Barcelona with two kilograms of hashish has been acquitted by judge Araceli Aiguaviva.
She decided that 54-year old Roland H. wanted to us the drug against the side effects of cancer therapy. There was no evidence that the man suffering from stomach cancer intended to deal with hashish.
"There is a lot of scientific evidence that hashish can have beneficial effects in people suffering from cancer," Aiguaviva said. "This is the case for the fight against side effects of chemotherapy such as vomiting, dizziness and sickness."
The prosecutor pleaded for four years in prison. Usually Spanish courts treat a defendant possessing more than one kilogram of cannabis as a drug smuggler. Immediately after the sensational judgement the man was set free from imprisonment.
(Source: dpa of 31 December 1999)
2.
Australia: Judge accepted cannabis as painkiller
An Alice Springs magistrate has spared a builder from jail after accepting he possessed and cultivated cannabis for medicinal purposes. Nicholas Gallitch, 54, was instead sentenced to 28 days' home detention and random drug testing by magistrate Mr Warren Donald at Alice Springs courthouse on 4 January.
Mr Donald accepted that smoking marijuana could have beneficial effects and accepted Gallitch smoked marijuana to relieve pain. "This is the breach of the law that has been driven by the pain you have suffered," he said during sentencing.
At a trial in November, a doctor testified that Gallitch had tried a variety of other prescriptive drugs for his back pain - which stemmed from his years of working as a labourer - but they did not work or he suffered allergic reactions. Research about the medicinal effect of marijuana was also tendered as evidence.
After the sentence Gallitch said he would have to be more careful when he smoked marijuana. He said he used it only to have a good night's sleep.
In February last year the Queensland Supreme Court also accepted that cannabis could be used for pain relief after hearing the case of a Mackay man who had grown 150 marijuana plants which he claimed were for his own use in relieving back pain.
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald of 5 January 2000)
3.
News in brief
***Switzerland:
A Swiss government advisory body said on 5 January it favours decriminalizing the use of drugs, a move which it termed a "pragmatic approach": The Federal Commission for Youth Issues argued that the current law penalizes primarily young people and people who consume, rather than deal in, both soft and hard drugs. The commission said it supports the model used in the Netherlands. The government is carrying out consultations on a revision of the federal narcotics law and it is expected to make its recommendation to parliament later this year. Switzerland's political parties also have taken part in the consultation. Decriminalisation was supported by two members of the four-party coalition government. One party favoured decriminalizing cannabis only, while the other wanted no change in the law.
(Sources: AP of 5 January 2000, Basler Zeitung of 6 January 2000)
***USA:
Darrell E. Putman, a former Army Green Beret and conservative Republican who turned to marijuana for medicinal purposes to treat his cancer, died on 29 December of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the final months of his life, Mr. Putman became an advocate for legalizing marijuana for medicinal use. He smoked the drug to regain his appetite and gain weight in preparation for cancer treatment, and wanted other patients to reap its benefits.
(Source: Baltimore Sun of 30 December 1999)
4.
THE CITATION:
"If I ever left a legacy, it will be to try to get this passed for other patients."
Darrell E. Putman, who died of cancer on 29 December, Baltimore Sun of 30 December 1999.
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- First legal harvest of marijuana for medical use in Great Britain
- Research into blood pressure reducing properties of endocannabinoids funded by the British Heart Foundation
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Editorial of the medical journal Lancet on cannabis as medicine
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ACM-Bulletin of 23 January 2000
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* USA: Development of a cannabinoid patch funded by cancer society
* Malta: Cancer patient avoids jail for growing cannabis
1.
USA: Development of a cannabinoid patch funded by cancer society
Albany College of Pharmacy researcher Audra Stinchcomb was awarded a $361,000 three-year grant on 21 January by the American Cancer Society to study whether cannabinoids can be absorbed effectively through the skin.
The research could led to the development of a cannabinoid patch for therapeutic use. It could ease the pain, nausea and vomiting that chemotherapy patients can suffer, said Gail Tyner-Taylor of the American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey.
Stinchcomb is an assistant professor who specializes in transdermal delivery or the study of transmitting drugs through the skin. She said transdermal delivery can be tricky because the skin is a good barrier. Patches are currently used as painkillers, seasickness medication, to quit smoking (nicotine) and to treat menopause (estrogen).
The researchers will use leftover human skin from "tummy tuck" operations to see if and at what rate the active ingredients in marijuana reach the bloodstream through the skin. "It could take a decade before a marijuana patch would be available," said Stinchcomb. "If the initial tests prove successful, animal tests and later human tests would have to be completed."
The patch could give a continuous, steady dose over a period of days. "Smoking can provide a high immediate dose and make some patients high," said Stinchcomb. "However, a marijuana patch could work better than a pill because people suffering from the effects of chemotherapy have trouble keeping pills down."
The grant for the marijuana patch is the first the American Cancer Society has awarded for marijuana research. "Some people may not approve," said Don Distasio, of the American Cancer Society, "but we are going to stick to our guns because we see this as an issue of helping patients suffering from unnecessary pain."
(Sources: UPI of 21 January 2000, AP of 21 January 2000)
2.
Malta: Cancer patient avoids jail for growing cannabis
Saratoga prosecutors let a confessed cannabis grower off easy. John Chestnut who claimed that he grew marijuana to treat discomfort from cancer was allowed to plead guilty in Malta Town Court to a non-jail sentence in a plea-agreement with the Saratoga County District Attorney's office.
He faced up to four years behind bars but was given three years probation and ordered to undergo any drug treatment recommended by the court. Police seized 25, six-foot-tall plants. The prosecutor's office agreed to reduce Chestnut's felony charge "in the interest of justice," citing Chestnut's lack of criminal record and his poor health.
Chestnut said that 75 percent of his stomach was lost to cancer and only marijuana proved effective in stimulating his appetite. He was arrested on 8 September after state police in a helicopter spotted marijuana growing in a swamp not far from his home.
(Source: AP of 14 January 2000)
3.
News in brief
***Australia:
The council of the Australian Medical Association's (AMA) Victorian branch will next month consider a proposal to support rescheduling cannabis for medical use. The branch president, Dr Michael Sedgley, said the proposal was likely to be passed. "It (cannabis) does apparently have some place in easing suffering and pain," he said. The New South Wales Premier, Mr Bob Carr, established a working party last year to investigate the medical potential of cannabis after pressure was applied by the AMA's New South Wales branch. (Source: The Age (Australia) of 9 January 2000)
***Canada:
A Toronto AIDS patient who won the legal right to smoke marijuana is asking the federal government to supply him with the drug. Jim Wakeford and his lawyers launched a court action asking that Ottawa be ordered to give him a safe and clean supply of marijuana. A judge granted him a constitutional exemption last year allowing him to smoke pot to relieve nausea and other side-effects of AIDS treatment. But criminal charges can be laid against anyone selling or buying the drug on his behalf. (Source: Toronto Star of 21 January 2000)
***Great Britain:
A Police Foundation report is about to call next month for the decriminalisation of cannabis use and a fundamental shake-up of Britain's drugs laws. The findings of a committee set up by the Police Foundation, an independent research body partly funded by the Home Office, will put pressure on the government to rethink its approach to drugs. The committee is not an official body, but it is widely seen as a quasi-Royal Commission. The inquiry is chaired by Lady Runciman, a former member of the government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. It has spent two-and-a-half years examining the current state of the law. (Source: The Economist of 15 January 2000)
4.
THE CITATION:
"The cannabinoids are an overlooked group of therapeutic drugs. For over a decade there have been anecdotal and clinical reports on the usefulness of cannabis preparations in treating conditions like nausea, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis. (...) As with other medical challenges, disciplined search for active therapeutic ingredients that address health problems which are currently not well managed is now the way forward."
(Improving the quality of the cannabis debate: Defining the different domains, British Medical Journal of 8 January 2000)
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Germany: New dronabinol preparation of THC Pharm
- USA: Steven Kubby and his wife Michele arrested
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: Six civil lawsuits against Cannabis Buyers Clubs in California
- Science: Structured interview on the influence of marijuana on Tourette's syndrome
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archive: )
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ACM-Bulletin of 06 February 2000
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* Canada: Judge orders discharge on marijuana trafficking case
* Great Britain: Government on odds over cannabis
* Germany:
- Bioressource Hemp & Other Fibre Plants, September 2000
- Cannabis and cannabinoids: Call for papers
1.
Canada: Judge orders discharge on marijuana trafficking case
Saying people who use marijuana for medicinal purposes have to get the drug from somewhere, a judge has granted a conditional discharge to a man caught transporting cannabis to the Vancouver Compassion Club.
Marcus Richardson was caught in November 1998, when police found six kilograms of marijuana in his car and $6,000 cash, which Judge J.B. Paradis found was provided by the cannabis club to buy marijuana for its members.
Richardson was convicted in June of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, but Paradis noted in passing sentence last week that the Vancouver police department is aware of and tolerates the Compassion Club. While giving Richardson the conditional discharge and putting him on probation for six months, the judge also ordered that the $6,000 be returned to the club.
The Compassion Club distributes small amounts of cannabis to 600 patients. Noting there is no pharmacy that sells marijuana, Paradis said in a 14-page judgement that if Health Canada has agreed to grant exemptions from drug laws to people who get medical benefits from the drug, those people have to get it elsewhere.
"The pharmacy in this case, known to and tolerated by police, is the Canadian Compassion Club Society," he said. "Marijuana will not fall into its hands as manna from heaven. It must be obtained directly from growers, as is now the case, or through a middleman such as Mr. Richardson, as was the case in November 1998."
(Source: Vancouver Sun of 29 January 2000)
2.
Great Britain: Government on odds over cannabis
Some days ago Mo Mowlam became the first Cabinet Minister in history to admit breaking the law on smoking cannabis. She admitted that she had tried marijuana, did not like it, but -- unlike President Clinton -- had inhaled. She is known to be "sympathetic" to proposals to decriminalise the personal and medicinal use of cannabis.
Mowlam, responsible for government drugs policy since October 1999, might have been thought to be reflecting a new softer government line on cannabis. But the apparently relaxed united front masks deep rifts in the Cabinet, the Observer reported on 23 January. She is being blocked by Home Secretary Jack Straw and Prime Minister Tony Blair who see any move in this area as the tip of an iceberg leading to the decriminalisation of cannabis.
The Government hit back at these claims of the Observer. "Any suggestion that the Government's anti-drugs policy is in disarray and that Ministers are at odds is complete speculation," a Cabinet Office statement of 23 January said. "Government policy on cannabis is steadfast -- possession and use of this drug is illegal and will remain so. (...) As for medicinal use, vigorous scientific tests are being carried out right now to discover whether any medical benefit can be gained from the drug."
(Sources: The Observer of 23 January 2000, PA News of 23 January 2000)
3.
Germany:
- Bioressource Hemp & Other Fibre Plants, September 2000
- Cannabis and cannabinoids: Call for papers
The world's largest scientific-technical symposium on hemp, BIORESOURCE HEMP, will open its doors for the third time after 1995 and 1997. For the symposium in 2000, about 400 participants are expected. BIORESOURCE HEMP 2000 will be held at the conference centre in Wolfsburg, Germany from 13 to 16 September 2000 as part of the EXPO-2000 project "Kreislaufwirtschaft" (Closed-Loop Economy).
The last day of the symposium will focus on the cannabinoids with emphasis on possible medical applications and unwanted effects in therapy. A total of 60 to 80 technical presentations will be given, including 10 to 12 on cannabinoids on 16 September. Conference languages are English and German (simultaneous translation).
As in previous years, the BIORESOURCE HEMP 2000 is organized by nova-Institute in collaboration with the event and promotion agency TriTec GmbH (Bochum). BIORESOURCE HEMP 2000 is sponsored by the City of Wolfsburg. Further sponsors are welcome.
Co-operating partners of the BIORESOURCE HEMP 2000 are
- The International Hemp Association (IHA), Amsterdam,
- Association for Cannabis as Medicine (ACM), Cologne.
Those interested in giving a presentation or showing a poster are requested to submit an abstract (e-mail) to the nova-Institute by March 1, 2000.
For more information please check:
Contact: nova-Institute, Daike Lohmeyer & Karin Schnurpfeil, e-mail: nova-h@t-online.de, or for the day on cannabinoids: nova-Institute, Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen, FGrotenhermen@.
4.
News in brief
***USA:
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors put its stamp of approval on 31 January on a plan to issue identification cards to medical marijuana users. The city ordinance is designed to allow qualified cardholders to obtain high-grade marijuana from several dispensaries without fear of being arrested. It still must be considered by Mayor Willie Brown. The card will not contain a name or photo for confidentiality purposes but will display a serial number. Similar ID card programs are used in Mendocino County and Arcata. (Source: AP of 1 February 2000)
***USA:
A woman with multiple sclerosis was convicted of drug possession on 28 January for lighting a marijuana cigarette in a congressman's Capitol Hill office when she felt the onset of an attack related to her illness. Judge Stephanie Duncan-Peters of the District of Columbia Superior Court ruled that the woman, 39, had not met the burden of proof necessary for a medical defence. She could have sentenced the mother of four to six months in jail and fined her $1,000, but instead ordered her to perform 50 hours of community service and pay court costs of $50. (Source: AP of 29 January 2000)
5.
THE CITATION:
"Misplaced hysteria over the medical use of marijuana has prompted the American Cancer Society to give a $361,000 grant to the Albany College of Pharmacy to conduct research on whether a marijuana patch on the skin could help ease the nausea and pain of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. (...)
The cruel battle to stifle the use of medical marijuana has gone on far too long, and for no reason other than political posturing by those who deliberately draw false connections between suffering patients and street-corner drug abusers. Let the healing begin."
(Source: Marihuana, pain and cruelty, St. Louis Post-Dispatch of 24 January 2000)
6.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- USA: Marvin Chavez sentenced to six years of prison
- Australia's first treatment program for cannabis addicts
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Support by officials in California against civil lawsuits against cannabis clubs
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archive: )
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ACM-Bulletin of 20 February 2000
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* Germany:
- Constitutional Court does not accept complaints of eight patients
- Plans to apply for applications to the Health Ministry
* Canada: Medical marijuana club raided
* Canada/USA: Canadian court orders Renee Boje surrendered for extradition
1.
Germany:
- Constitutional Court does not accept complaints of eight patients
- Plans to apply for applications to the Health Ministry
On 8 February a decision of the Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) of 20 January was published, saying that the complaints of eight persons, suffering from severe diseases (multiple sclerosis, HIV, hepatitis C, epilepsy etc.) will not be accepted on formal grounds. With their complaints of 14 December the patients wanted to achieve the right to use cannabis medicinally to alleviate their complaints.
The judges argued that they should have tried other legal means before. These are an application to the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products (Bundesinstitut fur Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte) in Berlin, an independent agency of the Federal Health Ministry, and an application for 'preventive legal protection' against prosecution and investigations of the police.
According to the German Narcotic Act the use of cannabis is allowed only for "scientific and other purposes of public interest". Until now an application to the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products to obtain the right to use cannabis as a medicine was generally regarded as hopeless.
But the Constitutional Court that enjoys great authority in Germany ascertained: "The medical supply of the population is a public purpose that may justify an approval in individual cases." Thus, a corresponding application would "not be hopeless from the start".
The German media generally commented on this decision very optimistic and interpreted it as a realistic option to achieve an approval for the medical use of cannabis. However, the probability to achieve such an exemption approval is indeed rather low, since the legal requirements to such an approval are very high.
Prof. Lorenz Boellinger, dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Bremen, who is advocating the eight patients, said: "Despite the non-acceptance this decision makes clear that the Constitutional Court is seriously considering the option of a medical therapy with cannabis and is trying to point out a passable way. If necessary a refusal by the Federal Institute has to be contested before the courts. If the worst comes to the worst there remains a new complaint before the Constitutional Court."
Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen of the Association for Cannabis as Medicine, who composed the medical expert opinions for the patients, said: "We will see if the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products will act that strictly negative in the future as it has done so far. The argumentation of the court can be taken as another starting point, that can put motion into the unsatisfying legal situation."
It is planned to apply for some well substantiated approvals at the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products. Besides, there will be applications for approvals of preventive legal protection against investigations of the police and prosecution before the provincial high courts.
The decision of the Constitutional Court seems to show some effect already. Last week the criminal procedure of a man with hepatitis C, diabetes mellitus and renal dialysis was suspended. The attorney said, he would "beware of demanding a penalty".
(Sources: dpa of 8 and 10 February 2000, Aerztezeitung of 9 February 2000, Frankfurter Rundschau of 9 February 2000, Die Tageszeitung of 9 February 2000, Sueddeutsche Zeitung of 10 February 2000)
2.
Canada: Medical marijuana club raided
On 10 February police arrested two employees of the Compassion Club in Montreal and seized the names of 27 doctors who had recommended cannabis for their ailing patients. The Compassion Club has chapters in Toronto and Vancouver.
Marc St. Maurice and Alexandre Neron appeared in court on 11 February on charges of possessing 66 grams of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. They will return to court on 13 March. The raid also raises the possibility of holding doctors criminally responsible for recommending cannabis to their patients. Police confiscated evidence from physicians who had suggested marijuana use to 33 patients and forwarded it to Crown prosecutors.
Health Minister Allan Rock, who was in Montreal to announce increased funding for medical research, wouldn't comment on the arrests but said he has been trying to expand the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. "I think the better approach is (...) that they are given access to marijuana that is safe and clean from a government source," he said. Ottawa gave 20 people legal permission last fall to grow and use marijuana for therapeutic purposes.
(Sources: Globe and Mail of 12 February 2000, Vancouver Sun of 12 February 2000)
3.
Canada/USA: Canadian court orders Renee Boje surrendered for extradition
On 9 February a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia signed an order to have Renee Danielle Boje extradited to Los Angeles, where a conviction on drug charges would land her a minimum of 10 years in jail. The justice minister must now decide whether there are compassionate reasons not to send the 30-year-old artist back home.
Boje was arrested in July 1997 along with several other medical-marijuana advocates after U.S. federal authorities discovered thousands of marijuana plants growing at the Bel-Air mansion of cancer patient Todd McCormick. Police claimed to have observed her and another woman watering the pot plants one day. She was doing sketches of marijuana plants for a book McCormick was writing on growing marijuana.
Boje came to Canada in 1998 on advice from a lawyer after the U.S. charges were briefly withdrawn. She still has a refugee claim pending because she believes she is the victim of political persecution by U.S. federal authorities who do not recognize rights that Californians voted themselves in a state-wide 1996 referendum that allows marijuana to be grown for certain medical conditions.
(Sources: The Province of 10 February 2000, Vancouver Sun of 10 February 2000, NORML of 10 February 2000)
4.
News in brief
***USA:
Legislation was introduced in the Iowa State Senate that would legalize the medical use of marijuana for certain medical conditions. This legislature joins Maryland this session by introducing a medical marijuana bill. And there are also two bills in the state legislature for legalizing marijuana for medical purposes in Hawaii. Since 1996, California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Maine, have approved voter initiatives to legalize medical marijuana. Citizens of Colorado and Nevada will vote on similar medical use initiatives in November. (Sources: NORML of 10 February 2000, Honolulu Star-Bulletin of 16 February 2000)
***USA:
A quadriplegic was sentenced in Augusta to seven years in prison for possession of marijuana. Louis E. Covar, who is confined to a wheelchair unable to control the muscles below his shoulders, says he uses the illegal drug for medical reasons. He was convicted of marijuana possession last March and sentenced to seven years of probation on the condition that he keep the marijuana to himself. But on 17. February a judge revoked probation because he sold the drug. According to NORML another severely disabled person, Deborah Lynn Quinn from Arizona, was sentenced last week to a year in prison for breaking probation after being found with less than four ounces of marijuana. (Sources: AP of 18 February 2000, NORML of 17 February 2000)
***Great Britain:
A multiple sclerosis sufferer who smokes cannabis is to be prosecuted for a second time for using the drug. Lezley Gibson, 35, of Alston, Cumbria, was first prosecuted 10 years ago for possession of cannabis. She says the drug helps alleviate the symptoms of the muscle-wasting illness she was diagnosed with aged 20. A judge at Carlisle Crown Court gave her a two-year conditional discharge. (Source: PA News of 18 February 2000)
5.
THE CITATION:
"The future of marijuana as medicine in Arkansas may very well hinge not on ballot initiatives, but on the outcome of November's presidential election. While none of the candidates from the Democratic or Republican parties have gone on the record supporting the use of marijuana as medicine, observers have pointed out that the changing generational makeup of the candidates could alter public policy towards marijuana and other drugs in general."
(Source: Federal government may control future of medical marijuana, Northwest Arkansas Times of 13 February 2000)
6.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- USA: AIDS groups urge U.S. to approve the medical use of marijuana
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Science: Leading research magazine claims WHO suppressed publication of scientific evidence on health risks of marijuana
- Great Britain: A committee of the House of Lords is looking into health risks and therapeutic value of cannabis
- Canada: Opening of Medical Marijuana Clubs
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archive: )
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ACM-Bulletin of 5 March 2000
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* Science: THC destroys brain cancer in animal research
* Science: Cannabinoids reduce tremor in animal model of multiple sclerosis
* Science: Smoking marijuana my increase risk of heart attack
1.
Science: THC destroys brain cancer in animal research
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannbinol (THC), the major active component of the cannabis plant, and a synthetic cannabinoid induced a remarkable regression of a usually fatal type of brain tumour when tested on laboratory rats, Spanish researchers said on 28 February in the journal Nature Medicine.
Malignant gliomas, a quick-killing cancer for which there is currently no effective treatment, were induced in 45 rats. A third were treated with THC, and another third with the cannabinoid agonist WIN-55,212-2, while the remainder were left untreated. Within 18 days the untreated rats died. But the two cannabinoids had a dramatic effect, destroying the tumours in a third of the treated rats over a period of seven days, and prolonging the life of another third by up to six weeks.
12 days after cell injection THC or WIN-55,212-2 were continually injected directly at the site of tumour inoculation over a period of 7 days. THC administration was ineffective in 3 animals and increased the survival of 9 rats up to 19-35 days. The tumour was completely eradicated in 3 of the treated animals. Likewise the synthetic cannabinoid was ineffective in 6 rats, increased the survival of 4 rats up to 19-43 days; and completely eradicated the tumour in 5 animals.
The team led by Dr Manuel Guzman from the Complutense university in Madrid said: "These results may provide the basis for a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of malignant gliomas." He said that the current experiment tested THC at very low doses and at a late stage, when untreated rats were already starting to die. He predicts that THC should work better if given earlier. But cancer treatments that work in animals may be too toxic or not effective in humans.
Cannabinoids are thought to kill tumour cells by inducing programmed cell death, or apoptosis, via an intracellular signalling mechanism. Experiments carried out with two subclones of glioma cells in culture demonstrated that cannabinoids signal apoptosis by a pathway involving cannabinoid receptors, sustained accumulation of the lipid ceramide and Raf-1/ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) activation, inducing a cascade of reactions that leads to cell death.
In a commentary for Nature Medicine, Dr. Daniele Piomelli, from the University of California at Irvine, said the findings could have important implications. This would be the first convincing study to show that a marijuana-based drug treatment may combat cancer. If the drug works as well in humans, Piomelli says, "then this will be a paper of great importance." But it would take a lot of testing, both in animals and in people, to prove it is effective. The smoking of marihuana would not be effective.
(Sources: Galve-Roperph I, Sanchez C, Cortesz ML, Gomez del Pulgar T, Izquierdo M, Guzman M: Antitumoral action of cannabinoids: involvement of sustained ceramide accumulation and ERK activation. Nature Medicine 6, 313-319 (2000); Piomelli D: Nature Medicine 6, 255-256, (2000); UPI of 28 February 2000; AP of 29 February 2000; Reuters of 29 February 2000; PA News of 29 February 2000, personal communication by Manual Guzman)
2.
Science: Cannabinoids reduce tremor in animal model of multiple sclerosis
In the journal Nature scientists said on 1 March they had for the first time scientifically demonstrated the link between cannabis and the suppression of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. The study with mice suffering from chronic allergic encephalomyelitis (CREAE) -- an animal model for MS -- found that cannabinoids ameliorated CREAE symptoms.
The mouse MS study "is the first to show definitive objective evidence that synthetic compounds, which stimulate the receptor that cannabis (marijuana) binds to, can alleviate spasticity and tremor in an MS-like condition. This gives a rationale of why patients may perceive benefit from taking cannabis and supports the establishment of a clinical trial to assess the benefit of medical cannabis in MS," Lorna Layward, head of research of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, said.
In the study, led by David Baker of University College in London, the researchers injected THC, other cannabinoid receptor agonists and antagonists into mice with CREAE. Layward said it was now up to drug companies to develop compounds that mimicked cannabis but avoided the side-effects experienced by cannabis smokers. The scientists cautioned the research is in the preliminary stages; whether similar results can be obtained in large-scale human studies is unknown.
(Sources: UPI of 2 March 2000, Reuters of 2 March 2000; PA News of 2 March 2000)
3.
Science: Smoking marijuana my increase risk of heart attack
Smoking marijuana significantly increases the risk of a heart attack for middle-aged and elderly users during the first hour after using the drug, researchers reported on 2 March. They said they were not sure whether the marijuana itself or other components of smoke such as carbon monoxide were responsible for it.
The study by Dr. Murray Mittleman, a professor at Harvard Medical School and director of cardiovascular epidemiology at Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Centre, and colleagues were being presented at an American Heart Association (AHA) conference in San Diego. The heart attack risk was 4.8 times higher during the first hour following marijuana use than it was during times of non-use. In the second hour, the relative risk dropped to 1.7.
"These effects may pose significant risk, especially in people with unrecognised coronary disease," Mittleman said. Mittleman's research team collected information from 3,882 people who had heart attacks. Of that group, 124 were identified as current marijuana users, including 37 who said they smoked the drug within 24 hours before their heart attack and nine who reported smoking pot within an hour of their first symptoms.
The increased risk is nowhere near what is seen with other drugs -- like the 25-fold spike in heart attack risk from cocaine -- and may not even be as dangerous as taking a jog might be for a sedentary person. But, Mittleman, says, "The risk is there. It's real." Other studies have shown that younger marijuana smokers are not at a greater risk for heart attacks.
(Sources: Reuters of 2 March 2000, UPI of 2 March 2000, AP of 2 March 2000)
4.
News in brief
***USA:
A panel of the state Medical Quality Assurance Commission of Washington will consider whether to make anyone suffering certain debilitating symptoms eligible to legally use marijuana for medical purposes. Dr. Rob Killian is petitioning the board to add a list of symptoms rather than specific diseases. The list suggested by Killian includes: gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, anorexia, appetite loss and cramping; neurological symptoms such as seizures, muscle spasms and spasticity; mood disorders, including insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder. A final decision is expected on 2 June. (Source: Seattle Times of 2 March 2000)
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- World: U.N. report encourages research into the medical use of cannabis
- Canada: Health Minister orders clinical trials
- Great Britain: Introduction of a bill for the medical use of cannabis in Parliament
- USA: Introduction of a bill for the medical use of marijuana in Congress
TWO YEARS AGO:
- The Netherlands: Marinol available
- USA: Resolution of the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives against medical use of cannabis
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archive: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 19 March 2000
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* Foundation of the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine
* Germany: Experts discussion on cannabis as medicine
1.
Foundation of the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine (IACM)
On 11 March the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine (IACM) was founded in Cologne. It is a scientific society initiated by members of the Association for Cannabis as Medicine (ACM), an organisation in the German speech area. It is the aim of the society to encourage conditions, that allow or facilitate ill persons to use cannabis products therapeutically, through promotion of research, distribution of information, formulation of statements etc.
The articles of the IACM fix the following principles:
1. Membership is divided into ordinary and extraordinary members.
2. Ordinary members may be:
- persons with completed study of medicine and pharmacy,
- cannabis and cannabinoid researcher with another completed university study,
- other persons with a special knowledge on cannabis/cannabinoids,
- medical and pharmaceutical students,
- medical institutions and organizations.
3. Ordinary members elect the board of directors consisting of up to seven members and determine the guidelines of the society.
4. Extraordinary members elect a patient representation of up to two members. The patient representatives may participate with equal rights in the meetings of the board of directors.
5. Members of one nation or several nations may create a regional/national section. They may elect their own representatives and choose their own regulations. In regional sections all members may have equal rights and determine the guidelines of the work, as is the case with the ACM in the German speech area. The board of directors has a power of veto against decisions of regional sections.
The Board of Directors of the IACM consists of:
- Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen (Germany)
- Dr. Kirsten Mueller-Vahl (Germany)
- Dr. Kurt Blaas (Austria)
- Dr. Ulrike Hagenbach (Switzerland)
- Dr. Martin Schnelle (Germany)
The foundation of the IACM is based on suggestions of scientists from non-German countries to expand the ACM to an international scientific society. The transformation of the ACM into a scientific society was regarded as problematical by the general meeting of the ACM in October 1999 and March 2000, thus requiring the foundation of a new society. The foundation of a scientific society was welcomed in a statement by the general meeting of the ACM. The IACM was not founded in competition to existing international or non-German regional organisations.
2.
Germany: Experts discussion on cannabis as medicine
On 16 March an experts discussion on legal aspects of the medical use of cannabis and THC (dronabinol) took place in Berlin on invitation of the Working Group Health of the parliamentary parties of the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, the two governmental parties.
Among the participants were (alphabetically):
- Christa Nickels (Drugs Commissioner of the Government, Greens)
- Dr. Albert (Federal Association of the German Federations of Druggists)
- Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen (nova-Institute Cologne, ACM)
- Dr. Hansjoerg Schaefer (Drug Policy Spokesman of the SPD)
- Dr. Horst Moeller (Federal Ministry of Health, narcotics department)
- Dr. Kirsten Mueller-Vahl (University of Hanover, ACM)
- Dr. Lander ('Bundesinstitut fuer Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte', a subordinate board of the Ministry of Health)
- Dr. Martin Schnelle (European Institute for Oncological and Immunological Research Berlin, ACM)
- Gudrun Schaich-Walch (Health Policy Spokeswoman of the SPD)
- Monika Knoche (Health Policy Spokeswoman of the Greens)
- Professor Felix Herzog (Faculty of Law, Humboldt University of Berlin)
- Professor Lorenz Boellinger (Faculty of Law, University of Bremen)
Some excerpts from statements:
Representatives of both governmental parties made it clear, that they take serious the topic of cannabis as medicine and want to contribute to practical solutions.
A representative of the Federal Health Ministry announced a facilitation of the availability of dronabinol (THC).
The development of standardized cannabis formulas was announced for the year 2001.
An employee of the Federal Health Ministry pointed out, that the law on narcotics could easily be changed in analogy to the regulation of a "small amount", so that a medicinal use would be a reason to renounce criminal procedures.
Some participants said, that cannabis was not scheduled correctly in the German law on narcotics since it had therapeutic potential.
A representative of the 'Bundesinstitut fuer Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte' said that in contrast to the view of the Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) there was no possibility for her board to grant exemptions to individual patients for the medical use of cannabis.
3.
News in brief
***Switzerland:
Following the decision of the 'Nationalrat' the second parliamentary House, the 'Staenderat' has as well supported the legalization of cannabis. The members of parliament approved two proposals, that will delete cannabis from the law on narcotics. The trade shall be under state control. The government in Bern is working on a revision of the law. The final decision will probably be made in 2001. (Source: dpa of 7 March 2000)
***Science:
A preclinical study showed that dexanabinol, a synthetic cannabinoid, can suppress the pathological features of multiple sclerosis. The study showed significant reductions in the functional and pathological brain defects in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, the most widely used animal model of multiple sclerosis. These findings were recently published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology. Dexanabinol is devoid of the psychotropic side effects of some natural cannabinoids and has been shown to be safe in 50 individuals and in a Phase II trial of severe traumatic brain injury. (Source: PR Newswire of 6 March 2000)
***USA:
On 7 March the Senate and House of Hawaii passed bills permitting medicinal use of marijuana. Preliminary approvals came with a one-vote margin in the state Senate and a two-thirds majority vote in the House. The Senate bill on marijuana would allow persons with a life-threatening or debilitating illness such cancer, AIDS or glaucoma to possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use. (Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin of 8 March 2000)
***UK:
A man suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been cleared of drugs charges after he argued he needed cannabis to combat the disease's symptoms, a British court said on 17 March. A spokesman for the MS Society of Great Britain said: "We have always said we don't believe that people with MS should be criminalized for using the drug for their own relief." (Source: Reuters of 17 March 2000)
***USA:
A bill before the Legislature of Maine would have the state distribute confiscated marijuana plants to people who are allowed to use it for medical reasons. The law is meant to help people who have trouble getting marijuana to help treat their medical conditions, a practice that Maine voters approved in November 1999. But even the bill's sponsor doubts it will pass, as long as marijuana possession remains illegal under federal law. (Source: AP of 14 March 2000)
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- USA: Report of the Institute of Medicine on medical qualities of marijuana published
- Science: Treatment of Tourette's syndrome with marijuana and THC
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Spain: International Symposium on Cannabis
- USA: About 60% of Americans support the prescription of marijuana for seriously ill patients.
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archive: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 2 April 2000
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* UK: Police Foundation proposes depenalisation of cannabis
1.
UK: Police Foundation proposes depenalisation of cannabis
The Police Foundation, influential police charity, released the findings of a two-year study on 28 March, concluding that marijuana should be "depenalized"-- removing the risk of prison sentences except for people suspected of dealing in the drug. Users could still be fined or cautioned.
The Police Foundation panel was composed of 12 leading lawyers, academics and police officers. The commission's report stated, "The present law produces more harm than it prevents," adding that marijuana is less dangerous than tobacco and alcohol.
Home Secretary Jack Straw accepted that there was a "coherent argument" for legalizing cannabis -- but immediately insisted that the case for doing so was fatally flawed. He stressed that the Government would continue to take a "cautious" approach to proposals for drugs law reform. He did, however, allow for the possibility that cannabis might be made available on prescription to relieve the pain of those suffering from conditions such as multiple sclerosis -- provided medical experts decided that it could be used safely.
Labour MP Paul Flynn is to introduce a Bill to Parliament that would decriminalize the use of cannabis. Mr Flynn said on 31 March he believed there had been a sea change in public attitudes towards drug use, and Britons now understood tough laws were causing more problems than they were solving.
(Sources: Reuters of 26 March, PA News of 28 March 2000 and 1 April 2000, The Independent of 1 April 2000)
2.
News in brief
***USA
In Florida 30 medical marijuana patients, including several in wheel-chairs, conducted a 160-mile several days long journey from a state prison in Starke to the state capitol in Tallahassee. Several protesters of the Journey for Justice caravan wore black and white striped jail uniforms. Others carried red stop signs reading, "Stop arresting patients for medical marijuana." (Source: Reuters of 26 March 2000)
***Science:
Regular marijuana users have substantially lower blood flow to a part of their brains associated with memory, language and sense of time, according to a recent study by University of Iowa researchers, published in NeuroReport. Researchers found that long-term use of the drug does not affect brain size or structure but does have a noticeable effect on the rate of blood that flows through parts of the cerebellum (posterior cerebellum). As of yet, the researchers do not know how long the effects on brain function last. (Source: COMTEX newswire of 30 March 2000)
***USA:
On 28 March the Santa Cruz City Council gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would protect patients with a medical use identification card from prosecution, without requiring they identify the physician who recommended the use of marijuana. The ordinance states the city will permit buyers cooperatives to cultivate and sell marijuana to patients and caregivers. (Source: NORML of 30 March 2000)
***UK:
The British newspaper The Independent said on 24 March: "The Government is to legalize the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes in a significant change to its hard-line policy on drugs. (...) Senior government sources told The Independent yesterday that Ms Mowlam will win her battle to allow cannabis to be used legally for therapeutic purposes." In an official statement the government said it would consider allowing cannabis to be used for medicinal purposes if medical trials were successful. (Sources: The Independent of 24 March 2000, PA News of 25 March 2000)
3.
THE CITATION:
"We suggested yesterday that cannabis should be legalized for an experimental period. This provoked some interest in the broadcast media - not, of course, because The Daily Telegraph is the first to propose this. It is not. Perhaps interest arose because this newspaper is generally conservative and the legalization of any drug is normally seen as "progressive". We should emphasize that our reasons are of a conservative sort. We do not advocate the use of cannabis. We suggest that it should be legalized only because society is being damaged by its illegal status."
(Dealing with Cannabis, Editorial, Daily Telegraph of 31 March 2000)
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Germany: Handing over of signatures in support of the Frankfurt Resolution
- Science: New patent for dexanabinol as TNF-alpha inhibitor
TWO YEARS AGO:
- New Zealand: Legalization of cannabis will protect public health
- Germany: Petition for medical use of cannabis in Berlin
- USA: The U.S. Department of Justice asks a judge to shut Cannabis Clubs down
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archive: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 16 April 2000
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* Science/UK: Clinical trial with Cannabis approved by the MCA
* Economy/USA: Investigational new drug (IND) application for CT3
* USA: Clinical conference on Cannabis therapeutics
1.
Science/UK: Clinical trial with Cannabis approved by the MCA
A clinical trial of a cannabis-based medicine has been given the go-ahead by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA), it was disclosed on 14 April. Junior Health Minister Gisela Stuart said the trial would look at the use of the drug to treat multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.
"If a marketing authorization were to be issued by the MCA, we would seek to modify the current Misuse of Drugs Act controls on the use of cannabis," Ms Stuart said.
The company running the trials, GW Pharmaceuticals, believes them to be the first of their kind in the world. They will start shortly at the Pain Relief Clinic at the James Paget Hospital, Great Yarmouth, in eastern England, under the supervision of Dr. William Notcutt.
Patients will take different formulations of cannabis-based medicines using devices that spray them under the tongue and allow them to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream. About 2,000 patients will take part in the trial, details of which can be found on the Web site medicinal-.
(Sources: PA News of 6 and 15 April 2000)
2.
Economy/USA: Investigational new drug (IND) application for CT3
Atlantic Technology Ventures announced on 3 April that it has filed an investigational new drug (IND) application with the United States Food and Drug Administration and is seeking approval to begin clinical trials for CT-3 (chemical name: ajulemic acid), a patented compound that the company believes will have significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, without the traditional side effects associated with current non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs.
CT-3 is a synthetic derivative of the main non-psychoactive metabolite (THC-11-oic acid) of THC or dronabinol, the main psychoactive compound of cannabis. THC-11-oic acid has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties in animal studies. At least some of the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of Cannabis may be due to the acid metabolites of THC.
Extensive animal studies have shown that CT-3 is equipotent to morphine and demonstrates analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties at microgram doses without central nervous system, respiratory depressive or gastrointestinal side effects.
The company also announced that it has signed a contract with Aster Clinical Research Center in Paris, France, to conduct the first scientific testing for CT-3 in Europe. This phase I clinical trial will begin in France in May 2000. Atlantic expects this parallel advancement pathway will shorten the development time and get CT-3 to market faster.
(Sources: PR Newswire of 3 April 2000; Burstein SH: The therapeutic potential of ajulemic acid (CT3). In: Grotenhermen F, Russo E (eds): Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential. New York: Haworth Press, 2000, in press)
3.
USA: Clinical conference on Cannabis therapeutics
On 7 and 8 April the First National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics was held at the Iowa State University IMU, sponsored by the UI Colleges of Nursing and Medicine, along with Patients Out of Time.
An estimated 80 people, health-care professionals, lawyers and patients, used the conference as an opportunity to discuss the uses and variations of marijuana. Melanie Dreher, the dean of the nursing school, who helped to organize the conference, said attendance at the conference was fairly high, considering the subject. It was broadcast live via satellite to sites in Arkansas, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia and Canada.
Conference Co-chairwoman Mary Lynn Mathre said she hopes people were able to see the issue of medical marijuana use from a different perspective after listening to the various presentations. "We're not trying to say it has no problems or that it works for everyone," she said.
People such as George McMahon, one of eight people in the United States who not only has federal government permission to smoke marijuana for medical reasons, and Scott Imler, president of the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center, are hopeful the UI conference contributes to public discussion and allows people to talk about using marijuana for medical purposes more openly.
(Sources: COMTEX-Newswire of 10 April 2000, The Gazette of 9 April 2000)
4.
News in brief
***Germany/Europe:
At the 2nd International Congress of Homoeopathy for chronic diseases near Stuttgart the participants claimed the medical approval of homoeopathic preparations of Cannabis. The use of this remedy was juristically hindered, despite Cannabis was no longer chemically provable in this diluteness, Dr. Walter Koester said on 7 April. Koester is the first professor for homoeopathy in Europe at the University of Sevilla (Spain). About 800 physicians and healers participated in the meeting that continued until 9 April (Source: Stuttgarter Nachrichten of 8 April 2000)
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Australia: Survey on the medical use of cannabis
- Science: Interaction of anandamide with dopamine, a basis for the treatment of movement disorders and schizophrenia
- Canada: 78 per cent support legalizing marijuana for medical use
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: Judge orders the Cannabis Cultivators' Club in San Francisco to shut down
- Canada: The opening of medical marijuana clubs
- UK: Hearing of a House of Lords committee on Cannabis
- USA: Senate approved a resolution denying funding for any future medical marijuana research
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 30 April 2000
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* USA: Hawaii approves medical use through legislation
* Germany: Discontinuance of a trial until a decision of the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products
* The Netherlands: Installation of a Cannabis Agency for medical cannabis at the Health Ministry
1.
USA: Hawaii approves medical use through legislation
The Hawaii Senate passed a bill on 24 April that will allow the medical use of Cannabis by patients with certain severe or life-threatening illnesses. The Hawaiian House of Representatives has already approved the measure, and Gov. Ben Cayetano has said he will sign the law.
Hawaii is the first state of the U.S.A. to approve the medicinal use of marijuana through legislation instead of a voter referendum as in Alaska, Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Maine and the District of Columbia. The Federal Justice Department is challenging those laws.
Patients who want to smoke marijuana to alleviate pain, combat chemotherapy treatments and stimulate appetite would require written certification from a doctor and would have to register annually with the state public safety department.
"This bill will protect from arrest both the patient who might find a use for marijuana and the doctor who might recommend its use," said Democratic Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, the chairwoman of the Health and Human Services Committee.
(Sources: AP of 25 April 2000, The Daily Free Press of 28 April 2000)
2.
Germany: Discontinuance of a trial until a decision of the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products
A patient who was among those who filled a complaint before the Constitutional Court, had to appear before court on 26 April for possessing Cannabis. The judge ordered to discontinue the court procedure until a decision on an application by the defendant to the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products.
The police had confiscated 200 grams of marijuana in the home of the patient suffering from multiple sclerosis. He got an order of summary punishment amounting for 600 German marks (about 300 US dollars), which he refused to pay. It became clear very fast, that the judge showed sympathy for the defendant and was seeking a way out to end the court procedure without sentencing him.
The judge would have liked to suspend the procedure, but accepted that this would not help the patient. Than he decided to discontinue the court procedure until a decision of the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products concerning the defendant's application. The Constitutional Court had decided in January 2000 that patients had to try an application for the medical use of Cannabis at this independent subordinary board of the Health Ministry first, before addressing to the highest German court.
In April another patient had to appear before a court in Bavaria for possessing 50 grams of marijuana. He was sentenced to 2 months on probation. Unfortunately he had not got into contact with the Association for Cannabis as Medicine before.
Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen: "The decision to discontinue the court procedure is an elegant solution, that keeps the political and legal pressure. The judge did not want to sentence the defendant, but had no possibility to acquit him. The law is written that way today that judges increasingly realize its inherent injustice, but cannot rule according to their sense of justice. It is up to politics to change this."
(Source: personal communications)
3.
The Netherlands: Installation of a Cannabis Agency for Medical Cannabis at the Health Ministry
The Health Ministry is installing a Cannabis Agency for Medical Cannabis (BMC, Bureau voor medicinale cannabis). This agency shall regulate the cultivation and handling with Cannabis for research purposes. It shall ensure as well, that the use of Cannabis is in accordance with the international drug conventions.
On 4 April Health Minister Dr. Els Borst explained the state of the development to the chairman of the health committee (vaste commissie voor Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport). According to this letter staff members are looked for at present and an accompanying commission will be installed. Than steps will be taken, that ensure the work in accordance with the international drug conventions. Not till then concrete arrangements on clinical trials and product development will be made.
Institutions that are already working in this area, like Weleda Nederland NV in Zoetermeer, Stichting Patientenbelangen Medicinale Marihuana and Maripharm in Rotterdam will eventually be included in this process.
Dr. Henk van Wilgenburg, Dr. Adele van der Plas, Nevil Schoenmaker and Mario Lap have created the "Foundation for Cannabis Genetics", aiming at delivering suitable Cannabis to the Cannabis Agency.
(Sources: Letter of Els Borst of 4 April 2000 , Email of Mario Lap of 22 April 2000)
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Canada: Debate in the House of Commons on medical use of marijuana
- Switzerland: Drug commission recommends legalization of Cannabis
- USA: Oregon issues ID cards to patients
- USA/Canada: Trial on extradition of Renee Boje has begun
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: Cannabis Buyers' Club of San Francisco reopened under new name
- Great Britain: 32% support legalization of Cannabis for medical purposes.
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 14 May 2000
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* Science/Germany: Clinical study on THC in Tourette's syndrome
* Canada: Health Ministry looking for source of supply for marijuana
* Science: First issue of Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics
1.
Science/Germany: Clinical study on THC in Tourette's syndrome
At the Medical School of Hanover another study on the efficacy of THC in Tourette's syndrome has started at the end of April under the guidance of Dr. Kirsten Mueller-Vahl. Until now 15 patients have been included in the study.
A total of 24 patients with Tourette's syndrome shall be treated over a period of 6 weeks. 12 patients will randomly receive THC (Marinol), the other 12 placebo capsules, without knowing which substance they get.
It is the aim of the study to examine the effects of THC on different symptoms of Tourette's syndrome (tics, obsessive compulsive behaviour, anxiety, depression) and to measure possible side effects on brain function (attention, memory, concentration, reaction time). Termination of the study is intended to be in November 2000. Dosing starts with 2.5 mg daily, than every three days increase by 2.5 mg until a maximum of 10 mg. There is the possibility of individual dose adjustment between 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 mg per day. Dosing is once daily during breakfast or lunch.
The actual study is a follow-up of a pilot study carried out last year, that had shown that a one-time application of THC led to a significant decrease in tics and obsessive behaviour in 12 patients.
(Sources: Personal communications, Kirsten Mueller-Vahl; Mueller-Vahl KR, et al. Movement disorders. In: Grotenhermen F, Russo E, eds. Cannabis and cannabinoids: pharmacology, toxicology and therapeutic potential. NY: Haworth Press, 2000, in press)
2.
Canada: Health Ministry looking for source of supply for marijuana
On 5 May Health Canada issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to establish a Canadian source of quality, standardized, affordable, research-grade marijuana. Health Canada aims to have a five-year contract in place by this summer. Proposals are due by 6 June.
Domestically produced marijuana will be used for research in clinical trials, to gather scientific information on the safety and effectiveness of the drug in alleviating patients' symptoms which are unresponsive to currently available treatments.
Highlights of the main activities required to be undertaken by the contractor include: setting up and operating a marijuana growing, processing, fabrication and storage establishment in Canada; laboratory testing and quality control of marijuana throughout the product life cycle; fabrication, packaging, labelling and storage of marijuana products and bulk material; distribution of marijuana product to recipients authorized by Health Canada. For more information see web site: http//merx..
Progress on research initiatives is continuing. Representatives of the Community Research Initiatives of Toronto and the Canadian HIV Trial Network, in collaboration with Health Canada, have been working on the finalization of a research protocol. As well, the Medical Research Council (MRC) has received research proposals in early March 2000.
So far there are 37 Canadians, that are allowed to possess and cultivate marijuana for medical purposes under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, exemptions granted by Health Minister Allan Rock. Health Canada has already implemented some recommendations, including improvements to the application form. Information will be available soon at hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb-dgps/therapeut.
(Source: Health Canada information on cannabis of 5 May 2000)
3.
Science: First issue of Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics
The first issue of the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics (JCT) will be published soon. It will be published by Haworth Press and is edited by Dr. Ethan Russo.
From the contents:
- Marijuana (cannabis) as medicine (Leo Hollister),
- Effects of smoked cannabis and oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on nausea and emesis after cancer chemotherapy: An overview of clinical trials (Rik Musty and Rita Rossi),
- The endocannabinoid system: Can it contribute to cannabis therapeutics? (Vincenzo di Marzo),
- The therapeutic use of Cannabis sativa (L.) in Arabic medicine, by Indalecio Lozano,
- Cannabis and eicosanoids: A review of molecular pharmacology (John McPartland),
- Cognoscenti of Cannabis I: Jacques-Joseph Moreau (1804-1884) (Ethan Russo),
- Lypemania with stupor; Tendency to dementia.- Treatment by the extract (resinous principle) of Cannabis indica.- Cure. Bicètre Hospice.- M. Moreau (de Tours). (Translated by Ethan Russo).
Free copies of JCT 1(1) are available by request by contacting:
Haworth Press
10 Alice Street
Binghamton, NY 13904-1580
USA
4.
News in brief
***UK:
Cabinet Office Minister Mo Mowlam today said she hoped cannabis would soon be legalised for medical use. At Commons question time Liberal Democrat Dr Jenny Tonge said: "When will the Government stop making criminals of people with long term neurological disease and painful terminal illnesses and allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes?" Ms Mowlam replied: "We are looking at this. We've got scientific research which is very close to completion. (...) I can't give you a direct answer to a question `when?'. But like you, I hope it is soon." (Source: PA News of 10 May 2000)
***USA:
Vice President Al Gore said on 11 May that there are better alternatives to the medical use of marijuana. On a visit to a high school, Gore said the question of medical use of marijuana should be decided "strictly on the science. (...) Right now, the science does not show me or the experts whose judgment I trust that it is the proper medication for pain and that there are not better alternatives available in every situation. (...) But if the science ever shows that it is, then that should determine the outcome." He said he sympathizes with terminally ill patients and their family members. (Source: AP of 11 May 2000)
***Science/USA:
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an investigational new drug (IND) application to begin clinical trials for CT-3 to Atlantic Technology Ventures. The company announced that Aster Clinical Research Center in Paris, France, will conduct the first scientific testing for CT-3 in Europe. This phase 1 clinical trial involves human volunteers and will begin in France this month. CT-3 is an analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug that is a synthetic derivative of a metabolite of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. (Source: PRNewswire of 10 May 2000; see also: ACM-Bulletin of 16 April 2000)
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Science: Cannabis use does not appear to severely affect cognitive functioning
- Australia: Calls for treating drugs as a health and social issue
- Canada: Ontario Superior Court permits AIDS patient to use marijuana
TWO YEARS AGO:
- The Netherlands: Survey among the members of the MS-Society
- UK: Royal Pharmaceutical Society develops guide-lines for clinical research with cannabinoids
- USA: Judge orders seven Californian marijuana clubs to shut down
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 28 May 2000
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* USA: AIDS patients may get cannabis for Californian study
1.
USA: AIDS patients may get cannabis for Californian study
A plan by San Mateo County (California) health officials to give marijuana to AIDS patients as part of a controlled study has won tentative approval from federal regulators. San Mateo County officials said they see no substantial hurdles to beginning one of the nation's few studies of the effects of medical marijuana.
The conditional approval came from a panel of Department of Health and Human Services scientists who reviewed a request for "research grade" marijuana. According to a letter to Dennis Israelski, chief of infectious diseases and AIDS medicine at the San Mateo County Health Center, who would lead the research effort, federal officials are "concerned primarily about issues of safety, size of doses, and diversion potential of take-home marijuana." They want the county to establish a "safety monitoring board" to oversee any issues that arise.
"We can do everything they've asked of us," County Supervisor Mike Nevin said. "With this approval, I think we can be distributing medical marijuana to people who need it within a few months." When approved, San Mateo County plans to distribute research-grade marijuana supplied by the federal government to 60 patients to relieve HIV-Associated Distal Symmetric Poly Neuropathy. If cannabis proves effective, the goal is to distribute marijuana to people with diseases such as cancer and glaucoma, chronic pain and other ailments, Nevin said.
(Source: San Francisco Chronicle of 16 May 2000)
2.
News in brief
***UK:
On 22 May the Prince of Wales asked a multiple sclerosis sufferer about using cannabis to help her condition. He asked June McLachlan, who attends the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow, if she had tried the drug. The Prince was speaking during the fourth day of engagements in Scotland, where he is acting as Lord High Commissioner of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. "It was him that brought it up," Ms McLachlan said. "He said would you try it and I said I might, but not smoking it." (PA News of 22 May 2000)
***Canada:
A recent national survey, conducted for the National Post by COMPAS Inc., found that 65% of those questioned support the idea that possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use should be a non-criminal offence. They thought the concept of decriminalizing pot is an excellent, very good, or good idea. An estimated 600,000 Canadians have criminal records for marijuana possession. When asked if cannabis should be made legal for medical purposes, such as helping cancer patients control pain, an overwhelming 92% of respondents to the National Post poll answered in the affirmative. (Source: National Post of 15 May 2000)
3.
THE COMMENT
... on the trial against Peter McWilliams and Todd McCormick:
"The purpose of the government is to serve the people. But in the case of medical marijuana, the federal government went against the will of the people - which overwhelmingly approved the right to use medical marijuana in 1996 in California. What purpose is served to society by having an AIDS patient in a wheelchair and a bone cancer patient locked up at a cost of over $20,000 plus medical expenses?"
Columnist Robert Tinghitella, The Daily (USA), U-WIRE via COMTEX, of 16 May 2000
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Canada: House of Commons supports legalization of cannabis for medical reasons
- USA: Government makes marijuana easier to get for research
- USA: First ID card for a medical marijuana patient issued in Oregon
- Australia: Proposals to liberal drug laws in New South Wales
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: California Medical Association suggests to reclassify marijuana as a prescriptive drug
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 11 June 2000
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* UK: Cross-party support for medical use of Cannabis
* Canada: Extend of deadline for bidders for marijuana contract
1.
UK: Cross-party support for medical use of Cannabis
A bill calling for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use was coming before Parliament for its second reading on 8 June. The government is expected to object to it.
A cross-party group of 34 Members of Parliament, including such well-known Commons names as Tony Benn and Martin Bell, signed a motion on 7 June deploring the continuing criminalisation of patients using the drug medicinally.
The change in the law has been recommended by a House of Lords science select committee in November 1998, which suggested a limited number of doctors should be allowed to prescribe cannabis.
In all, 22 Labour, 5 Liberal Democrat, 4 Tory MPs, one Scottish National Party, one Plaid Cymru and Mr Bell, an independent, signed the motion. Among them were Liberal Democrat deputy leader Alan Beith, Labour's former transport minister Gavin Strang, the Tory eurosceptic Teresa Gorman, former Labour minister Frank Field, and Martin O'Neill, Labour chairman of the Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee.
Their motion read: "That this House deplores the continuing criminalisation of thousands of otherwise law-abiding people who use cannabis medicinally to relieve chronic pain and distress caused by multiple sclerosis, Aids and the side-effects of chemotherapy; and supports the simple change in the law recommended by the House of Lords Select Committee on Science to allow a limited number of doctors to prescribe cannabis to names patients in the same way that millions of other prescriptions are now dispensed."
Signatories: Paul Flynn, John Austin, Dr Evan Harris, Tom Brake, Dr Brian Iddon, Mohammed Sarwar, Peter Pike, Syd Rapson, Lembit Opik, Martin O'Neill, Betty Williams, Mike Wood, Sir Richard Body, Derek Wyatt, Jamie Cann, Teresa Gorman, Margaret Ewing, Tony Worthington, Ann Clwyd, Alan Beith, John McAllion, Adrian Sanders, Harry Cohen, Dari Taylor, Peter Bradley, Simon Thomas, Dr Gavin Strang, Peter Bottomley, Martin Bell, Tony Benn, Tony McWalter, Robert Jackson, Jane Griffiths, Frank Field.
(Source: PA News of 8 June 2000)
2.
Canada: Extend of deadline for responses of bidders for marijuana contract
On 5 May Health Canada issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to establish a Canadian source of quality, standardized, affordable, research-grade marijuana. In a 10-page letter to bidders this week, Health Canada extended the deadline for responses to 21 June from 6 June.
Health Canada aims to have a five-year contract in place by this summer, estimated by some at around $5 million. There has been great interest in the contract, with 241 potential bidders shelling out about $65 each for the department's tender package.
In the letter the ministry gives answers to frequently asked questions. Health Canada will obtain Mexican-Colombian hybrid seeds, it responded to questions about the seed source. Bidders may provide their own seeds for the pilot project, but the department could provide the hybrid seeds, if necessary. The government is calling for security cameras, infrared sensors and barbed wire fences as well as personnel who have had no record since 1985 of any drug offences in Canada or any other country.
Potential cannabis growers include the Oaks Farms, in Daysland, Alta, east of Camrose; McGill and Guelph universities; SNC-Lavalin; GW Pharmaceuticals; British Columbia's Ministry of Forestry; the village of Masset, B.C.; and something called the Molecular Delivery Corporation in California.
The contract would see the production of 100,000 cigarettes and 85 kilos of marijuana in the first year. The weed has to be grown, cultivated, dried, prepared and delivered to the government. The marijuana will be used for clinical research trials.
(Sources: Ottawa Citizen of 8 June 2000, Calgary Herald of 27 May 2000)
3.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Canada: First two patients got governmental approval to use marijuana
- Canada: Research plan for clinical studies and cultivation of cannabis
- Science: Elevated endocannabinoids, a compensation for a hyperactive dopamine system in schizophrenia?
- USA: Florida's Supreme Court: "medical necessity" defence might still be used.
TWO YEARS AGO:
- UK: License for the cultivation of cannabis for medical research to GW Pharmaceuticals
- The Netherlands: Clinical studies on cannabis extract in AIDS and cancer patients planned
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 25 June 2000
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* Science: Tumour promoting effect of THC in animal study
1.
Science: Tumour promoting effect of THC in animal study
A team of researchers of the University of California at Los Angeles reported that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can promote tumour growth in animal tests by impairing the immune system. This is the first time that its possible tumour-promoting activity has been reported.
The scientists found in mice that the immune inhibitory cytokines interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) were augmented following THC administration. THC also led to more rapid growth of tumour implants and decreased survival in two lung cancer models.
Over a four-week period, the animals were intraperitonealy injected four times per week with either THC (5 mg/kg body weight) or a saline solution. Fourteen days after the injections were started, cancer cells (murine Lewis lung cancer and line 1 alveolar cell cancer) were implanted in the mice. The mice continued to receive THC or saline injections over a period of two weeks.
The researchers found that there was significant enhancement of tumour growth in the THC-treated animals. The study also showed that when lymphocytes from the THC-treated mice were injected into untreated mice, the immune deficit was transferred and tumour growth was accelerated in the normal controls.
The study, already presented at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in April 1999, will now be published in the July 2000 issue of the Journal of Immunology.
Dr Steven Dubinett, head of the research team, said that further studies were needed to assess the danger. Dr Lesley Walker, head of scientific information at the British Cancer Research Campaign said: "How relevant it is to human cancers we cannot be sure, but it needs to be ascertained."
Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen (IACM): "We know from animal studies that THC inhibits the production of Th-1 cytokines such as IL-1, IL-2, and IFN-gamma and stimulates the production of Th-2 cytokines such as IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-beta. This would give reason for a causal therapeutic use of THC in certain autoimmune diseases that appear to be Th-1 mediated such as Crohn's disease, a form of chronic intestinal inflammation, and rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand this action would increase the susceptibility to cancer and infections. But these animal data with high doses of THC cannot easily be extrapolated to the human situation."
(Sources: PRNewswire of 20 June 2000; PA News of 20 and 21 June 2000; Zhu L, et al: THC-mediated IL-10-dependent suppression of anti-tumor immunity in murine lung cancer. Presented at the 1999 International Conference of the American Thoracic Society, San Diego, CA, April, 1999; Melamede R: Possible mechanisms in autoimmune diseases. In: Grotenhermen F, Russo E (eds.). Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Potential. Binghamton/New York: Haworth Press, in press)
2.
News in brief
***USA:
Four years after California voters passed the law on the medical use of marijuana, Nevada County adopted a set of guidelines. A patient is permitted up to two pounds of processed marijuana and to cultivate up to 10 plants at any given time - so long as the plants yield no more than two pounds of processed marijuana. Shasta County allows patients 1.33 pounds of marijuana and two outdoor plants or six indoor plants. Tehama County allows three pounds of marijuana, up to 18 seedlings but no more than three mature plants. Alaska allows one ounce of usable marijuana and six plants but only up to three mature plants. Colorado allows up to two ounces and three mature plants. (Source: Sierra Sun of 22 June 2000)
***Science:
More than 100 different drugs are in the pipeline for mental illness, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) said on 19 June. "This year, pharmaceutical companies will spend an estimated $6 billion to discover and develop medicines for diseases of the central nervous system, including mental illnesses," Alan Holmer, president of PhRMA, said in a statement. Among them is the cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR 141716 (Sanofi-Synthelabo) that is tested against Alzheimer's disease, obesity and schizophrenia. (Source: Reuters of 19 June 2000).
***USA:
Hawaii Governor Ben Cayetano signed a bill passed by the Senate in April on 14 June legalizing the medical use of marijuana, making his state the first to pass such a law through the legislature. It makes it legal for seriously ill people to grow, possess and use the drug. Seven other states -- Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Maine and California, as well as the District of Columbia -- have similar laws, but they were passed as voter initiatives and never tested by lawmakers. (Source: Reuters of 14 June 2000).
***Australia:
The state Parliament of Tasmania will investigate whether THC should be legalised for the terminally ill and people with chronic pain. The Parliament's Community Development Committee will investigate THC should be made available in tablet form. Last October, the Australian Medical Association and the NSW Law Society announced a campaign to lobby state governments to allow the use of cannabis for palliative care. (Source: The Mercury of 23 June 2000)
***USA:
On 14 June author and medical marijuana advocate Peter McWilliams, 50, was found in his California home, choked to death on his own vomit. After being arrested for selling marijuana to medical buyers' clubs he was denied the right to use marijuana that allowed him to stomach a powerful cocktail of AIDS and cancer drugs. The newspaper Michigan Daily spoke of an "unnecessary death" and said: "The tragic death of Peter McWilliams highlights the government's continued failure to accept the virtues of medical marijuana." (Source: Michigan Daily of 19 June 2000)
***Germany:
Eva Gorig, 71, outstanding exponent of the "Gruene Hilfe" (Green Help) died after several months of illness. She was indefatigably engaged with the care for prisoners convicted due to cannabis offences. (Source: Personal communication)
***New Zealand:
The Government is discussing with the Green Party which parliamentary committee should hold a review of cannabis laws. Health Minister Annette King said the review should consider health, social and justice issues relating to cannabis laws. "We need to look at whether we need to change the law, to strengthen the law and to minimise harm from this drug," she said. The Government has made a commitment to review the laws but has not made a commitment to changes. (Source: Otago Daily Times of 21 June 2000)
3.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Great Britain: Doctors urge legalising of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use
- New Zealand: New Zealand's parliamentary health committee recommends the government review its criminal policies regarding marijuana
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: No evidence of Marinol substance abuse
- Great Britain: Townswomen's Guild calls for legalisation of cannabis for seriously ill patients
- France: Government report says alcohol is a far worse health hazard than smoking cannabis
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 9 July 2000
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-- Spanish version of the IACM-Bulletin now available --
* Germany: Petition committee of the Bundestag supports medical use of cannabis
* Science: News at the meeting of the ICRS
* Science: Cannabinoids in pain areas of the spinal cord
1.
Germany: Petition committee of the Bundestag supports medical use of cannabis
On 28 June the petition committee of the Bundestag (German Parliament), consisting of 29 members of the parliament, supported the petition of the Self-Help Group Cannabis as Medicine in Berlin and of the ACM to allow a medical use of natural cannabis products and single cannabinoids.
For the first time an institution of the Bundestag advocated the medicinal use of cannabis products by ill persons.
The petition was supported by the committee members of the Socialists, the Greens and the Social Democrats and will be referd to the government "for consideration", since the request was substantiated and corrective necessary. It was opposed by the Christian Democrats. The Liberals stayed neutral. The committee arrived at the result, that cannabis helps many patients, "to cure or to mitigate their diseases and to live a life worth living again."
If the government does not take the petition into consideration, it is kept to give reason to its behaviour before the committee.
On 10 April 2000 a German company got the approval to make THC (dronabinol) available to pharmacies, so that corresponding medicines can be manufactured there. Until now only one pharmacy in Frankfurt could be supplied. Other pharmacies could only deliver the expensive THC preparation Marinol imported from the USA.
(Sources: Press release of the Greens of 28 June 2000, Press release of the PDS of 28 June 2000, Berliner Zeitung of 29 June 2000)
2.
Science: News at the meeting of the ICRS
At the annual meeting of the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) from 22 to 24 June in the USA a number of interesting new research results were presented. Some are presented below and in the next issue of the ACM-Bulletin coming on 23 July.
(1) A research group from Israel found evidence that the endocannabinoid system is critical for the development of newborn mice. Endocannabinoids may be responsible for the suckling response of newborns, thereby playing a critical role in their growth and physical well-being. If the endocannabinoid system was put out of action by the researchers with a cannabinoid receptor antagonist (SR 141716A), the pups did not gain weight and died within 6-8 days after birth. A single administration of SR 141716A within the first day of life was enough to completely arrest growth. It is known that cannabinoids enhance appetite and this effect may be relevant for newborns. (Source: Abstract by Ester Fride, et al)
(2) The use of smoked marijuana by patients with HIV on protease inhibitors (PI) containing regimens appears to be clinically safe and well tolerated, according to a safety study at the University of California San Francisco. 67 patients received either smoked marijuana, dronabinol or placebo for a period of 21 days. Numerous parameters including immune functions and PI pharmacokinetics were monitored. There were four Grade II and two Grade III adverse reactions, half of each were in the marijuana group. Laboratory parameters will be analysed when all patients have completed the study. (Source: Abstract by Donald Abrams, et al)
(3) The analgesic actions of ajulemic acid (CT3) were reversed by the cannabinoid receptor (CB1) antagonist SR 141716A (and not by a CB2 receptor antagonist). Ajulemic acid is a derivative of a non-psychotropic metabolite of THC. A plausible explanation of these observations would be the existence of a novel cannabinoid receptor for which ajulemic acid is an agonist and SR 141716A an antagonist, says the research group of Brown University/USA. (Source: Abstract by Michael Walker, et al)
(4) Three different sublingual cannabis extracts, one containing predominantly THC, one containing predominantly cannabidiol, and one a ratio of THC to CBD of approximately 1:1, were administered to six healthy volunteers. They received up to 20 mg THC. Cognitive function assessment showed a slight THC-associated decrease in performance of spatial working memory. The British study showed sublingual administration of cannabis extract to result in relatively fast effects and to be well tolerated. (Source: Abstract by Geoffrey W Guy, et al)
(Source: Book of abstracts of the 2000 ICRS meeting)
3.
Science: Cannabinoids in pain areas of the spinal cord
A British team of researchers found CB1 receptors in areas of the rat spinal cord that are relevant for pain modulation. The discovery published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience paves the way for cannabinoid-based drugs to be developed which target the spinal cord to fight pain.
Dr Andrew Rice, a member of the team based at Imperial College, London, said: "We have achieved a really important step in terms of divorcing the psychoactive side-effects of cannabis from their pain-relieving effects." Drugs based on cannabinoids could be developed which lock onto spinal cannabinoid receptors, or they could be delivered directly to the spinal cord. In the 1970s opioid receptors were also shown to be present in the spinal cord. This led to the development of epidural pain killers.
The findings indicate that cannabinoids may have the ability to relieve a type of pain that is poorly relieved by current treatments. Pain may be classified into two types: inflammation, and painful neuropathy. There are very few drugs that combat painful neuropathy. "When you injure a nerve you lose the opioid receptors in the spinal cord. That is why morphine does not work well in those situations," said Rice.
(Sources: Reuters of 4 July 2000; PA News of 4 July 2000; Farquhar-Smith WP, Egertová M, Bradbury EJ, McMahon SB, Rice ASC, Elphick MR: Cannabinoid CB1 receptor expression in rat spinal cord. Mol Cell Neurosci 2000;15:510-521)
4.
News in brief
***USA:
The state medical commission of Washington has added diseases that cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms, seizures or muscle spasms to the list of "terminal or debilitating medical conditions" for which marijuana may legally be used under a state law passed by voters in 1998. The action by the Medical Quality Assurance Commission added to the list diseases whose symptoms include nausea, vomiting, severe weight loss, cramping or appetite loss, when they are unrelieved by standard treatments or medications. The commission declined to add insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder. (Source: Seattle Times of 27 June 2000)
***Netherlands:
On 27 June the Dutch parliament adopted a resolution to tolerate the cultivation of cannabis and to regulate the crop. Legislators from two of the three parties in the government coalition drafted the motion, which passed the 150-seat chamber by a 73-72 vote. But the vote was so narrow that Justice Ministry spokesman Victor Holtus said it was unlikely the cabinet would approve the resolution. "It sharply contradicts international agreements," he said. (Source: AP of 28 June 2000)
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- USA: Government eases restrictions on THC capsule Marinol
- Germany: Plans to classify cannabis as an unlicensed medicine
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: Study of marijuana in AIDS patients has begun
- Science: Cannabinoids for the prevention of brain damage
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
Many thanks to Dr. Ricardo Navarrete Varo and DDAA for translating the IACM-Bulletin into Spanish (contact: ricardonv@, derribos@)
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IACM-Bulletin of 23 July 2000
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* Science/USA: Use of marijuana and THC safe in AIDS patients taking protease inhibitors
* Science: News at the meeting of the ICRS (II)
* Germany: Rejection of applications for the medical use of cannabis by the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products
1.
Science/USA: Short-term use of marijuana and THC safe in AIDS patients taking protease inhibitors
The first U.S. study using marijuana for people with HIV has found that smoking the plant does not disrupt the effect of antiretroviral drugs that keep the virus in check.
The results were presented on 13 July at the 13th International AIDS Conference in Durban/South Africa. Professor Donald Abrams and colleagues of San Francisco General Hospital were restricted to focusing on marijuana's safety rather than its effectiveness. The 67 people who participated in the study were kept in the hospital during the 21-day study period.
Researchers were especially interested to study people on drug regimes that contain protease inhibitors, because THC is metabolised by the same system in the liver as those drugs. The participants were divided into three groups, with one set smoking marijuana (3.95% THC), another taking oral dronabinol capsules (3x2.5 mg daily), and a third taking oral placebo capsules.
In all groups the level of virus in the blood dropped or remained undetectable by current tests. There was no statistically significant difference among the three groups, those taking THC or marijuana having slightly lower levels. Furthermore, researchers found that those using dronabinol (THC) or marijuana experienced significant increases in caloric intake and gained an average of 3.5 kg (marijuana group) and 3.2 (THC group) compared to 1.3 kg in the placebo group. There was no significant difference between marijuana and THC with regard to side effects and benefits.
"Now that we've demonstrated the safety in a population as vulnerable as people with HIV, I think it paves the way for doing studies of efficacy," Abrams said. Indeed he hopes to soon begin studying the use of smoked marijuana for cancer patients to see if it can control nausea and pain.
(Sources: San Francisco Examiner of 13 July 2000, File of the Poster presented at the Durban conference provided by D. Abrams)
2.
Science: News at the meeting of the ICRS (II)
Below are some additional interesting new research results presented at the annual meeting of the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) from 22 to 24 June in the USA (see the last Bulletin of 9 July at ).
(1) A research group at the University of Massachusetts/USA investigated the anti-proliferative and anti-tumour effects of ajulemic acid (CT3). Ajulemic acid is a derivative of the non-psychotropic THC metabolite THC-COOH. At higher doses it causes reduction of proliferation in several cell lines. Preliminary findings in tumour models with C6 glioma cells in mice demonstrated prolongation of survival time after administration of this acid. The feasibility of ajulemic acid in the treatment of certain cancers is under investigation. (Source: Abstract by Sumner Burstein, et al)
(2) A British research team analysed the effects of cannabinoids in experimental multiple sclerosis. Experimental multiple sclerosis was induced in mice. They developed tremor and spasticity. Reduction of symptoms was observed following the administration of CB1 receptors agonists (THC, WIN55,212, methanandamide), the administration of a CB2 agonist (JWH-133), and the administration of substances that increase endocannabinoid levels (AM 404, AM 374). In contrast, CB1 and CB2 receptor antagonists worsened tremor and spasticity. It can be concluded that the cannabinoid system controls tremor and spasticity associated with nerve damage. This may be used therapeutically. (Source: Abstract by David Baker, et al)
(3) Italian researchers investigated the association of activity of the enzyme anandamide hydrolase (fatty acid amide hydrolase = FAAH) and spontaneous abortion. 120 pregnant women were divided into two groups, one with low and one with high FAAH levels, measured between week 7 and 8 of pregnancy in lymphocytes of the blood. During the follow-up 15 subjects out of 15 in the low FAAH group compared to only 1 subject out of 105 in the high FAAH group aborted. Excessive levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide in the uterus might be responsible for pregnancy failure and high FAAH seems to prevent this. FAAH activity and expression might be a useful marker of spontaneous abortion. (Source: Abstract by Mauro Maccarrone, et al)
(4) An Israelian group investigated metabolites of CBD (cannabidiol) with regard to possible therapeutic effects. The results showed that the natural metabolites and their dimethylheptyl analogues are anti-inflammatory, the acids more than the hydroxy metabolites. (Source: Abstract by Susanna Tchilibon, et al)
(Source: Book of abstracts of the 2000 ICRS meeting)
3.
Germany: Rejection of applications for the medical use of cannabis by the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products
The Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products in Bonn, a subordinate Board of the Health Ministry, last week rejected applications of several applicants for approvals to use cannabis products therapeutically. In the next days rejections of all other applications are to be expected.
The applications followed a decision of the Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) of 20 January. The highest German Court had argued: "The medical supply of the population is a public purpose that may justify an approval in individual cases." Thus, a corresponding application would "not be hopeless from the start".
Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen of the IACM: "Despite the overall positive political signs and efforts of the last months it seems to be desirable that some applicants oppose to this rejection before administrative courts. Beyond all regulations relating to pharmaceuticals the general denial of a medical use of cannabis products by seriously ill persons seems to be disproportional. It is very welcome, that this opinion is increasingly adopted by politicians. Examples from other countries show that court procedures can play a speeding role in the finding of adequate political decisions."
(Source: Letters of the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products to some applicants, personal communications)
4.
News in brief
***USA:
A federal judge has cleared the way for an Oakland club (California) to distribute marijuana for medicinal purposes, saying the government hasn't proven why seriously ill patients should be denied the drug. The groundbreaking decision of 17 July will allow the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative to provide cannabis to members who face imminent harm from a serious medical condition and have found that legal alternatives to marijuana don't work or cause intolerable side effects. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer modified an injunction he issued in 1998, noting that the U.S. 9th District Court of Appeal ordered him to consider an exemption for patients who face imminent harm and have no effective legal alternative to marijuana. (Source: AP of 17 July 2000, Reuters of 17 July 2000)
***Germany:
THC Pharm got the approval to provide German pharmacies with dronabinol (THC), allowing them to prepare medicaments (capsules, tinktures) from it. Dronabinol of THC Pharm costs 1,200 German Marks per gram. Until now only Marinol imported from the USA and dronabinol preparations from a pharmacy in Frankfurt have been available. German pharmacies that are interested to get dronabinol and would like to know the conditions for the storage of dronabinol are asked to contact the fabricator. E-Mail: info@thc-pharm.de. (Source: THC-Pharm)
***USA:
A district attorney of San Francisco (California) announced on 14 July that local sick people with 25 dollars and a doctor's note can get an official city ID card entitling them to use marijuana. Under the program, a doctor must sign a form agreeing to monitor the patient's medical condition. The cards are good for up to two years. (Source: XINHUA of 14 July 2000)
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Great Britain: Acquittal for a man who supplied cannabis to the ill
- Canada: Addiction expert backs medical use of marijuana
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Science: Cannabinoid/anandamide-receptor systems involved in peripheral control of pain
- USA/Europe: US-Drug Czar weakens his criticism on Dutch drug policy
- USA: Federal indictment accuses Todd McCormick and Peter McWilliams
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 6 August 2000
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* IACM: First meeting at the Bioresource Hemp in September
* Canada: Highest Court of Ontario calls marijuana law unconstitutional
* Germany: Four days Bioresource Hemp with one day on cannabinoids
* Science: Enhanced levels of endocannabinoids in the globus pallidus associated with reduction in movement in an animal model of Parkinson's disease
1.
IACM: First meeting at the Bioresource Hemp in September
The Board of Directors of the IACM would like to invite those interested in the medical use of cannabis and the cannabinoids to participate in a first informal meeting of the IACM in Wolfsburg/Germany.
We want to use the evening (8 p.m – 10 p.m.) of the cannabinoid day (September 16) at the Bioresource Hemp 2000 for a first exchange of ideas. The IACM wants to contribute to the world wide co-operation in this area. This includes exchange of information on clinical trials, dissemination of information on benefits and side effects of cannabinoids, support in attempts to improve the legal situation for patients who profit from the plant or single constituents.
There is the idea to form an advisory board that comprises representatives from as many as possible countries. There are first ideas to form regional sections in some countries outside the German language region.
The second issue of the printed IACM-News (German and English version) will soon be available for members of the IACM and upon request. Please mail to: info@.
2.
Canada: Highest Court of Ontario calls marijuana law unconstitutional
The Ontario Court of Appeal called Canada's marijuana law "unconstitutional" because it fails to take into account the needs of sick Canadians who use the drug as medicine. In the decision of 31 July it said that marijuana possession will be legal in Ontario if Parliament does not amend the law within 12 months.
The court was ruling on the case of Terry Parker, a Toronto epileptic who smokes marijuana to control his violent seizures. Mr. Parker was charged with cultivation of marijuana and won that case in 1997 before a lower court, but the government appealed.
Judge Rosenberg, in writing for the majority of the judges, stated that the court was satisfied Mr. Parker needs marijuana to control his seizures, and that he should have legal access to the drug. The three judges of the court found the outright ban of marijuana forced Mr. Parker to choose between his health and imprisonment. That is inconsistent with the principles of justice.
It is not enough, the court ruled, for the federal health minister to provide special dispensation to people who have a medical requirement to use the drug. The court gave the government a year to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, amend the law or simply let it die.
Parker will be exempt from Canada's marijuana laws while Parliament attempts to rewrite the laws. "This decision will open doors across the country for sick Canadians who need cannabis to help alleviate symptoms such as nausea and vomiting," said Parker's lawyer Aaron Harnett.
(Sources: Reuters of 31 July 2000, UPI of 31 July 2000, Toronto Star of 1 August 2000, Vancouver Sun of 2 August, NORML of 2 August 2000)
3.
Germany: Four days Bioresource Hemp with one day on cannabinoids
The world’s largest scientific-technical symposium on hemp, Bioresource Hemp, will open its doors for the third time in 2000. September 13-16, 2000 as part of the EXPO-2000. A total of about 70 technical presentations will be given.
The Conference Program on 16 September 2000 includes:
Seeds and Oil
with Gordon Scheifele (Canada), Roman Przybylski (Canada), Helga Mölleken (Germany), Peter Looser (Switzerland)
Cannabinoids and food
with Gero Leson (USA), Petra Pless (USA), Gordon Scheifele (Canada) Peter Dragla (Canada), Michael Karus (Germany), Michael Preidl (Germany)
Cannabis and Cannabinoids in Modern Medicine
with Martin Schnelle (Germany), Kathleen Boyle (USA), Pascal Hilber (France), Robert Gorter (USA/Germany), Kirsten Müller-Vahl (Germany), Richard E. Musty (USA), Franjo Grotenhermen (Germany), Tod H. Mikuriya (USA), David W. Pate (The Netherlands), Vincenzo Di Marzo (Italy), Willem K. Scholten (The Netherlands)
More information at: bioresource-hemp.de
4.
Science: Enhanced levels of endocannabinoids in the globus pallidus associated with reduction in movement in an animal model of Parkinson's disease
The high density of CB1 cannabinoid receptors within the basal ganglia suggests a potential role for endocannabinoids in the control of voluntary movement and in basal ganglia-related movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease.
Recently Dr. Vincenzo Di Marzo and colleagues reported the presence of endocannabinoids in two regions of the basal ganglia, the globus pallidus and substantia nigra. The levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide were approximately threefold higher than those previously reported in any other brain region.
In the reserpine-treated rat, an animal model of Parkinson's disease, suppression of locomotion is accompanied by a sevenfold increase in the levels of the of the endocannabinoid 2AG in the globus pallidus. Full restoration of locomotion in the reserpine-treated rat was obtained by coadministration of quinpirole (an agonist of the dopamine receptor) and the CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716A.
These findings indicate that modulation of the endocannabinoid signalling system might prove useful in treating Parkinson's disease.
(Source: Di Marzo V, et al. Enhanced levels of endogenous cannabinoids in the globus pallidus are associated with a reduction in movement in an animal model of Parkinson's disease. FASEB J 2000;14:1432-1438)
5.
News in brief
***Spain:
A poll of Sigma Dos showed that 64.6% of the Spanish population support legal access to cannabis for sick people, only 6.1% were opposed to any legal possibility. (Source: Cáñamo magazine, August 2000)
***Spain:
The Spanish Society for Palliative Care (SECPAL) demand legal medical use of marijuana by the terminally ill. At the third national congress of the association their President Marcos Gómez highlighted the benefits of cannabis in appetite loss, nausea and vomiting, painful conditions, and anxiety. Illegality would make the "very useful" product inaccessible for many people who need it. He reported to the audience of about 100 experts of the positive effects patients experienced with smoked marijuana in some centres for palliative medicine. Besides, patients who used marijuana needed less other drugs. (Source: Cáñamo magazine, July 2000)
***USA:
The Federal Justice Department has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court ruling that would allow the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative to resume dispensing medical marijuana to patients. A September ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that federal drug laws did not bar claims of "medical necessity" for patients who require marijuana to alleviate pain. But the Justice Department said on 28 July that the ruling was in error, and told the Highest Court of the USA that such allowances for marijuana distribution would "threaten the government's ability to enforce the federal drug laws." (Source: Arizona Daily Star of 30 July 2000)
6.
THE COMMENT
... on the ruling of the Ontario High Court:
"Whether the government goes for legalization or more defensible laws prohibiting possession, what's needed is a rational and comprehensive review of all aspects of marijuana legislation and the public must be heard. The 12 months' grace provided by the court is not a long time. The federal government should start that review process now." (Source: Vancouver Sun of 2 August 2000)
7.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Science: Kind of penalty has low effect on cannabis use
TWO YEARS AGO:
- ICRS: 1998 Symposium on the Cannabinoids of the ICRS
- Science: Marihuana in spinal cord injury
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 20 August 2000
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* USA: Legal fight for opening of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative
* Belgium: Seminar on marijuana in Parliament
1.
USA: Legal fight for opening of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative
On 14 August the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has denied the federal government's request for a temporary emergency order to keep the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative from dispensing marijuana as medicine. On 16 August the Federal Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to intervene in this case.
The Oakland cooperative was the only one of six Northern California clubs to appeal a federal judge's closure order in 1998. In 1999 the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals told that judge to reconsider, and Judge Charles Breyer last month ruled the cooperative could start dispensing again because the government failed to dispute a medical necessity for marijuana despite its prohibition under federal law.
The government is appealing that ruling, but the 9th Circuit on 14 August refused to stop the cooperative from dispensing during the appeal process. The government now countered this ruling by filing an application to stay the decision with the U.S. Supreme Court.
(Sources: Alameda Times-Star of 15 August 2000, UPI of 16 August 2000, NORML of 17 August 2000)
2.
Belgium: Seminar on marijuana in Parliament
On 15 September 2000 members of the Belgium Parliament will hold a seminar on the 'Medical and recreative use of Marijuana'. The seminar was initialised by Patrik Vankrunkelsven, Vincent Van Quickenborne, Nelly Maes, and Bart Staes.
The morning session will focus on the medical use with
- Nelly Maes, Member of the European Parliament, President of European Free Alliance (EFA), Belgium,
- Patrik Vankrunkelsven, Member of the Belgium Parliament, Prof. of General Medicine, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
- Prof. Lester Grinspoon, Harvard University, Boston, USA
- Prof. Robert Gorter, University of California, San Francisco, USA
- Prof. David A. Kendall, Nottingham University, UK
- Prof. Thomas Cerny, University of Bern, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Marleen Haems, Representative of the Pharmacologists Organisation ‘Koninklijke Apothekersvereniging voor Antwerpen’, Belgium
Place of the seminar: De Schelp, Vlaams Parlement, Hertogstraat, 1000 Brussels.
(Source: Personal communication by Patrik Vankrunkelsven)
3.
News in brief
***Canada:
1.9 percent of Canadians reported using marijuana for a medical reason in the year preceding a survey of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The survey published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal involved telephone interviews with Ontario adults aged 18 years or more. Interviews were completed with 2508 people. 49 respondents (1.9%) reported using marijuana for a medical reason in the year preceding the survey. Eighty-five percent of the surveyed medical marijuana users reported using it to help relieve pain or nausea. A total of 173 other respondents (6.8%) reported using marijuana but not for medical reasons. (Source: Ogborne AC, Smart RG, Adlaf EM. Self-reported medical use of marijuana: a survey of the general population. CMAJ 2000;162:1685-1686.)
***USA/Germany:
In Germany and the U.S. large events and demonstrations in support of the legalization of marijuana took place. On 19 August the Hanfparade 2000 started at Berlin's Alexanderplatz. On 20 August the Seattle Hempfest 2000 started at Myrtle Edwards Park in Seattle. Both events anticipated to draw over 50,000 supporters.
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Great Britain: Party leader and two leading Scottish church officials call for a debate on drug laws
TWO YEARS AGO:
- South Africa: THC preparation Elevat and discussions about the legalization of dagga
- Switzerland: Acquittal in case of cannabis use for medical purposes
- USA: Staff of Cannabis Buyers' Club designated as city agents
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 3 September 2000
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* USA: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California
* Science: THC derivative CT-3 safe in Phase I clinical trial
* USA: Supreme Court stops marijuana distribution in California
1.
USA: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California
Physicians at the San Francisco and San Diego campuses of the University of California announced on 29 August that they will set up a scientific research centre to study the medical uses and effects of marijuana. The new Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, which is to be established in San Diego, will start off with $3 million in state money for its first year, the doctors said.
The money will support grants for well-controlled studies seeking to determine whether the weed is safe and effective in relieving the distressing side effects of powerful AIDS drugs and cancer chemotherapy agents. One of the co-directors of the centre will be Dr. Donald Abrams, professor of medicine at the University of California in San Francisco.
According to Abrams, the first research grants will not only focus on the possible use of the drug in cancer and AIDS patients, but also for relieving spasticity and tremors in patients with multiple sclerosis. The marijuana supplies for researchers will come from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
(Source: San Francisco Chronicle of 30 August 2000)
2.
Science: THC derivative CT-3 safe in Phase I clinical trial
A Phase I clinical trial of CT-3 found that it was safe in humans. CT-3 is a synthetic derivate of the main non-psychoactive metabolite (THC-11-oic acid) of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
The human trial was conducted at the Aster Clinical Research Center in Paris, France, after Atlantic received approval for an IND from the United States Food and Drug Administration for clinical trials. The study was designed to test whether CT-3 produced any psychogenic effects on patients at three different dose levels.
Atlantic is developing CT-3 as an alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Preliminary cellular and animal studies have shown that CT-3 demonstrates analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties at microgram doses without central nervous system or gastrointestinal side effects. This makes the compound an attractive development candidate as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent with the potential to overcome the major side effects of current anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and indomethacin.
"The drug caused no adverse events and blood levels were right where we want them. This outcome predicts that the drug will safely and effectively relieve pain in patients," Dr. Joseph Rudick of Atlantic said. With the successful completion of Phase I studies in France this summer, Atlantic plans to conduct Phase I/II studies for pain and inflammation in the United States.
(Source: PRNewswire of 28 August 2000)
3.
USA: Supreme Court stops marijuana distribution in California
On 29 August the U.S. highest court issued a stay of an order by federal judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco that would have allowed the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative to distribute the drug for medicinal purposes. The court voted 7-1 to grant an emergency Clinton administration request and postpone the effect of Breyer's ruling.
In California, medical marijuana advocates were unimpressed. "This is just a small bump in the road," said Jeff Jones, director of the Oakland group. "The real story here is that the court will review our case. We're confident our argument will prevail."
On 17 July U.S. District Court Judge Breyer told the club it could serve sick people, such as AIDS and cancer patients, who would suffer "imminent harm" if they do not get cannabis. Breyer ruled the Oakland cooperative could dispense marijuana to patients who have serious medical conditions.
The Supreme Court put Breyer's order on hold, pending final disposition of an appeal before the U.S. appeals court in California and further order by the justices. Justice John Paul Stevens was the lone dissenter. He said the Justice Department had "failed to demonstrate that the denial of necessary medicine to seriously ill and dying patients will advance the public interest."
(Sources: Reuters of 29 and 30 August 2000, AP of 29 August 2000)
4.
News in brief
***USA:
The 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, indicated that marijuana use increased for adults ages 18-25 from 13.8 percent in 1998 to 16.4 percent in 1999 and that marijuana decreased for youths aged 12-17 from 8.3 percent in 1998 to 7.0 percent in 1999. (Source: NORML of 31 August 2000)
***Germany:
Still two weeks until the meeting of the IACM at the Bioresource Hemp 2000 in Wolfsburg.
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- The Netherlands: Installation of a cannabis agency for research purposes
- Switzerland: Five variants for a new law on drugs under discussion
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Great Britain: International conference on cannabis
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 17 September 2000
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* USA: California doctors can recommend marijuana, a federal judge ruled
* Canada: Minister announces new approach for the use of marijuana for medical purposes
1.
USA: California doctors can recommend marijuana, a federal judge ruled
The federal government can't prosecute doctors who recommend marijuana as a medical treatment for patients, a federal judge ruled on 7 September in California.
U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup issued an injunction permanently banning the government from revoking a physician's license to prescribe medicine "merely because the doctor recommends medical marijuana to a patient based on a sincere medical judgment."
He also wrote that his order applies even if "the physician anticipates that the recommendation will, in turn, be used by the patient to obtain marijuana in violation of federal law."
The ruling could have broad implications for several states with similar laws. It was the latest development in a conflict between federal narcotics laws and the California initiative approved by voters in 1996. The state initiative allows seriously ill patients to grow and use marijuana for pain relief, with a doctor's recommendation. Initiatives similar to California's have been passed in Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state.
(Source: AP of 8 September 2000, of 8 September 2000)
2.
Canada: Minister announces new approach for the use of marijuana for medical purposes
On 14 September Health Minister Allan Rock announced the Ministry's intention to develop a new regulatory approach for Canadians to access marijuana for medical purposes. This will address some of the issues that stemmed from the decision by the Court of Appeal for Ontario in the case of Terry Parker, rendered on 31 July.
The new regulatory approach will define the circumstances, and the manner in which the use of marijuana for medical purposes will be authorized. "We want to bring greater clarity to the process for those Canadians who may request the use of this drug to alleviate symptoms," said Minister Rock.
The matter of an appeal on the narrow legal issues raised by the Parker decision is still under consideration. Until the new regulatory approach is in place, Canadians can continue to apply for an exemption for medical purposes under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. An interim guidance document and application form are available online. To date, 71 Canadians have received exemptions.
(Source: Press release by the Canadian Health Ministry of 14 September 2000)
3.
News in brief
***Australia:
The Tasmanian Government will conduct an inquiry into the medical use of cannabis and THC. The Community Development Committee has received a corresponding reference from the Attorney-General. The Committee is to consider the issues associated with the legal recognition of cannabis, or its derivative THC (Dronabinol), for medical purposes in conjunction with issues and consequences that may flow from such a decision. Submissions and enquires should be directed to: The Secretary, Community Development Committee, Parliament House, Hobart 7000, Australia; committees@parliament..au
***Europe:
Next spring there will be an European conference on the use of cannabis in Guetersloh (Germany). The gathering is an initiative of the Dutch Health Minister Els Borst, in cooperation with Germany and Switzerland. According to the Minister, in many European countries, thinking is getting more and more balanced about the harmfulness of cannabis, and this should be reflected in policies. Borst: "We see that in many countries in Europe people have reached the conclusion that moderate use of cannabis in particular by adults is not our biggest problem, that it isn't such a big health problem at all." (Source: Interview with Health Minister Els Borst, Radio 1 News of 6 September 2000; Transcript and translation by Harry Bego)
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- USA: Federal Appeals Court opens door to legal medical use of cannabis
- Switzerland: MS Society for legal medical use of cannabis
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: House of Representatives against the medical use of marijuana
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 1 October 2000
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* IACM: Principles and structure of the IACM
* Canada: Marijuana available from the Health Ministry within one year
* USA: Patent for a cannabinoid patch
1.
IACM: Principles and structure of the IACM
At a first informal meeting of the IACM in Wolfsburg on 16 September the Board of Directors presented principles of the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine. It is intended to install an advisory board and a patients representative.
The principles of the IACM that have been discussed in the fore-field of the meeting are:
1. The IACM supports the medicinal use of individual cannabinoids and natural cannabis.
2. The commitment of the IACM is focussed on the improvement of medical treatment options.
3. The IACM does not deal with other uses of the cannabis plant.
The Advisory Board will comprise scientists and other well-known persons, interested in the medicinal use of cannabis and the cannabinoids. Among them will be Antonio Zuardi (Brazil), Raphael Mechoulam (Israel), Dave Pate (The Netherlands), Robert Gorter (Germany), Tod Mikuriya (USA), Vinzenco di Marzo (Italy), Manuel Guzman (Spain), Roger Pertwee (UK), Greg Chesher (Australia), Rik Musty (USA) and others.
Among the persons interested in the patients representative are Clare Hodges, Director of the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics (UK), and Al Byrne from Patients out of Time (USA).
The IACM does not only want to encourage research efforts. It will also try to improve the treatment options for patients who may profit from cannabis products by other means. Among them are information in several languages, the development of comments and the promotion of political discussion.
The national conditions and lines of discussions vary world-wide. This became clear also on the meeting of 16 September. Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen, Chairman of the IACM: "It is not reasonable to simply transfer the experiences we made with the Association for Cannabis of Medicine in the German speech area to an international organization. New working procedures of co-operation between different initiatives, between different countries, between experts and patients are needed, that can only be developed slowly. We want to encourage this process and thereby use these different experiences."
2.
Canada: Marijuana available from the Health Ministry within one year
Health Canada will select an official marijuana supplier over the next month or two. The supply will be available depending on "how long after that it will take them to produce the first crop," Health Minister Allan Rock said in an interview.
"And within a year, if you are granted an exemption for medical marijuana, you will be able to collect it from Health Canada. It will be clear, consistent quality." Mr. Rock said that no patient whose application showed they could benefit from marijuana has been rejected.
While the department develops its supply, Mr. Rock has appealed to police to "use discretion" when dealing with people who supply marijuana to medical users.
"And by this time next year, clinical trials will be within full swing and we will be accumulating scientific evidence about the comparative medical implications of smoking marijuana for the alleviation of symptoms. (...) The day may come when marijuana is available on pharmacists' shelves."
(Source: National Post of 25 September 2000)
3.
USA: Patent for a cannabinoid patch
Lawrence Brooke, founder of General Hydroponics, and Cal Herrmann (both from California) have obtained a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office for a "Cannabinoid patch and method for cannabis transdermal delivery" on September 5, 2000.
The patch is intended to deliver cannabis constituents into the bloodstream. The patent says: "The structure comprises a backing layer which carries the cannabis chemical(s). The chemicals are contained in a film on the backing layer or within a cavity formed in the backing layer. Alternatively, an opening in a secondary layer that overlies the backing layer may be used to create the cavity. The structure is applied to one's skin so that the cannabis chemicals are in contact with the skin."
"Effective gel or liquid carriers for the cannabis may include carbon tetrachloride, or ethanolic solution of resin and pyrahexyl mixed with THC. Other potential carriers include Tween 80 or petrol ether. In all cases the carrier material should be inert to the cannabis and permit easy migration of the preparation to the patient's skin."
In a test with two subjects 0.2 grams of cannabis oil and about 0,02 grams of DMSO were used. The patch was applied to the underside of the wrist of two human subjects. In about ten minutes, the soothing effect of the medication was observed. The effects were felt for four to six hours.
(Sources: Personal communication General Hydroponics, United States Patent 6.113.940)
4.
News in brief
***USA:
A report of Maine's Task Force on Medical Marijuana issued on 27 September suggests ways to distribute cannabis to sick patients. Maine voters last November approved a referendum proposal to legalize marijuana for certain medicinal uses. The report calls for a voluntary patient and caregiver registry like Washington and Oregon have. It would create a distribution system allowing eligible patients to grow small extra quantities of marijuana. It also calls for a single, non-profit centre to sell marijuana to registered patients, similar to locally approved marijuana cooperatives in California. (Source: Associated Press of 27 September 2000)
***USA:
The medical use of marijuana is on the November ballot in Colorado and Nevada. Nevada's Question 9 would let doctors prescribe marijuana for severe illness and pain. Nevada voters approved medical marijuana by 59 percent in 1998, but adding it to the state's constitution requires another "yes" vote on 7 November. A recent Las Vegas Review-Journal poll found 63 percent of likely voters backed the measure. According to a recent poll in Colorado by the Denver Rocky Mountain News found 71 percent of registered voters to favour the measure. (Source: Associated Press of 28 September 2000).
***Great Britain:
A multiple sclerosis sufferer was cleared of illegally possessing cannabis after telling a court that she needed to use the drug to relieve the symptoms of her disease. 36-year-old Lezley Gibson of Alston, Cumbria, was found not guilty. During the four-day trial the jury heard police raided her home in August of last year where they found eight grams of cannabis. (Source: PA News of 28 September 2000)
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- USA: Study with smoked marijuana in migraine approved
- Australia: Calls for legal access to medical use of cannabis
- USA: FDA regarding designation of marijuana as an Orphan Drug
- USA: Washington D.C. voted in favour of medical use of marijuana
- USA: Sale of Marinol increased
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Germany: Petition Committee of the House of Representatives of Berlin supports cannabis as medicine
- Science: Pain circuit in the brain is influenced by cannabinoids
- Switzerland: Federal Department of Health proposes exemption from punishment
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
International Association for Cannabis as Medicine (IACM)
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Phone: +49-221-9543 9229
Fax: +49-221-130 05 91
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Internet of the ACM:
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Spanish version: Boletín de la IACM
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IACM-Bulletin of 15 October 2000
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* Europe: Governments soften line on cannabis
* Spain/Science: Anti-tumour effect of THC cannot be investigated in humans
1.
Europe: Governments soften line on cannabis
Many European governments are shifting from harsh soft-drug penalties towards a more tolerant approach to drugs such as cannabis.
The most dramatic change in policy is likely to come from Portugal, where hard and soft drugs alike are expected to be decriminalised within weeks. Earlier this October, the Swiss government came out in favour of legalising cannabis and is expected to put its recommendations to parliament next year. It said its proposals would include measures to protect young people and to ensure that Switzerland is not flooded with drug tourists.
According to the legal advisor to Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Danilo Ballotta, these measures typify a broader European shift towards a softer legal stance on cannabis usage. "Belgium and France are two more countries that have taken to issuing cautions for first-time cannabis use offenders, perceiving cannabis use as normal or mundane rather than deviant," said Ballotta to CNN.
The move towards greater tolerance of drugs has not, however, swept through all of Europe.
The zero-tolerance policy in place in Sweden has broad cross-party political support. Swedish cannabis-smokers are theoretically liable to jail sentences of up to six months for minor possession offences. More usual, however, is a small fine. The British laws are more Draconian, with possession of small quantities of marijuana punishable by up to five years' imprisonment. But offences relating to cannabis possession are routinely dismissed with a caution, or at the most a small fine.
(Source: of 9 October 2000, Press release of the Swiss Bundesrat of 3 October 2000)
2.
Spain/Science: Anti-tumour effect of THC cannot be investigated in humans
A research group at the Complutense University of Madrid will not be able to investigate the effectiveness of THC against a fatal type of brain tumour in humans due to lack of financial means.
Earlier this year the Spanish team led by Dr. Manuel Guzman had demonstrated that THC and a synthetic cannabinoid (WIN-55,212-2) induced a remarkable regression of glioblastoma when tested on laboratory rats. Malignant gliomas, a quick-killing cancer for which there is currently no effective treatment, were induced in the animals. Within 18 days the untreated rats died. But the two cannabinoids completely destroyed the tumours in a third and prolonged the life of another third by up to six weeks.
Guzman's team tried to get economic support to conduct clinical trials in humans, but more than seven months later their efforts are still not successful, possibly due to distrust concerning the preclinical results or conservatism towards this area of research.
(Sources: Europa Press of 8 October 2000; Galve-Roperph I, et al.: Antitumoral action of cannabinoids: involvement of sustained ceramide accumulation and ERK activation. Nature Medicine 6, 313-319 (2000))
3.
News in brief
***IACM/JCT:
According to an agreement between Haworth Press (Binghamton, NY) and the IACM the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics (JCT) will be the official journal of the IACM. Members of the IACM will get the JCT at a reduced rate of $35 for subscribers from the USA and $50 for subscribers from other countries instead of the regular rates of $48 for US and $69.60 for foreign subscribers. The first issue is expected to be published by years end.
***Canada:
The first federally sanctioned cannabis harvest took place when Jim Wakeford gathered in his 19 marijuana plants. Wakeford, who has AIDS, is among the first of 71 chronically ill Canadians granted exemptions from the government that allow them to use marijuana to treat their symptoms. (Source: Toronto Star of 30 September 2000)
***UK:
Ann Widdecombe, criminal justice spokeswoman of the British conservative party (Tories), demanded a new "zero tolerance" policy on drugs in early October at a Tory conference. Thereupon seven members of Tory leader William Hague's shadow cabinet admitted to have used cannabis, among them shadow foreign secretary Francis Maude and Lords leader Lord Strathclyde. Than a former Labour minister, Jon Owen Jones, and Public health minister Yvette Cooper also said they had taken the drug. The British government's drugs tsar Keith Hellawell said that a zero tolerance policy on cannabis was both unrealistic and impracticable. (Sources: PA News of 8, 9, 10, and 13 October 2000)
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Science: Pain triggers release of endocannabinoids
- Canada: Green light for clinical trials involving 250 patients
- Canada: 14 patients getting legal access to marijuana
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: Federal judge orders to close down the Oakland Cannabis Club
- Switzerland: Judge ruled selling of cannabis in aroma sachets illegal
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 29 October 2000
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* Science: THC reduces nausea and vomiting associated with HIV therapy
* USA: Medical marijuana registry in Oregon successful
1.
Science: THC reduces nausea and vomiting associated with HIV therapy
New study findings show that 85% (23/27) of HIV/AIDS patients who added dronabinol (THC), the most active ingredient of the cannabis plant, to their current antiretroviral therapy had a 50% improvement in symptoms of nausea and vomiting. These results were presented on 23 October at the Fifth Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection in Glasgow (Scotland).
Nausea and vomiting are common side effects associated with antiretroviral medications used to treat HIV infection. The study used Marinol capsules that contain synthetic dronabinol in sesame oil.
"Marinol has been shown to be effective as an anti-nausea agent for people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy," said Dr. Roger Anderson of Anderson Clinical Research, Pittsburgh, and lead investigator of the study. "The study results we present today show that Marinol may also be useful for patients experiencing nausea and vomiting associated with their HIV treatment. This is important because side effects such as nausea and vomiting can often cause patients to miss doses of their antiretroviral medication."
The study enrolled patients who were on stable antiretroviral therapy. Twenty-seven patients were randomised to receive dronabinol 2.5 mg twice-daily within one hour of taking their antiretroviral medication (14 patients) or dronabinol 5.0 mg at bedtime (13 patients) for six weeks. At study start and at six weeks patients were assessed by questionnaire for the number of minutes they did not feel well in the previous 48 hours, the number of episodes of vomiting and the severity of nausea in the same period.
Ninety-three percent (13/14) of patients in the THC twice-daily group had a greater than 50% improvement in symptoms of nausea and vomiting, and 77% (10/13) of patients taking THC at bedtime had a greater than 50% improvement. The severity of nausea improved by at least one grade in 96% (26/27) of patients and no severe or very severe nausea was experienced in either group after six weeks.
(Source: PRNewswire of 23 October 2000)
2.
USA: Medical marijuana registry in Oregon successful
The medical marijuana registry in Oregon registered 594 patients in its first year (May 1999 to April 2000), and since May 2000 another 474 patients have applied for a medical marijuana identification card.
In order to legally qualify for Oregon's Medical Marijuana Act, approved by voters in 1998, patients must possess a doctor's recommendation and register with the Oregon Department of Human Services Health Division (ODHSHS).
"Oregon was the first to implement a state-wide registration system for patients," said Dr. Martin Wasserman, administrator of the ODHSHS. "Our first-year review shows the system is working as it was intended. A substantial number of qualified patients and their physicians are using it, and only a very few inquiries from law enforcement officials regarding patients have occurred."
According to a report by the ODHSHS of October 2000:
- Males accounted for 70 percent of the 594 patients who registered.
- The average age was 46, ranging from 14 to 87 years.
- 67 percent of patients used medical marijuana to control severe and chronic pain.
- A total of 329 physicians provided the required medical documentation for the 594 patients.
(Source: NORML of 26 October 2000)
3.
News in brief
***Europe:
According to a recent report of the European Union one in five EU citizens, or around 45 million people, have tried cannabis at some time in their life, while as many as 40% of the 18-year-olds in the EU have tried the drug. 3% of the Danish adults say that they have used cannabis in the past year, around 1% in Sweden, and 9% in the UK which tops the list. The EU report concluded that national drug policies appear to affect the figures less than the drug trafficking routes. (Source: M2 Communications Ltd of 28 October 2000)
***Science:
Dr Steven Goldberg, a pharmacologist at the U.S. National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and his team has shown for the first time that monkeys can be trained to repeatedly self administer THC, given intravenously in a clear solution, by pressing a lever. This solution rapidly distributed THC to the brain. Goldberg's team concludes from its observations published in Nature Neuroscience that THC "has as much potential for abuse as other drugs of abuse, such as cocaine and heroin." Dr. Martin Jarvis, professor of health psychology at University College London (UK) said this would probably overstate the case. He told the British Medical Journal that misuse is "a judgment best made by looking at patterns of actual human use." (Sources: PRNewswire of 15 October 2000; Nature Neuroscience 2000;3:1073-4; British Medical Journal of 21 October 2000)
***Germany:
An article in the Journal of the German Medical Association (Deutsches Aertzeblatt) calls cannabis prohibition a "collective wrong way". In the conclusion the author, Dr. Carl Nedelmann, says: "The medical arguments that where used for the maintenance of cannabis prohibition arise from findings of severe pathology. (...) [However], harms done by cannabis are subtle, infrequent and transient." (Source: Nedelmann C: Das Verbot von Cannabis ist ein "kollektiver Irrweg". Deutsches Aertzeblatt 2000;97:A2833-A2837)
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Science: Endocannabinoids in glaucoma
- Australia: New South Wales government wants to set up a committee on the medical use of cannabis
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: Medical marijuana proposals on November ballots
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 12 November 2000
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* Australia: New South Wales considers legal use of cannabis for medicinal purposes
* Science: Endocannabinoids inhibit bronchospasm and cough
* USA: Initiatives for the medical use of marijuana passed in Colorado and Nevada
1.
Australia: New South Wales considers legal use of cannabis for medicinal purposes
Patients suffering chronic pain or debilitating or terminal illnesses would be allowed to use cannabis under a drug law reform program being considered in New South Wales (NSW).
The reforms were recommended by a working party chaired by Professor Wayne Hall, Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. It also included medical academics/clinicians, representatives from the NSW Cancer Council, the AIDS Council of NSW, the Law Society of NSW, the Australian Medical Association, government agencies and others.
Patients would effectively be given short term exemptions from criminal laws, allowing them to smoke cannabis and grow up to five plants for personal use during the period approved by their doctor. The NSW Prime Minister, Bob Carr, has given in principle agreement to the recommendations.
In his letter to the State Premier Dr. Hall says: "(...) cannabinoid substances may have value in the treatment of a limited range of medical conditions, namely, HIV-related wasting, nausea caused by cancer chemotherapy, muscle spasm in some neurological disorders, and pain that is unrelieved by conventional analgesics. (...) The Working Party has concluded that crude cannabis cannot be prescribed and is unlikely to ever be prescribed in Australia. (...) At best it will be some years before any cannabinoid drugs are registered for medical use in Australia. Given evidence that patients with some of the conditions indicated are currently using smoked cannabis for therapeutic reasons, the Working Party has recommended a regime for limited compassionate provision of cannabis to patients who may benefit from its use."
The report is available at:
(Sources: Sydney Morning Herald of 2 November 2000; Personal communication by Wayne Hall; Working Party on the Use of Cannabis for Medical Purposes: The Use of Cannabis for Medical Purposes. Report to the Prime Minister of New South Wales, Sydney 2000)
2.
Science: Endocannabinoids inhibit bronchospasm and cough
An international research group has discovered why marijuana causes coughing in some situations but may inhibit bronchospasm and cough in others. This finding could lead to better treatments of respiratory diseases.
In a report in the journal Nature scientists from the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Budapest (Hungary), the University of Naples (Italy) and the University of Washington (USA) showed how the endocannabinoid anandamide influences the airways in the lungs. In animal studies with guinea pigs and rats, anandamide exerted a dual effect on bronchial responsiveness. If the muscles in the lungs were constricted by an irritant (capsaicin) the endocannabinoid relaxed the smooth muscles and strongly inhibited coughing. But if the airways were relaxed (by removing the constricting effect of the vagus nerve) anandamide caused a coughing spasm.
Anandamide is synthesized in lung tissues and its effects are mediated by cannabinoid receptors. A CB1 receptor antagonist but not a CB2 antagonist inhibited the relaxing effect of anandamide but the CB1 receptor antagonist caused no effect on its own. Thus, anandamide seems to be active only if the bronchial muscles are contracted, as during capsaicin-evoked bronchospasm.
"We think that by targeting cannabinoid receptors in the upper airways we can control coughs in a number of conditions," Dr. Daniele Piomelli, one of the researcher of the team and pharmacologist at the University of California said in an interview. "That's important because most treatments currently available basically act on the brain cough centre, a small region of the brain that is the target for codeine and similar drugs." The group hopes to begin tests in humans soon.
(Sources: Reuters of 1 November 2000; Calignano A, et al: Bidirectional control by airway responsiveness by endogenous cannabinoids. Nature 2000;408:96-101)
3.
USA: Initiatives for the medical use of marijuana passed in Colorado and Nevada
Federal laws against marijuana didn't stop two states, Colorado and Nevada, from voting to permit its medical use in the general election of 7 November. In the last four years, similar medical-marijuana measures have become law in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Maine and Hawaii.
In Nevada, 67 percent of the voters said yes to Question 9, legalizing the medical use of marijuana. Two years ago voters approved the initiative with 59 percent. Voters had to support the measure in two consecutive elections. Patients will need to register with the state in order to be protected by the state law.
54 percent of the voters in Colorado approved Amendment 20, which like the Nevada initiative, permits patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and chronic nervous system disorders to use marijuana with the recommendation of a physician. Patients in Colorado will be allowed to possess up to two ounces of marijuana or cultivate six cannabis plants.
California voters passed Proposition 36 with 61 percent of the vote. This measure requires first and second-time non-violent drug offenders to enter drug treatment programs, and eliminates the threat of jail.
(Sources: Associated Press of 8 November 2000, NORML of 9 November 2000)
4.
News in brief
***Science:
Pharmos Corporation will commence patient enrolment in a Phase III clinical trial of dexanabinol for traumatic brain injury in seven European countries and Israel after appropriate approval by the authorities. The Company recently hosted an investigators meeting attended by over 100 representatives from European trauma centres that are participating in the trial. Approximately 40 centres in Europe and Israel are expected to participate. Dexanabinol, a non-psychotropic synthetic cannabinoid, has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties in several tests. A recent successful Phase II clinical study showed dexanabinol to be safe and well-tolerated in severe head trauma patients. (Source: PR Newswire of 7 November 2000)
***UK:
Britain could legalise cannabis use in a limited medical capacity in the next two years, although wider liberalization of soft drugs has been ruled out, government officials said on 7 November. Minister Mo Mowlam said that scientific tests were underway to assess the effectiveness of marijuana in several diseases. "We hope that by the end of next year, these scientific results will be out," she told the BBC, adding that the government would use them to decide whether to allow limited cannabis use. But Keith Hellawell, the government's drug tsar , played down the chances of a broader loosening in policy. (Source: Reuters of 7 November 2000)
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Science: THC in Tourette-Syndrome
- USA: Maine voters endorse medical use of marijuana
- Germany: Study with cannabis in cancer cachexia
- USA/Canada: Renee Boje has claimed refugee status in Canada
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Great Britain: Lords say, legalise cannabis for medical use
- USA: Voters in Alaska, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington demand the use of marijuana as medicine
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 26 November 2000
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* Science/USA: Marijuana study with AIDS patients in California
* IACM: German ACM and Austrian CAM are the first regional sections of the IACM
1.
Science/USA: Marijuana study with AIDS patients in California
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has approved a program that will allow a northern California county to give away government-grown marijuana to 60 AIDS patients in a study to assess the health benefits of cannabis.
The 12-week study in San Mateo County could begin as early as January 2001, county supervisor Mike Nevin said. The DEA approved it on 22 November. The county will be the first local government in the country to distribute the otherwise illegal drug. "What we could end up with is scientific proof that this is a medicine that should be prescribed by doctors," Nevin said.
Dr. Dennis Israelski, chief of infectious diseases at the county's hospitals and clinics, will oversee the study. The San Mateo County Health Center will provide marijuana cigarettes to HIV and AIDS patients who suffer from neurological disorders.
Nevin opposes decriminalizing marijuana, but said its medicinal value needs further evaluation. "To disallow the drug to people who need it is a crime," he said. Supervisors have pledged $500,000 of county money for the project, Nevin said.
If the first 12-week study is successful, the county would like to follow up with more marijuana trials for cancer and glaucoma patients, said Margaret Taylor, director of San Mateo County Health Services. "We hope this is just a beginning," she said.
(Sources: AP of 23 November 2000, San Francisco Chronicle of 23 November 2000)
2.
IACM: German ACM and Austrian CAM are the first regional sections of the IACM
At the General Meeting of the ACM on 18 November in Cologne the participants unanimously voted on changes of the statutes that make the ACM the first regional section of the IACM.
According to an agreement every single member of the ACM (about 700) will become an associate member of the IACM and a member of the ACM may apply for regular membership of the IACM if the corresponding requirements are fulfilled. At the same time members of the IACM from the German language region will become members of the ACM. The membership fees are divided between both organisations.
Members from Austria (about 20) founded their own national organisation (CAM) in summer and also wish to become a regional section of the IACM. In the starting phase the IACM will give financial support to the Austrian CAM.
3.
News in brief
***Germany:
According to an expert opinion of a senior public prosecutor the medical use of cannabis may be allowed in Germany. Dr. Hans-Harald Koerner, head of the Centre for the Combat against Narcotics Criminality at the Chief State Council in Frankfurt (Hessen), investigated the constitutionality of cannabis prohibition for medicinal purposes and the question whether the distribution of cannabis to patients is in accordance with the international treaties on narcotics. In his expert opinion he suggests models of how to supply sick people with cannabis, such as the distribution by local health authorities or municipal hospitals. (Source: Körner HH: Kann die medizinische Nutzung von Cannabis erlaubt werden [Can the medical use of cannabis be allowed]. Zentralstelle für die Bekämpfung der Betäubungsmittelkriminalität, Frankfurt 2000)
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Science: Survey on the medical use of cannabis products in the German speech area
- Science: Phase I trial with cannabis for medical use in the UK
TWO YEARS AGO:
- USA: DEA proposes reclassifying synthetic THC
- Great Britain: Founder of Medical Marijuana Club charged with drug offences
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 10 December 2000
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* Science: Most patients gain benefit from cannabis in a British study
* USA: Supreme Court agreed to decide on medical use of marijuana
* Science: Cannabinoids may be useful in some forms of diarrhoea
1.
Science: Most pain patients gain benefit from cannabis in a British study
Seven out of 10 patients involved in a research project looking at the pain relieving properties of cannabis at the Jame Paget Hospital in Norfolk (UK) have been helped by cannabis, a doctor said on 8 December. The trial had been approved in April 2000.
Dr. William Notcutt, who is heading the clinical study, said results had been "very acceptable". "Between 70 and 80% of patients so far have gained some benefit."
"That's actually very good results for people with long-standing pain, although not all the benefits are in the relief of pain but in the quality of life." He added: "If you are dealing with people with chronic pain and you find something that benefits 30% of patients then you are doing well."
Patients take different cannabis-based medicines using devices that spray cannabis under the tongue.
(Source: PA News of 8 December 2000)
2.
USA: Supreme Court agreed to decide on medical use of marijuana
The U.S. Supreme Court said on 27 November it would decide whether marijuana can be distributed for medicinal uses to seriously ill patients, a case pitting the federal government against the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative. The high court agreed to hear a Federal Justice Department appeal of a ruling that would allow marijuana clubs in California to resume service for patients who can prove that cannabis was a medical necessity.
The court's decision to hear the case marked the latest development in a conflict between federal narcotics laws, which prohibit distribution of marijuana, and a 1996 California voters' initiative known as Proposition 215 that allows seriously ill patients to grow and use marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.
In 1998, the Justice Department won an injunction from U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco prohibiting the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative and other similar medicinal marijuana clubs from distributing cannabis. An appeals court, however, agreed with the club in 1999. In July 2000, Breyer said the club could give marijuana to sick people facing "imminent harm" from serious medical conditions. The federal Justice Department appealed to the Supreme Court. In August 2000, the Supreme Court voted 7-1 to prohibit cannabis distribution by the club while the case is on appeal.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case next year, with a decision due by the end of June 2001.
(Sources: Reuters of 27 November, AP of 27 November 2000, New York Times of 27 November 2000)
3.
Science: Cannabinoids may be useful in some forms of diarrhoea
Cannabinoids decrease secretion in the small intestine. Thus, "they may have therapeutic potential for diarrhoea unresponsive to available therapies," researchers of the Oklahoma Foundation for Digestive Research in Oklahoma City/USA say in an article for the European Journal of Pharmacology, issue of 8 December.
In vitro electrical stimulation induced secretion in the small intestine of rats, that was attenuated by a cannabinoid (WIN 55212-2). This inhibition of secretion was reversed by SR141716A, a cannabinoid-1-receptor-antagonist. Secretion stimulated by acetylcholine was unaffected by the cannabinoid.
These findings show that cannabinoids inhibit neurally mediated secretion via cannabinoid CB1-receptors and may be useful in some forms of diarrhoea.
(Source: Tyler K, et al: Inhibition of small intestinal secretion by cannabinoids is CB(1) receptor-mediated in rats. Eur J Pharmacol 2000;409:207-211)
4.
News in brief
***USA:
A complete video set of the 13-hour forum of the First National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics in the USA, held at the University of Iowa on 7 and 8 April 2000, is available for $175. Individual presentations are $15. E-mail: Patients@, or , click on Iowa conference and then on video order form.
***Science:
A new study from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore (USA), published in the December issue of the Journal of Addictive Diseases shows that tobacco is a gateway drug, if the questionable criterias are applied that are usually applied to marijuana. Participants who had ever smoked were seven times more likely to have tried marijuana, seven times more likely to have tried cocaine, and 16 times more likely to have tried heroin. The study is based on data collected through personal visits to the residences of 17,809 participants. (Source: U.S. Newswire of 6 December 2000)
***New Zealand:
New Zealand is officially reviewing its policy towards cannabis. A parliamentary subcommittee, the Health Select Committee is to conduct a review in 2001 and is inviting submissions from interested groups and persons. These should be sent to: The Clerk, The Health Select Committee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand, and posted to reach the clerk of the committee by 7th February 2001. The terms of reference to be addressed are: "To inquire into the most effective public health and health promotion strategies to minimise the use and harm associated with cannabis, and consequently the most appropriate legal status of cannabis." Details on writing submissions in an NZ context: .
***Science:
The THC content of hemps seeds of drug- and fibre-type cannabis was analysed. Drug-type seeds contained much higher levels of THC (35.6-124 microg/g) than fibre seeds (0-12 microg/g). The majority of THC was found to be located on the surface of the seeds. The kernels of drug- and fibre-type cannabis seeds contained less than 2 and 0.5 micrograms THC per gram seeds, respectively. (Source: Ross SA, et al.: GC-MS analysis of the total delta9-THC content of both drug- and fibre-type cannabis seeds. J Anal Toxicol 2000;24:715-717.)
5.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- USA: Class-action lawsuit for medical use of marijuana dismissed
- Science: Research program at the University of California
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Germany: Frankfurt Resolution for the medical use of marijuana
- Science: THC induces programmed cell death in certain brain tumour cells
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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IACM-Bulletin of 24 December 2000
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* Canada:
- Mine in Manitoba will produce legal marijuana
- MS patient can grow his own cannabis judge ruled
* Netherlands: Establishment of an Office of Medicinal Cannabis
1.
Canada:
- Mine in Manitoba will produce legal marijuana
- MS patient can grow his own cannabis judge ruled
A Canadian who uses marijuana to control multiple sclerosis symptoms was allowed to grow his own cannabis by a Calgary judge on 11 December.
Grant Krieger, 46, was charged with marijuana cultivation as well as cultivation for the purpose of trafficking. Judge Darlene Acton said Krieger's rights would be violated if he was not allowed to grow marijuana for his own therapeutic use.
Current Canadian health legislation allows patients to seek an exemption to marijuana possession laws from the Health Ministry. But Acton blasted the legislation as an "absurdity." With no official channels by which to acquire the marijuana, patients must resort to purchasing it illegally, she said.
Meanwhile the Canadian government has chosen a company to provide the country with its first legal supply of marijuana for medical and research purposes. Prairie Plant Systems of Saskatoon won a five-year contract worth 3.78 million U.S. dollars, to supply marijuana, the Health Department announced on 21 December. The contract requires that standardized, quality marijuana be available within a year.
The marijuana will be grown, processed and packaged underground in an unused portion of a copper mine in northern Manitoba, Prairie Plant Systems president Brent Zettl said. "The idea here is we can use these underground growth-chamber environments for the production of bio-pharmaceutical plants that really require two things," Zettl said. "One is genetic containment, and the second is security."
"This marijuana will be made available to people participating in structured research programs, and to authorized Canadians using it for medical purposes who agree to provide information to my department for monitoring and research purposes," Health Minister Allan Rock said.
(Source: Reuters of 11 and 22 December 2000, Associated Press of 23 December)
2.
Netherlands: Establishment of an Office of Medicinal Cannabis
The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports has established an Office of Medicinal Cannabis ((Bureau voor Medicinale Cannabis). The goals of the Office are to determine whether cannabis can be used as a medicine and for which indications.
In an official letter to the United Nations' International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Minister Els Borst-Eilers says that "many case reports indicate that cannabis may be useful as a medicine, but there is no high level evidence available yet."
"If clinical studies provide positive results, adequate supply of licensed cannabis products to the pharmaceutical market should be ensured. From that moment on this will be another task of the Office. The Office will act as a regulator for the horticulture of cannabis, cannabis resin and their preparations and for clinical trials with these substances, as required by the Single Convention on narcotic drugs. It will also stimulate high quality trials that can be done with several dosage forms of varying composition and for multiple indications," the letter to the INCB says.
More information at:
(Sources: Letter of Els Borst-Eilers to the INCB of 14 December 2000, Personal communication of Willem K. Scholten)
3.
News in brief
***USA:
Hawaii announced its medical marijuana rules on 19 December, saying certified patients will be allowed to possess up to three ounces of marijuana and grow up to seven plants. Doctors can get a registration certificate for a patient to use marijuana. The rules take effect on 28 December. (Source: AP of 19 December 2000)
***Science:
Professor Roger Pertwee of Aberdeen University (Scotland) and colleagues have developed a water-soluble cannabinoid receptor agonist, called O-1057. Pertwee headed a team of researchers which aimed to develop a cannabis compound which could be injected or used in aerosols or sprays. The new compound acts as a potent agonist at CB1 and CB2 receptors and according to the scientists warrants further investigation of its therapeutic potential. (Sources: PA News of 10 December 2000; Pertwee RG, et al.: O-1057, a potent water-soluble cannabinoid receptor agonist with antinociceptive properties. Br J Pharmacol 2000 Apr;129(8):1577-84)
***Science:
An international research team demonstrated that endocannabinoid levels are increased in spasticity. In a multiple sclerosis model, CREAE in mice, spasticity was tonically controlled by the endocannabinoid system. While the endocannabinoid levels were normal in healthy mice and in non-spastic CREAE mice, there was a marked increase of endocannabinoids in spastic CREAE mice. Thus, spastic disorders might be treated by modulating the endocannabinoid system. (Source: Baker D, et al.: Endocannabinoids control spasticity in a multiple sclerosis model. FASEB J, published online on 8 December 2000)
***USA:
Marijuana use among teenagers is unchanged compared to the previous year, a government report issued on 14 December finds. 15.6 percent of the 13 and 14 years old, 32.2 percent of the 15 and 16 years old, and 36.5 percent of the 17 and 18 years old said they had used cannabis in the past year. (Source: Reuters of 14 December 2000)
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Great Britain: Trials into the efficacy of cannabis in multiple sclerosis
- Switzerland: Cannabis in subpsychotropic dosage may be used
- Canada: Five-year plan for medical use of marijuana
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Science: Cannabinoid receptor system may play a role in regulation of sperm function
- New Zealand: Negative effects of marijuana have been overstated
(More at the ACM-Bulletin archives: )
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