------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACM-Bulletin of 10 January 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Great Britain: First legal harvest of marijuana for medical use * Science: Research on the properties of endocannabinoids to reduce blood pressure 1. Great Britain: First legal harvest of marijuana for medical use Britain's first crop of government-licensed cannabis has been harvested secretly for medical research on 30 December by a specially vetted team of mature botanists. Several years' trials on up to 2,000 people will begin once medicine has been made from the plants in the spring, in the hope of developing treatments for illnesses such as multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. The crop has been guarded round the clock as hundreds of fully potent plants have reached 8ft in the past four months. No one but the Home Office and the staff of GW Pharmaceuticals know the location of the greenhouse in southern England. Dr. Geoffrey Guy, chairman of the company, holds the only licence for growing the controlled drug for medical research. The Government approved guidelines for a separate series of trials by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Dr. Guy said that Britain was alone in its pragmatic and open-minded approach to research of the drug. "We enjoy a very liberal research environment," he said. "Our first objective is to get research done, not to find a thousand reasons to block it." Botanists chose ten varieties for the first crop, aimed at getting a high yield of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD). The estimated 1,000 MS sufferers who use cannabis illegally in Britain buy a product high in THC, the most important psychoactive ingredient. Scientists are also interested in CBD as it is believed to reduce the side-effects of THC and be useful in treating strokes and epilepsy. Dr. Guy said: "Eventually we aim to breed a special MS variety or epilepsy variety." After the harvest, the plants were hung up to dry, then will be processed to produce a liquid extract for use in inhalers. (Source: The Times of 28 December 1998, personal communication of David Watson) 2. Science: Research on the properties of endocannabinoids to reduce blood pressure Researchers at the University of Nottingham Medical School (UK) are studying the effects of endocannabinoids on circulation. These substances produced by the body bind to the same receptors as cannabinoids of the hemp plant. The prototypic endocannabinoid anandamide (N-arachidonylethanolamide) derived from arachidonic acid, has been shown to be a vasorelaxant, particularly in the resistance vasculature (arteries), which can reduce blood pressure. The study is being funded with a 120,000 pounds grant from the British Heart Foundation. Dr. David Kendall, one of the scientists, said: "This research should tell us a great deal more about how these substances affect our circulation. This is a new and exciting area of research which could ultimately lead to better treatments for a range of cardiovascular diseases." Professor Brian Pentecost, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: "These are natural substances, present in all our bodies, that seem to have important effects on our circulation. Hopefully this project will shed new light on how we could use these effects to help heart patients." High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects between 10 and 20 percent of adults in western societies. Hypertension puts a strain on the heart and blood vessels and greatly increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. The activation of potassium channels seems to play a role in the vasorelaxation caused by anandamide. Dr. Michael Randall and Dr. David Kendall from Nottingham propose that an endocannabinoid may mediate the nitric oxide- and prostanoid-independent component of endothelium-dependent relaxations. It has recently been shown that anandamide is produced by endothelial cells. (Endothelial cells cover the inner walls of blood vessels. Nitric oxide and prostaglandins play a major role in endothelium-dependent relaxation but do not explain all effects.) This hypothesis has generated some scientific controversy. It is unclear whether the effect on blood vessels is cannabinoid receptor dependent (Randall 1997) or cannabinoid receptor independent (Plane 1997). A research group of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee suggests that the vasodilatory effect of anandamide results from its metabolism to arachidonic acid followed by enzymatic conversion to vasodilatory eicosanoids such as prostaglandins (Pratt et al. 1998). Further observations concerning the role of endocannabinoids in vasorelaxation from other research groups: Activation of peripheral CB1 cannabinoid receptors contributes to hemorrhagic hypotension in septic shock. They seem to be activated by anandamide derived from macrophages as well as by platelet-derived 2-arachidonyl glyceride (another endocannabinoid) (Varga 1998). An anandamide signalling system is present in the kidney, where it exerts significant vasorelaxant and neuromodulatory effects. The CB1 receptor and the CB2 receptor is found. The vasorelaxation is blocked by a CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist (Deutsch 1997). (Sources: PA News of 29 December 1998; Randall MD, Kendall DA: Eur J Pharmacol (1998) 346:51-53; Randall MD, Kendall DA: Trends Pharmacol Sci (1998) 19:55-58; Varga K, et al: FASEB J (1998) 12:1035-1044; Deutsch DG, et al.: J Clin Invest (1997) 100:1538-1546; Plane F, et al: Br J Pharmacol (1997) 121:1509-1511; Pratt PF, et al: Am J Physiol (1998) 274:H375-381; Randall MD, et al: Eur J Pharmacol (1997) 333:191-197) 3. News in brief ****USA: Incoming Californian Attorney General Bill Lockyer has signalled that a new view of Proposition 215, California's two-year old medical marijuana law, is being taken by the state's top law enforcement officer. Under Mr. Lockyer's predecessor, Dan Lungren, virtually no leeway was given to local counties and cities in the implementation of the law. Mr. Lockyer says he's going to implement the will of the voters. (Source: Orange County Register of 4 January 1999) ****The Netherlands: The Netherlands has significantly fewer cannabis users than thought before, according to a study published on 5 January. The study, financed by the health ministry and conducted by Amsterdam University and the Central Bureau of Statistics found that 15.6 percent of Dutch people aged 12 and over had used or tried cannabis, versus a U.S. figure of 32.9 percent. 2.5 percent of Dutch people aged 12 and over had used cannabis within the last month. (Source: Reuters of 6 January 1999) ****France: France should take a more pragmatic approach to fighting drug abuse and take into account the fact that alcohol and tobacco kill far more people than heroin or cocaine, an inter-ministerial committee has told the government. Le Monde newspaper, which published extracts from the report on 7 January, said the committee urged the government to adopt a policy "which takes into account all types of addictive behaviour, regardless of the legal status of the product." An estimated two million people in France (about 5 percent) smoke cannabis. (Source: Reuters of 7 January 1999) 4. THE COMMENT ... on the way his predecessor, Dan Lungren, dealt with Californian Proposition 215: "I joke that there are days when I thought Dan had a copy of 'Reefer Madness' at home." (Note: 'Reefer Madness' is an US-film from the 1930s, produced by proponents of the prohibition of marijuana.) Bill Lockyer, Attorney General elect of California (Orange County Register of 4 January 1999) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 24 January 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Germany: New dronabinol/THC preparation of THC Pharm * USA: Trumping of states rights by federal law questioned 1. Germany: New dronabinol/THC preparation of THC Pharm Since January 1999, a pharmacy in Frankfurt/Main offers dronabinol (THC) for about one quarter of the horrendous price, that has to be paid in Germany for the US dronabinol preparation Marinol. It is the Bock-Pharmacy (address: Leipziger Strasse 71, 60487 Frankfurt, Phone +49-69-9706370, Fax +49-69-97063777, info@thc-pharm.de). Dronabinol is manufactured in the pharmacy in cooperation with the company THC Pharm GmbH, The Health Concept, and can be delivered as an ordinary formula. This procedure is a transition model, used until the granting of a trade permission. Then, dronabinol can be delivered to all German pharmacies. The following formulas are available: - Dronabinol solved in sesame oil and packed in hard gelatine capsules - Dronabinol solved in alcoholic liquid. 25 capsules of 5 mg cost 354,10 DM (German marks, about $220) and 25 capsules of 10 mg cost 684,70 DM (about $430). 10 ml liquid with 1 percent THC cost 269,70 DM and 10 ml liquid with 2 percent THC cost 534,12 DM. More pharmacies in other cities will follow. Starting point of the manufacturing is industrial hemp, from which the CBD (Cannabidiol) is extracted and than converted to THC in a laboratory. THC-Pharm can as well deliver CBD to other pharmacies. Price comparison: 5 milligrams of THC/Dronabinol cost - about 8 DM ($5) as a Marinol capsule in the USA - about 60 DM ($38) as a Marinol capsule in Germany - about 14 DM ($9) as a dronabinol capsule of THC Pharm - about 1 DM ($0.6) as 0.1 gram marijuana of medium quality. (Source: personal communication of THC Pharm of 14 January 1999) 2. USA: Trumping of states rights by federal law questioned The U.S. Constitution doesn't allow federal law to automatically trump states rights, the City of Oakland argues in a legal brief filed on 11 January 1999 in support of the embattled Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative. In its latest efforts to bolster the 2,000-member club, the city is banking on the 9th and 10th amendments to the Constitution in an amicus curiae brief in the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals. The brief was written pro bono for the city by Linda LeCraw and former general counsel to the U.S. Federal Drug Administration Peter Barton Hutt. "It's an extremely important case," said Hutt, who helped write the Controlled Substances Act of 1974. The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit last January to close the club, maintaining marijuana is an illegal substance under the Controlled Substances Act. The city's brief maintains federal laws regarding medical cannabis are "legislated truths," unsupported by logic, comparable to laws that persecuted African Americans, declared women unfit to vote and incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II. Hutt argues that California voters, by approving Proposition 215, the California Compassionate Use Act of 1996, "have deemed the medical use of cannabis to be a fundamental liberty interest." Under the 9th Amendment, the burden is on the federal government to show the necessity of infringing that right, the city's brief argues. And under the 10th Amendment, the federal government may not interfere with a power "reserved to the states ... or to people." (Source: Oakland Tribune of 13 January 1999) 3. News in brief ***USA: Steven Kubby, the Libertarian Party candidate for governor of California and an acknowledged medical marijuana patient, and his wife Michele were arrested on 18 January and charged with possession of marijuana for sales, cultivation and conspiracy. About 300 plants were confiscated. Mr. Kubby and his wife are patients who say they have authorization from licensed physicians according to Proposition 215. Mr. Kubby, 52, has malignant phaeochromocytoma, or terminal adrenal cancer, causing attacks of high blood pressure. Marijuana works for Mr. Kubby better than conventional medications. (Source: Orange County Register of 21 January 1999) 4. THE COMMENT ... on the hopes, connected with the planned research in the UK on cannabis in pain therapy: "I stuck to prescription drugs for nearly three years and also tried TENS machine and chiropractic. But nothing worked as well as cannabis - something I tried, reluctantly, after a friend suggested it and bought some for me. I smoked it first thing in the morning. If I didn't, my muscles would go into spasms and I would barely be able to move. I also smoke in the evening to help me sleep. I see myself as a totally law-abiding citizen and would hate anyone to think of me as a criminal. You see MPs interviewed with a scotch in one hand and a cigarette in the other. They're taking much more dangerous drugs than I am." Diana Beedle, 44, suffering from traumatic chronic back pain and spasms for 13 years (Daily Mail of 19 January 1999) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 7 February 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. USA/California: Still confusion about how to implement Proposition 215 Marvin Chavez sentenced to six years of prison Marvin Chavez, 42, founder of Orange County's medical marijuana co-op in California, was sentenced to six years in state prison on 29 January for selling pot to undercover officers posing as medical patients and complaining of pain, and for mailing pot to a cancer patient. Judge Thomas Borris did not allow Chavez to mount a defence under Proposition 215, the medical marijuana initiative approved in 1996. Chavez had already previously been convicted for drug offences. Prosecutor Carl Armbrust successfully argued to the jury, that he sold marijuana. "While a law has been passed that people in need of marijuana can possess, and use, and cultivate marijuana, there is no law that says people can sell marijuana," he said. While Armbrust said Chavez is nothing more than a sophisticated street dealer using Proposition 215 as a front, Chavez's friends say nothing could be further from the truth. Confusion about how to implement Prop. 215 is still rampant in California. Many cannabis clubs have been shut down in Northern California, and many local authorities do not agree on interpretation. "The cannabis clubs were a great stopgap measure (...) but it wasn't a solution," said Scott Imler, director of the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center in West Hollywood. The centre is one of two well-known pot clubs in Southern California and has 1,100 members. "The main problem we've had is lack of guidance to law enforcement," said Jason Browne, a trustee of the Humboldt Cannabis Center in Arcata. "Everyone is waiting for someone else to do something and meanwhile the patients are at risk." Govenor Gray Davis, a Democrat, hasn't said whether he'll standardize the enforcement of Proposition 215. Attorney General Bill Lockyer, also a Democrat, said he voted for the medical marijuana law and agrees more guidance is needed. His mother and sister both died of leukaemia. "There are omissions and gaps and ambiguities in the initial statute that would benefit from clarification," Lockyer said. "It's unclear exactly who can be a caretaker and exactly what the system is for setting up a dispensary and clinic." Patients can still get pot at operations in San Francisco, West Hollywood, San Diego, Fairfax, Sonoma County, Ukiah, Arcata, Berkeley and Hayward. "Unless the federal government changes its policy or adopts a noninvasive role, the California statute scheme can never be legally implemented," Lockyer said. "If our law were tighter and there was more of a clinic -- not cult structure to the statute -- that might be partially persuasive to the federal government if they see there is a tight regulatory system." (Sources: Orange County Register of 30 January 1999, AP of 30 January 1999) 2. News in brief ****USA: State officials and medical marijuana advocates say a national Institutes of Medicine review scheduled for release this month will be critical in getting federal officials to consider reclassifying marijuana as a less-dangerous drug or allowing doctors to prescribe pot. The 18-month review of the health effects and medical treatment benefits of marijuana was ordered by drug czar Barry McCaffrey. (Source: AP of 30 January 1999) ****Australia: Australia's first treatment program for cannabis addicts has begun in Adelaide. The eight-week program dealt with every aspect of an addict's life and personality, because almost all addictions developed as a response to pain in normal life, Program coordinator Nick Gill said. It consists of two significant components. The first is educational and cognitive training, mood and thinking management, to develop strategies to overcome the urge to use and prevent relapses. The other main emphasis is on psychological and spiritual well-being. (Source: Australian Associated Press of 29 January 1999) ****Great Britain: The number of young Britons taking illegal drugs has increased consistently over the past two decades, according to a Government study released on 29 January. But most youngsters restrict themselves to cannabis, according to the report by the Office for National Statistics. "Most people who have tried drugs do just that -- try them and stop." About 40 percent of those in the 20-24 age bracket have smoked a joint. But only about 20 percent of them will have taken amphetamines or LSD. "Contrary to some preconceptions, professional and skilled workers are more likely than poorer, unskilled workers to have taken drugs at some point," the report said. "But among regular drug users, those with a higher frequency for use and those resorting to more dangerous methods of administration (such as injection) will tend to be unskilled." (Sources: Reuters of 29 January 1999, PA News of 29 January 1999) 3. THE COMMENT ... on his experience with the effect of cannabis on a pain patient: "Cannabis isn't a new drug and clearly has relatively low toxicity. It shouldn't be dished out like Smarties (nor should Valium), but it shouldn't be denied to deserving cases like Walter just because of the USA's ineffective worldwide 'war on drugs' during the last 80 years." Dr Colin Brewer, medical director of the Stapleford Centre in London (The Independent (UK) of 2 February 1999) CLARIFICATION: In the last ACM-Bulletin we reported about dronabinol available since short time in a pharmacy in Frankfurt (Germany). We want to clarify that only for the objective information on this dronabinol we used the information of THC Pharm as a source. All other information did not come from THC Pharm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 21 February 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. USA: AIDS groups urge U.S. to approve the medical use of marijuana A coalition of AIDS organizations petitioned U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey on 18 February for help in securing "fast track" approval of the medical use of marijuana. "We urge you to help break the bureaucratic logjam that is keeping a potentially life-saving medicine, marijuana, virtually inaccessible to thousands of people living with AIDS,'' the 17 groups said in a letter, their first joint call for the legalization of medical marijuana. The groups, which include the AIDS Action Council, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Latino Commission on AIDS, said the established fast-track procedures that led to quick approval for AIDS-fighting drugs such as protease inhibitors should now be applied to marijuana. "Making marijuana immediately available on a quasi-experimental basis to people living with AIDS (...) is a moderate step that can add to the federal government's responsiveness to the epidemic,'' the groups said. Copies of the letter were sent to the Secretary of health and human services, the director of the Food and Drug Administration, the Office of National AIDS Policy, and the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate. McCaffrey, head of the Office for National Drug Control Policy, has been a strong opponent of medical marijuana, saying that marijuana reformers were using bogus science in a drive aimed at legalizing all use of the drug. The AIDS groups said AIDS patients should not have to wait while the science is sorted out, the groups said. "Science and compassion should dictate our nation's policy regarding medical treatment," the letter said. "However, politics has stood in the way of the approval of marijuana as a legal medication, and the full development of a science base leading to FDA approval could still be years away." (Source: Reuters of 18 February 1999) 2. News in brief ****Science: Dr Andrea Hohmann of the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research said in an interview to the possibility to develop medicaments for pain therapy that block the reuptake of endogeneous cannabinoids: "It might be possible to manipulate levels of the body's own cannabinoids. You could create drugs like Prozac that block the body's reuptake of cannabinoids or inhibit their breakdown so they stay active longer." (Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (US) of 8 February 1999) ****Science: Pregnant women who smoke cigarettes or use cocaine have a higher risk of miscarriage, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found. Tobacco smokers are almost twice as likely to miscarry as non-smokers, and cocaine users are nearly one-and-a-half times as likely to miscarry as nonusers, according to the study. It found no link between alcohol drinking or marijuana use and spontaneous abortion. The researchers looked at 970 women who sought emergency room treatment for miscarriage or other problems at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia while they were less than 22 weeks pregnant. This was the first study to use hair and urine testing to determine women's drug use, instead of relying on their own reports. (Source: AP of 3 February 1999) ****Science: Testosterone levels may influence the effect of cannabis on the brain, a small study suggests. Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, director of psychiatry for the Dandenong Area Mental Health Service (Australia), said this may be one reason why more males are using the drug. "We've found that patients who had high testosterone levels also had high rates of cannabis use and high levels of psychotic symptoms including hallucinations, delusions and formal thought disorder," she said. Among the 40 patients studied, daily heavy users of cannabis had the highest testosterone levels. (Source: Australian Associated Press of 16 February 1999) 3. THE COMMENT ... in the new book of Robert C Randall and Alice M O'Leary: "Strange as it may seem, here is one right-wing Republican who supports carefully controlled, medical access to marijuana. When our grown daughter was undergoing chemotherapy for lymph cancer, she was sick and vomiting constantly as a result of her treatments. No legal drugs, including the synthetic "marijuana" pill Marinol, helped her situation. As a result we finally turned to marijuana which, of course, we were forced to obtain illegally. With it, she kept her food down, was comfortable, and even gained weight. (...) A doctor should have every possible medication -- including marijuana -- in his armentarium. (...)" Lyn Nofziger, in: Foreword of "Marijuana RX - The Patients Fight for Medicinal Pot", published in February 1999. (Mr. Lofziger was the White House director of communication and chief speech writer for the former US-President Ronald Reagan.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 7 March 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * 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 1. World: U.N. report encourages research into the medical use of cannabis In-depth and impartial scientific studies should be conducted into marijuana's possible medical benefits, the annual report of the International Drug Control Board (INCB) recommended on 23 February. The INCB stressed that such research must not become a pretext for legalizing cannabis. In his 'Message from the President' Hamid Ghodse said: "The Board has noted with regret how possible medical uses of cannabis have been used to justify the legalization of all cannabis use. The Board welcomes and encourages serious, scientific research on the alleged medical properties of cannabis as well as the wide dissemination of such work, but warns against misusing these research efforts for 'blanket' legalization purposes. Should the medical usefulness of cannabis be established, it will be a drug no different from most narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Cannabis, prescribed for medical purposes, would also be subject to licensing and other control measures under the international drug control treaties." The Vienna-based INCB is the quasi-judicial control organ for the implementation of the United Nations drug conventions, established in 1968 by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961. Its 13 members are elected by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and their work is financed by the United Nations. Three members are elected from a list of candidates nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and 10 from a list nominated by Governments. (Sources: Press Release of the INCB of 23 February 1999, Annual Report of the INCB for 1998 on the website of the INCB at: http://www.incb.org) 2. Canada: Health Minister orders clinical trials Canadian Health Minister Allan Rock (Liberal) said on 3 March before the House of Commons he has ordered officials to develop clinical trials for the medical use of marijuana and to determine how to grant safe access to the drug. The minister released few details of the tests, but said officials have been asked to set up the clinical experiments, as well as establish what kinds of patients would participate. Reaction from opposition members was mostly positive, although Reform MP Grant Hill, a medical doctor, warned of risks if the testing was seen as a first step down the road to legalizing the drug for general use. Bloc Quebecois MP Bernard Bigras introduced a motion in Parliament on 4 March urging the government to take every step toward legalizing medical marijuana. Bigras has Tory and NDP support. He accused the Health Minister of plotting to derail his Commons motion. Bigras said he doubts the sincerity of Rock's announcement that he'll launch clinical tests of medical marijuana. He said if Rock honestly plans to move forward with the tests, he has to support the Bloc motion when it comes to a vote in June. Meantime, he said, Rock can prove his good faith by using Health Canada's powers to provide legal access to pot for AIDS and cancer victims. In 1997 an Ontario court called the Narcotic Control Act unconstitutional as it applies to the therapeutic use of cannabis. (Sources: Reuters of 3 March 1999, AP of 3 March 1999, Calgary Herald of 4 March 1999, London Free Press of 5 March 1999) 3. Great Britain: Introduction of a bill for the medical use of cannabis in Parliament British members of parliament on 3 March gave a small boost to campaigners for the legalization of cannabis for medical use by allowing MP Paul Flynn (Labour) to introduce a bill making it legal for doctors to prescribe the drug. As an unlicensed medicine, doctors would be allowed to prescribe cannabis, but would have to name the people who would get it, and the amount. Although the bill has virtually no chance of becoming law, such parliamentary moves are seen as a useful way of garnering publicity for contentious issues. It reflects the feeling among some Members of Parliament that Britain lags behind other European nations on the medical use of cannabis. Paul Flynn said many people with diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis were being treated as criminals under the current law. The Government has given permission for cannabis to undergo laboratory tests to see if it could be licensed as a medicine. But Mr Flynn said: "Research will take at least five years and probably longer. The tens of thousands of multiple sclerosis, Aids and cancer sufferers should not have to wait that long for a natural medicine which has been used by millions of people for thousands of years." (Sources: PA News of 23 and 24 February 1999, Reuters of 24 February 1999, Independent of 24 February 1999) 4. USA: Introduction of a bill for the medical use of marijuana in Congress Congress should eliminate federal restrictions on states that allow marijuana use for medical purposes, Rep. Barney Frank (Democrat) said. Frank introduced a bill on 2 March, that would reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, meaning that it could be prescribed by doctors under certain conditions, just as morphine and other controlled substances are. Prescriptions for such drugs are subject to federal and state review. Arizona, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada have permitted medical use of the drug. While persons using marijuana for medical purposes don't face state prosecution in the six states, they could still face federal prosecution. Frank isn't hopeful that the Republican-controlled Congress will pass his bill. Last fall, the House adopted, 310-93, a resolution that said marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug and should not be legalized for medical use. (Sources: AP of 3 and 4 March 1999) 5. News in brief ****Switzerland: The Swiss Parliament dismissed a motion of the Greens for the legalization of cannabis by a 65-50 vote. The government wants to discuss this issue only within the planned revision of the narcotics act. The motion got support from the social democrats (SP). Pierre Chiffelle (SP) said, he himself would smoke cannabis regularly. Christine Goll added, hashish would be a part of every days life culture and would cause less harm than alcohol. Other parliamentarians warned of a belittlement of the drug. Prohibition would be reasonable. (Source: Basler Zeitung of 5 March 1999) ****Great Britain: A grandfather was jailed on 23 February after failing to persuade a court to allow him to smoke cannabis to relieve his arthritis. A judge ruled that 56-year-old Eric Mann had not tried a sufficient number of conventional treatments before turning to cannabis. Mr Mann suffered crippling arthritis and became suicidal. Conventional drugs failed to work and he turned to cannabis, which slowly made him virtually pain free. Over the years he cultivated cannabis plants in the attic of his home in west Wales. He was jailed for 12 months. (Source: PA News of 23 February 1999) ****USA: When AIDS patient Peter McWilliams asked a judge on 26 February to alter his bail conditions so he can smoke pot while awaiting trial in September, the prosecutors dismissed it. Federal attorneys argue that the law leaves no room for sympathy. A federal grand jury in July 1998 indicted McWilliams on nine counts of conspiring to possess, manufacture and distribute marijuana. A federal magistrate forbade him from smoking marijuana as one of the conditions of his bail release. Since his release and subsequent denial of pot, McWilliams' viral load has skyrocketed from undetectable to a level that, if it is not reduced, will inevitably lead to the crumbling of his immune system, his doctor says. (Source: Los Angeles Times of 26 February 1999) 6. THE COMMENT ... on the jail sentence of a British man suffering from severe arthritis: "This is an absurdly harsh sentence. Prison should not be used for victimless crimes". Paul Cavadino, Director of Policy of the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (PA News of 23 February 1999) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 21 March 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * USA: Government-funded report proposes access to medical marijuana within clinical trials as interim solution * Science: Treatment of Tourette's syndrome with marijuana and THC * Great Britain: The official comment of the House of Lords on the rejection of their recommendations by the government 1. USA: Government-funded report proposes access to medical marijuana within clinical trials as interim solution The long-awaited government-funded report of the Institute of Medicine urges politicians to soften their hard line against the therapeutic use of cannabis. It says marijuana is potentially effective for some symptoms and recommends rigorous clinical trials and development of a delivery system that eliminates the harmful effects of smoking. Beyond the harms of smoking, the range of problems associated with medical marijuana were within the acceptable range of problems associated with other medications. Further, it states that marijuana could be allowed for medical use, without increasing non-medical use. The report tackles the suggestion by opponents of medical use that approving marijuana as a medicine "sends the wrong message." The authors say there is "no convincing data to support this concern," and they note that "this question is beyond the issues normally considered for medical uses of drugs." The 18-month, $1-million IOM study, released on 17 March in Washington, makes six recommendations, including clinical trials allowing patients with chronic conditions or end-stage diseases, who have no other alternative, to use marijuana on an experimental basis for six months. Its conclusions contrast sharply with the views of members of Congress, who have taken a tough line on the issue. Last autumn, the US House adopted by 310 votes to 93 a resolution that said marijuana was a dangerous and addictive drug and should not be legalized for medical use. The report, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base," was ordered by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in January 1997. Reviewing began in August 1997 including several public hearings, site visits to cannabis buyers' clubs and HIV/AIDS clinics and months of examining the existing scientific database. In 1982, the IOM made its first report on medical marijuana, in which it said cannabis and its derivatives had "shown promise" in treating a variety of disorders, including glaucoma, asthma and nausea from chemotherapy treatment. Some excerpts from the executive summary of the new 290-page report: --- Concerning THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL --- "The accumulated data indicate a potential therapeutic value for cannabinoid drugs, particularly for symptoms such as pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation." "The effects of cannabinoids on the symptoms studied are generally modest, and in most cases, there are more effective medications. However, people vary in their responses to medications and there will likely always be a subpopulation of patients who do not respond well to other medications." "(...) in cases where symptoms are multifaced, the combination of THC effects might provide a form of adjunctive therapy; for example, AIDS wasting patients would likely benefit from a medication that simultaneously reduces anxiety, pain, and nausea while stimulating appetite." --- Concerning POTENTIAL HARMS --- "Marijuana is not a completely benign substance. It is a powerful drug with a variety of effects. However, except for the harms associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range of effects tolerated for other medications." "The chronic effects of marijuana (...) fall into two categories: the effects of chronic smoking, and the effects of THC." "A distinctive marijuana withdrawal syndrome has been identified, but it is mild and short-lived." "There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs." "Present data on drug use progression neither support nor refute the suggestion that medical availability would increase drug abuse." --- Concerning MEDICAL USE and clinical studies --- "The report concludes that the future of cannabinoid drugs lies not in smoked marijuana, but in chemically-defined drugs (...). Until such drugs can be developed and made available for medical use, the report recommends interim solutions." "Although most scientists who study cannabinoids agree that the pathways to cannabinoid drug development are clearly marked, there is no guarantee that the fruits of scientific research will be made available to the public for medical use. Cannabinoid-based drugs will only become available if public investment in cannabinoid drug research is sustained, and if there is enough incentive for private enterprise to develop and market such drugs." "Because of the health risks associated with smoking, smoked marijuana should generally not be recommended for long-term medical use. Nonetheless, for certain patients, such as the terminally ill or those with debilitating symptoms, the long-term risks are not of great concern." "Clinical trials of marijuana use for medical purposes should (...) involve only short-term marijuana use (less than six months); (...). "Until a non-smoked, rapid onset cannabinoid drug delivery system becomes available, we acknowledge that there is no clear alternative for people suffering from chronic conditions that might be relieved by smoking marijuana, such as pain or AIDS wasting. One possible approach is to treat patients as n-of-1 trials, (...)." The Institute of Medicine was chartered in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences for the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The executive summary of the study is available at the IOM web site: http://www2.nas.edu/medical-mj/index.html (Sources: Joy JE, Watson SJ, Benson JA (eds): Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Institute of Medicine, National Academy Press, Washington DC 1999; Press release of the IOM of 17 March 1999; UPI, Reuters, PR Newswire, AP, PA News of 17 March 1999) 2. Science: Treatment of Tourette's syndrome with marijuana and THC A patient with Tourette's syndrome was successfully treated with THC, after he had reported relief from the use of marijuana to his physicians. The Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, briefly: Tourette's syndrome, is a common and complex neuropsychiatric spectrum disorder, that is characterized by sudden spasms especially in the face, the neck and the shoulders, so called "tics". The 25-year-old man developed the disease during his childhood and was diagnosed at age 22. "At age 19, he started smoking marijuana. When using 2-3 g/day he noted a marked improvement of both vocal and motor tics and associated behavioural disorders. Therefore he stopped less effective medical treatment with pimozide," a letter of Dr. Kirsten Mueller-Vahl and colleagues from the University of Hanover to the American Journal of Psychiatry says. He was treated once with 10 mg of delta-9-THC and his symptoms improved markedly according to objective criteria and subjective feeling: His total tic severity score was reduced from 41 to 7 just 2 hours after treatment. Both motor and vocal tics improved. The improvement began 30 minutes after treatment and lasted for about 7 hours. No adverse effects occurred. Even reaction time and sustained attention improved. At the Cologne Meeting on cannabis and cannabinoids as medicine in December 1998 Dr. Mueller-Vahl had presented an impressive video documenting this improvement. As with other indications for THC or dronabinol, the motivation to conduct this study with THC came from the reproducible experience of patients with natural cannabis (Mueller Vahl et al. 1997). A subsequent clinical study of ten patients with Tourette's syndrome treated with THC has been finished in December 1998 and the findings are analysed at present. (Sources: Mueller-Vahl KR, Kolbe H, Dengler R.: Gilles de la Tourette-Syndrom. Einfluß von Nikotin, Alkohol und Marihuana auf die klinische Symptomatik. Nervenarzt 68:985-989, 1997 (published in German); Mueller-Vahl KR, Schneider U, Kolbe H, Emrich HM: Treatment of Tourette's syndrome with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Am J Psychiatry 156:3, 1999.) 3. News in brief ****Canada: The husband of a woman who has fought a lengthy court battle to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes faces charges of drug possession and trafficking. Mike Haricky, 47, was arrested after a police raid at the Cannabis Compassion Centre he runs. The centre is owned by his wife, Lynn, who has multiple sclerosis. The centre was opened in 1998 to provide the drug to members who have specific medical conditions such as cancer or to people with a letter from their doctor endorsing marijuana use for other ailments. (Source: Comtex Newswire of 9 March 1999) ****USA: Researchers who want to conduct clinical trials on the efficacy of medical marijuana say while the government publicly invites such studies, privately it works to quash the proposals. There have been no government funded studies for more than ten years. Physician researchers like Dr. Ethan Russo, of the Western Montana Clinic in Missoula, say government agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the Food and Drug Administration, find ways to make sure studies don't happen. (Source: UPI of 12 March 1999) ****USA: On 3 March 1999, Measure 8, Alaska's medical marijuana initiative, passed by nearly 60 percent of voters became law. On 4 March state senator Loren Leman introduced SB 94, which would greatly modify several key provisions of the new law. Two major proposals are seen as very controversial. The first would require patients to register with Alaska's Health and Human Services and allow broad access of that registry to law enforcement agencies. The other key controversial provision is a statement that doctors would have to sign in order to recommend marijuana for patients that states, "There is no other legal treatment that can be tolerated by the patient that is as effective in alleviating the debilitating medical condition." (Source: DRCNet of 12 March 1999) ****Australia: In an Australian study of motorists and mind-altering drugs, Perth researchers found that more people were likely to drink alcohol and drive than take drugs and drive. Professor Tim Stockwell, director of the National Centre for Research into the Prevention of Drug Abuse at Curtin University, said the study showed that pouring money into drug tests for motorists may be misdirecting resources. The survey found that 77 per cent of 800 drivers interviewed in Perth had drunk alcohol in the past year, and 22 per cent admitted driving one hour after having had two or more drinks. Eighteen per cent of drivers had used cannabis, but only six per cent of them admitted driving while affected by the drug. (Source: Australian Associated Press of 16 March 1999) 4. THE OFFICIAL COMMENT OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS ... on the rejection of their recommendations of November 1998 to allow doctors to prescribe cannabis by the government: "The Government rejected this recommendation on the day of publication. This was a departure from the usual convention, as the Government concede. (...) In reporting the Government's response for the information of the House, we would observe that its main arguments against our recommendations are ones which we considered in the course of our inquiry. We continue to find them unpersuasive. The Government argue that prohibition protects patients from taking substances of unproven efficacy, quality and safety. We found enough evidence, albeit largely anecdotal, to convince us that cannabis is efficacious, especially against symptoms of MS and in the control of pain. (...) As for safety, cannabis is well known to be safe in terms of acute toxicity. Nonetheless using it does involve risks, discussed in Chapter 4 of our report, from which people currently using it for medical purposes are unprotected. We recommended that the medical professional bodies should provide guidance on responsible prescribing, to protect at-risk groups and to take account of the dangers of intoxication and addiction. Secondly, the Government argue that permitting prescription now would reduce the momentum of research. On the contrary, we found evidence, set out in Chapter 7, that research has been held back by the stigma and bureaucracy associated with the status of cannabis as an illegal drug. Finally, the Government question the capability of doctors to deal with patients demanding cannabis for improper purposes. In our report, we expressed more confidence in the medical profession and its regulatory bodies (paragraph 8.14). We would observe in addition that cannabis is well known to be readily available to the non-therapeutic user, by means far easier than deceiving a GP [general practitioner]. In conclusion, we regret that the mind of the Government appears to be closed on this issue, and hope that the results of new research now under way may cause them to revisit our recommendations at an early date." The British House of Lords, Second Report of 1999 by the Select Committee appointed to consider Science and Technology, ordered to report "Cannabis: Government Response", 4 March 1999. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 4 April 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Germany: - Drugs Commissioner shows sympathy for the medical use of cannabis - Handing over of signatures in support of the Frankfurt Resolution - Announcement of a trial before the Constitutional Court * Science: New patent for dexanabinol as TNF-alpha inhibitor 1. Germany: - Drugs Commissioner shows sympathy for the medical use of cannabis - Handing over of signatures in support of the Frankfurt Resolution - Announcement of a trial before the Constitutional Court On 22 March 1999 11,000 signatures in support of the Frankfurt Resolution for the medical use of marijuana and the promotion of research were handed over to the Drugs Commissioner of the Government, Christa Nickels (Member of Parliament, the Greens). Mrs. Nickels said in a press release that, based on medical experience, the use of cannabis was promising in different diseases such as AIDS, cancer and multiple sclerosis. Therefore, she would support corresponding research efforts. The Frankfurt Resolution was presented on 4 December 1998 during the congress "Medical Marijuana" in Frankfurt. It is supported by AIDS support groups, the Association for Cannabis as Medicine (ACM), the Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe, the German Association for Epilepsy, the German Society for Algesiology, the German Society for Drug and Addiction Medicine, the German Working Group for Therapists of the HIV Infected (DAGNAE), the Federal Union for Poliomyelitis and the SCHMERZtherapeutisches Kolloquium (STK, Society of Pain Therapists). In a meeting between supporters of the Frankfurt Resolution and representatives of the Federal Health Ministry a discussion was held concerning the possibilities of how to enable legal access to the medical use of cannabis, without waiting for approval of a licensed cannabis preparation. Among the participants were Dr. Gerhard Mueller-Schwefe, Chairman of the STK, Ruediger Kriegel, Board of Directors of the Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe, Trixi Frings from the Berlin Self Help Group, Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen, Chairman of the ACM, Mrs. Nickels, her personal adviser Martin Koehler and Dr. Moeller from the Department for Narcotics of the Federal Health Ministry. Grotenhermen said after the conversation: "Mrs. Nickels made it clear that cannabis will not be exempted from the normal procedures for approval of medicaments. However she does express much sympathy for people that are already using cannabis products therapeutically today, and she is interested in pragmatic solutions for an early legal access." In a press conference before the meeting physicians announced plans for a trial before the Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) against the prohibition of a therapy with cannabis. Participants will be members of the Board of Directors of the STK, the DAGNAE and the ACM as well as other physicians. The complaint is based on article 12 of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz), which grants physicians freedom of treatment. While this freedom may be restricted by laws such as the Narcotics Act, the prohibition of a treatment with cannabis in severe illnesses would be disproportional. (Source: ACM) 2. Science: New patent for dexanabinol as TNF-alpha inhibitor Pharmos Corporation announced on 23 March that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a new patent entitled Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Inhibiting Pharmaceuticals, with claims covering the use of dexanabinol as well as various non-psychotropic cannabinoid analogs, derivatives or metabolites in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The non-psychotropic THC-derivative dexanabinol has been extensively examined in animal studies during the last years. It is effective in protecting brain cells against the effects of ischemia and hypoxia (decreased circulation and supply with oxygen). Dexanabinol exhibits pharmacological properties of a NMDA-receptor antagonist and is a novel inhibitor of TNF-alpha production. TNF-Alpha is a mediator (cytokine) produced by some immune cells, playing a role in inflammation, blood production, healing of wounds, and other important body functions. Dexanabinol might be used to treat brain damage following head trauma and stroke, and might neutralize the damaging effects of nerve-gas. In preclinical tests, Pharmos has demonstrated that dexanabinol could exert anti-inflammatory effects. It does not produce certain side effects of other anti-inflammatory drugs used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, such as cortisone, and it does not cause the psychoactivity of THC. "Our expectations of dexanabinol having multiple neurological applications are confirmed by, among other factors, its amelioration of the severity of multiple sclerosis in animals," said Dr. Haim Aviv, Pharmos' Chairman. "Dexanabinol's neuroprotective properties could also be beneficial by preventing or decreasing the cumulative neurological damage caused by multiple sclerosis, which is a chronic degenerative disease. We are looking forward to the beginning of Phase III trials to confirm dexanabinol's efficacy in head trauma patients." The recent completion of a successful Phase II clinical study showed dexanabinol to be safe and well-tolerated in severe head trauma patients. There were no unexpected adverse experiences reported for either the drug treated or placebo group. Intracranial pressure, an important factor and a predictor of poor neurological outcome, was significantly reduced in the drug treated patients through the third day of treatment, without a concomitant reduction in systolic blood pressure. (Sources: PR Newswire of 23 March 1999, Dow Jones of 23 March 1999, ACM) 3. News in brief ****Science: The 290-page prepublication copy of the complete U.S. Institute of Medicine report "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base" released on 17 March 1999 is online at: >http://www.taima.org/nas/iom0.htm< and >http://prop1.org/thomas/iom_report/iomlv.htm< ****Science: A study of identical and fraternal twins found that, in general, genetic influences on drug addiction account for one-third of addiction, family another third, and peers, friends and co-workers the remaining third. But all types of addiction are not equal. The study, which appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found that genes accounted for more than half of the risk of heroin addiction and for 33 per cent of marijuana addiction. "It doesn't mean that addiction is predetermined by genes. It just means that some of us are more susceptible than others to abusing drugs if we try them,'' says Dr. Jack Goldberg of the University of Illinois in Chicago. The study, headed by Harvard's Dr. Ming Tsuang, also overturns the old belief that the use of less-addictive drugs such as marijuana, sets people on the path to becoming hooked on cocaine or heroin. (Source: Toronto Star of 26 March 1999) ****Science: People who smoke moderate amounts of marijuana are not much more dangerous behind the wheel than completely sober drivers, Canadian researchers said on 31 March. Drivers who smoke it and drive should not be demonised. While marijuana, like alcohol, impairs performance, people who drive after smoking moderate amounts of pot compensate by driving more slowly and cautiously, said University of Toronto researcher Alison Smiley: "The more cautious behaviour of subjects who received marijuana [in studies] decreased the drug's impact on performance. Their behaviour is more appropriate to their impairment, whereas subjects who received alcohol tend to drive in a more risky manner." (Sources: Toronto Star of 30 March 1999, Reuters of 31 March 1999) ***Sports: Swimmers will be allowed to smoke cannabis without being banned from the sport as long as it's not during a competition under new rules. The rule changes were agreed to by an extraordinary congress of the sport's governing body FINA. FINA has created two lists of banned substances - those prohibited only during a competition and those banned out of competition. Steroids and masking agents are on both lists but cannabis has been placed in the same category as cold medication. (Source: Australian Associated Press of 1 April 1999) 4. THE COMMENT ... on the conclusions of the recent Institute of Medicine (U.S.) report: "Twenty-one years ago, New Mexico became the first state to initiate a pilot program that ultimately concluded what a federal study stated only this past week: Marijuana can relieve suffering for some ill or terminally ill patients. (...) In 1984, after 5 1/2 years of treatments, the program's director reported that 75 percent of about 200 New Mexico patients -- ranging in age from 12 to 78 -- received benefit. (...) New Mexico's program received high marks from researchers around the country, and 32 other states followed its lead, but in June 1986, the $50,000 program fell victim to budget cuts and never was revived." Editorial, Albuquerque Journal of 22 March 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 18 April 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Australia: Survey on the medical use of cannabis * Science: Interaction of anandamide with dopamine, a basis for the treatment of movement disorders and schizophrenia * USA: Implementation of medical marijuana law in a Californian town 1. Australia: Survey on the medical use of cannabis Most people who regularly use cannabis for medicinal purposes had discussed using the illegal drug with a doctor or health worker, according to a survey released on 15 April. "The survey shows that general practitioners (GPs) don't fly into a rage and chuck people out of their room when a patient talks about cannabis use," said the survey's author David Helliwell, based in the northern New South Wales town of Nimbin. He analysed the responses of 202 medicinal cannabis users from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and overseas. 63 per cent of respondents had discussed using cannabis with a health worker while about 50 per cent had spoken to their local doctor about using it. Dr. Helliwell said his research found that some chronic pain sufferers, such as those on slow-release morphine and other strong pain relief drugs, had been able to reduce their dosages through the medicinal use of cannabis. Amongst medicinal cannabis users, anxiety and stress were the commonest complaint, with 71 per cent saying they used the drug to reduce symptoms. Depression was the second most common condition, with 56 per cent of respondents, followed by somatic pain in 55 per cent. Just over half the female respondents, 51 per cent, stated they used cannabis medicinally for both pre-menstrual tension and dysmenorrhoea. Other conditions treated with cannabis were nausea (32 per cent), chronic pain (31 per cent), muscular spasm (23.5), digestive disorders (21.5), glaucoma (4.5), nausea associated with chemotherapy (3.5) and wasting associated with HIV/AIDS. (Source: AAP of 15 April 1999) 2. Science: Interaction of anandamide with dopamine, a basis for the treatment of movement disorders In a brain region, the so-called striatum, that controls planning and execution of motor behaviours, researchers of the University of California at Irvine have demonstrated interactions of the endocannabinoid signalling system with the dopamine neurotransmitter system. The striatum contains a large number of CB1 cannabinoid receptors. Abnormalities in the striatal neuromodulation have been linked to diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Tourette's syndrome. Dr. A. Giuffrida and colleagues revealed a physiological mechanism by which endocannabinoids are involved in the function of striatal neurons. Their study with male rats was published in the April issue of nature neuroscience (Giuffrida et al. 1999). The results were as followed: 1. The endocannabinoid anandamide was released by neural activity, but there was no effect on the endocannabinoids palmitylethanolamide, oleylethanolamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol. This indicates that in the striatum such a role is specific to anandamide. 2. Activation of dopamine receptors with a dopamine-2(D2)-like receptor ligand led to an eightfold stimulation of anandamide outflow. Dopamine-1(D1)-like receptor agonists had no effect. 3. The behavioural response to a systemic administration of D2-like agonists -- a biphasic motor response characterized by a transient suppression of movement followed by a longer-lasting hyperactivity -- were affected by the CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716A. The late phase was markedly potentiated by the CB1 antagonist. The researchers concluded, that the physiological role of anandamide may be "to counter dopamine stimulation of motor activity. (...) Thus, our findings may have implications for neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome and Parkinson's disease and may point to novel therapeutic approaches for these conditions." It seemed that anandamide may act in the central nervous system more as a local mediator such as the prostaglandins than as a classical neuromodulator. In a commentary Dr. David W. Self from the Division of Molecular Psychiatry at Yale University added, that this research promises "to propel anandamide from candidate status to bona fide neurotransmitter" (Self 1999). In the striatum anandamide "seems to function as a brake" that limits the behavioural response to dopamine receptor activation. This could lead to the development of drugs that block the cannabinoid receptor to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of dopamine-based treatments, and to drugs that stimulate the CB1-receptor, reducing dyskinetic movements caused by a hyperactivity of dopamine. This hypothesis is supported by the successful use of cannabis by patients suffering from hyperkinetic movement disorders such as tremor in multiple sclerosis, Tourette's syndrome, and tardive dyskinesia due to antipsychotic medication. Dr. J. M. Brotchie from the university of Manchester, Great Britain, discussed cannabinoids as well as an adjunct to dopamine replacement to reducing the problem of dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease (Brotchie 1998). (Sources: Giuffrida A, et al: nature neuroscience (1999 Apr) 2(4):358-63; Self DW: nature neuroscience (1999 Apr) 2(4):303-4; Brotchie JM: Mov Disord (1998 Nov) 13(6):871-6; Reuters of 24 March 1999) 3. USA: Implementation of medical marijuana law in a Californian town Law-enforcement officials in Arcata, California, have found a way to effectively implement the state's Proposition 215, a voter initiative legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in 1996. "Here, law enforcement is holding out the olive branch to people who smoke medical marijuana," said Mel Brown, Arcata's police chief. Brown issues photo identification cards with his signature to people who register as medical-marijuana patients. In order to register, people must confirm that they have a doctor's recommendation. Brown instructs his police officers not to arrest marijuana growers or smokers who carry the identification card. So far, he has issued about 100 of the "stay out of jail" cards. "What makes Arcata's program work is the fact that law enforcement and the medical community are involved," said Nathan Barankin, spokesman of Attorney General Bill Lockyer. After the Federal Justice Department won a court order to close most of the cannabis clubs in California for violating federal laws against marijuana, Lockyer is seeking a compromise that will avoid the wrath of federal officials. He has formed a task force of law enforcement officers and medical marijuana advocates to study the issue. "The task force has been asked to look at Arcata as a model and perhaps make some recommendations on whether what works for Arcata works for Los Angeles and other larger communities," Barankin said. District Attorney Norman Vroma is expected to introduce a similar identification card system in Mendocino County. (Sources: AP of 9 April 1999, Join Together Online of 13 April 1999) 4. News in brief ****Canada/USA: 78 per cent of Canadians support legalizing marijuana for medical use, a Decima Research Inc. poll reported on 7 April. The polling firm asked 2,026 Canadian adults whether they strongly agree, agree, oppose or strongly oppose the recent federal government's consideration of legalizing marijuana as a medical treatment. 73 per cent of Americans support amending federal law to allow the legal use of marijuana as a medicine, a Gallup Poll reported on 26 March. (Sources: NORML of 1 and 8 April 1999) ****USA: Mary Jane Rathbun, better known as "Brownie Mary", the grandmotherly activist whose arrests for distributing pot brownies to AIDS patients built momentum for the medicinal marijuana movement, has died at 77. She died at a hospital on 10 April of undisclosed causes. Ms. Rathbun became a fixture at San Francisco General Hospital in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, preparing and delivering marijuana-laced baked goods to sick people to relieve their nausea and pain. (Source: AP of 12 April 1999) ****USA: San Mateo County (California) officials submitted a proposal to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) seeking approval to conduct clinical trials with marijuana on patients suffering from severe nausea and weight loss. This is the third state governmental agency to submit a medical marijuana research proposal to NIDA since 1996. Previous proposals by the Washington and Massachusetts state boards of health were rejected by the agency. NIDA rejected a separate protocol from private researchers to study marijuana in migraine treatment last fall. (Source: NORML of 8 April 1999) ****Great Britain: 51-year-old Candace Kelly growing cannabis plants at her home to alleviate the pain from the chronic fatigue syndrome was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for a year at Plymouth Crown Court. 49-year-old Peter Harris suffering from a painful degenerative spinal complaint was jailed for nine months after he pleaded guilty to growing cannabis plants in two bedrooms of his home and supplying some of the flower heads to a friend who also suffered from ailments untreatable by conventional drugs. (Sources: PA News of 8 and 16 April 1999) ****Germany: There is only one pharmacy in Germany -- in Frankfurt -- that is allowed to deliver the active ingredient of cannabis, THC or dronabinol, to patients, the city council of Frankfurt said in reply to an inquiry of the Greens. Until now there are no other pharmacies that have applied to the necessary permission at the responsible authority (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte). (Source: Frankfurter Rundschau of 15 April 1999) 5. THE COMMENT ... on the reactions on the recent Institute of Medicine (U.S.) report: "The report by the Institute of Medicine on medical uses of marijuana provides guidance on a subject that has been politicized beyond both its actual medical promise and its actual law enforcement implications. The report has been spun as a victory by all sides, but its contents are neither a ringing endorsement nor an outright rejection of marijuana's therapeutic qualities." Editorial, Washington Post of 14 April 1999. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 2 May 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Canada: Debate in the House of Commons on medical use of marijuana * Switzerland: Drug commission recommends legalization of Cannabis 1. Canada: Debate in the House of Commons on medical use of marijuana On 14 April the House of Commons debated a motion that recommends the government to "undertake all necessary steps concerning the possible legal use of marijuana for health and medical purposes." MPs will vote on Motion 381, introduced by MP Bernard Bigras (Bloc Québécois), in June. Health Minister Allan Rock (Liberal) said on 3 March he has ordered officials to develop clinical trials for the medical use of marijuana. Bigras said he doubts the sincerity of Rock's announcement. An aide to Bigras estimated that 100 MPs from different parties support Motion 381 in the 301-member House, consisting of the Bloc Québécois Party (42 members), two Independents, the Liberal Party (156), the New Democratic Party (21), the Progressive Conservative Party (19), and the Reform Party (59). MP Pauline Picard (Bloc Québécois): "In our view, at the present time the government is holding hostage thousands of people who are suffering and waiting for a sign of hope." MP Sue Barnes (Liberal): "I have pushed this matter very hard inside my government. (...) I, with others, understand that even now there will not be overnight change; but let us not underestimate the progress made." MP Libby Davies (New Democratic): "In some ways this institution of the House of Commons is sort of far behind public opinion, even where the medical community is. (...) We must make it very clear that we do not want to wait another two or three years for trials to be conducted." MP Diane St-Jacques (Progressive Conservative): "I think it is totally unacceptable that someone who is chronically ill or in the final stages of AIDS is being penalized for medical treatment that many doctors would recommend if they could." (Source: Speeches before the Canadian House of Commons on 14 April 1999, Calgary Herald of 4 March 1999, NORML of 22 April 1999) 2. Switzerland: Drug commission recommends legalisation of Cannabis The 'Eidgenössische Kommission fuer Drogenfragen' (EKDF, Confederate Commission for Drug Issues) proposed an extensive liberalisation of the Cannabis laws. The first of two models provides impunity of procurement for personal use, the second legalisation with licensed trade. "Cannabis is a drug and the commission isn't intending to trivialise it or say that its consumption is without risk (...) but consumption is rising, especially among young people," panel member Anne-Catherine Menetrey said. In the summary of the Cannabis Report, presented on 23 April, it is said: "Different circumstances caused the commission to reach the conclusion that a reappraisal of the state of Cannabis is necessary - as much with regard to its recreational role as to a possible medical use." The medical aspect is only superficially covered in the report: "Based upon international medical scientific literature the establishment of a legal basis for controlled research studies in the area of the therapeutic use of Cannabis in Switzerland is recommended." Cannabis had become a stimulant, used by "a significant part of the population without a sense of injustice." The present drug policy suffered from a "growing loss of credibility." In the first model the commission recommends "impunity of Cannabis use and of the actions of procurement for personal use", as well as an opportunity regulation, that allows the police "to disregard the persecution of retail trade, including on a commercial level, under clearly defined prevailing conditions." In the second proposal "the elaboration of a model with licensed trade (...) is proposed. Such a model would enable legal access to Cannabis, not in the sense of free trade, but with clear regulations." "From a professional point of view" the commission favours the second model, "because it creates clear and enforceable prevailing conditions for the handling of Cannabis." This model would, however, "not be conformable to the international conventions." The 'Eidgenössische Kommission fuer Drogenfragen' is a commission elected by the Upper House of Parliament. Its members are experts from different areas, who are professionally confronted with partial aspects of the drug problem. The committee's recommendations to the Cabinet are part of an ongoing study to revise Switzerland's drug laws. Government ministers already said that the legalisation plan was a health risk. (Sources: Summary of the Cannabis Report of the EKDF for the media seminar of 23 April 1999, AP of 23. April 1999, Tagesanzeiger of 24 April 1999, Basler Zeitung of 24 April 1999) 3. News in brief ***USA: Guidelines take effect next week allowing the state health department of Oregon to register and license medical marijuana patients. Oregon will become the first state to issue ID cards to patients who will be allowed to possess marijuana. On 3 November 1998 voters in Oregon and four other states had approved ballot initiatives exempting patients from criminal penalties when they use marijuana under the supervision of a physician. (Source: NORML of 29 April 1999) ***USA/Canada: The fight to keep a 29-year-old Californian woman from being deported to the U.S. to face marijuana-related charges began on 19 April in British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver. Renee Boje, an advocate of medicinal marijuana, was caught up in Los Angeles in 1997. The U.S. government requests extradition to California, where Boje would face a minimum 10 years in jail if convicted. (Source: Vancouver Province of 20 April 1999) ***Science: People who smoke marijuana every day become more aggressive when they quit. Writing in the journal Psychopharmacology Dr. Elena Kouri and colleagues at Harvard University said they had shown objectively that when people stop smoking marijuana there is a clear withdrawal syndrome. "This syndrome, although less dramatic than the withdrawal syndrome associated with alcohol, opiate or cocaine withdrawal, may contribute to relapse among those dependent on marijuana," Dr. Alan Leshner, head of the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), which funded the study, said. (Source: Reuters of 20 April 1999) ***Australia: One of Australia's top prosecutors would rather see marijuana sold in corner shops than by criminals on the streets. Speaking at the Australasian Conference on Drugs Strategy, South Australian Director of Public Prosecutions Paul Rofe said on 28 April people should consider government-controlled supply and distribution of drugs such as marijuana and heroin, as current attempts to combat the drugs crisis did not work. Prime Minister John Howard criticized Mr Rofe the day after, saying the comments were unhelpful. (Source: AAP of 28 and 29 April 1999) ***Great Britain: The Government is wasting "vast amounts of money" prosecuting people for smoking Cannabis, a Labour MP said on 28 April. Dr Brian Iddon said as well, it was "scandalous" that sick people were not allowed to use it to relieve pain. Dr Iddon is chairman of the House of Commons Drugs Misuse Group. He is supporting a march this weekend organized by campaigners to legalize Cannabis as part of an international "May Day is Jay (joint) Day" event. (Source: PA News of 28 April 1999) 4. THE COMMENT ... to the plans of the Canadian Minister of Health to conduct clinical trials with Cannabis: "It is a useful and good thing to have these clinical trials go ahead as there are things that we need to learn. However, we have enough information now to ask the minister to go ahead with the exemption so that people can get relief, help and support now without having to become criminals. (...) The Minister of Health should be approving applications today for exemptions so that Canadians do not suffer any longer. (...) That is a shame. It is something that does not need to exist if we had the political will and the leadership." MP Libby Davies (Vancouver East, New Democratic Party), Speech before the House of Commons on 14 April 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 16 May 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Science: Cannabis use appears not to affect cognitive functioning * Australia: Calls for treating drugs as a health and social issue * Canada: Ontario Superior Court permits AIDS patient to use marijuana 1. Science: Cannabis use appears not to affect cognitive functioning According to a large-scale U.S. study on the effects of long-term use of cannabis, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the age-related decline of cognitive functioning "does not appear to be associated with cannabis use" (Lyketsos 1999). Constantine Lyketsos and colleagues of John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore conducted a follow-up study of 1,318 persons, divided in heavy users, light users, and nonusers of cannabis. All participants had completed a special test, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), in 1981, 1982, and 1993-1996. The individual score differences between 1982 and 1993-1996 were calculated for each study participant. Within these 12 years the mean score decline was 1.2 points. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a brief and widely used, standardized method for assessing cognitive mental status. It assesses orientation, attention, immediate and short-term recall, language, and the ability to follow simple verbal and written commands. The maximum achievable score is 30. Researchers found a decline in all age groups. There was "no significant differences in cognitive decline between heavy users, light users, and nonusers of cannabis." And there were also no sex differences in these subgroups. This is the first large-scale prospective study to examine the effects of long-term cannabis use on cognitive function. Recent research has given support to the hypothesis that there may be subtle impairment of special "higher cognitive functions, which include the organization and integration of complex information involving various mechanisms of attention and memory processes" (Solowij 1999). But these observations are hampered by the fact that they are based on retrospective studies with single measurements. In a commentary by Martha Clare Morris and colleagues of the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago, the difficulties encountered with the use of single measurements of cognition and the importance of measuring changes are stressed (Morris 1999). On the other hand one may argue, that the MMSE might not be an adequate tool to detect minor cognitive alterations, that are suspected to be caused by cannabis, especially a subtle impairment of functions of the frontal lobe of the brain. (Sources: Lyketsos CG, et al: Am J Epidemiol (1999) 149:794-800; Morris MC, et al: Am J Epidemiol (1999) 149:789-793; Solowij N, in: Kalant H, et al (eds): The Health Effects of Cannabis. Toronto 1999, 195-265) 2. Australia: Calls for treating drugs as a health and social issue The Australian Medical Association (NSW) and the Law Society of New South Wales said on 14 May they wanted to trial making cannabis available for medicinal use, and they call for treating drugs as a health and social issue rather than a criminal issue. Their call comes on the eve of a week-long drug summit to be held from 17-21 May at NSW parliament house. "While reform was risky, efforts to reduce supply and demand have been relatively ineffective," the AMA and Law Society said in a statement. NSW AMA president Peter Thursby said it was easier to buy illicit drugs than enter treatment and rehabilitation programs. The two organizations demand: -- clinical trials in which cannabis was available to people with terminal illnesses, -- the scrapping of criminal penalties for possession and cultivation of small quantities of cannabis, -- trialling of cautions to people found with small amounts of illegal drugs, including ecstasy and heroin, and a review of the efficacy of needle-exchange programs, -- an examination of overseas research on safe injecting rooms, -- a doubling of state government funding for drug treatment and detoxification from $70 million a year, and -- giving prisoners the same treatment as other people. Led by the Nimbin HEMP Embassy, pro-cannabis activists will held a five-day People's Drug Summit at the Domain next to parliament house. They will be calling for the decriminalisation of cannabis for small amounts and the legalization of the drug for medicinal purposes. "We're expecting thousands to come and participate in the People's Drug Summit over the five days," HEMP Embassy spokesman Michael Balderstone said. (Sources: AAP of 12, 13 and 14 May 1999) 3. Canada: Ontario Superior Court permits AIDS patient to use marijuana The Canadian government has indicated that it doesn't intend to appeal an Ontario Superior Court ruling that permits a Toronto AIDS patient to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. However, federal Health Minister Allan Rock says the decision doesn't mean that smoking marijuana has been legalized. The court ruling handed down on 10 May gave 54-year-old Jim Wakeford a constitutional exemption from being prosecuted if he smoked pot to relieve his symptoms. Justice Harry LaForme also ruled that Wakeford would not have to tell the government where he got the marijuana. Wakeford is the second person in Toronto to receive court permission to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. In 1997, a lower court stayed drug possession charges against Terry Parker who said he needed marijuana to treat epilepsy symptoms. The federal government has appealed that decision. (Source: UPI of 12 May 1999) 4. News in brief ***USA: The First National Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics will be held at the University of Iowa on 7 and 8 April 2000. The conference is sponsored by the College of Medicine and the College of Nursing of the University of Iowa, with the assistance of Patients Out of Time. Professional health care participants will be provided current state-of-the-art clinical information about Cannabis as medicine. Contact: Patients@MedicalCannabis.com (Source: Press release of Patients out of Time of 11 May 1999) ***USA: Oregonian people who use marijuana for medicinal purposes will have to pay 150 US-dollars a year for a registration card. The cards exempt medicinal marijuana users and their helpers from state laws against owning and raising marijuana. The fee, approved by the Oregon Health Division, is part of the regulations to implement a law passed by voters in November 1998 allowing seriously ill people to use marijuana. (Source: The Oregonian of 1 May 1999) 5. THE COMMENT ... on the reaction of Barry McCaffrey, White House drug policy director, to the report of the Institute of Medicine of 17 March: "McCaffrey's forcing the medical-marijuana issue downstream to states and communities that have to deal with reality, and not bullshit. (...) He's attempting to stop the conversation, but the conversation is happening all around him. He's making himself more and more irrelevant." Michael Cutler, a Brookline attorney who coordinates the U.S. Voluntary Committee of Lawyers, Boston Phoenix of 6 May 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 30 May 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Canada: House of Commons supports legalization of pot for medical reasons * USA: Government makes marijuana easier to get for research 1. Canada: House of Commons supports legalisation of pot for medical reasons A motion of the Bloc Quebecois Party urging the legalisation of pot for medical reasons passed on 25 May, with a few amendments. The motion calls on the government to "take steps immediately" to develop clinical trials, guidelines for use and a safe supply of marijuana for people who need it for medical reasons. Progressive Conservative critic Peter McKay voiced his party's support, but said Health Minister Allan Rock is moving too slowly. He referred to statements by Vancouver's Compassion Club, which supplies free marijuana to ease the pain of ill clients, saying Rock's pace means "more individuals will continue to suffer until legislation is passed." Rock, who next month will announce details of clinical marijuana trials, said there are benefits to having the pot grown in Canada under the watchful eyes of government bureaucrats. "The advantages might be you'd have a consistent percentage of THC, consistent quality, a level of cleanliness which is consistent," he said. The government is also looking to Britain, where GW Pharmaceuticals is allowed to grow cannabis for research purposes. Health Canada has so far received 26 requests from people who wish to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. (Sources: Toronto Star of 26 and 28 May 1999, AP of 27 May 1999) 2. USA: Government makes marijuana easier to get for research Research with government-grown marijuana is expected to become more common by December 1999 under new guidelines issued by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Under new rules, NIDA, one of the National Institutes of Health, will sell government marijuana to privately funded scientists whose research proposals have been approved. The Department of Health and Human Services said researchers seeking access to the drug must be involved in studies generally following guidelines from the Institute of Medicine report of March 1999. Government marijuana is grown on a small plot of land by the University of Mississippi under a contract with NIDA. Previously, only scientists who had won federal grants had access to that marijuana. And only a few such federal studies have been approved. The new guidelines were created after Cabinet-level discussions among agencies involved in America's war on drugs, including the Department of Health and Human Services, NIH's parent agency, plus the Justice Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The University of Mississippi grows the government-approved marijuana on 1.8 acres at a closely guarded site. A crop is harvested on alternate years. So far that has been more than enough to supply the few approved researchers. If the new guidelines do prompt more research, the agency is prepared to grow more marijuana. The price of this cannabis has not been set, and the drug is not expected to be ready for researchers until December. In a press release of 27 May NIDA asks for "proposals from qualified organisations having the capability to grow, harvest, extract, analyse, store and manufacture marijuana cigarettes, and distribute cannabis, and marijuana cigarettes to NIH grantees and other researchers to support basic and clinical research." Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project said his group is pleased the guidelines will encourage more research, but he said the action will not help patients in pain who need the drug now. "We're very disappointed that they failed to approve single-patient, compassionate use, as the Institute of Medicine had recommended," Thomas said. (Sources: Los Angeles Times of 21 May 1999, AP of 23 May 1999, PR Newswire of 21 and 24 May 1999, NIDA press release of 27 May 1999) 3. News in brief ***Great Britain: Britain's debate on legalising cannabis for medical use was reignited on 20 May, after a record 89 MPs from across the political divide backed a private bill to lift the ban. Labour MP Paul Flynn, whose private bill on legalizing cannabis for use as a medicine is currently before parliament, asked the government to drop its cautious approach and allow sick people to benefit from the "3,000-year-old medicine." (Source: Reuters of 20 May 1999) ***USA: A first ID card for a medical marijuana patient has been issued in Oregon to a multiple sclerosis patient on 21 May. Alaska is expected to begin processing ID cards in June, too. 66 percent of Arizonans support doctors' authority to prescribe marijuana for patients, according to a poll by the Behavior Research Center in Phoenix. Californian B.E. Smith was found guilty on marijuana possession and cultivation despite possessing a doctor's recommendation to use marijuana. A judge ruled that the defendant's medically supervised use of the drug did not protect him from federal prosecution. (Sources: AP of 21 May 1999, The Arizona Republic of 22 May 1999, NORML of 25 May 1999) ***Germany: Conference: "Cannabis - a Plant with Many Facets" 29 September 1999, 3 to 7 p.m., Technical School Munster Organizers: Medical Association of Westphalia-Lippe, akzept, INDRO with: Professor Dr D Kleiber, Berlin: Cannabis Use in Germany - Data and Facts Dr F Nolte, Bremen: Cannabis as a Phenomenon of Youth Culture W Neskovich, Luebeck: About the Misery of Drug Policy - the Right of Intoxication Dr A Breiing, Munster: Cannabis and Alcohol - A Slightly Different View Dr M Schnelle, Berlin: Cannabis as Medicine Information: Dr Wolfgang Schneider, INDRO, e-mail: indro@muenster.net ***Australia: Proposals to adopt the most liberal drug laws in Australia have been passed by the New South Wales Drug Summit. Proposed changes include removing jail terms for possession and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis as well as possession and sale of equipment like bongs. The government will have six weeks to decide if it will accept the 172 resolutions of the 200-plus politicians, experts and health workers who have been attending the week-long summit at parliament house. NSW Premier Bob Carr announced the formation of a top-level cabinet committee to formulate the government's response. (Sources: AAP of 20 and 27 May 1999) ***USA: The medical marijuana provided to patients in cannabis clubs usually contains much more THC than cannabis legally available to researchers and patients from the federal government, according to an analysis of 49 samples sponsored by California NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marihuana Laws) and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). The sample of the NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) contained 3.9 percent THC, nearly all other samples tested over 8 percent, with averages in the range of 12.8 to 15.4 percent THC. (Source: California NORML of 21 May 1999) 4. THE COMMENT ... on the prospects of legal access to medical marijuana in Japan: "We always follow the lead of the United States. I believe that eventually legalization will happen here, but it will be a very slow process. Maybe 100 years." Koichi Maeda, author of "Marijuana Seishun Ryoko" (A Young Man's Marijuana Travels), a book that has sold 75,000 copies in Japan, Daily Yomiuri of 27 May 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 13 June 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Canada: The first two patients got governmental approval to use marijuana -- Research plan for clinical studies and cultivation of cannabis * Science: Elevated endocannabinoids a compensation for a hyperactive dopamine system in schizophrenia? 1. Canada: The first two patients got governmental approval to use marijuana -- Research plan for clinical studies and cultivation of cannabis The federal government has given permission for the cultivation and use of marijuana for medical purposes for the first time in Canadian history to two patients, Jim Wakeford of Toronto and Jean-Charles Pariseau of Vanier, both of whom have AIDS. In a press release of 9 June Health Minister Allan Rock announced that "he has exercised his authority under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and has granted two individuals exemptions for the possession and cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes." He tabled, in the House of Commons, a status report entitled Health Canada's Research Plan for the Use of Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes. The plan includes the possibility to apply for further approvals under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The Department will review each application within 15 working days of receiving all the necessary information. On 6 May Health Canada released an Interim Guidance Document that outlines the information to be provided by applicants seeking an exemption. Rock said he has received 30 applications from individuals wishing to use marijuana for medical purposes. There are three components of the research plan relating to clinical trials: 1. Funds have been committed to The Community Research Initiative of Toronto in association with the Canadian HIV Trials Network to conduct short-term clinical trials in which marijuana is smoked. Health Canada will be working with Canadian researchers to obtain access to research-grade marijuana cigarettes from U.S. National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). 2. The Medical Research Council of Canada will receive funding to sponsor a variety of research activities, including clinical trials pertaining to marijuana, marijuana extracts and related products. Requests for proposals will be posted later in June with research proposals due by September 15. 3. Health Canada is negotiating with GW Pharmaceuticals from the United Kingdom to develop clinical trials using a non-smoked form of marijuana (using an inhalation device). These trials would be undertaken in Canada using the research grade product being developed. In addition to moving forward on the development of clinical trials, Health Canada is developing a business plan for the creation of a government-approved domestic source of supply of research-grade marijuana in Canada. (Sources: Press release of Allan Rock of 9 June 1999, Canadian Press of 9 June 1999, Calgary Sun of 9 June 1999) 2. Science: Elevated endocannabinoids a compensation for a hyperactive dopamine system in schizophrenia? Endocannabinoids may be accumulating in the cerebrospinal fluid of people with schizophrenia. This might explain why many sufferers smoke cannabis. Prevalence of cannabis consumption is higher among schizophrenics than others. Many researchers blame schizophrenia on an overactive dopamine system in the brain. Daniele Piomelli and colleagues at the University of California at Irvine already have demonstrated in rats that anandamide release in dorsal striatum (a brain region) is dramatically stimulated by activation of dopamine receptors (Giuffrida 1999). Now Piomelli's group has examined cerebrospinal fluid from 10 schizophrenic patients, taken for diagnostic purposes at the Medical College of Hanover in Germany. They found that fluid from schizophrenic patients had on average twice as much anandamide and twice as much palmitylethanolamide (PEA) as fluid from normal controls. No difference was observed in the level of oleylethanolamide. Their research has been published in the June issue of NeuroReport (Leweke 1999). One explanation for the higher levels in schizophrenics is that the brain is attempting to compensate for a hyperactive dopamine system. "It's the brain's response to bring this dopamine activity down," says Piomelli. But the brain cannot keep the amount of anandamide high enough to lower dopamine levels, he says. This might also explain why schizophrenics often smoke marijuana. THC and anandamide both bind to the brain cannabinoid receptor (CB1), that shows high densities in regions of the human brain that have been implicated in schizophrenia including prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia and hippocampus. Patients might be treating themselves, Piomelli says. But because cannabis does not act selectively in the brain, he does not consider it a useful treatment for schizophrenia. "I don't think the patient wants to be high," he says. "I think the patient wants to feel better." The role of PEA remains unclear, because it does bind to the CB1-receptor. Pharmacological evidence indicates however that PEA may reduce excitotoxicity in cerebellum. "Our findings, showing elevated PEA levels in schizophrenia, emphasize the need to investigate further the biochemical and pharmacological properties of this putative signalling molecule," the article says. There are some uncertainties in this research concerning the causal association of high levels of the two endocannabinoids and schizophrenia. So, the researchers are now testing cerebrospinal fluid from more patients to see if the correlation still holds true. (Sources: Leweke FW, et al: NeuroReport (1999) 10:1665-1669; Giuffrida A, et al: Nat Neurosci (1999) 2:358-363; Knight J: New Scientist, 29 May 1999) 3. News in brief ***Great Britain: The Government's drug tsar Keith Hellawell told BBC News Online on 4 June that he supports the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. "I support the use of cannabis on medical grounds," he said. "I also have a great deal of sympathy because I've met a lot of people who have got genuine illnesses and feel that this substance can help them." Hellawell said that he does not think cannabis should be available by prescription until more clinical trials are completed. (Source: NORML of 10 June 1999) ***Canada: For two years, the Compassion Club in East Vancouver has been quietly selling marijuana to people with serious diseases. Compassion Club founder Hilary Black said the non-profit society has had no problems with the police. She said the Club is a registered non-profit society with 700 members. Compassion Club members are HIV positive, have AIDS, cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia and other forms of chronic pain. (Source: North Shore News of 24 May 1999) ***USA: Florida's Supreme Court ruled on 3 June that defendants for possession of marijuana might still use the "medical necessity" defence. George Sowell, who has glaucoma, was convicted of possession of marijuana in 1995. He tried to argue in court that he needed the substance to control the disease, but the trial judge refused to allow the defence. On appeal, the First District Court of Appeal overturned the conviction. State Attorney General Bob Butterworth asked the state Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court's decision. But the court "unanimously agreed that the issue deals with 'an extremely narrow principle of law' and therefore doesn't belong in the high court". So Sowell can go back to the trial court and try to prove his use of marijuana was a valid medical necessity. (Source: Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report of 8 June 1999) ***Switzerland: A Swiss court sentenced a hemp grower on 31 May to 16 months in prison for producing 8.5 tons of the dried plant and selling the THC rich material stuffed in cushions. Bernard Rappaz, was found guilty of offences under federal narcotics law. Three other defendants were acquitted. (Source: AP of 31 May 1999) 4. THE COMMENT ... on his plan to encourage clinical trials with cannabis and to allow some patients to use the drug medicinally at once: "The Plan reflects compassion and will also help build the evidence base needed regarding the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes." Allan Rock, Canadian Health Minister, press release of 9 June 1999. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 27 June 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Great Britain: Doctors urge legalising of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use * Science: Cannabis claimed to increase fatal action of anti-depressant medications 1. Great Britain: Doctors urge legalising of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use A group of leading doctors have become the first British medical professionals to call for cannabis to be legalised for recreational use. The doctors of the British Medical Association's Scottish Committee for Public Health Medicine and Community Health argue that classifying cannabis alongside heroin and cocaine gives young people the idea that taking hard drugs is no more dangerous than smoking a joint. The group has tabled a motion for debate at the British Medical Association's annual conference next month in Belfast calling for a change in the law to help curb the spread of hard drugs. Their motion, that the BMA should "support the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use", was put before the BMA's public health conference by the committee earlier this month but was defeated. George Venters, the committee chairman, said: "I think more than half the population would support legalisation if you laid out the evidence." The BMA supports research into the development of cannabinoids for medical use but does not back smoking of the raw drug to relieve pain because it contains too many contaminants. A spokeswoman for the BMA said: "This is only one committee of the BMA. It is not the policy of the BMA as a whole. (...) The Board of Science looked at the issue of recreational use last year and decided that the issue of legalisation was outside their remit." Dr Brian Potter, Scottish secretary of the BMA, said: "What [the committee is] trying to say is that there are other dangerous drugs which are legalised and cause a lot more deaths. Certainly in Scotland, 35 people a day die from tobacco use. Maybe we should be focusing on that rather than putting our energies on cannabis." (Sources: PA News of 21 June 1999, Daily Telegraph of 21 June 1999, The Times of 21 June 1999, The Independent of 22 June 1999) 2. Science: Cannabis claimed to increase fatal action of anti-depressant medications Deaths from a lethal cocktail of cannabis and anti-depressant medication might often be misdiagnosed as youth suicide, an anti-drug forum was told on 19 June in Sydney/Australia. Many deaths linked to the combination might have been misdiagnosed as drug-suicides, Sydney psychophysiologist John Anderson said. "We know (...) that cannabis inhibits a very particular enzyme in the body - cytochrome P450 - which is necessary to metabolise anti-depressants," he said. "If that's not present it's not metabolised (...) the anti-depressant medication cannot be broken down in fact it reverses the metabolism." He cited the example of a young depressed person rightfully receiving anti-depressant medication from a doctor, but failing to mention heavy cannabis use. "The kid takes the anti-depressant exactly as prescribed and uses the cannabis. (...) Some time later the kid's suddenly dead, assumed to have committed suicide because of depression." Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen from nova-Institute, based in Cologne/Germany, said: "There are several cytochrome P450s, which are the most important class of enzymes that metabolise drugs. The non-psychotropic CBD (cannabidiol), which is not a cannabinoid-receptor agonist, seems to inactivate cytochrome P450s. But THC and other CB receptor agonists seem to increase the activity of the microsomal cytochrome P450 oxidative system (pharmacokinetic tolerance). So I have some doubts about the assumption of Dr. Anderson." (Sources: AAP of 19 June 1999, Comment of Dr. Grotenhermen) 3. News in brief ***USA: A Californian arthritis patient and marijuana activist convicted for illegally cultivating the plant, has been ordered to stop promoting pot or face two years in prison. Joe Kidwell, 45, was sentenced on 18 June for illegally cultivating 14 marijuana plants. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Albert Matthews has restricted him from using marijuana anywhere but in his own home. The order also prevents him from speaking publicly on the subject of marijuana use. During his May trial, orthopaedic physician Dr. Fred Hakmet testified that he recommended Kidwell use marijuana for his arthritis and chronic back pain. Since January 1997 state law has permitted the use and cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes with a physician's recommendation. (Source: Santa Monica Our Times of 20 June 1999) ***New Zealand: For the second time in six months, New Zealand's parliamentary health committee recommended the government review its criminal policies regarding marijuana. "In light of the evidence we have heard on the effects of cannabis and the high rate of cannabis use in New Zealand, the effectiveness of the current policy on cannabis requires examination," health committee chair Brian Neeson said. (Source: NORML of 17 June 1999) ***USA: Three groups that supported the successful initiative of 1998 to legalize marijuana for medical use in Washington issued a guide to explain the law to patients, physicians and others. The guide explains who is eligible to use marijuana for medical purposes under the law, what it is used for, how to document doctor recommendations and other issues. (Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer of 24 June 1999) 3. THE COMMENT ... on a recent ruling by the Florida Supreme Court on a medical marijuana issue "If this scenario leaves you a bit dazed and confused, welcome to the bizarre matrix of state and federal laws, rules and policies now guiding a criminal-justice system clumsily trying to cope with issues more properly left to doctors and their patients." Editorial, ("Dazed and confused on medical marijuana"), Miami Herald of 22 June 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 11 July 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * USA: Government eases restrictions on THC capsule Marinol * Germany: Plans to classify cannabis as an unlicensed medicine 1. USA: Government eases restrictions on THC capsule Marinol The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reclassified Marinol from a "Schedule II" drug to the less restrictive "Schedule III" category according to the Controlled Substances Act. This essentially means that instead of being classified with drugs like morphine, Marinol is now classified with more widely used drugs like codeine. Marinol is a registered trade mark of Unimed Pharmaceuticals, containing synthetically manufactured dronabinol (Delta-9-THC), the pharmacologically most relevant and psychoactive ingredient of marijuana. Barry McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the capsule form of Marinol is the "safe and proper way" to make components of marijuana available to the public. "This action will make Marinol, which is scientifically proven to be safe and effective for medical use, more widely available," he said. Geoff Sugerman, a medical marijuana advocate in Oregon, said "Here is more proof that the properties in marijuana really do work as medicine." Oregon along with other states last autumn approved the use of marijuana with a doctor's consent, an action McCaffrey has opposed. Marinol is the only cannabinoid in marijuana that has been developed into a prescription drug. First brought onto the market in 1985, Marinol has been approved to treat anorexia and weight loss associated with AIDS and nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy. With the change in classification, Marinol can now be prescribed by doctors with the possibility of five prescription refills in six months. The change also lessens recordkeeping requirements and eases distribution restrictions on the drug. (Sources: AP of 3 July 1999) 2. Germany: Plans to classify cannabis as an unlicensed medicine This is an interim report about the efforts to develop standardized formulas of cannabis and to classify them as unlicensed medicine. Dr Moeller, a representative of the Federal Health Ministry, and Christa Nickels, Drugs Commissioner of the Government, proposed this action during a meeting on 22 March 1999 with representatives of the so-called Frankfurt Resolution (medical marijuana initiative). It is regarded as the most promising way to make cannabis available for patients in Germany, without waiting for the completion of clinical trials starting soon. In a letter of 29 March the Health Ministry asked the "Deutscher Arzneimittelkodex" (DAC) and the "Neues Rezepturformularium" (NRF) to develop standardized formulas of cannabis. DAC and NRF are institutions of the Federal Association of the German Federations of Druggists ("Bundesverband der Deutschen Apothekerverbände"), that already developed many instructions for the manufacturing of drugs and monographs on drugs, herbal drugs, tinctures, extracts etc. DAC and NRF were asked to contact the Chairman of the Association for Cannabis as Medicine (ACM) in this letter, to use the knowledge of the ACM on cannabis. In a letter of 3 May representatives of DAC and NRF told the ACM that they are willing to cooperate in developing standardized base material and formulas of cannabis. Since then there is a regular contact between representatives of these institutions aiming at solving problems of supply of the raw material, questions of standardization and other tasks. Some agencies that are responsible for the regulations on narcotic drugs and medicaments in Germany will be involved in this issue. No prognostication on success and time horizon can be made. The development and official publication of one or more cannabis formulas may require one year or more. Than the responsible political institutions have to reschedule cannabis in the German Narcotics Act. The attitude of these institutions cannot be predicted clearly now. This uncertainty is one of the major reasons why the ACM together with physicians and patients will continue to prepare a trial before the Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) against the prohibition of a medical use of natural cannabis. (Source: ACM) 3. ***Great Britain: At their annual conference on 7 July the British Medical Association (BMA) narrowly defeated a call for them to support the legalization of cannabis for medical use. And they voted overwhelmingly against a motion asking them to back calls for the drug to be decriminalised for recreational use. The motion on medical use, tabled by the Scottish Regional Public Health Committee, failed by just nine votes after a heated debate on the benefits of the drug. Dr Stephen Kisely, who proposed the motion, said: "The legal effects of cannabis are far worse than the medical and psychological effects. (...) The BMA should stand up and act to help its patients. Making them criminals does not help them." (Source: PA News of 7 July 1999) ***USA: A state-wide registry of medical marijuana patients is proposed by the Medical Marijuana Task Force of California, comprised of police officers, medical marijuana advocates and doctors, appointed by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer. The task force's recommendations are aimed at making Proposition 215, California's medical marijuana law, work consistently throughout the state. State Senator John Vasconcellos is expected to introduce a state Assembly bill this month to establish the state-wide registry. Currently, the chances of a patient being arrested and prosecuted for using medical marijuana depends on where the patient lives. (Source: Los Angeles Times of 5 July) ***Great Britain: A grandfather walked free from the Old Bailey on 9 July after a judge accepted he put cannabis in his tea to alleviate his crippling rheumatism. James, 65, used herbal cannabis to help pains shooting through his arms and legs. The court heard police raided his home in Lewisham, south London in May last year and found nearly 300 grams of herbal cannabis. James admitted simple possession of the drug. He was given a three year conditional discharge by the judge. (Source: PA News of 9 July 1999) 4. THE COMMENT ... on the claim of an Australian Dr Anderson, that cannabis may increase the fatal action of anti-depressant medications, spread by the Australian Associated Press of 19 June "I was astonished to read the comments of Dr John Anderson reported in the ACM Bulletin yesterday. I agree with the interpretation of Dr Grotenhermen that the claims of Dr Anderson concerning metabolic interactions between cannabinoids and antidepressants have no basis in fact, or in pharmacological theory. I am also concerned that Dr Anderson has recently made other unfounded and erroneous claims about the health effects of cannabis. I am aware that Dr Anderson was awarded a PhD from The University of Sydney in 1998 for a thesis unrelated to any area of pharmacology or any aspect of cannabis. To my knowledge, Dr Anderson has only ever contributed to two professional publications on work related to his thesis topic and has not published any evidence based work on cannabis. I do not believe he has ever conducted original research on cannabis. I am not aware that he has any qualifications or expertise as a pharmacologist. I am deeply concerned that his claims about cannabis posted on the ACM Bulletin and publicised elsewhere are not founded on any scientific evidence but are merely hearsay." MacDonald J Christie PhD, Head of Department, Department of Pharmacology, The University of Sydney; personal communication of 28 June 1999. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 25 July 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Great Britain: Acquittal for a man who supplied cannabis to the ill * Canada: Addiction expert backs medical use of marijuana 1. Great Britain: Acquittal for a man who supplied cannabis to the ill A man who set up a co-operative to supply cannabis to the ill was cleared by a jury on 22 July in the first case of its kind in the UK. Colin Davies, 42, started growing cannabis after suffering severe spinal injuries in a fall. He admitted growing and using cannabis to relieve pain. A jury at Manchester Crown Court acquitted him on four charges of cultivating and possessing the drug with intent to supply. The court had heard that Mr Davies formed the Medical Marijuana Co-operative with the aim of helping sufferers of serious and terminal illnesses. He turned to the use of cannabis three years ago after side-effects from conventional drugs he was taking for his own injuries left him "devastated". It was the first prosecution in a British court for the supply of the drug for medical reasons, although other people have been acquitted for possession on the grounds of illness. There was cheering and applause, with shouts of "Thank you" and "God bless you", in court as the jury returned its unanimous verdict at the end of a four-day trial. Labour MP Paul Flynn, said it was a "ground-breaking decision." "It shows the common-sense of the jury in overcoming an outdated law. What we are doing at the moment is unfair and cruel - putting the fear of imprisonment into people who are committing no greater crime than taking medicine of their choice for their ailment." The British Medical Association has urged the courts and the police to be aware of clinical trials currently under way while considering prosecutions. A spokeswoman said after the verdict: "We are in favour of research being carried out into the benefits of the drug to relieve pain. In the meantime we asked the courts to look at them with understanding and compassion." A Home Office spokesman said the Government would only consider changing the law if cannabis preparations go through clinical trials. Clare Hodges, 42, a mother-of-two from Leeds, founder of the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics, said "For people to say that more research is needed is a cop-out. We know more about the beneficial effects of cannabis than the drugs that you get on prescription." Ms Hodges estimated that 10,000 people in Britain with serious illnesses were regularly using cannabis to relieve symptoms. (Sources: PA News of 21 and 22 July 1999) 2. Canada: Addiction expert backs medical use of marijuana The founding president of the International Society for Addiction Medicine, Dr Nady el Guebaly, is backing federal Health Minister Allan Rock's move to legalize the medical use of marijuana. The medical director of Foothills Hospital's addiction centre supports the limited use of marijuana for treating nausea associated with chemotherapy and as an appetite stimulant for people suffering from AIDS. But el Guebaly stressed marijuana should only be used on a short-term basis under medically controlled conditions where other therapies have failed and under the supervision of a review board. The federal government last month allowed individuals to apply for exemption from prosecution for possessing or cultivating marijuana. Rock announced he had granted special exemptions from federal drug law to two Ontario men with AIDS. Another 40 to 50 people have since applied for exemption, said a Health Canada spokesman. (Source: Calgary Herald of 20 July 1999) 3. News in brief ***Great Britain: A bid to allow cannabis to be prescribed as a medicine was blocked by the Government in the Commons on 23 July without debate or a vote. 182 MPs have backed this Bill from Labour MP Paul Flynn. On 21 July the Prime Minister already dismissed Flynn's plea for a law change. He asked Mr Blair at question time if he felt patients who suffered from multiple sclerosis, the side-effects of chemotherapy or from other chronic pain should be prosecuted and jailed for using medicinal cannabis. Mr Blair replied: "The same regime applies to those people as to any others. Of course, penalties are a matter for the courts. They will take into account, no doubt, all the circumstances surrounding that." (Sources: PA News of 21 and 23 July 1999) ***Germany: The annual meeting of the Association for Cannabis as Medicine will be held in Reutlingen near Stuttgart on 9 October. The evening will be open to non-members with talks on cannabis and the cannabinoids by Dr Peter Hess, Dr Martin Schnelle, Dr Franjo Grotenhermen and patients who use cannabis to treat symptoms of their disease. The CannaBusiness 1999 will be held in Hennef near Cologne from 17 to 19 September. On 18 September there will be talks on cannabis as recreational drug and as medicine by Chris Conrad, Sebastian Glathe, Franjo Grotenhermen and others. The annual Hemp Parade in Berlin will take place on 28 August. Start at 2 pm at Alexanderplatz, manifestation at 4 pm in front of the Brandenburger Tor. The Hemp Festival of Hamburg will take place on 31 July. Start at 2 pm at Fischmarkt, manifestation at 4 pm at Schanzenpark. 4. THE COMMENT ... on the acquittal of Colin Davis by a British court: "This means freedom. (...) The politicians should please, please listen to what has been said. They should help us to help ourselves." Andrew Caldwell, 51, wheelchair-bound multiple sclerosis sufferer, who received cannabis from Mr Davies (PA News of 22 July 1999) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 8 August 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Science: Kind of penalty has low effect on cannabis use -- Negative impact of criminalisation 1. Science: Kind of penalty has low effect on cannabis use -- Negative impact of criminalisation Ninety per cent of cannabis users continue to use the drug irrespective of the penalty they received for a minor offence, a new Australian study has found. The National Centre for Research into the Prevention of Drug Abuse study also found that those given criminal convictions for minor offences, as opposed to infringement notices, were more likely to suffer at work and in relationships and were sometimes forced to move home. The study compared 68 cannabis users in South Australia issued with cannabis expiation notices to 68 West Australian users who received criminal convictions for minor offences. Researcher Simon Lenton said a key finding of the survey was that about 90 per cent from both groups said they had not reduced their use of the drug, despite the different penalties. "There's not a lot of evidence that the law is deterring cannabis use," he said. "(...) deterrence is most likely to work where the chance of being caught, or apprehended, is quite high. Our work shows that the chances of being actually busted for a cannabis offence are pretty low, probably less than about one per cent per year." "The other thing is that where the law is seen as being unjust or not appropriate that doesn't work too well for deterrence either." Comparisons of the South Australian and West Australian users showed that WA's criminal convictions system had a far greater negative impact on the lives of cannabis offenders. A third of the WA group, compared to two per cent of the SA group, said they had been sacked, did not get a job, or stopped applying for jobs because of their conviction. A fifth of the WA group, compared to a twentieth of the SA group, said they had suffered a relationship problem, and, 16 per cent of the WA group said that they had been forced to move house or lost accommodation because of their conviction. Mr Lenton said while most attention focused on health problems associated with cannabis "we also need to look at what the effects are of the legal system which we set-up to deal with cannabis use". (Source: Australian Associated Press of 3 August 1999) 2. News in brief ***USA: A federal judge on 6 August gave the longest possible prison sentence for the offence to a Vietnam veteran who had claimed that his marijuana crop was legal under California state law. U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell sentenced 52-year-old B.E. Smith to 27 months in federal prison, the first such sentence since California voters passed the "Compassionate Use Act" legalising medical uses of marijuana in 1996. Smith, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving two tours of duty in Vietnam, obtained a prescription for medical marijuana. He subsequently established himself as a "caregiver" to nine other patients, which under the state measure would allow him to cultivate cannabis plants. Smith's lawyers said they would appeal Smith's conviction. (Source: Reuters of 6 August 1999) ***Science: A new swab test based on DNA science can tell if people have handled cannabis, but it is so sensitive that there are fears that innocent people could be incriminated, the New Scientist said on 4 August. Researchers had identified DNA sequences within the part of the plant cell responsible for photosynthesis -- the chloroplast -- which are specific to Cannabis sativa. Chris Evans, of Surescreen Diagnostics which markets drug testing kits, said the very sensitive test could easily trap the innocent. "If you have been driving a second-hand car and a previous owner has been using cannabis, you could get enough on your hands to test positive." Banknotes could also carry trace amounts of the drug. Adrian Linacre, one of the inventors, said he had calibrated the test so that only relatively large quantities of DNA gave positive results. (Sources: New Scientist of 8 August 1999 (http://www.newscientist.com/), Reuters of 4 August 1999) ***Italy: According to the highest Italian court the consumption of cannabis in a group is not liable to prosecution. Purchase of a little amount of marijuana for a shared joint is no drug trafficking, the judges argued. A soldier of the Italian air force had been detected in using hashish together with comrades. A judge in Ferrara convicted him to 80 days of imprisonment and a fine. The highest judges in Rome suspended the sentence and ordered a new trial. Thereby, it had to be clarified if there was a kind of tacit agreement between the cannabis smokers. (Source: dpa of 28 July 1999) 3. THE COMMENT ... on his continued use of cannabis to treat his crippling arthritis: "Sending me to prison has only made me more determined fight for a change in the law. It is all about human rights and my quality of life. When you are in a lot of pain and you know there is something that is going to help then you have not got much choice." Eric Mann, sentenced to 12 months in prison by a British court in February 1999 and released after serving four months of his sentence (PA News of 30 July 1999) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 22 August 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * USA: Nevada Pharmacy Board wants study on marijuana ballot question * Great Britain: Party leader and two leading Scottish church officials call for a debate on drug laws 1. USA: Nevada Pharmacy Board wants study on marijuana ballot question The Nevada Pharmacy Board wants the state to determine how marijuana will be obtained and distributed to medical patients if a ballot question wins voter approval next year. Keith Macdonald, executive secretary of the Board of Pharmacy, will ask the Board of Medical Examiners at an August 28 meeting to conduct a marijuana study. He says the answers are needed before hundreds of people seek permission to use the drug for medical purposes. Last November, voters approved Question 9, which would allow doctors to recommend marijuana to patients with medical problems. Under the Nevada Constitution, the question must be approved twice before it becomes law. Last year, 59 percent of voters backed medical marijuana. In November 2000 election voters will decide again. Macdonald is opposed to the marijuana initiative. "We need to decide who is going to get it and how it is going to be contained so we don't get in a mess like in our sister state to the West," Macdonald said. "Our intent is to get an appropriate method for obtaining, distributing and containing the use of marijuana." Macdonald said the state should undertake a research project to determine valid uses for marijuana. He also suggested the Agriculture Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, should grow marijuana used by medical patients. (Source: Associated Press of 20 August 1999) 2. Great Britain: Party leader and two leading Scottish church officials call for a debate on drug laws A debate about legalizing cannabis in Britain is escalating after a second leading Scottish church official called for decriminalisation of the drug on 19 August. Donald Macleod, a leading theologian at the Free Church of Scotland, backed earlier calls by the leader of Britain's Liberal Democratic Party and the head of Scotland's Episcopal Church for Britain to re-examine its anti-drug laws. "I do not think that the evidence in the public domain about the effects of cannabis right now justifies locking people up for possessing it," Macleod, a minister and professor at the Free Church University in Edinburgh, said. "I haven't seen any evidence that cannabis is any more dangerous than alcohol or cigarettes," he added. Macleod's comments came only days after Bishop Richard Holloway, head of the Scottish Episcopal Church, said he once tried cannabis and thought young people should be taught how to use it responsibly. The same week, Charles Kennedy, the new leader of Britain's third party, said the prohibition of cannabis use should be reconsidered. The government should appoint a royal commission to investigate the benefits of decriminalizing soft drugs. Macleod said he had never tried cannabis, or even cigarettes. But he added that the anti-drugs war had failed. Asked why so many church leaders were speaking out on the issue, Macleod said: "It's our job to speak out for those who can't. And we see too many young people whose lives are ruined by these laws." "Criminals have no interest in drugs as such. They're interested only in profits," said Mr Macleod. "Destroy these and the pushers will melt away. That will not necessarily end addiction. We still have alcoholics despite liquor being legal. What we don't have is a drinks industry controlled by criminals. (Sources: Reuters of 19 August 1999, PA News of 16 and 19 August 1999) 3. News in brief ***USA: The medical marijuana trial of Steve and Michele Kubby was postponed until February 15 of next year on 10 August after medical complications with her current pregnancy made it impossible for Michele Kubby to adequately participate in her own defence. A task force stormed the Kubbys' home in Olympic Valley (California) last January. It arrested Steve and Michele Kubby and confiscated most of their valuables. Both Kubbys were medical cannabis patients who had written authorization to use the substance from their doctors in accordance with the Californian law. Extensive examinations of Steve Kubby at the University of Southern California under the supervision of Dr. Vincent DeQuattro conclusively prove that marijuana has kept Steve Kubby alive despite his rare malignant pheochromocytoma, a usually fatal cancer. (Source: U.S. Newswire of 10 August 1999) ***Australia: A New South Wales government's trial of a cautioning system, due to start next year, will give people caught with less than 15 grams two cautions by police - rather than the threat of prosecution. (Source: AAP of 18 August 1999) 4. THE COMMENT ... on the call of UK Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy for a wider debate on the decriminalisation of cannabis: "Charles Kennedy is right. It is time for adults to start being adult about the fact that millions of Britain's young people smoke cannabis. (...) We should examine the case for bringing the law more in line with reality." Editorial, The Scotsman, cited according to Reuters of 19 August 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACM-Bulletin of 5 September 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * The Netherlands: - Study with cannabis in MS patients - Installation of a cannabis agency for research purposes * Switzerland: Five variants for a new law on drugs under discussion 1. The Netherlands: - Study with cannabis in MS patients - Installation of a cannabis agency for research purposes A Dutch teaching hospital said on 2 September it would shortly start a study on the usefulness of cannabis to help multiple sclerosis (MS) sufferers. "There are indications cannabis products can contribute to the alleviation of complaints and symptoms which can occur with patients suffering from MS," the Free University hospital said in a statement. MS is a chronic and often painful degenerative disease of the central nervous system whose symptoms range from fatigue to loss of motor skills, impaired vision and paralysis. Although some five percent of MS patients regularly use cannabis, there has hardly been any medical research on its effectiveness, the hospital said. The study will compare the safety, tolerance, and efficiency of two cannabis products in capsules against placebos on 16 MS sufferers over 20 weeks. Results are not likely to be published before next year. The government has installed the Dutch National Cannabis Agency to regulate the cultivation and handling of cannabis for research purposes. The agency shall insure the use of cannabis in compliance with international treaties. (Source: Reuters of 2 September 1999, personal communications) 2. Switzerland: Five variants for a new law on drugs under discussion On 25 August the "Bundesrat" (Upper House of Parliament) has proposed five variants for the revision of the narcotics act to be discussed until 31 December 1999. It aims at an uniform legal regulation of the drug issue in the cantons. It is expected that the Bundesrat will submit its final proposal to the councils of the cantons in the second half of the year 2000. The Bundesrat wants to exempt the use of drugs from punishment, at least the use of cannabis. The cultivation of hemp (cannabis) shall be liberalized as well. The first of the proposed five variants intends to legalize the use of all drugs and the preparatory activities for the use. The second variant intends exemption from punishment for the use of cannabis, only. A "principle of opportunity" corresponding to the Dutch model should be applied to the consumption and preparatory activities of all other drugs. Therewith the principle of opportunity in effect would be expanded considerably. Criminal activities, for example the use of cannabis, can be let unpunished under certain circumstances, named in the narcotics act, already today. The respective decision depends exclusively on the courts. It is new that the Bundesrat shall regulate under which conditions the authorities of the cantons can renounce to exercise criminal procedures. The two proposals of the Bundesrat are completed by three variants of the Commission for Social Security and Health of the National Council. This commission proposes different grades of liberalization. According to the main variant the use and possession of all drugs for personal use would be free from punishment. (Sources: Basler Zeitung of 25 August 1999, Neue Züricher Zeitung of 26 August 1999) 3. ***USA: The