NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- September 22, 2005

[IndianaToker]

Weekly Press Release
Source: NORML

DEA Postpones Legal Challenge To NIDA's Pot Monopoly September 22, 2005 - Washington, DC, USA

Washington, DC: Administrative hearings challenging the US National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) exclusive control of the production and distribution of cannabis for clinical research have been postponed until mid-December. The hearings, which began in August and were scheduled to resume this coming Monday, will now take place the week of December 12, 2005.

Lawyers for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who were to begin presenting their expert witnesses next week, requested the postponement. Witnesses for the respondents - the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Lyle Craker, director of the UMass-Amherst Medicinal Plant Program - previously testified in August.

At issue in the case is whether the DEA properly rejected an application from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to manufacture cannabis for FDA-approved research. The DEA waited more than three years before officially denying the University's request, stating that the establishment of such a facility "would not be consistent with the public interest." Respondents in the case are challenging the DEA's denial, arguing that a private production facility is in the public interest (as defined by the US Controlled Substances Act) because it would encourage competition in the marketplace and promote technological and scientific advancement in the field of medicine.

"This lawsuit is really our last hope for trying to take marijuana - whether it's smoked or vaporized - through the FDA regulatory system," MAPS Executive Director Rick Doblin said.

Earlier this week, Massachusetts Reps. John Olver (D) and Michael Capuano (D), along with several additional members of Congress, sent a formal letter to DEA Administrator Karen Tandy urging the agency to allow for a private production facility for research-grade cannabis. "At present, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has an unjustifiable monopoly on the production of marijuana for legitimate medical and research purposes in the United States," the letter said.

For more information, please contact either NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: (202) 483-5500. Additional background regarding MAPS' administrative law challenge is available online at: http://www.maps.org

DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6678




Cannabinoids May Offer Role In Treating Inflammatory Diseases, Study Says

September 22, 2005 - Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan: Cannabinoids may play a role in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and allergic asthma, according to a review published in the September issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology.

A research team from Tokyo's National Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Immunology, wrote, "Current studies suggest that cannabinoids may prove to be useful alternatives ... in treating a variety of human inflammatory disorders" because they modulate both the function and secretion of cytokines (regulatory proteins that are released by immune cells and are responsible for an immune response).

In particular, authors note that cannabinoids may play a role in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and allergic asthma.

A 2003 study published in the journal Brain found that "cannabis may ... slow down the neurodegenerative processes that ultimately lead to chronic disability in multiple sclerosis and probably other [inflammatory] diseases."

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Cannabinoids and the immune system: Potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases?" is available in the September issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology.

DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6680




Patients With Sickle Cell Disease Find Relief From Cannabis, Study Says

September 22, 2005 - London, United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom: More than one third of patients suffering from sickle cell disease (SCD) report using cannabis to obtain therapeutic relief, and more than half would be willing to participate in clinical trials of the drug's efficacy, according to the results of an anonymous questionnaire study to be published in the October issue of the British Journal of Haematology.

Eighty-six hospitalized patients with SCD participated in the survey. Thirty-six percent of respondents reported having used cannabis in the past 12 months to relieve symptoms associated with the disease. Of these, 52 percent said that they had used cannabis to reduce pain, and 39 percent reported that it mitigated their anxiety and feelings of depression.

The majority of patients (58 percent) expressed their willingness to participate in clinical trials of cannabis as a medicine.

"We conclude that research in the use of cannabinoids for pain relief in SCD would be both important and acceptable to adult patients," authors concluded.

Sickle cell disease is a chronic condition that targets the body's red blood cells and is characterized by episodic pain in the joints, fever, leg ulcers, and jaundice, among other symptoms. In the United States, SCD affects about one in 650 African Americans and about half as many Latin Americans.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Cannabis use in sickle cell disease: a questionnaire study," will appear in the October issue of the British Journal of Haematology.

DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6679

Source: NORML Foundation (DC)
Published: September 22, 2005
Copyright: 2005 NORML
Contact: norml@norml.org
Website: http://www.norml.org/
Link to article: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread21133.shtml