* Germany: First patients receive cannabis herb from the
pharmacy
* USA: Change in federal medical cannabis policy expected
* Canada: Supreme Court of British Columbia rules that medical
cannabis program is unconstitutional
* Science: Cannabis use by adolescents decreased in recent years
1.
Germany: First patients receive cannabis herb from the pharmacy
On 7 February the first patient received cannabis herb as
medicine from her pharmacy. So far seven patients got such a
permission by the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and
Medical Products (BfArM) of the Federal Ministry of Health and
these days receive their medication for the first time, cannabis
from the Netherlands, which is also available in Dutch
pharmacies.This was confirmed by the head of the Federal Opium
Office at the BfArM, Dr. Winfried Kleinert, in Bonn. So far,
further 27 patients got a permission to use a cannabis extract
produced from this cannabis.
The seven patients suffer from chronic pain, multiple sclerosis,
Tourette syndrome and other severe diseases. Patients have to
pay about 15 Euros (about 19 US Dollars) for one gram of
cannabis with a dronabinol content of 18 per cent, about two fold
the price Dutch patients have to pay in their pharmacies.
Currently the application process is rather complex since
physicians have to elaborate an extended statement, which
substantiates the necessity of a treatment with cannabis. In a
recent expert opinion Dr. Lorenz Boellinger, professor of law at
the University of Bremen, and Dr. Harald Hans Koerner, senior
public prosecutor from Frankfurt and well-known commentator of
the German narcotics law, argue that the application procedure
should be facilitated to do justice to the interests of patients to an
adequate alleviation of their conditions.
More at (in German):
http://www.aachener- zeitung.de/sixcms/detail.php?template=az_druckversion&id=80982
9&_wo=Lokales:Euregio
The expert opinion is available at:
http://www.cannabis-med.org/german/g...en_boe-koe.pdf
(Sources: personal communications, expert opinion by Prof.
Boellinger and Dr. Harald Hans Koerner, dpa of 14 February
2009)
2.
USA: Change in federal medical cannabis policy expected
It is expected that the federal policy is about to change when it
comes to medical cannabis. "The president believes that federal
resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he
continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the
federal government, he expects them to review their policies with
that in mind," said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro,
repeating past statements.
On 6 February officials of the Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) in Washington declined to comment at all on the subject.
In California the previous week, DEA agents raided four cannabis
dispensaries in Los Angeles. "I think the basic concept of using
medical marijuana for the same purposes and with the same
controls as other drugs prescribed by doctors, I think that's
entirely appropriate," Obama told journalists in March 2008. At
another occasion he said: "I would not have the Justice
department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users." The
new president is unlikely to make any official change in policy
before he has a new DEA chief and drug commissioner in place.
Yet experts believe it is already clear the Obama administration
will change the strategy.
More at:
-
News from The Associated Press
RIJUANA?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=
news_generic.htm
-
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...05/dea-led-by-
bush-continues-pot-raids/
(Source: Associated Press of 7 February 2009)
3.
Canada: Supreme Court of British Columbia rules that medical
cannabis program is unconstitutional
A Supreme Court justice of British Columbia has endorsed a
recent federal court decision saying the national cannabis program
is unconstitutional. Justice Marvyn Koenigsberg gave the federal
government a year to fix the medical-cannabis access regulations
so that cannabis clubs or producers can get together and run a
common cannabis-growing operation.
At the moment, the federal government restricts any licensed
grower to supplying only one licensed user and prohibits more
than three growers from pooling resources. Both those restrictions
are unconstitutional, Koenigsberg said. The ruling was made in the
case of Mathew Beren of Victoria, who was found guilty of
illegally trafficking and producing cannabis. But the judge gave
him an absolute discharge and showed sympathy for his action.
The lawyers of Mr. Beren argued he should not be convicted
because he was providing a needed service, as the marijuana
regulations erected an unreasonable barrier to patients' access to
needed medication.
More at:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/cou...edical+marijua
na+program+unconstitutional/1245136/story.html
(Source: Vancouver Sun of 2 February 2009)
4.
Science: Cannabis use by adolescents decreased in recent years
Cannabis use appears to have decreased among most European
and North American adolescents from 2002 to 2006, researchers
in Switzerland said. Emmanuel Kuntsche of the Swiss Institute for
the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems in Lausanne,
Switzerland, and colleagues analysed data from 93,297 15-year-
old students who participated in the Health Behavior in School-
Aged Children study.
Study participants from 31 countries - mostly in Europe and North
America - were surveyed in 2002 and again in 2006 about
cannabis use and the number of evenings per week they usually
spend out with their friends, among other topics. The study found
cannabis use decreased in most countries, with the most
significant declines in England, Portugal, Switzerland, Slovenia and
Canada. Increases were observed in Estonia, Lithuania, and
Malta and among girls in Russia. "The more frequently
adolescents reported going out with their friends in the evenings,
the more likely they were to report using cannabis, or marijuana,"
the study authors said in a statement.
More at:
-
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med -- Sign In Page
-
Latest Headlines, Top News, Entertainment, Health, Science and Sports News - UPI
ong_teens_down/UPI-25191233687552/
(Sources: UPI of 3 February 2009; Kuntsche E, Simons-Morton
B, Fotiou A, ter Bogt T, Kokkevi A; Health Behavior in School-
Aged Children Study. Decrease in adolescent cannabis use from
2002 to 2006 and links to evenings out with friends in 31 European
and North American countries and regions. Arch Pediatr Adolesc
Med 2009;163(2):119-25)
5.
News in brief
***Science: Colitis
Researchers at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany,
studied the effects of the endocannabinoid anandamide in
experimental colitis induced by a chemical in mice. Anandamide
significantly reduced inflammation. (Source: Engel MA, et al. J
Physiol Pharmacol 2008;59(4):673-89.)
***Science: Testicular cancer
According to an epidemiological study by the Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center in Seattle, USA, with 369 men, who
where diagnosed with testicular cancer, cannabis users were at
an increased risk. Current cannabis users had an increased risk of
1.7 to develop this rather rare cancer compared to non-users.
Early onset of use and frequent use increased the risk. Authors
noted that additional studies will be needed to confirm the
observation. (Source: Daling JR, et al. Cancer. 2009 Feb 9.
[Electronic publication ahead of print])
***Science: Brain morphology
According to a study at the University of Goettingen, Germany,
there were no differences in brain morphology between patients
with psychosis, who used cannabis, and patients without drug use.
Patients with cannabis use presented with an earlier onset of
psychosis, which could not be explained by brain abnormalities.
(Source: Wobrock T, et al. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci.
2009 Feb 4. [Electronic publication ahead of print])
***Science: Thyroid cancer
According to cell experiments a synthetic derivative of the
endocannabinoid anandamide inhibited growth of cell lines derived
from thyroid carcinomas by inducing programmed cell death. This
effect was associated with the CB1 receptor. (Source: Cozzolino
R, et al. Invest New Drugs. 2009 Feb 3. [Electronic publication
ahead of print])
***Science: Liver cirrhosis
The cannabinoid receptor antagonist Rimonabant significantly
delayed the development of ascites in rats with liver cirrhosis,
according to research at the University of Bologna, Italy. (Source:
Croci T, et al. Gastroenterology. 2009 Jan 14. [Electronic
publication ahead of print])
***Science: Injury risk
A study at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, with 486
patients who were treated for different injuries showed that
alcohol use in the six hours prior to injury was associated with a
three-fold increased injury risk (relative risk: 3.0), while the use of
cannabis reduced injury risk (relative risk: 0.33). However, the
sample size for people who had used cannabis was small.
(Source: Gmel G, et al. BMC Public Health 2009;9(1):40.)
6.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Finland: Health ministry plans to publish guidelines for the
medical use of cannabis
- USA: The second largest American association of physicians
calls for reclassification of cannabis and protection of patients
who use the drug according to state laws
TWO YEARS AGO:
- Science: Cannabis effective in nerve pain associated with HIV
- USA: An administrative court recommends to the DEA to allow
a Massachusetts professor to grow cannabis
(More at the IACM-Bulletin archives:
http://www.cannabis- med.org/)
International Association for Cannabis as Medicine (IACM)
Am Mildenweg 6
D-59602 Ruethen
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)2952-9708571
Fax: +49 (0)2952-902651
Email:
info@cannabis-med.org http://www.cannabis-med.org 
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