IACM Bulletin 1/31/10 / Cannabinoids/Cancer Pain, Survey, Research Discouraged in US

[Sequoiacrone]

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IACM-Bulletin of 31 January 2010
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A new Article of the Month entitled "Cannabinoids in cancer pain"
by Franjo Grotenhermen from the nova-Institut in Huerth
(Germany), has been published in the IACM online journal
CANNABINOIDS on 23 January.
http://www cannabis-med.org
=> English => Journal => CANNABINOIDS

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One day left to fill in the survey on modes of delivery:
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* USA/Science: Research into the medical benefits of cannabis is
discouraged

1.

USA/Science: Research into the medical benefits of cannabis is
discouraged

According to an article in the New York Times the federal
government discourages research into the medicinal uses of
inhaled cannabis. The University of Mississippi has the only
federally approved cannabis plantation. If they wish to investigate
cannabis, researchers must apply to the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA) to use the Mississippi cannabis and must get
approvals from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But federal officials
have repeatedly failed to act on cannabis research requests in a
timely manner or have denied them, according to a 2007 ruling by
an administrative law judge at the DEA.

"As the National Institute on Drug Abuse, our focus is primarily
on the negative consequences of marijuana use," said Shirley
Simson, a spokeswoman for the institute. "We generally do not
fund research focused on the potential beneficial medical effects
of marijuana." The drug agency DEA told the New York Times it
was just following NIDA's lead. "D.E.A. has never denied a
research registration for marijuana and/or THC if NIDA
approved the protocols for that individual entity," a spokesman of
the authority wrote.

More at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/he...9marijuana.htm
l

(Source: New York Times of 18 January 2010)

2.

News in brief

***Germany: State of approvals
On 25 January the Federal Ministry of Health reported to the
Health Committee of the German Bundestag (federal parliament)
on the state of the approval processes for dronabinol and Sativex
in Germany. The company Bionorica has filed an application for
approval of a dronabinol-containing medicinal drug. Target
indications are weight loss, nausea and vomiting in AIDS, cancer
and cancer chemotherapy patients. The report also says that a
successful completion of the application procedure for the
cannabis extract Sativex by the British company GW
Pharmaceuticals would likely result in speedy reclassification of
this medicinal product under the German narcotics law. (Source:
Report of the Federal Health Ministry of 25 January 2010)

***USA: New Jersey
Governor Jon Corzine has signed the legislation allowing the
medical use of cannabis. Thus, New Jersey is the 14th state of
the USA to allow patients with diseases such as cancer, AIDS,
glaucoma and multiple sclerosis to use cannabis to alleviate their
pain and other symptoms. (Source: Associated Press of 19
January 2010)

***USA: California
The Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance on 26
January that will close roughly 80 percent of the nearly 1,000
medical cannabis dispensaries in the city. Los Angeles has more
of the outlets than any other city in the states that allow the use of
cannabis for medical purposes. The measure would impose
stringent rules on the location of the dispensaries - essentially
moving them to industrial zones - and restrict their hours. (Source:
New York Times of 26 January 2010)

***USA: California
The California Supreme Court on 21 January rejected limits on
medical cannabis imposed by state lawmakers, finding that people
with prescriptions for cannabis can have and grow all they need
for personal use. The high court ruled lawmakers improperly
"amended" the voter-approved law that decriminalized possession
of cannabis for "seriously ill Californians" with a doctor's
prescription by limiting patients to eight ounces (227 grams) of
dried cannabis and six mature or 12 immature plants. The
Californian law of 1996 set no limits on how much cannabis
patients could possess or grow, stating only that it be for personal
use. (Source: Reuters of 21 January 2010)

***Denmark: Coffee shops in Copenhagen?
The Copenhagen City Council plans to set up shops selling
cannabis as a way to remove the market from the control of
criminal gangs. However, it is not likely that the plan will get
support in parliament, where the issue has to be decided. (Source:
Copenhagen Post of 15 January 2010)

***Science: Obesity
According to research at the Scripps Research Institute in La
Jolla, USA, a certain mutation of the enzyme (FAAH, fatty acid
amide hydrolase) that degrades anandamide is associated with
increased levels of this endocannabinoid and related substances.
Obese subjects have a higher risk to carry this mutation. (Source:
Sipe JC, et al. PLoS One 2010;5(1):e8792.)

***Science: Immune system
Italian researchers demonstrated that anandamide suppresses the
release of cytokines such as interleukin-2 and tumour necrosis
factor alpha from T-lymphocytes. This effect was mediated by
the CB2 receptor. Scientists noted that this may be of importance
"for the rational design of new endocannabinoid-based
immunotherapeutic approaches." (Source: Cencioni MT, et al.
PLoS One. 2010;5(1):e8688.)

***Science: Taste
According to research at Kyushu University, Japan, the
administration of the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-AG to
mice enhance the sweet taste in a concentration-dependent
manner without affecting responses to other tastes (salty, bitter,
etc). This effect was mediated by the CB1 receptor and is
thought to be relevant for intake of food. (Source: Yoshida R, et
al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010;107(2):935-9.)

***Science: Atherosclerosis
Chinese researchers demonstrated that the administration of the
synthetic cannabinoid WIN55,212-2 reduced the development of
atherosclerosis in mice. This effect was mediated by the CB2
receptor. (Source: Zhao Y, et al. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2010
Jan 9. [Electronic publication ahead of print])

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