cannabisnews.com: Smart Growth? 










  Smart Growth? 

Posted by CN Staff on August 19, 2006 at 07:19:46 PT
By Erika Niedowski, Sun Foreign Reporter 
Source: Baltimore Sun 

St. Petersburg, Russia -- The sign on Sergei Grigoryev's office door says "Narcobaron," or drug baron, over a faint picture of a marijuana leaf. That's his way of weathering the joshing he gets for doing nothing more than showing up for work each day. After all, Grigoryev promotes hemp.The scientist at the Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry in St. Petersburg is quick to draw a distinction between the connotations the word brings to mind - pot, weed, maryjane, hashish, ganja, herb, chronic - and the plant he calls one of the most valuable ever cultivated.
He's equally swift to point out, even without being asked, that he has never used the drug himself. "I have access to marijuana," he says matter-of-factly. "I've never tried it. It's not interesting for me."His interest is in the hemp plant's lesser-known and, in his view, utterly unappreciated potential: to make fiber and produce oil.And after decades of research and experimental plant engineering, he thinks he has found a way to make those who have long rejected hemp embrace it instead: by growing a drug-free version.Grigoryev and his colleagues at the institute, where scientists have collected hemp from around the globe since 1922, produce a cannabis plant that contains only trace elements of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC - the psychoactive ingredient that gives marijuana smokers their high.Grigoryev imagines a Russia with hundreds of thousands of acres of hemp fields, as there were in the early days of the Soviet Union. He sees a Russia where more people don clothing crafted from hemp, as peasants traditionally did. He visualizes a Russia where hemp oil - rich in essential fatty acids and reputed to improve skin problems and ease inflammation from arthritis - is not just a supplement for health-conscious hippies.Unlike the United States, Russia allows the farming of so-called industrial hemp, which already contains low levels of THC. In fact, the United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn't allow it, according to Vote Hemp, an American nonprofit working to change the law.But even industrial hemp is no longer grown widely here: Russia has no more than 25,000 acres, compared with 2 million in 1925.The modern industrial crop has at times drawn unwelcome attention from Russian federal drug authorities. A few years ago, they forced farmers in the Penza and Belgorod regions to burn some of their fields, Grigoryev said, even though they weren't breaking the law.The Federal Drug Control Service insists it doesn't oppose industrial hemp. But at a recent conference, one official responded to Grigoryev's plan to expand production by suggesting the fields might become filled with marijuana - and turn into a kind of heaven for those who want a high."We try to explain that there is a big difference," says Grigoryev, adding that he has received "indirect pressure" to stop his research (he declined to say where it came from).Other critics of industrial hemp charge that it's a cover for the effort to legalize marijuana, which is made from the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant and has a higher concentration of THC.Grigoryev doesn't support legalization. On the contrary, he says, wider cultivation of industrial hemp containing no THC could ultimately drive drug hemp out of existence as pollen from the industrial variety crosses with drug hemp, effectively "diluting" it.Hemp, which is said to have originated in central Asia, has been grown in Russia since the 11th century, according to Grigoryev, who has hanging in his office a variety of hemp fiber samples that resemble horse tails."It's twice as old as Egyptian civilization," he says.In the mid-18th century, Russia sent 32,000 tons of hemp abroad, making it one of the country's largest exports. Peasants who labored in the fields wore hemp clothing because it was amazingly durable. Hemp oil was their main source of edible fats, as beef and pork fats were a luxury.Hemp likewise was planted by British colonists in the New World. Drafts of the Declaration of Independence were said to have been written on paper made from hemp. Grigoryev quotes Thomas Jefferson, a noted agronomist, in defense of his plan to bring back industrial hemp: "The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture," Jefferson wrote.In a way, the case Grigoryev makes for the mass production of industrial hemp is strictly economic. In an article last year in the Journal of Industrial Hemp, Grigoryev explained that Russia imports nearly 700,000 tons of cotton fiber each year, mostly from Uzbekistan, to support its textile industry.He thinks this is foolish, when more hemp could be grown domestically and used to produce clothing fashioned from a cotton-hemp blend. This, he says, would create jobs and boost textile manufacturing.Olga Yolkina introduced hemp clothing at her Moscow store, Metelitsa, six years ago. She started with a few dozen pieces, at the urging of her teenage daughter, who thought the clothing was cool. Now, she has 5,000 items, mostly casual wear, including T-shirts, dresses, tank tops, jeans, sweat pants and suit jackets.Hemp looks much like linen. But to prove it holds up better, Yolkina sometimes wears the same hemp pants for three consecutive days to show clients how good it looks without ironing. It's comfortable, protects against the sun's ultraviolet rays and forms a kind of "protective orb" around you, she says.Yolkina has a pair of clients who used to buy imported linen apparel but now are hemp converts. She wishes the apparel were domestically produced; the brand is actually Australian and made in China."As a Russian, I'm very upset that we're selling Australian clothing," she said. "I'd be really happy if there could be a rebirth of production in Russia."People only see the evil side of this, forgetting history," Yolkina said. "They're forgetting about the benefits of this plant, if it is grown correctly."Note: Hemp has a bad rap for being the marijuana plant. But one Russian scientist is proposing a drug-free variety to put naysayers at ease while providing material for clothing and oil for cooking.Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)Author: Erika Niedowski, Sun Foreign ReporterPublished: August 18, 2006Copyright: 2006 The Baltimore SunContact: letters baltsun.comWebsite: http://www.baltimoresun.com/CannabisNews Hemp Archives http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtml

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Comment #47 posted by FoM on August 20, 2006 at 11:20:26 PT
Whig
I'm so sorry. I thought it was BGreen. I fixed it. 
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Comment #46 posted by whig on August 20, 2006 at 11:10:12 PT
FoM
How did I miss the newshawk on the Dutch story? :)
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Comment #45 posted by John Tyler on August 20, 2006 at 07:12:58 PT
Carlin
“Marijuana changes perspective, and irony, hypocrisy, and bullshit become more obvious”. There was a short story many years ago by Terry Southern called “Red Dirt Marijuana”, with a character in it, who says much the same thing. Curious isn’t it, that the same understanding (truth) can be derived from this shared experience?
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Comment #44 posted by BGreen on August 19, 2006 at 22:45:29 PT
Password for the NYT
user: freethepresspw:  freethepressThis works on many different websites.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #43 posted by whig on August 19, 2006 at 22:32:01 PT
Hope
Thanks. I'm looking at blogging as something I'm doing for awhile out here in California. I don't know a lot of people or what opportunities I might have to work with someone on a project that I'd enjoy and bring in some lunch money, or whether I should eventually put up a tip jar on the blog. Right now I just want to focus on having interesting things to write about and then writing about them.
cannablog - Peace and love, y'all
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Comment #42 posted by whig on August 19, 2006 at 22:25:23 PT
NYT: Netherlands
Cannabis Cafes Get Nudge to Fringes of a Dutch Cityhttp://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/world/europe/20dutch.html
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Comment #41 posted by Hope on August 19, 2006 at 21:55:23 PT
Whig
I like Cannablog. You're doing a very admirable job. Keep it up!(That's scary about the guy in East Texas. Gives me the creeps!)
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 21:51:08 PT
Sinsemilla Jones 
I like George Carlin because of his early Catholic education and how he talked about it. I also was taught by nice Nuns and a really cool Priest. His Catholic humor totally blew me away when I first heard it many years ago. 
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Comment #39 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on August 19, 2006 at 21:41:02 PT
You're quite welcome, FoM
Carlin quit pot for a while, when he quit coke, because the rituals had become intertwined. He started using pot again, on occasion, for creative purposes to punch up his writing, which I imagine he still does.He has the video taped evidence of the detrimental effect coke had on his performances, and I think he regrets the delay it caused in the maturation of his work and not being on the top of his game when his popularity was at its height.But he definitely leaves the impression that marijuana was a positive for his career, and no worse than neutral for his life in general when he used it daily.Marijuana changes perspective, and irony, hipocracy, and bullshit become more obvious.
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 21:28:07 PT
magiceye
I start feeling dizzy if I look at it too long. Maybe it's just me but I never can see anything but a pattern.
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 21:18:39 PT
Whig
Your blog is coming along very nicely. Just something I thought of. One of the very kind things about Cannabis is that if a person maybe feels uncomfortable and wants to make the high a little lower just eat a meal. Have a sandwich or a full dinner. Food won't change some drugs effects but it helps bring a person down who is only using Cannabis. That is one of the many reasons Cannabis is called Kind I think. 
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Comment #36 posted by Dankhank on August 19, 2006 at 21:11:59 PT
magiceye ...
cool stuff, like them ... see them usually easy.The Blue one of the weekly pictures, showing two figures falling down the vortex is the hardest for me ...
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Comment #35 posted by whig on August 19, 2006 at 20:48:49 PT
Hope
You've given me a great idea for a name to describe what I think we are talking about:CannatherapyI'll have to get on that writing project for the blog this week. Do you still like how it's going?
http://cannablog.wordpress.com/
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Comment #34 posted by ekim on August 19, 2006 at 20:46:09 PT
any`1for eyebuzz
i think i have the effect --- the front is covered with earths with different parts of the globe showing at different places with the hidden leaf---now what colors make up green so what has to happen if the little earths are white and blue with a little brown hue.http://www.magiceye.com/gallery/062206s.html
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Comment #33 posted by Hope on August 19, 2006 at 20:41:41 PT
Whig comment 19
"Even if the psychoactive effects at a particular dose are uncomfortably high for some individuals, that is manageable with some talking therapy or patient support services."Even if a person found it unpleasant it would be nothing at all compared to the misery some people suffer with various chemotherapies. 
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Comment #32 posted by ekim on August 19, 2006 at 20:02:33 PT
save this plant ettttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
just sinking in that back in the 20s a war was being fought that many many humans were not aware of, yes a war over a plant that has given big ----for the health of all.  with the aid of this machine i see what a great attempt at total destruction of Cannabis has taken [place]. 
thank you to so many for keeping the fires burning.  just think millions of acres were growing 
just feel how much suffering has come from that despicable act
to both man and the ground we stand onBut even industrial hemp is no longer grown widely here: Russia has no more than 25,000 acres, compared with 2 million in 1925. Comment #1 posted by global_warming on August 19, 2006 at 08:51:07 PT 
an article 
by Fred Gardner, good as usual
http://tinyurl.com/e576jA succinct, plausible explanation can be found in the 1926 edition of the Dispensatory of the United States of America. We scored a copy of this authoritative 1,792 page compendium for $2 at a garage sale last weekend. The authors of the article on Cannabis didn't question its medical efficacy. Doctors were loath to prescribe it and druggists loath to dispense it due to inconsistent potency.
 
save this plant etttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttHemp 77% celluloseWhile corn is primarily used to distill ethanol, a new facility in Spain
will convert wheat straw as the ethanol's feedstock.The full story is available at
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=35238a little history on the great hunt for the little bugs that could
http://www.ethanol-gec.org/fall2001/fall15.htmland then and then comes this awardBiomass and Solar Technologies Lauded Monday, July 12, 2004Golden, Colo. - Two technologies developed by the U.S. Department of
Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory are among this year's most
significant innovations, as judged by Research & Development (R&D)
Magazine.The Laboratory's two R&D 100 Awards for 2004 are for an innovative,
lower-cost method for transforming plant material into the sugars that
can be used to make fuels and chemicals, and a thin-film solar cell that
produces electricity directly from sunlight, which has greater
efficiency, and is lighter weight and more flexible than previous
devices.This year's announcement brings to 37 the number of R&D 100 Awards
garnered by NREL."Once again, the technologies developed by our Laboratory's researchers
are being acknowledged for their importance to the nation," said Stan
Bull, NREL associate director for science and technology. "It's
particularly gratifying that the R&D 100 Awards this year include two
NREL technologies that can enhance our nation's energy security and
reduce our reliance on foreign sources of oil."The Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Biomass Cellulose to Sugars technology is
expected to allow a wide range of biomass resources to be used to
produce energy and chemicals. It is an important step toward realizing
the potential of bio-refineries-in which plant and waste materials are
used to produce an array of fuels and chemicals, analogous to an oil
refinery today.Through this technology, the cost of converting cellulosic biomass into
usable sugars can be reduced by more than 20 times per gallon of ethanol
produced.The award is shared by NREL, Genencor International and Novozymes
Biotech, Inc. NREL researchers who worked on this project included
Michael Himmel, Jim McMillan, Dan Schell, Jody Farmer, Nancy Dowe and
Rafael Nieves.Also recognized for 2004 are light and flexible thin-film copper indium
gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic modules, which can be
manufactured in various sizes and have a compact, foldable design that
allows for easy deployment, transport and storage.As a result, the modules have twice the power-to-weight ratio, and three
times the power-to-size ratio as competing products. Because of this,
they are especially suited for military applications, portable power for
consumer and public use, boating and other marine applications and
building-related uses, such as for bus shelters and in PV-integrated
roofing.The award is shared by NREL, Global Solar Energy and ITN Energy Systems.
NREL researchers who worked on this project included Harin Ullal, Ken
Zweibel and Bolko von Roedern.NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable
energy research and development and a leading laboratory for energy
efficiency R&D. NREL is operated for DOE by Midwest Research Institute
and Battelle.For further information contact NREL Public Affairs at (303) 275-4090.NR-3404
http://www.bioneers.org
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 19:50:20 PT
Whig
So like your Father tried mixing wines maybe if a person smoked a cross between Sativa and Indica they might be locked on the sofa but have a very busy mind! LOL!
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 19:42:06 PT
Sinsemilla Jones
Thank you we turned it on and heard him talk about cocaine and then marijuana. He wishes he hadn't done coke so long but marijuana he talked about so differently. Cannabis makes a person think. He still values marijuana. 
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Comment #29 posted by Christen-Mitchell on August 19, 2006 at 19:40:14 PT:
The Russian Pot Revolution
Behigh.org is a russian language site, but this page gives you the 411 on reefer behind the rusted iron curtain, in english.
The Russian Pot Revolution
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Comment #28 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on August 19, 2006 at 17:11:07 PT
Off Topic - George Carlin on Tim Russert
George Carlin was just on Tim Russert on CNBC, and hopefully the same interview will be repeated tonight (Sat.) at - 9:00pm CDT, 10pm EDT12:00am CDT, 1am EDTI missed the 1st half, and came in right at the end of an apparent discussion of pot and drugs.I think I wrote in Carlin for President in 1996.
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Comment #27 posted by whig on August 19, 2006 at 16:08:09 PT
Laughing at myself...
My dad told me about when he was at a resort many years ago and the hotel provided free wine with dinner. So apparently there was a very bitter, astringent red and a much too sweet white wine. Of course they also sold better wines if you wanted to pay for them instead of the free ones. But apparently he figured out he could mix the red and white to get a somewhat drinkable rose.
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 16:04:44 PT
BGreen
I really mind being sleepy. There will be plenty of time to sleep in the future. It would drive me crazy to sit still too long. I have always been to figgity to sit still! LOL!
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Comment #25 posted by whig on August 19, 2006 at 16:04:23 PT
BGreen
Maybe it would be good to have a couple strains around and a couple bowls that you can have separately with a sativa or indica, and take a puff off of whichever....Gosh it's amazing even to think that this is possible here in the United States. Almost as if it were a free country, but it's not for most people.
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Comment #24 posted by BGreen on August 19, 2006 at 15:58:06 PT
Hybrids are good, too
Sometimes a pure sativa can be too stimulating and needs a smidgen of indica to take the edge off.Sometimes you need an indica but don't always want to lay down and take a nap, so a little added sativa can help you function.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 15:55:54 PT
Whig
I won't consume alcohol. That was something that I wondered about between using alcohol or oil based extracts. The lady from this very in tune health food store back in New Hope Pa told me alcohol based extract are better or stronger then oil based extracts. She said put the extract in your coffee and let the alcohol evaporate from the hot coffee and then drink the coffee with the extract but the alcohol is gone.
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Comment #22 posted by whig on August 19, 2006 at 15:50:29 PT
FoM
The only thing I'd worry about with the alcohol-based extraction is that a higher dose might require a not insignificant dose of alcohol as well. It would be better if an infused oil maybe could be used. Fortified hemp oil?
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 15:41:36 PT

Whig
Very good idea. I know that alcohol based extracts of medicinal herbs (higher concentration of herb) can do better then just taking the herb. I know because when I started using herbs instead of medicine I needed higher doses to get any effect but now I don't need to take the same herbs even every day. It seems to work the opposite of many prescription pills.
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Comment #20 posted by whig on August 19, 2006 at 15:38:57 PT

BGreen
I seem to do better on strains that are more sativa, I think, but everything I think I've ever had was some degree of hybrid. I think I should try a couple pure strains sometime.
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Comment #19 posted by whig on August 19, 2006 at 15:36:06 PT

FoM
I'm starting to work on a series of articles for my blog that I want to have properly researched and cited to appropriate authorities, with the focus on the benefits of higher dose cannabis ingestion on certain kinds of progressive illness and general health issues. The fact that cannabis is functionally non-toxic at any reasonable dose means that it can be an alternative or preferred treatment for a wide range of conditions that presently are treated with pharmaceutical poison. Even if the psychoactive effects at a particular dose are uncomfortably high for some individuals, that is manageable with some talking therapy or patient support services.It's not just AIDS. It's also cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, among other possibilities. I'm sure there are plenty of patients who already can anecdotally confirm what I'm hypothesizing, that even much higher amounts of cannabis are effective and well tolerated. The studies just need to start confirming this. I would like to see someone try to refute this.
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Comment #18 posted by BGreen on August 19, 2006 at 15:31:45 PT

You'll find out, whig
You'll find some strains that work better than others for your medical condition once you're able to sample a variety due to the differing cannabinoid profiles.There could be some strains that work better for cancer or pain or HIV, but we can't depend on the scientists to do the studies for us.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 15:22:24 PT

Whig
I am not very smart when it comes to medical articles. Thank Mrs. Whig for me though. I post articles about Aids but I never pay any attention to any Aids issues anymore. I gave it up when my son passed away. I think many people who are in the same position as me feel the same way. 
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Comment #16 posted by whig on August 19, 2006 at 15:12:34 PT

FoM
"Marijuana and cannabinoid use did not produce a drop in CD4+ or CD8+ cell counts. In fact, compared with placebo use, treatment with these agents was actually associated with a slight increase in cell counts."I checked with my wife to be sure that this means that the study proved a statistically significant improvement in CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts. That is to say, although the improvement is small, slight is significant.What this means is that it is a realistic possibility, though unproven at this point, that cannabis can effectively treat acquired immunodeficiency (AIDS) as monotherapy. The beautiful thing is that cannabis can be taken at any dosage necessary for effectiveness without toxicity.Let me see if I can make this a little clearer. If the study showed a slight improvement in people who were using cannabis in this study, it may be that a higher dose of cannabis would provide increasing improvement.
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Comment #15 posted by global_warming on August 19, 2006 at 15:08:44 PT

and every female who uses cannabis
the prisons are fulland this US world of drug prohibitionis filled with power and damnationThe real poison is "power"The health and well being of this worldIs hijacked by human beings whose only objective is domination, power, with such greed, that even the flowers of the garden of Eden cry for our Eternity.Change is good for some people, Eternity is where my soul can rest, with comfort, knowing that I, that Spark that was given to my eyes, so that I might witness, Eternity.
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Comment #14 posted by global_warming on August 19, 2006 at 14:56:58 PT

re:deep dark secrets of every murderer.
That applies to every LEO who captures a human being who uses Cannabis.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 14:51:33 PT

Hope

Thanks Hope. I couldn't remember the guys name. I won't follow those types of news stories. Same with Jon Benet. They are very sad but I don't need to know the deep dark secrets of every murderer. They give us that type news to avoid really important news like about Iraq.
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Comment #12 posted by global_warming on August 19, 2006 at 14:49:19 PT

what the F
There is a war on the people in this USAHave some decencyWhere is your soul
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Comment #11 posted by BGreen on August 19, 2006 at 14:48:48 PT

Lacy Peterson was big news
I think that's who Kris was talking about.More news shows focused on that case than on the lies leading us into the Iraq war, which has killed thousands more women and babies.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 14:44:56 PT

BGreen
I am really impressed with how detailed LWW Today has become. All the songs, articles and videos. I am amazed actually about the whole thing. I guess Neil must have stepped over a line and decided he has to speak his mind now with no more time to waste. I check LWW a number of times a day now. http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on August 19, 2006 at 14:44:02 PT

In the News
Yes, FoM. I thought he was talking about the hideous Peterson case out in California.
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Comment #8 posted by BGreen on August 19, 2006 at 14:43:40 PT

Interesting OT story from the UK
This story points out how implausible it would be to whip up a batch of TATP explosives on a plane using liquids carried aboard.You'd need a quantity of ice, several trips to the lavatory to carry all of the necessary equipment without attracting suspicion, several hours for the adequate amount of TATP explosive to form and an hour or two for the TATP to dry.This is assuming nobody smells the acetone/highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide/sulfuric acid mixture during the several-hour manufacturing process.The Reverend Bud Green
Mass murder in the skies: was the plot feasible?
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Comment #7 posted by global_warming on August 19, 2006 at 14:33:05 PT

nice
Not on my ground,Spit is not enoughBombs and the newsConvince me'We have to change this wayStarting with CannabisThe balm of the 21st Century,Let Us Begin

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Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 14:32:59 PT

BGreen
I have tried more then a couple times to get that song to play on Neil's web site but it never worked. This you posted worked. Thank you. Another song that made me cry. I don't understand the beginning though. Who sunk in the water. Was he talking about the man who killed his wife around Christmas a few years back? That's the only thing I can think that it could be.
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Comment #5 posted by BGreen on August 19, 2006 at 14:18:16 PT

Listen to this Kris Kristofferson song
It's called "In The News" and it's "Featured on Neil Young's Living With War Today."I'm so proud of Kris, Neil and all of the other musicians and artists of all genres who are speaking out.The Reverend Bud Green
Kris Kristofferson - In The News
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Comment #4 posted by global_warming on August 19, 2006 at 13:53:44 PT

re: comment 2
The only way I think this could happen is for sincere free people to "hire" some pharmaceutical company to do the research. Since the government is rabidly against any honest research and the large corporate interests are not served to do same research, it falls upon the people to finance such a large scale study.Maybe those good folks at mpp or norml could start the ball rolling, something like those public tv shows that put on a show (streaming event), some good rock, new age, classical music, passionate sick people, leo even mooky the singing dog can appeal for the need of money to start this discovery of the efficacy of smoked herbal cannabis.Once the efficacy of cannabis is proven to the world of science, then can the tribunals begin, and may God Have Mercy on their wretched souls.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 19, 2006 at 13:20:16 PT

Marijuana Use Does Not Accelerate HIV Infection 
Sunday 20th August, 2006 ISLAMABAD: Short-term cannabis use does not seem to adversely affect CD4+ cell counts or viral loads in HIV -infected patients, according to a report published in the August 19th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. In HIV-infected patients, marijuana has been used as an appetite stimulant and as a treatment for the nausea associated with some antiretroviral agents. However, concern has been raised that such therapy could have a harmful effect on disease status, because in theory, cannabinoid use could increase HIV levels by impairing the immune response or by interfering with the activity of protease inhibitors. Previously it was shown that short-term marijuana use did not influence nelfinavir metabolism. Although marijuana use did produce a drop in indinavir levels, this fall was small and unlikely to be clinically meaningful. However, it still remained unclear whether cannabinoid use had an effect on viral load or CD+ cell counts. To investigate, Dr. Donald I. Abrams, from the University of California at San Francisco, and colleagues assessed the outcomes of 67 HIV-infected patients who were randomly assigned to use marijuana cigarettes, cannabinoid capsules, or sugar pills (placebo) three times daily for 21 days. All of the patients had been receiving the same antiretroviral regimen, which included indinavir or nelfinavir, for at least 8 weeks before the study began. More than half of the subjects in each group had undetectable viral loads throughout the study, the researchers note. Although not statistically significant, marijuana and cannabinoid use were actually associated with a slight drop in viral load compared with placebo use. Marijuana and cannabinoid use did not produce a drop in CD4+ or CD8+ cell counts. In fact, compared with placebo use, treatment with these agents was actually associated with a slight increase in cell counts. The results suggest that short-term cannabinoid use is not unsafe for patients with HIV infection, the authors note. "Further studies investigating the therapeutic potential of marijuana and other cannabinoids in patients with HIV infection and other populations are ongoing and should provide additional safety information over longer exposure periods," they write.Copyright: 2006, Online - International News Network http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=101232

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Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on August 19, 2006 at 13:14:48 PT

Here's an idea from over at DWR
Thanks, Ddc.http://www.loompanics.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/Articles/TribunalofUSDrug.html?E+scstoreHow do you get something like this going?Toke.
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Comment #1 posted by global_warming on August 19, 2006 at 08:51:07 PT

an article
by Fred Gardner, good as usualhttp://tinyurl.com/e576jhttp://www.counterpunch.org/gardner08192006.html
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