cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- July 6, 2006 NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- July 6, 2006 Posted by CN Staff on July 06, 2006 at 13:56:45 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML Cannabinoids Halt Pancreatic Cancer, Breast Cancer Growth, Studies SayJuly 6, 2006 - Madrid, SpainMadrid, Spain: Compounds in cannabis inhibit cancer cell growth in human breast cancer cell lines and in pancreatic tumor cell lines, according to a pair of preclinical trials published in the July issue of the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. In one trial, investigators at Complutense University in Spain and the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM) in France assessed the anti-cancer activity of cannabinoids in pancreatic cancer cell lines and in animals. Cannabinoid administration selectively increased apoptosis (programmed cell death) in pancreatic tumor cells while ignoring healthy cells, researchers found. In addition, "cannabinoid treatment inhibited the spreading of pancreatic tumor cells ... and reduced the growth of tumor cells" in animals."These findings may contribute to ... a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of pancreatic cancer," authors concluded.In the second trial, investigators at Spain's Complutense University reported that THC administration "reduces human breast cancer cell proliferation [in vitro] by blocking the progression of the cell cycle and by inducing apoptosis." Authors concluded that their findings "may set the bases for a cannabinoid therapy for the management of breast cancer."Previous preclinical data published in May in the Journal of Pharmacological and Experimental Therapeutics reported that non-psychoactive cannabinoids, particularly cannabidiol (CBD), dramatically halt the spread of breast cancer cells and recommended their use in cancer therapy.Separate trials have also shown cannabinoids to reduce the size and halt the spread of glioma (brain tumor) cells in animals and humans in a dose dependent manner. Additional preclinical studies have demonstrated cannabinoids to inhibit cancer cell growth and selectively trigger malignant cell death in skin cancer cells, leukemic cells, lung cancer cells, and prostate carcinoma cells, among other cancerous cell lines.For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of both studies, "Cannabinoids induce apoptosis of pancreatic tumor cells via endoplasmic reticulum stress-related genes" and "Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol inhibits cell cycle progression in human breast cancer cells through Cdc2 regulation" are available in the July 1, 2006 issue of Cancer Research, available online at: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/Additional information on cannabinoids' anti-cancer properties is available in NORML's report, "Cannabinoids as Cancer Hope," online at: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6814DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6946Alaska: Judge To Rule Next Week On Pot Recrim Law July 6, 2006 - Juneau, AK, USAJuneau, AK: A Juneau Superior Court judge heard arguments this week by lawyers for the Alaska branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) regarding the constitutionality of a new state law that criminalizes the possession of small amounts of cannabis in the privacy of one's home. The Alaska ACLU filed suit last month to block the enforcement of the law, arguing that it violates the privacy clause of the state constitution, which provides that "the right of the people to privacy is recognized and shall not be infringed."In a 1975 Alaska state Supreme Court ruling (Ravin v State), justices determined that this provision encompassed the possession and use of cannabis in the home.The Superior Court judge is expected to rule on Monday on the ACLU's request to enjoin the new law.Under the law, signed by the Governor in June, possession of any amount of cannabis is punishable by jail time, and possession of greater than four ounces of cannabis is a felony offense.For more information, please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6945 NORML Remembers Lynn Zimmer: Noted Sociologist, Former NORML Board MemberJuly 6, 2006 - New York, NY, USANew York, NY: Lynn Zimmer - a longtime sociologist at Queens College, City University of New York and co-author of the book Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts - died Sunday, July 2, due to complications from Multiple Sclerosis. She was 59 years old.Professor Zimmer was an outspoken critic of American drug policy and a published author of several titles investigating illicit drug use and addiction. Most notable among her many works, Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts - co-authored with NORML Advisory Board member John P. Morgan - has been published in seven languages and was praised by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) as "an important contribution to the marijuana and drug policy literature."In 1995, Professor Zimmer joined NORML's Board of Directors, a position she held until 1999. She is a recipient of both the Lindesmith Award for Achievement in the Field of Scholarship from the Drug Policy Foundation (now the Drug Policy Alliance) and the Lester Grinspoon Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Marijuana Law Reform from NORML."Lynn was an articulate truth-teller and thoughtful academician who favored depenalizing the use, possession and cultivation of cannabis by adults," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "Her insight, wit, and knowledge of the cannabis issue will be sorely missed by those working to inject some needed sanity into America's irrational marijuana laws."NORML expresses its sincere condolences to the friends and family of Lynn Zimmer.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6944Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: July 6, 2006Copyright: 2006 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #18 posted by Wayne on July 08, 2006 at 08:01:53 PT ACS Supports Cannabinoid Research This is funny, I found this on the American Cancer Society website. Who are these "experts" anyway, have they all had cancer? Do they know firsthand that smoking pot isn't effective?It's funny, because they contradict themselves at the end of the page. They say they don't support smoking or legalizing marijuana, but they support research on it. What's the point of doing the research if you're not gonna let it become available to the people who need it? And besides...haven't they heard of vaporizers? Smoking and eating are not the only methods of marijuana delivery.As of now, I officially refuse to give these clowns any more donation money. I urge you to do the same. They're not really concerned about cancer, if they were, they would be pro-legalization. They're just another front for the government. Experts: Pot Smoking Is Not Best Choice to Treat Chemo Side-Effects [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by Truth on July 06, 2006 at 21:26:52 PT I'm glad... I'm glad that my wife and I smoke cannabis. Her sister drank beer and smoked cigarettes. She died at 40, my wife lives strong at 50. My dad drank alcohol, he died of pancreatic problems, his pancreas was on the edge of cancer according to his doc. With those deaths in mind, and factoring in the genetic factor, like I said, I'm glad we smoke cannabis, it keeps us alive!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by Toker00 on July 06, 2006 at 18:56:19 PT OT - A little organic news BOYCOTT OF HORIZON DAIRY GENERATING NATIONAL PUBLICITY The Organic Consumers Association's (OCA) call for a boycott of the nation's largest organic dairy brand, Horizon Organic has recently generated stories in the New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press. The media coverage has highlighted the growing backlash by organic consumers against industrial scale dairy feedlots, who are misleadingly labeling their products as "USDA Organic," even though the animals on these factory farms have little or no access to pasture. In addition, most of the cows on these giant feedlots have been imported from conventional dairies, where they were weaned on blood, injected with hormones and antibiotics, and fed genetically engineered grains and slaughterhouse waste. While Horizon sources half of its milk from family farms where the lactating cows do have access to pasture, Aurora Organic, OCA's other major boycott target, gets all of its milk from intensive confinement feedlots. Aurora sells its "organic" milk to supermarket chains including Costco, Safeway, Giant, and Wild Oats, who bottle it under their own private labels. For more information, see the Safeguard Organic Standards section of the OCA website http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm as well as http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_923.cfmPlease Help OCA Continue our Fight to Safeguard Organic Standards! Donate Now! http://www.organicconsumers.org/donations.htm___________________________________ PESTICIDES INCREASE RISK OF PARKINSONS DISEASE A new Harvard study has linked pesticide exposure to a 70% increase in Parkinson's disease. The study, which is the largest ever conducted, was released in the July 2006 issue of the Annals of Neurology. This research backs up earlier animal studies linking pesticide exposure to brain and nerve damage. For those who were exposed, occupation was not a risk factor, as farm workers and everyday home bug-sprayers all had the same increased risk. The study did not correlate the increased risk with any specific pesticides, but rather found the connection in overall general use of pesticides. "This is certainly the biggest and most serious populations study on people, and it appears to be the best proof today that there is a general association between pesticide and Parkinson's among people," said Robin Elliot, executive director for the Parkinson's Disease Foundation in New York City, describing the findings as "important and solid." Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_902.cfm___________________________________ STUDY SAYS MAD COW EPIDEMIC MAY BE INCUBATING IN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE A new study in the Lancet medical journal (UK) suggests that variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the human variant of Mad Cow Disease, may not peak in the human population for several decades, by which time many thousands of beef eaters and hospital patients that have received tainted blood transfusions could die. The study shows how Kuru, a similar fatal brain-wasting prion disease in New Guinea, has been found to have an incubation period of 35 to 41 years. Researchers suspect it could be longer for vCJD because the infection is transmitted between species, from cows to humans. The 160 fatal human cases of the disease that have already surfaced around the world could represent a distinct genetic subgroup of the population with an unusually short incubation period, according to John Collinge, the study leader and a professor at University College, London. There could be "substantial underestimations" in recent estimates of the size of the vCJD epidemic, Collinge said in a report in The Lancet medical journal. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_889.cfm__________________________________BYTE BACK--TAKE ACTIONThere's still time to "byte back" on recent action alerts we've highlighted in Organic Bytes. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to learn more about these issues and make your voice be heard! STOP GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PLUM TREES: The USDA is accepting public comments regarding the commercial planting of a genetically engineered plum tree, known as "C5." The plum has been gene-spliced to be resistant to the Honey Sweet Pox Potyvirus, which doesn't even exist in the United States. Approval of C5 would be the first widely released genetically engineered (GE) tree in the mainland United States (GE papayas are currently grown in Hawaii), and would pave the way for more GE tree and fruit varieties, including peaches, cherries, and apricots. GE tree pollen can drift for several miles, leading to contamination of neighboring organic crops and indigenous trees. Learn more and Take Action: http://organicconsumers.org/plum_alert.htm EPA STAFF REVOLTS (4,536 OCA members have taken action on this issue so far): Nine thousand EPA scientists have submitted a strongly worded letter to the EPA's Administrator, Stephen Johnson, protesting that "industry pressure" is compromising the "integrity of the science upon which agency decisions are based." The scientists are calling for a ban on pesticides known to be highly toxic. Research indicates that several dozen widely sprayed organophosphate pesticides, similar in composition to bio-warfare nerve gases, pose serious health threats, especially to children. Learn more and Take Action: http://organicconsumers.org/epa7.htm STATE FOOD SAFETY LABELING LAWS UNDER ATTACK (71,330 letters sent by OCA members so far): The House of Representatives has passed a controversial "national food uniformity" labeling law that would take away local government and states' power to require food safety food labels such as those required in California and other states on foods or beverages that are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning. The law lowers the bar on food safety by overturning hundreds of food safety state laws and regulations, including those governing the safety of milk, fish, and shellfish. The bill now goes forward for consideration by the Senate. Learn more and Take Action: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/labeling.cfm____________________________________We rely on your donations to continue our work on these important issues! Donate Now! http://www.organicconsumers.org/donations.htmOCA RECOMMENDED WEBSITES OF THE WEEK Did you know you can reduce muscle pain with rosemary? Or that kelp can help with hair loss, cilantro can soothe a headache, and cherries can assist you in getting a better night sleep? NewsTarget and Truth Publishing have launched the internet's largest free searchable database of healing foods, herbs and nutrients. Look up any ailment and find a quick guide to treating the problem with everyday natural ingredients. http://www.healingfoodreference.com/ --------------------- You can now hear Organic Consumers Association staff speaking on the popular and informative Meria Heller Internet Radio Show every second Tuesday of the month. The show is broadcast live at 10am Pacific (until the clocks change again, then it will be 10am Mountain) and recorded for the archives while live. Ronnie Cummins, OCA's National Director will be on the program August 10, followed by Ryan Zinn September 14 and Craig Minowa October 12. http://www.Meria.net ******** messages from our supporters********** Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps are leading pioneers in offering consicous consumers natural and organic soaps. Ten percent of all web store soap sales are donated to the Organic Consumer Association's "Coming Clean" campaign for strong organic standards for body care. All profits from the sale of Alpsnack are devoted to industrial hemp advocacy. http://www.drbronner.com/main.html Bush called for Joint action against N.Korea. I think that Joint action is EXACTLY what is needed. Make it something skunky, and sticky. And make the Joint really, really BIG!Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by observer on July 06, 2006 at 18:49:25 PT The Sad Story of Peggy Mann or How Pot Heals You Cannabinoids Halt Pancreatic Cancer, Breast Cancer Growth, Studies Say ... July 6, 2006 ... THC administration "reduces human breast cancer cell proliferation [in vitro] by blocking the progression of the cell cycle and by inducing apoptosis." ... "may set the bases for a cannabinoid therapy for the management of breast cancer."Ironic, I bet ol' Peggy Mann could have used some medical cannabis. Anyone remember her? I believe she died from breast cancer, ironically enough. Marijuana Alert! (1985, Peggy Mann) http://www.erowid.org/library/review/review.php?p=81The Sad Story of Mary Wanna or How Marijuana Harms You (Peggy Mann, 1988)etc. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by FoM on July 06, 2006 at 18:02:45 PT Max Flowers Have a wonerful vacation. Do try to forget about the problems and just enjoy yourself. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by whig on July 06, 2006 at 17:52:00 PT Hey Max Have a nice vacation. Sounds like you'll be getting back only a day or two before I'm out there too. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Max Flowers on July 06, 2006 at 17:46:47 PT See you in a week, C-News pals I'm going to Kaua'i for a week vacation and will likely be having no internet activity at all the whole time (there may be withdrawal symptoms!!).Keep up the good work, I know you all will. I'm going to try very hard to forget about politics and Ameri-tragedy for that week. I will be concentrating very hard on hot tubs, ganja capsules, macadamia nut-encrusted Mahi-Mahi, fresh pineapple, passion fruit and lychees, stunning ocean and canyon views, and breathtaking botanical gardens. It will be difficult, but I'm going to give it my all. ;-) [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Hope on July 06, 2006 at 17:24:59 PT Meanwhile.... Cannabis has huge cancer prevention and treatment potential. What a blessing. What a wonder. I thank God for creating it and giving it to mankind. There should be rejoicing.I am sorry about and for those who reject it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Hope on July 06, 2006 at 17:06:04 PT Raids It's so hard to understand the prejudice and insanity acted out against the cannabis plant and it's consumers. There's no logical reason whatsoever for it...except the greed of those who benefit from such insane torture and cruelty against the people who need or want to use the plant.The actions of our government, and the stupidly cruel and unreasonable prohibitionists are a terrible insult to God and humanity. I can't understand why they do it...but I know they will fall eventually and they're going to fall shamefully, hard, and completely. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by whig on July 06, 2006 at 16:06:58 PT Max They are guilty of TruthCrime. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Max Flowers on July 06, 2006 at 15:57:53 PT 10news exposed as sensationalist pseudo-journalism "Exposed", eh? Boy that word makes it sound dramatic. And it is a very prejudicial word, too. When you say "exposed" it connotes something bad that was going on in secret. These cannabis dispensaries are not doing anything in secret, It's all out in the open, and legal.Watch the video clip and cringe in disgust at the hugely biased way they present this. They have a doctor who was videotaped surreptitiously, saying that he can assure the patient that Tylenol is far more risky to use than cannabis. This is 100% true, yet they present it on the TV news like they caught him telling some huge lie. What a joke. Oh well, as long as people let themselves be "shamed" and won't stand up for the right not to have cops and D.A.s acting as their physicians, this will keep on happening. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 06, 2006 at 15:39:27 PT Related News from 10News.com 10News Exposes 'Marijuana Doctors'*** July 6, 2006Video Link: http://www.10news.com/news/9479269/detail.htmlSAN DIEGO -- 10News reporter Salvador Rivera exposes a growing number of doctors in the San Diego region who are approving marijuana for their patients.While the doctors and advocates of the current distribution system argue it's all about pain relief, 10News' sources both inside and outside of law enforcement say the real motivation is money.In addition to the doctors, there are now more than 20 locations distributing the marijuana.10News has learned that one doctor made 2,000 referral to marijuana distributors in one year. Each referral was worth $250 to the doctor.Doing the math, the doctor made $500,000 in cash for just making referrals.Law enforcement maintains that Proposition 215, which was enacted to provide relief for extreme pain, has been subverted by these doctors and the distribution system that has sprung up.Watch 10News' exclusive undercover video tonight only on 10News at 5:30, 6:30 and 11 p.m. Copyright 2006 by 10News.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Toker00 on July 06, 2006 at 15:17:21 PT Thank you Graehstone And they do it because they are EVIL.Toke. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by slydawggydawg on July 06, 2006 at 15:14:16 PT why they do it Is to keep the prices high while they confiscate it to forward it on the black market so they can continue to arrest and imprison more non-violent users, or anyone else who ruffles enough feathers to draw their attention. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Graehstone on July 06, 2006 at 15:00:40 PT Local response This is the local emergency response: Right now, several dispensaries in San Diego are being raided by the DEA and local law enforcement. San Diego ASA is calling for an emergency meeting tonight. Please join them to plan a response to these raids!Tonight, Thursday 8:00 p.m.Twiggs Coffee House 4590 Park Blvd. San Diego In the Green Room [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Toker00 on July 06, 2006 at 14:54:14 PT Damn it! Waiting to hear from ASA about an emergency protest. You can bet I'll be there...Toke. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on July 06, 2006 at 14:17:22 PT Graehstone Thank you for the update. I'll keep my eyes open for news. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Graehstone on July 06, 2006 at 14:16:12 PT DEA Raids right now!! Sorry for not chiming in all that often anymore, but ... anyhow I just wanted to let you all know that here in the San Diego area the Feds and DEA are raiding all the dispensaries as I type. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment