cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- July 13, 2006 NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- July 13, 2006 Posted by CN Staff on July 13, 2006 at 12:54:25 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML Cannabinoids Curb Brain Tumor Growth, First-Ever Patient Trial Shows July 13, 2006 - Madrid, SpainMadrid, Spain: THC administration decreases recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumor growth in humans, according to the findings of the first-ever clinical trial assessing cannabinoids' anti-tumor action. Investigators at Complutense University in Spain administered THC intratumorally in nine patients diagnosed with recurrent GBM, an extremely rapid and lethal form of brain tumor. Patients in the study had previously failed standard therapy (surgery and radiotherapy) and had clear evidence of tumor progression. THC treatment was associated with reduced tumor cell proliferation in two subjects, authors reported.Investigators did not determine whether THC positively impacted patients' survival, though they did conclude that cannabinoid therapy does not facilitate cancer growth or decrease patients' life expectancy. Median survival of the cohort from the beginning of cannabinoid administration was 24 weeks, and two patients survived for approximately one year. Survival for GBM patients following diagnosis is typically six to twelve months.Researchers speculated that newly diagnosed glioma patients may respond more favorably to cannabinoid-based therapies.Investigators also reported that THC demonstrated significant anti-proliferative activity on human GBM cells in culture."The fair safety profile of THC, together with its possible anti-proliferative action on tumor cells reported here and in other studies, may set the basis for future trials aimed at evaluating the potential antitumoral activity of cannabinoids," investigators concluded.In 2005, investigators at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco reported that THC selectively decreases the proliferation of malignant cells and induces cell death in human GBM cell lines. Healthy cells in the study were unaffected by THC administration.Separate preclinical studies indicate that cannabinoids and endocannabinoids can stave off tumor progression and trigger cell death in other cancer cell lines, including breast carcinoma, prostate carcinoma, colectoral carcinoma, skin carcinoma, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "A pilot clinical study of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme," appears in the July issue of the British Journal of Cancer. Abstracts of the study are available online at: http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v95/n2/abs/6603236a.html 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=6947Alaska: Judge Rejects Pot Recriminalization MeasureJuly 13, 2006 - Juneau, AK, USAJuneau, AK: An Alaska Superior Court judge this week struck down provisions of a new state law seeking to criminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis in the privacy of one's home. The law, enacted in June, redefined minor marijuana possession as a criminal offense punishable by jail time, and defined the possession of more than four ounces of cannabis as a felony offense.The Alaska ACLU filed suit last month to block 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 constitutional provision encompassed the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis in the home.Superior Court judge Patricia Collins ruled Monday that the Alaska legislature lacks the authority to override the Supreme Court's 1975 decision. "The Alaska Supreme Court has repeatedly and consistently characterized the Ravin decision as announcing a constitutional limitation of the government's authority to enact legislation prohibiting the possession of marijuana in the privacy of one's home," she determined. "That decision is the law until and unless the Supreme Court takes contrary action."Collin's ruling strikes down sections of the new law criminalizing the possession of one ounce or less of cannabis, but leaves in place measures prohibiting the possession of greater amounts. Under the 2006 law, possession of one to four ounces of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail."The Alaska Court of Appeals has held that the legislature has the power to set reasonable limits on the amount of marijuana that people can possess for personal use in their homes and that such regulation does not conflict with Ravin," Collins determined.Lawyers for the Alaska attorney general's office are expected to appeal Collin's ruling.In 2004, the Alaska Supreme Court rejected a petition by the attorney general's office to reconsider a September 2003 Court of Appeals decision that the possession of marijuana by adults within the home is constitutionally protected activity.Governor Frank Murkowksi (R), who strongly advocated for the new law, has argued that Ravin should no longer apply in Alaska because cannabis may pose greater health and safety risks today than it did in 1975.For more information, please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the Superior Court ruling, ACLU et al. v State of Alaska, are online at: http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/decrim/261121g120060711.htmlAdditional information, including an interview with the ACLU's Allen Hopper, is available on the July 12 NORML Audiostash at: http://normlaudiostash.com/id120.htmDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6948Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: July 13, 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 #17 posted by global_warming on July 16, 2006 at 10:08:02 PT A man walking his dogs found the marijuana plants http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=97916§ion=stateregionMore idiots and fearful souls, bet that phone call will haunt this persons soul into Eternity. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by global_warming on July 16, 2006 at 10:03:10 PT old wayne there is so much fear and confusion,its starting to look like current Iraq,at least it smells like some kind of compromise,Do you believe in some higher power of understanding? [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by Wayne on July 16, 2006 at 09:49:58 PT re: John Tyler I'm sure there is overcrowding here in Florida, like everywhere else... but we never hear a word about it. There are a lot of old conservatives that live here. Keep in mind, they were the Reefer Madness generation, and they all want 'dope-heads' locked up and kept out of sight like the mentally ill. And they're all FILTHY RICH, so all the elected officials pander to their desires. And we've got Bush #2 in charge (at least for a little while longer), which usually seals the deals.I wish a MMJ movement would get started here so as to open people's eyes. You'd think all the old people who get cancer and glaucoma would be all for it, being that they can't afford their meds anymore thanks to Dubya's Medicare sellout plan. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by global_warming on July 16, 2006 at 09:44:54 PT hey JT In every state in the US, this infection of fear, ignorance and hatred for cannabis, in fact it is worldwide, the campaign to stomp out cannabis has many loyal supporters, as long as the high priced pharmacos, the useless advertisers called journalists, and the puppy kingdoms that accept, all is well.The day is coming, [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by John Tyler on July 16, 2006 at 06:35:28 PT re comment #12 There was a news story on NPR the other day about prison overcrowding in California and no money to anything about it. I’m sure there is some issue with overcrowding in Florida also. My point here is that to relieve such overcrowding, no one should be sent to prison for cannabis no matter whether they are users or dealers. To save the states and the taxpayers some money, cannabis should be legalized. No one in the “justice” system actually believes the lies about cannabis being bad. It is just their job. There will still be plenty of other work for them to do. It would be an overall boon to the economy. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by global_warming on July 14, 2006 at 05:07:18 PT interesting letter http://tinyurl.com/kmmn2 TCPalm Letter to the editor: Government's fixation on pot reflects poor prioritizingJuly 14, 2006Our war on drugs literally makes me nauseous with disgust. On June 20, 18-year-old Eli Strunk of Fort Pierce was arrested for having less than an ounce of marijuana in his car. He faces a felony conviction that will follow him for the rest of his life and a possibility of spending five years in prison.Each year, there are 700,000 marijuana arrests made in this country, mostly for possession or low-level sales. As a result, hundreds of thousands of young people are sent to prison, their lives ruined. Our justice system and our police should hang their heads in shame for this injustice.I am not alone in my views. Walter Cronkite has declared that "the war on drugs is now causing more harm than the drug abuse itself." Other sources, including many newspapers, the mayor of Chicago, the former governor of New Mexico, federal judges, police officials and even Dear Abby have expressed dismay over our war on drugs.The Wall Street Journal's editorial on March 7 stated: "It's (the war on drugs) collateral damage is fostering anti-Americanism throughout the globe, particularly in South America, and at home, it has trashed the Fourth Amendment and is filling our jails with people whose only crime is to find pleasure in ways that other people don't like."The Arizona Republic newspaper did extensive research on illegal drugs and reported that "Alcohol is the most widely used and most commonly abused drug in the United States. It's detrimental impact on society is far greater than that of illegal drugs."Canada and Mexico were close to making small quantities of drugs legal but changed their mind because of intense pressure from the United States. The Netherlands has virtually no drug problem even though it has legalized drugs. Alaska has legalized the use of marijuana. Rhode Island just became the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana. And last November, Denver citizens voted to make possession of small amounts of marijuana legal.John P. Walters, our current drug czar, has said that 16 million Americans regularly use marijuana. Thus, if the horrible effects claimed for this drug were true, we should be seeing our hospitals filled with desperately ill addicts. We should be seeing thousands of highway accidents due to crazed addicts driving under the influence. We should be seeing untold amounts of violence by the pot-heads.But this is not happening. Research will show that virtually all of the government's adverse claims about marijuana are false or greatly exaggerated. Of interest, one of Dr. Peter Gott's columns stated "marijuana is now viewed by many authorities as being a relatively minor hazard to health."Yes, there is violence associated with illegal drugs but that is simply a result of their being illegal. Our $50 billion drug appetite fuels the criminal aspects of the drug trade, resulting in clashes between rival drug cartels and the dealers and the police. From our experience with prohibition, we know this would end if drugs were legalized.A long-term review of the "Police Blotter" in the News shows that more arrests are made for simple, non-violent "drug possession" than for theft, assault, rape, murder or other violent crime. No wonder there is overcrowding in our jails. No wonder we don't have the resources to protect abused wives. No wonder we don't have the resources to investigate child abuse. No wonder we don't have the resources to keep track of sexual predators.Now for a serious question for you to ponder: If the police suddenly were able to prove marijuana use by the sixteen million people referred to by Mr. Walters, would you want all of them arrested and sent to jail.Would you want Bill Clinton sent to jail because he admitted smoking pot?If not, why should Eli Strunk or any other young man be the fall guy?George W. Iliff Port St Lucie--- Government's fixation on pot reflects poor prioritizing [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by b4daylight on July 13, 2006 at 23:30:37 PT Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on July 13, 2006 at I agree it is 2006 why only human clinical trails now. If you look at what non-human studies have done wow nothing needs to be said further. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by BUDSNAXZ on July 13, 2006 at 21:13:41 PT Great news for us This is great news. Funny though, I didn't seen to catch it on any news channels for some reason. It will come out though even if I have to tell everyone one by one it will come out!Peace allMac [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by John Tyler on July 13, 2006 at 19:39:11 PT some good news Thank goodness for the Alaskan courts. They seem to be the last line of defense in personal freedom. When will the anti cancer properties of cannabis make it in the general media? This is big news. Positive cannabis stories should be all over the media You can bet if big pharma had anything like cannabis it would be touted far and wide. A bit of cannabis a day keeps the doctor away. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by afterburner on July 13, 2006 at 18:29:42 PT What a Juxtaposition "Governor Frank Murkowksi (R), who strongly advocated for the new law, has argued that Ravin should no longer apply in Alaska because cannabis may pose greater health and safety risks today than it did in 1975."Yes, Frank, "health and safety risks," like cancer prevention.Thank you, Paul Armentano, for all the good work that you do. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by mayan on July 13, 2006 at 17:21:32 PT On The Brink Separate preclinical studies indicate that cannabinoids and endocannabinoids can stave off tumor progression and trigger cell death in other cancer cell lines, including breast carcinoma, prostate carcinoma, colectoral carcinoma, skin carcinoma, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.And now brain tumors! As the many miracles of the cannabis plant and the horrific 9/11 inside job are beginning to be known by the masses, the ptb are trying to get us into WWIII. What is happening in the middle east has been planned for a long time. 9/11 and everything since has been. If we remain silent now we will remain silent forever.Dubya Dubya Three: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/dubyadubyathree.phpTHE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Bob Bowman on Hanity & Colmes (video): http://infowars.com/articles/sept11/bob_bowman_hanity_and_colmes.htm9/11 Scholars for Truth Professor Kevin Barrett on Hanity & Colmes (video): http://infowars.com/articles/sept11/kevin_barrett_st911_hanity_colmes.htmState Assembly Refuses To Consider Resolution To Fire UW-Madison Instructor: http://prisonplanet.com/articles/july2006/130706Fire.htmVanity Fair: Click Here For Conspiracy: http://infowars.com/articles/sept11/vanity_fair_loose_change_click_for_conspiracy.htmFAKE TERROR - THE ROAD TO WAR AND DICTATORSHIP: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ARTICLE5/9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB - OUR NATION IS IN PERIL: http://www.911sharethetruth.com/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Had Enough on July 13, 2006 at 17:00:33 PT Re: All previous comments Gandhi TheoryThey’re not laughing at us now, are they? [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by freewillks on July 13, 2006 at 16:06:23 PT cannabis: the anti-cancer! Indirect evidence overwelmingly shows that cannabis and its chemical compounds may prevent cancer(i.e. smoking study). I bet if we study a group of women we would find non-tobaco using pot smokers would have fewer cases of breast cancer. would also bet that they suffer fewer cancers all togather. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by global_warming on July 13, 2006 at 15:48:25 PT lets not forget the powerful insurance interests,imagine some simple ditch weed can compete with 2 and 3 thousand dollars of pharma treatments, well there goes the bottom line.. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on July 13, 2006 at 15:39:47 PT: This is incredibly important Because the first human trials have been concluded...and the results were as most of us figured they would be. As more studies are conducted, more attention will be given to this in academic circles. From there, the news will spread to out to finally reaching the ears of those who need to know about this the most, namely, cancer patients, themselves. Now imagine the reaction those cancer patients will have when the likes of Karen Tandy tell them the usual lies. No amount of news censoring (see Project Censored http://www.projectcensored.org/) will be able to hold this back. No amount of obfuscation, foot dragging and lying will be able to stop the word from getting out. Cannabis prohibition is like a vampire that is surrounded by hordes of people who have forgotten they are carrying around crucifxes, garlic, wooden stakes and mallets. Let a few of them remember, and have good reason to apply those tools, and cannabis prohibition is finished. And if anyone has a reason to do so now, it's cancer patients. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by global_warming on July 13, 2006 at 15:11:16 PT from the above article, it sounds like all good news, guess them old nasty prohibitionists would prefer to live with their brain tumors, this might even explain there irrational behavior. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by lombar on July 13, 2006 at 13:55:41 PT Rat Study The latest study is being called 'proof of the gateway' effect.Reutershttp://tinyurl.com/la5lwToday it occurred to me to wonder what the results would be if the rats were preconditioned with something other than THC? Alcohol, tobacco, or perhaps chocolate? Oh yeah, that's right, smokers, drinkers, and chocolate eaters are not the targets of the modern witch-hunt. There's no police, pharmacuetical, or media lobbying for a coninuing war on chocolate. There are no prisons full of non-violent chocolate eaters siphoning taxpayers money into a black hole, a never ending maw of grief and misery that is self-reinforcing cycles of violence that need not exist. So THC has anti-tumor properties as well... could it be the 'tree of life' itself? Why do some people hate cannabis so? [ Post Comment ] Post Comment