cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- August 24, 2006 NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- August 24, 2006 Posted by CN Staff on August 24, 2006 at 16:11:15 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML Endocannabinoid System Protects Against Seizures, Study SaysAugust 24, 2006 - Mainz, GermanyMainz, Germany: The endocannabinoid system provides "on demand" protection against experimentally induced seizures and neuronal cell death, according to preclinical data published this month in the journal Neuron. Investigators at the Johannes Guttenberg University in Mainz and the Max Planck Institute in Munich reported that endocannabinoids, acting upon the brain's CB1 (cannabinoid) receptors, directly target hippocampal glutamatergic neurons to mediate against experimentally induced seizures and cell death in mice. "CB1 expression on hippocampal glutamatergic circuits accounts for this protection and might represent a suitable target for the treatment of neurological disorders associated with excessive neuronal excitation," authors concluded.Separate preclinical studies have previously demonstrated that natural cannabinoids such as THC and cannabidiol (CBD) are neuroprotective against ethanol-induced cell death, cerebral infarction, and glutamate toxicity. Glutamate, a neurotransmitter, may be produced at toxic levels following strokes or severe head trauma often leading to irreversible brain damage. In recent years, researchers have identified the endocannabinoid receptor system to be involved in the regulation of several primary biological functions including appetite, body temperature, mood elevation, blood pressure, bone density, embryonic implantation, learning capacity, and motor coordination.For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "The endocannabinoid system controls key epileptogenic circuits in the hippocampus," appears in the August 17, 2006 edition of Neuron.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6995Renee Boje Legal Battle Finally Resolved August 24, 2006 - Los Angeles, CA, USALos Angeles, CA: A US federal court judge has sentenced American expatriate Renee Boje to one year's probation, during which time she will be allowed to reside in Canada with her family.The ruling concludes a nearly decade-long legal battle for Boje, who filed for refugee status in Canada in 1998 after US federal agents raided a marijuana cultivation operation at the home of cancer survivor and medical cannabis patient Todd McCormick, with whom Boje had a working relationship. Boje faced a potential 10-year federal sentence for her alleged role in the McCormick case.Under the terms of a plea agreement struck between Boje and federal prosecutors, Boje pled guilty to minor marijuana possession and was sentenced on August 14 to one-year probation. She was allowed to return to Canada the following day, where she resides with her husband and three-year-old child.Earlier this week, Canadian immigration officials granted Boje a 6-month visitors permit to remain in the country while she attempts to secure Canadian citizenship.Boje and US prosecutors had begun negotiations to end her legal fight after Boje was denied refugee status in Canada in 2005. Last June, Canadian Justice Minister Irving Colter ruled that Boje must turn herself over to federal authorities and face extradition to the United States. Lawyers for Boje had been appealing that decision, but were not optimistic that it would be overturned.For more information, please visit: http://www.reneeboje.com/ or: http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4803.htmlDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6996 California: Legislature Approves Hemp Cultivation BillAugust 24, 2006 - Sacramento, CA, USASacramento, CA: The California legislature this week approved legislation recognizing industrial hemp as an "agricultural field crop" and establishing regulations governing its cultivation by state-authorized farmers. The bill, AB 1147 (The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act), now awaits final approval from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R).Under the proposal, authorized farmers and researchers would be allowed to cultivate non-psychoactive varieties of cannabis containing less than 0.3 percent THC for industrial purposes, such as fiber content and seed stock. Farmers in Canada, the European Union and elsewhere currently grow hemp commercially as an agricultural commodity for a variety of consumer products, including food.According to a 2005 Congressional Research Service report, "The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop."For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or visit:http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=8982281&type=SWDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6997Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: August 24, 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 #5 posted by whig on August 25, 2006 at 02:07:52 PT mayan I wrote something about 9/11 and cannabis, which you might agree with, but I hope other 9/11 truth advocates could also respond to. Please let me know what you think and invite anyone else you know to tell me why they think I might be right or wrong, or what I might be overlooking or misunderstanding. If you agree then we need to get as many people from the 9/11 truth movement to understand this anyhow.http://cannablog.wordpress.com/2006/08/25/911-truth-and-cannabis/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Max Flowers on August 24, 2006 at 22:43:14 PT Renee Boje Tha's GREAT news actually! Man, what a relief... I was afraid that one was going to end badly.I thought I also read somewhere lately that a recent Canadian Supreme Court decision resulted in the high likelihood that Marc Emery will not be extradited to the US. That would also be a nice victory. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by ekim on August 24, 2006 at 19:25:01 PT Governor Arnold wants bill AB 32 on globalwarming lets see if Arnold will see the great benefit of Cannabis to help the farmer, jobs and the environment, Thursday, August 24, 2006 www.drugwarrant.com America on DrugsPierre Tristam has an outstanding piece: When Admitting Failure Is Forbidden - America On Drugs. The whole thing is worth reading and quoting. Here's a snippet.The country is addicted to the bureaucracy of the war. It keeps prisons in business. It keeps police departments fattening up their ranks. It lets politicians on the stump freebase on tough-sounding rhetoric, cost-free. It is the law-enforcement establishment's bottomless welfare plan, with more dire results than social welfare ever caused those on the dole. For all its "welfare queen" myths and admitted failures, social welfare programs had their millions of successes, keeping people out of poverty or helping them through bad patches. The drug war is a legacy of victims. Its only true winners are its enablers and dependents -- government and law enforcement -- who, experiencing its futility first-hand, should have been leading the charge for reform decades ago. But they're too addicted to 12-step their way out of it. Rather, the quagmire worsens, implicating America's already tattered foreign policy along the way. http://www.leap.cc/events [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by mayan on August 24, 2006 at 18:26:52 PT Rene Boje That's good news about Renee Boje. I'm glad she'll be able to stay in Canada with her family!JR, he should be jailed for cultivating bunk weed. Just kidding!THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Popular Mechanics invited to the National 9/11 Debate: http://www.teamliberty.net/id292.htmlAlex Jones to Host Powerful 9/11 Event in Dallas this Saturday: http://www.infowars.com/articles/sept11/terrorstorm_dallas_press_release.htmNon-Random Thoughts: Jim Fetzer's 9/11 archives (audio): http://mp3.rbnlive.com/Fetzer06.htmlGOP candidate says 9/11 attacks were a hoax: http://prisonplanet.com/articles/august2006/240806hoax.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on August 24, 2006 at 17:41:08 PT Australian doctor grows schwag, gets no jail time NIDA officials should give this guy a job... http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2006/08/24/1773662-ap.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment