cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - April 19, 2007 NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - April 19, 2007 Posted by CN Staff on April 19, 2007 at 12:09:37 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML Pot's Active Ingredient Halts Lung Cancer Growth, Study SaysApril 19, 2007 - Los Angeles, CA, USALos Angeles, CA: The administration of THC significantly reduces lung tumor size and lesions, according to preclinical data presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Los Angeles. Investigators at Harvard University's Division of Experimental Medicine reported that THC inhibited the growth and spread of cells in vitro from two different lung cancer cell lines and from patient lung tumors. They also reported that THC administration reduced the growth of lung tumors in mice by more than 50 percent compared to untreated controls over a three-week period. Researchers noted that THC appeared to block a specific cancer-causing protein in a manner similar to the pharmaceutical anti-cancer drugs Erbitux (Cetuximab) and Vectibix (Panitumumab). Results of a large-scale, case-controlled population study published last year found that smoking cannabis, even long-term, is not positively associated with increased incidence of lung-cancer. Investigators in that study noted that one subset of moderate lifetime users had an inverse association between cannabis use and lung cancer, leading them to speculate that cannabinoids may possess certain protective properties against the development of lung cancer in humans. Separate preclinical studies indicate that compounds in marijuana inhibit cancer cell growth in animals and in culture on a wide range of tumoral cell lines -- including human breast carcinoma cells, human prostate carcimona cells, and human colectoral carcinoma cells, among others. Most recently, investigators at Madrid's Complutense University, School of Biology, reported in the British Journal of Cancer that THC administration decreases recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (brain) tumor growth in patients diagnosed with the disease. For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst at: paul norml.org or download the NORML white paper, "Cannabinoids as Cancer Hope," available online at: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6814DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7241"Smokeless" Cannabis Delivery System Found "Safe And Effective," Study SaysApril 19, 2007 - San Francisco, CA, USASan Francisco, CA: Vaporization is a "safe and effective" cannabinoid delivery mode for patients who desire the rapid onset of action associated with inhalation while avoiding the respiratory risks of smoking, according to clinical trial data to be published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.Investigators at San Francisco General Hospital reported that use of the Volcano vaporizing device delivered "efficient" doses of THC to subjects in a "reproducible" manner while significantly reducing their intake of gaseous combustion toxins, including carbon monoxide. Eighteen subjects participated in the six-day study, which was sponsored by the state of California and the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research. "Vaporization of marijuana does not result in exposure to combustion gases, ... and [was] preferred by most subjects compared to marijuana cigarettes," authors concluded. "The Volcano [vaporizer] device is an effective and apparently safe vehicle for THC delivery, and warrants further investigation in clinical trials of cannabis for medical purposes."Researchers reported that vaporization resulted in higher plasma concentrations of THC compared to smoked cannabis for up to 60 minutes following inhalation. Investigators also reported that subjects 'self-titrated' their intake of cannabis vapor, taking smaller and less frequent puffs when exposed to stronger marijuana. On average, the Volcano vaporizer exposed subjects to 54 percent of the applied dose of THC. Previous studies have shown that as much as 80 percent of the THC burned in cigarettes or water-pipes is lost in slipstream smoke.A prior clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of the Volcano vaporizer published in 2006 in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences also reported that the device delivers set doses of THC to subjects in a reproducible manner "while avoiding the respiratory disadvantages of smoking." The efficacy of the Volcano vaporizer was initially reported in a 2004 study co-sponsored by NORML and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), which found that the device delivered vapor of high purity with practically no toxic tars or hydrocarbons.Vaporization heats cannabis to a temperature where active cannabinoid vapors form (typically around 180-190 degrees Celsius), but below the point of combustion where noxious smoke and associated toxins (i.e., carcinogenic hydrocarbons) are produced (above 230 degrees Celsius).Separate survey data published this week in the Harm Reduction Journal also reports that vaporization is subjectively associated with fewer respiratory symptoms than smoking cannabis.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or Dale Gieringer, California NORML Coordinator, at (415) 563-5858. Abstracts of the study, "Vaporization as a smokeless cannabis delivery system: a pilot study," are available online at: http://www.galenicom.com/medline/article/17429350/ca:66 Abstracts of the study, "Decreased respiratory symptoms in cannabis users who vaporize," are available online at:http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/4/1/11/abstractDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7240NORML Affiliates Nationwide To Celebrate 'High Holiday'April 19, 2007 - Washington, DC, USAWashington, DC: NORML affiliates in more than a dozen states will be holding events this Friday, April 20th, to acknowledge "420" the official day for cannabis awareness. NORML chapters Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Santa Barbara, Tuscon and other cities across the nation will hold rallies commemorating the day, and will call on their elected officials to stop arresting adults who consume cannabis responsibly."April 20th has emerged as the most organic and culturally driven day of cannabis awareness, not just in the United States, but also worldwide," said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre. "However, while this is a day of notable celebration, it also is a stark reminder of the absurdity of cannabis prohibition in our free market-oriented, democratic society."For a complete listing of NORML affiliated "420" events, please contact Erin Dame, NORML Outreach Coordinator, at (202) 483-5500. Additional information is available online at: http://www.norml.org or http://www.hightimes.com A special "420" edition of NORML's podcast will air this Friday at: http://www.normlaudiostash.comDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7242Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: April 19, 2007Copyright: 2007 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 #6 posted by FoM on April 20, 2007 at 15:39:14 PT BGreen I am sorry it took me this long to get back with you. My headache is gone today. We will know the biopsy results in a couple of weeks. Thanks for asking. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by BGreen on April 19, 2007 at 21:25:13 PT Thanks, FoM How is your headache? I hope you're feeling better. I hope Stick's test results came out OK, too.The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by whig on April 19, 2007 at 21:21:40 PT FoM and BGreen Bayer - MSNBC clip with Joe Scarsboroughhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS3mhjt7TrY [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 19, 2007 at 19:54:05 PT BGreen That is really interesting information. So many prescriptions drugs have such bad side effects and yet those side effects aren't very important or they wouldn't prescribe so much medicine so easily. It's very sad because if you need medicine you don't know what might help or hurt you. Cannabis has never killed anyone. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by BGreen on April 19, 2007 at 18:52:26 PT Asthma Inhalers vs. Smoking Cannabis I got to wondering what the side effects are of the FDA approved medicines that are administered through the respiratory tract, so I browsed the Pysician's Desk Reference and other sources and, without exception, the adverse effects observed in the users of asthma inhalers are much more common and much more severe than those observed in even the heaviest partakers of cannabis.For example:Crazy about your asthma inhaler or nasal spray? You just might be....literally. Asthma inhalers and nasal sprays that contain steroids are well known to cause psychiatric side effects such as depression, mood swings, aggression, irritability and insomnia. However, in rare cases, they can also cause a side effect called "steroid psychosis". People with steroid psychosis lose contact with reality and can appear to be crazy or insane. Symptoms of steroid psychosis can involve anything from incoherent babbling to psychotic delusions and hallucinations. The person may need to be hospitalized and treated with anti-psychotic drugs. The condition is usually reversible, although it may take weeks, months, or even longer to resolve. Steroid psychosis is rare with steroid asthma inhalers and nasal sprays (1 in 10,000 chance). However, it is much more common with oral (pills) steroid drugs, such as prednisone.http://www.sidefxdrugs.com/Once again, the hypocrisy of the FDA is evident, allowing dangerous and even fatal side effects in drugs they deem "safe and effective" while using any possible excuse to deny cannabis as medicine.By utilizing a vaporizer, we can further reduce the minor throat irritation and other annoying but never life threatening side effects a cannabis smoker might encounter.The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on April 19, 2007 at 18:18:45 PT Bongloads of Justice How getting caught up in a federal drug raid turned Pasadena comic Tere Joyce into a marijuana missionary.By Joe Piaseckihttp://www.pasadenaweekly.com/article.php?id=4555&IssueNum=68 [ Post Comment ] Post Comment