Survey on the Modes of Delivery of Cannabinoids

Subject: IACM-Bulletin Special of 18 August 2009 | There is an international survey on the advantages and disadvantages of different modes of delivery of cannabis-based drugs and substances. People who want to support the survey are cordially invited to spread the word on it in the internet. There are direct links to the questionnaire in different languages:

English: http://www.cannabis-med.org/limesurvey/index.php?sid=91387&lang=en

German: http://www.cannabis-med.org/limesurvey/index.php?sid=91387&lang=de

Spanish: http://www.cannabis-med.org/limesurvey/index.php?sid=91387&lang=es

French (soon available): http://www.cannabis- med.org/limesurvey/index.php?sid=91387&lang=fr

Dutch: http://www.cannabis-med.org/limesurvey/index.php?sid=91387&lang=nl

Anyone who uses cannabis or other cannabinoids for medicinal purposes and has experience with two or more of the following substances or modes of delivery is invited to participate:

- Smoking of cannabis,

- Inhalation of cannabis with a vaporizer,

- Oral use of cannabis as a tea,

- Oral use of cannabis in baked goods/cannabis tincture,

- Oral use of dronabinol/Marinol (THC),

- Oral use of nabilone/Cesamet,

- Inhalation of dronabinol (THC) with a vaporizer,

- Sativex,

- other use.

Participants remain anonymous. The survey was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical School of Hannover and is headed by the chairwoman of the IACM, Dr. Kirsten Mueller- Vahl, Professor at the Medical School of Hannover (Germany), in cooperation with Dr. Arno Hazekamp of the University of Leiden (The Netherlands), Dr. Donald Abrams, Professor at the University of California San Francisco (USA), Dr. Ethan Russo, Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Montana (USA), Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen of the nova-Institut (Germany), Dr. Mark Ware, Assistant Professor at the McGill University, Montreal (Canada), Dr. Ricardo Navarrete-Varo, Malaga (Spain), and Dr. Rudolf Brenneisen, Professor at the University of Bern (Switzerland).

The questionnaire is available at: http://www.cannabis-med.org

Contact info: International Association for Cannabis as Medicine (IACM), Am Mildenweg 6, D-59602 Ruethen, Germany * Phone: +49 (0)2952-9708571 * Fax: +49 (0)2952-902651 * or visit - http://www.cannabis-med.org

If you want to be deleted from or added to the IACM-Bulletin mailing list or if you want to change your e-mail address please visit www.cannabis-med.org/english/subscribe.htm. You may choose between different languages (English, German, French, Dutch, Italian and Spanish). The articles of the IACM-Bulletin can be printed, translated and distributed freely for any non-commercial purposes, provided the original work is properly cited. The source of the IACM-Bulletin is "IACM, www.cannabis-med.org".

WHY NOT TWO DAYS INSTEAD OF 366?

NORTH AMERICA: USA (Blog) - June 12, 2009 - By Jacob Sullum | As I predicted/hoped, U.S. District Judge George Wu used the "safety valve" for nonviolent, low-level drug offenders to avoid imposing the otherwise mandatory five-year sentence on Charlie Lynch, former operator of a medical marijuana dispensary in Morro Bay, California. The only thing that might have prevented Wu from using this provision was a determination that Lynch had acted as a "leader" of a criminal enterprise, and Wu decided that he hadn't. At the same time, Wu said he felt constrained to impose a sentence of at least one year because a cancer patient whose parents brought him to the dispensary was under 21, triggering a provision of federal law that doubles the sentence that would otherwise apply.  Visit: http://www.reason.com/blog/show/134098.html for more info.

CARCIERI VETOES BILL ALLOWING MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES, House and Senate Move to Override Governor's Veto

NORTH AMERICA: USA / PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Republican Governor Carcieri has, as promised, vetoed legislation that would make Rhode Island the second state in the nation to allow state-licensed dispensaries to sell marijuana to the chronically and critically ill. In his first veto message of the year, Carcieri said:

"Although the intent of the legislation is to allow consenting adults to use marijuana only for medicinal purposes based on illness, the increased availability, along with a complacent attitude, will no doubt result in increased usage, and will negatively impact the children of Rhode Island."

However, the identical House and Senate versions of the marijuana-dispensary bill passed both chambers with enough votes to easily override the governor's veto. In fact, the lead House sponsor -- Rep. Thomas Slater -- said both the Senate president and the House speaker have promised him they would override the veto, if necessary. Echoed the Senate sponsor, Rhoda E. Perry: "I believe we have the intent and the numbers to override the veto."

In an interview on Friday moments after the veto came down, Slater said he expects to start a medical marijuana protocol on his own doctor's advice in the coming days in an effort to help relieve the symptoms of advanced breast cancer and stimulate his appetite. State law already allows doctors to prescribe marijuana for use by people with severe, chronic and debilitating illnesses, such as cancer, hepatitis C and HIV. As of April 30, there were 681 people registered to do so with the Department of Health.

But that law, adopted in 2006, does not provide a legal avenue for any of these registered patients -- or their 581 registered caregivers -- to obtain the drug.

"The principal problem that our patients had was their fear of dealing with the illegal market," said Perry, D-Providence. "They were very frightened."  Visit: http://www.projo.com/news/content/marijuana_veto_06-13-09_NDEN34V_v16.3db725c.html for the full story.

NADELMANN VS BENNETT ON CNN

Tonight's "Great Debate": Is the war on drugs a failure and would legalizing marijuana be a better solution? Former drug czar Bill Bennett and the head of the Drug Policy Alliance in a frank discussion about addiction, crime, and violence. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BROWN: Time for our "Great Debate." And tonight's premise: The war on drugs is a failure. The Obama administration just announced a new strategy to fight drug trafficking at the U.S.-Mexican border, adding literally hundreds of agents in the field and new technology at ports of entry. But critics say it's all basically for a lost cause.

So, joining us to debate, CNN political contributor Bill Bennett, who is host of the national radio talk show "Morning in America." He was also the nation's drug czar under President George H.W. Bush. And, officially, that is the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. And he says we can win the war on drugs. On the other side of this, Ethan Nadelmann, who is founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which works to promote new drug policies and alternatives to the current battle that we're fighting, the war on drugs.  Visit: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0906/11/ec.01.html for more info.

LIBERALS TEAM WITH CONSERVATIVES TO PASS A NASTY NEW DRUG LAW

By Dana Larsen, CANNABIS CULTURE | NORTH AMERICA / CANADA: On June 8, Canada's Parliament passed a new set of mandatory minimum penalties for a variety of marijuana and drug offences. The new law now goes to the Senate, where it will likely be approved. Even though Canada's Senate has many members who oppose prohibition, it is extremely rare for the Senate to block a bill passed by Parliament, especially when it has the support of both Liberals and Conservatives. According to Conservative Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, the law is aimed at "serious drug traffickers, the people who are basically out to destroy our society."  Click here for more info.

EUROPEAN UNION / UNITED KINGDOM (WebCast) Broadcasting on the Drug Truth Network, this is Cultural Baggage. It's not only inhumane it is really fundamentally Un-American... "NO MORE" "DRUG WAR" | Cultural Baggage Radio Show - 06/10/09 - Claudia Rubin w/ RELEASE in the UK, regarding their campaign: "Nice People Take Drugs" + Dr. Joel Hochman's warning to parents & Julie Roberts of Drug Policy Alliance on forthcoming cannabis distribution in New Mexico My Name is Dean Becker. I don't condone or encourage the use of any drugs - legal or illegal. I report the unvarnished truth about the pharmaceutical, banking, prison and judicial nightmare that feeds on eternal drug war. "Hello my friends and welcome to this edition of Cultural Bagage. I think we have got a great show for you today. Our first guest is going to be Claudia Rubin, she is with RELEASE, in the U.K."  Visit: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2453 for more info.

Stimulus dollars fund NW study on marijuana

by KATU.com Staff | VANCOUVER, Wash. - A Southwest Washington psychology professor has received federal stimulus money to study marijuana and pain management. WSU Vancouver Professor Michael Morgan qualified to receive $148,438 for his two-year study, which aims to determine whether the use of marijuana along with other anti-pain medications such as morphine provides better pain relief than either drug alone. The grant from the National Institutes of Health is part of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the economic stimulus package enacted by Congress and signed by the president in February.

"This research is innovative in the field," Morgan said in a news release. "Currently there are no other projects that are studying this chemical relationship using these parameters." His project was picked because of "its potential to stimulate the economy and create or retain jobs within the community" as well as its likelihood of making scientific progress in two years, school officials said in a news release.  Visit: http://www.kpic.com/news/local/46728052.html for more.

City closes medical marijuana clinic loophole

By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer - Updated: 06/02/2009 | In a move to check the proliferation of questionable medical marijuana clinics, city officials moved Tuesday to close a loophole that has allowed nearly 500 clinics to set up shop over the past two years despite a city moratorium. A city panel voted to change the language on an interim measure that allowed clinics to open under a "hardship exemption" clause. The clause allowed clinics to argue why they should be allowed to open even with the moratorium in place. The City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved a proposal from Councilman Jose Huizar to strike the exemption from its Interim Control Ordinance, adopted in September 2007.

"I am a supporter of Proposition 215 to give reasonable access to medical marijuana," Huizar said in a written statement. "But, we have seen a proliferation of these clinics operated by people who are seeking a quick profit"  Visit: http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12504085 for more.

Video: Orange County Seniors Demand Medical Marijuana Access

by David Borden on Sun, 05/31/2009 | This video by "Drug Crazy" author Mike Gray is from Orange County, California -- not a liberal bastion, but medical marijuana has been state law there for over 12 years. Senior citizens are calling for access to medical marijuana, local authorities are sympathetic, and advocates are willing help. But they can't find a landlord willing to rent to them, presumably because of threats by the US DEA to use asset forfeiture laws to take the property away. Along with the sheer barbarism of these federal policies, the video also hints at what may be the largest tragedy, people who because of those policies never find out that marijuana could have helped them.  Click here for more info and to see the video.

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF MARIJUANA WERE DECRIMINALIZED? A Freakonomics Quorum

By Stephen J. Dubner | Two years ago we ran a quorum debating the pros and cons of decriminalizing marijuana. Since then, a largely theoretical debate has moved quite substantially toward the realm of reality, with a growing number of states and municipalities having changed their laws. The details from place to place vary greatly and are very much a patchwork; the most prominent state to make a move is Massachusetts. The California legislature, meanwhile, is wondering whether marijuana could save its economy — which, as we read just this morning, is badly in need of saving. Although President Obama doesn’t seem interested, arguments in favor of decriminalization are popping up everywhere, from the Law Enforcement Against Prohibition platform to the senior thesis of a graduating economics major at Brown named Max Chaiken, which finds that “a legally taxed and regulated marijuana market could generate upwards of $200 billion annually in excise tax revenues for the federal government … [which] would be enough to fund Medicaid.”  Visit: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/pot-quorum/ for more.

B.C. POT GROWER WON'T FORFEIT HOUSE, SUPREME COURT RULES

In a landmark ruling, the country's top court said Friday that a convicted marijuana grower in North Vancouver won't lose her house as part of her sentence. It's the first time the Supreme Court of Canada has tested federal drug laws that allow confiscation of assets related to crime. It ruled 5-2 that Judy Ann Craig, convicted in 2003 of growing pot worth more than $100,000 in her home, does not have to give up her house as crime-related property. Prosecutors had said the laws are a powerful deterrent against home-based grow-ops. But Craig's lawyer Howard Rubin argued the law should target only organized traffickers and not unfairly punish home-based growers.  Visit: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/05/29/pot-supreme-court.html for more.

UNDER THE RADAR: US DEMOCRATS OVERSEAS PASS MARIJUANA RESOLUTION

By Stephen C. Webster | The Democratic Party Committee Abroad, otherwise known as Democrats Abroad, passed a resolution on April 25 recommending the legalization of marijuana in all 50 states. The news appears to have gone completely unnoticed by all mainstream outlets. The Democrats Abroad are considered a state party by the Democratic National Committee, which affords them eight elected, voting members. They help U.S. citizens who are traveling and living outside the United States cast ballots in national elections. The DNC maintains a pool of 200 voting members divvied up by individual states’ populations. The resolution was first put forward by the Japanese branch of Democrats Abroad. After only minor debate, according to Daily Kos diarist YoYogiBear who says he created the resolution, it passed, moving up for debate by the Democratic Party Committee Abroad, where it was met with some resistance.  Visit: http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/26/under-the-radar/ for more.

First thieves, then cops take man's medical pot

By RAY LANE, KOMO-TV STAFF | "FBI! Get on the floor!" Those were the words Roger Spohn said he heard as four gunmen masquerading as federal agents stormed into his Wallingford home.

The men wanted one thing: marijuana - which Spohn was growing plenty of for legal medical use - and they took off with several pounds of it. But when Seattle police responded to the home invasion call, Spohn didn't get sympathy or protection. Rather, according to him, a bigger crime was committed.

Officers and detectives moved in and hauled away hundreds of marijuana plants that were a part of a large growing operation inside the house. Spohn, who is legally able to grow up to 15 plants for medical use, said he was cultivating a larger amount for fellow medical marijuana patients.

"Every patient can't grown their own 15 plants. It's fairly difficult getting them to root and keeping them alive," he said. Growing good, medical-grade marijuana is not easy, according to Spohn. But patients with terminal or debilitating health conditions rely on it.

No matter, Spohn was detained for hours as police chopped up the plants and stuffed them inside bags.  Visit: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/406593_pottheft27.html for more.

Government runs nation's only legal pot garden

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) -- Here, in what could be called the Fort Knox of dope, Mahmoud ElSohly waits patiently as an assistant unlocks the stainless steel door to a climate-controlled vault. Mahmoud ElSohly oversees the nation's largest legal marijuana garden at the University of Mississippi. Once inside, under the gaze of security cameras and a blinking motion sensor, another scientist pries open the lid of a large cardboard barrel, opens a large plastic bag and digs his hand into the vat of meticulously manicured marijuana.

We are in the Coy W. Waller Laboratory Complex on the campus of the University of Mississippi, getting a look at the only legal marijuana farm and production facility in the United States. This is the government's "cannabis drug repository." This is the government's stash.

Since 1968, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has contracted with the university lab to grow, harvest and process marijuana and to ship it to licensed facilities across the country for research purposes. The lab also collects samples of marijuana seized by police to determine its potency and to document national drug trends.  Visit: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/18/government.marijuana.garden/ for more. NOTE: The CIND patients also get their medicine from this source. It's unfortunate they didn't mention the CIND patients ... More unfortunate that it was deliberate. This is ... part of the propaganda campaign against medical marijuana and cannabis in general.

Medical-pot advocate-grower gets 10 years

(05-18) 14:47 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A medical-marijuana advocate who grew 32,000 plants on his land in Lake County was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday by a federal judge who criticized the law she was applying. Images View More Images Video View Larger Size More Bay Area News Feds want secrecy over alleged torture flights 06.12.09 'Red flag' raised in suspect's death in Oakland 06.12.09 Judge: Ex-Bush lawyer can be sued over torture 06.12.09 Public told to stay away from gray whales 06.13.09

"I think that amount of time is excessive, but it's not up to me," U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel said in sentencing Charles "Eddy" Lepp in a San Francisco courtroom crowded with his supporters. Patel gave Lepp until July 6 to report to prison and said she would reconsider the sentence if Congress changed the law, which requires a 10-year term for growing at least 1,000 marijuana plants.

Lepp, 56, was arrested in 2004, after federal agents said they had found more than 32,000 marijuana plants in gardens near his home in Upper Lake, most of them in plain view of Highway 20. He said the plants were all for patients who had a right to use marijuana with their doctors' approval under California law. Courts have ruled, however, that the state law does not bar federal prosecutions.

Lepp also said that he was a Rastafarian minister, for whom the plants were a sacrament, and that he was growing the plants for 2,500 members of his church who were sharecroppers. Patel barred the religious defense last year, saying Lepp could not credibly claim that his faith compelled him to distribute thousands of plants to unidentified parishioners. A jury convicted Lepp in September of conspiracy and cultivation with the intent to distribute marijuana. His lawyer, Michael Hinckley, argued for a lesser sentence, but Patel said the 10-year term was mandatory because the evidence showed Lepp led the operation and supervised others.  Visit: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/19/BASQ17MLBA.DTL for more. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Eddy+Lepp Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Prop. 215 challenge

(05-18) 12:13 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- California's medical marijuana law survived its most serious legal challenge Monday as the U.S. Supreme Court denied appeals by two counties that argued they were being forced to condone violations of federal drug laws. Images View Larger Image More News Obama pledges to quickly sign anti-smoking bill 06.13.09 Feds want secrecy over alleged torture flights 06.12.09 'Red flag' raised in suspect's death in Oakland 06.12.09 Woman pleads not guilty to killing Sandra Cantu 06.12.09 The justices, without comment, denied a hearing to officials from San Diego and San Bernardino counties who challenged Proposition 215, an initiative approved by state voters in 1996 that became a model for laws in 12 other states. It allows patients to use marijuana for medical conditions with their doctor's recommendation.

The counties specifically objected to legislation requiring them to issue identification cards that protect holders from arrest by state or local police for possessing small amounts of marijuana for medical use. The cards are objectionable because "the state law authorizes individuals to engage in conduct that the federal law prohibits," said Thomas Bunton, a lawyer in the San Diego County counsel's office. "We are disappointed that the court did not take the case to resolve what we believe was a conflict between federal and state law."

Medical marijuana advocates were relieved.

"This was the most threatening case to state medical marijuana laws, the only one that tried to invalidate state laws," said attorney Graham Boyd of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented patients and advocacy groups in the case.

"No longer will local officials be able to hide behind federal law and resist upholding California's medical marijuana law," said Joe Elford, lawyer for Americans for Safe Access, which also took part in the case.  Visit: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/19/BASQ17MIN1.DTL for more. Note: The ACLU's opposition brief to the Court http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/medmarijuana/39603lgl20090415.html Note: The Americans for Safe Access page on the case http://www.americansforsafeaccess.org/article.php?id=4405 Cited: San Diego County Board of Supervisors http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/general/bos.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Proposition+215 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/San+Diego+County+supervisors

NATIONAL NURSES GROUP BACKS MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The American Nurses Association recognizes that patients should have safe access to therapeutic cannabis - marijuana.  The ANA passed such a resolution in 2004 at the request of its Congress on Nursing Practice and Economics and the nursing community supports the resolution overwhelmingly.

Part of the resolution stresses the need for the education of nurses regarding current evidence on therapeutic use of cannabis.  Learn more ...

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