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Bulletin .

A newsletter about cannabis and cannabinoids as medicine

2010
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    IACM-Bulletin of December 19, 2010

    🏷️ Science — Dramatic improvement of neuromyotonia (Isaacs' syndrome) with THC in a case report

    According to a case report from a hospital in Nantes, France, oral THC (dronabinol) improved the symptoms of a patient with Isaacs' syndrome, which did not respond to other treatments. A 56-year-old man presented with episodes of profuse sweating associated with muscular twitching that began one year before the first assessment in the hospital. Bouts of drenching sweats occurred 2 or 3 times a day, lasted from 20 minutes to 2 hours and were associated with intense itching on body truck. Body weight had decreased from 70 to 55 kg during that period. He presented with prominent generalized myokymia, i.e. involuntary, spontaneous, localized quivering of a few muscles bundles within a muscle. Antibodies to transmembrane channels specific for potassium were highly increased. Several medications and treatments, including intravenous immunoglobulins, were tried to reduce symptoms, but were all ineffective. Finally, THC was titrated up progressively to 20 mg/day over a one month period and used as a monotherapy.

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    IACM-Bulletin of December 5, 2010

    🏷️ Science — THC effective in the treatment of schizophrenia in four case reports

    In a letter to the editor of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry doctors of the Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, New York, USA, reported of four more patients with schizophrenia not responding to other medication, who improved considerably with a treatment by THC. The physicians had already published a similar experience with four other patients in 2009. This time they tried dronabinol (THC) for 8 further patients in the hospital. They all suffered from severe psychosis refractory to standard medication and reported of a positive previous experience with cannabis. There were four responders with good improvement with THC and four non-responders.

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    IACM-Bulletin of November 21, 2010

    🌐 USA — Arizona becomes the 15th state to legalize the medical use of cannabis

    By a narrow margin, Arizona voters have approved medical cannabis for people with chronic or debilitating diseases on 2 November. The decision makes Arizona the 15th state to have approved a medical cannabis law. California was the first in 1996, and 13 other states (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) and the District of Columbia followed. The ballot measure on the issue won by just 4,341 votes out of more than 1.67 million ballots counted, according to final tallies announced on 13 November. Arizona voters overwhelmingly approved a medical cannabis law in 1996 and 1998, but it never went into effect because of problems with its wording.

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    IACM-Bulletin of November 7, 2010

    🏷️ Science 🌐 UK — Drug experts say in the scientific journal Lancet that alcohol is more dangerous than heroin, cannabis and other illegal drugs

    Alcohol is a more dangerous drug than heroin when the combined harms to the user and to others are assessed, British scientists said on 1 November. Presenting a new scale of drug harm that rates the damage to users themselves and to wider society, the scientists rated alcohol the most harmful overall and almost three times as harmful as cocaine or tobacco. According to the scale, devised by a group of scientists including Britain's Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ISCD) and an expert adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), heroin and crack cocaine rank as the second and third most harmful drugs.

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    IACM-Bulletin of October 24, 2010

    🌐 USA — South Dakota may become the 15th state in the US to legalise the medical use of cannabis in November

    In 2006 South Dakota was the first state in the USA where a voter's initiative for the legalisation of the medical use of cannabis was defeated. In the upcoming elections of 2 November a new referendum has a much better chance to convince the majority of the citizens of South Dakota. The new initiative was designed to address the concerns of people that cannabis may get into the hands of people who just want to use it recreationally.

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    IACM-Bulletin of October 10, 2010

    🌐 USA — California reduces penalties for the possession of cannabis

    After a recent television interview on the prescription of cannabis to patients from Luxembourg Dr. Jean Colombera, physician and member of the Luxembourgian Parliament, is prosecuted due to the violation of the narcotics law. Dr. Colombera is chairman of the UFCM (Union Francophone pour les Cannabinoïdes en Médecine; French Speaking Union for Cannabinoids in Medicine). He is prescribing cannabis to patients since 18 months, who get their drug (Bedrocan, Bediol) in Dutch pharmacies. The Health Minister of Luxembourg is upset by the behaviour of Dr. Colombera.

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    IACM-Bulletin of September 26, 2010

    🏷️ Science — Cannabidiol beneficial in social anxiety disorder in a small clinical study

    A small clinical study was conducted at the Division of Psychiatry of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, with 10 patients suffering from generalized social anxiety disorder. In the first session, subjects were given an oral dose of cannabidiol (CBD) (400 mg) or placebo, in a double-blind procedure. In the second session, the same procedure was performed using the drug that had not been administered in the previous session. Regional cerebral blood flow at rest was measured by an established method (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography, SPECT) during each session.

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    IACM-Bulletin of September 12, 2010

    🌐 Israel — Health Ministry authorizes five more doctors to prescribe cannabis

    On 5 September the Health Ministry authorized doctors from five Israeli different hospitals to prescribe cannabis to patients suffering from chronic pain and other severe diseases. So far, there was only one doctor allowed to prescribe cannabis. The ministry is launching a pilot program meant to increase the number of doctors allowed to prescribe cannabis for medicinal purposes. The ministry estimates that in 2010 there will be an increase of 66 percent in the permits for cannabis, allowing treatment for about 5000 patients. In future, the ministry expects tens of thousands of patients to be treated with cannabis.

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    IACM-Bulletin of August 29, 2010

    🏷️ Science — Production of THC by genetically modified bacteria

    Scientists of the Technical University of Dortmund, Germany, have genetically manipulated bacteria in a manner that allows them to produce the main psychoactive compound of cannabis. This procedure for the production of THC (dronabinol) is thought to be less laborious and therefore cheaper in comparison to the currently used procedure in Germany, said Oliver Kayser of the university on 17 August.

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    IACM-Bulletin of August 15, 2010

    🌐 Germany/USA — Three quarters of citizens in the USA and Germany support the medical use of cannabis

    According to a poll conducted by Emnid Institute there is a broad support in Germany when it comes to the medical use of cannabis. Of 1,001 interviewees asked by phone 76 per cent said that the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes should be allowed while only 18 per cent disagreed and 6 per cent had no opinion on this issue. The poll consisting of two questions was ordered by the German Association for Cannabis as Medicine (ACM). According to the answers to the second question 65 per cent of Germans think that a treatment with the cannabis compound dronabinol (THC) should be paid by the health insurances, which currently is usually not the case.

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    IACM-Bulletin of August 1, 2010

    🌐 Spain — Sativex receives approval in Spain and other European countries are likely to follow

    The cannabis extract Sativex of the British company GW Pharmaceuticals has been approved in its second European market, Spain, as an add-on therapy for treating spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The news follow a green light in June 2010 in Britain.

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    IACM-Bulletin of July 18, 2010

    🏷️ Science 🌐 USA — Legalization of cannabis in California would significantly reduce the price and increase use according to a study

    Legalizing cannabis in California could reduce prices of the drug while its use could double, research group RAND Corporation reported on 7 July. Voters in the most populous state of the USA will decide in a November referendum on whether to make the use and cultivation of cannabis legal. Even if it is approved, cannabis would remain illegal under federal law and it is unclear how national authorities might respond. Under the state initiative, local authorities would decide whether to allow sales and cultivation, but all adults would be allowed to use cannabis under state law. A separate state bill would legalize cannabis and tax it at a rate of 50 US Dollars (about 39 Euros) an ounce (28.5 grams), a move a state tax board calculated would raise 1.4 billion dollars.

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    IACM-Bulletin of July 4, 2010

    🌐 UK — Sativex now available in pharmacies

    According to a press release by GW Pharmaceuticals the cannabis extract Sativex is now available in the UK. It is a liquid whole plant extract sprayed into the mouth and used for the treatment of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis. Each spray is containing 2.7 mg THC (dronabinol) and 2.5 mg CBD (cannabidiol). Sativex is manufactured by GW at an undisclosed location in the UK. The medicine is being marketed in the UK by Bayer Schering Pharma. According to a press release by Bayer the price for a 10 ml vial is 125 British Pounds (about 150 Euros, about 185 US Dollars).

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    IACM-Bulletin of June 20, 2010

    🌐 USA — Oregon Board of Pharmacy reclassified cannabis as a medicine

    In a press release of 16 June the Board of Pharmacy of the State of Oregon said that it officially removed marijuana from the list of "Schedule I Controlled Substances," in accordance with a law passed in August 2009. This law required the removal of cannabis from this list of controlled substances that have a "high abuse potential and no acceptable medical use in the United States."

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    IACM-Bulletin of June 6, 2010

    🏷️ Economy 🌐 Germany — Volcano Medic launched as the first approved medical cannabinoid inhaler

    The German company Vapormed launched the world’s first officially approved medical cannabinoid inhaler, the Volcano Medic Vaporizer. The Volcano Medic Vaporization System is intended to vaporize and facilitate the inhalation of dronabinol (THC) dissolved in alcohol or cannabinoids from cannabis flowers (cannabis flos). In their press release of 2 June the company notes that "the Volcano Medic Vaporization System resolves two medical-technical problems at the same time. On the one hand, for the first time the Volcano Medic Vaporization System allows for the medical inhalation therapy with liquid, in alcohol dissolved cannabinoids. On the other hand, it allows for the inhalation therapy with cannabinoids directly from dried hemp flowers. (…) In the Volcano Medic Vaporization System the cannabinoids are solved (vaporized) by heat impact only. A combustion as it takes place while smoking does not occur." This avoids the formation of noxious combustion products.

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    IACM-Bulletin of May 23, 2010

    🏷️ Science — Call for clinical trials on cannabinoids in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

    According to a review by scientists of the University of Washington School of Medicine, USA, there is now enough scientific data available to support clinical trials on cannabis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). They note that "preclinical data indicate that cannabis has powerful antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects" which are effects that may be of use to combat disease progression. In recent years several animal studies have been conducted showing that cannabinoids may have a positive effect on disease onset and/or life span. For example, a synthetic cannabinoid which selectively binds to the CB2 receptor was shown to prolong survival in a 2007 study. Daily injections of the selective CB2 agonist AM-1241 to the mice increased the survival interval after disease onset by 56 per cent. In a 2006 study the application of a synthetic cannabinoid (WIN55,212-2) and the inhibition of endocannabinoid degradation delayed disease onset in the animals without affecting life span.

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    IACM-Bulletin of May 9, 2010

    🏷️ Science — Nabilone reduces spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury in small clinical study

    At the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, the effects of nabilone were investigated in 12 subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) and spasticity. Nabilone exhibits a similar spectrum of action as the natural cannabinoid dronabinol (THC). In a double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study participants received either nabilone or placebo during the first 4-week period. After 2-week washout period they were crossed over to the other medication. Patients started with 0.5 mg nabilone once a day with the option to increase to 0.5 mg twice a day.

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    IACM-Bulletin of April 11, 2010

    🏷️ Science — Cannabis effective in tadive dystonia in a case report

    In a letter to a journal for psychiatry doctors from a hospital in Izmir, Turkey, reported of a patient with paranoid schizophrenia, who developed tardive dyskinesia and tadive dystonia eight months after beginning an anti-psychotic treatment. There were involuntary movements of the face and mouth with difficulty swallowing and chewing foods (tardive dyskinesia) as well as involuntary sustained contraction of the neck muscles (tardive dystonia). He noted a significant reduction of these involuntary movements following the use of cannabis and therefore smoked it three or four times a week for two weeks until he was arrested due to smuggling. His symptoms then reappeared with the original severity during the seven months he was in prison.

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    IACM-Bulletin of March 28, 2010

    🌐 Spain/UK — Sativex is expected to get approval for the treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis soon

    Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine for multiple sclerosis and other diseases is expected to win regulatory approval in Britain and Spain in the second quarter of 2010, its producer GW Pharmaceuticals said on 18 March. The company said regulators in both countries had concluded there were no major quality, safety or efficacy issues remaining to be resolved. Talks are now focused on points of clarification related to the patient information leaflet.

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    IACM-Bulletin of March 14, 2010

    🏷️ Science — In a pilot study the medical use of cannabis did not compromise the results of patients in substance abuse treatment

    In a pilot study Californian researchers investigated the effects of the medical use of cannabis on the outcome of people participating in substance abuse treatment. Of the participants, who were admitted to a public substance abuse treatment program in California, 13 were authorized medical cannabis users and 146 had no medicinal cannabis use. Each of the medical cannabis users was referred to substance abuse treatment by the criminal court, sought permission to use cannabis for medicinal purposes during treatment and received such authorization.

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    IACM-Bulletin of February 28, 2010

    🏷️ Science 🌐 USA — Report on research at the Californian Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research provides further evidence for the medicinal benefits of cannabis

    The first U.S. clinical trials in more than two decades on the medical benefits of cannabis confirm the drug is effective in reducing muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis and pain of different origin, according to a report issued on 17 February. Dr. Igor Grant, a psychiatrist who directs the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego, said five studies funded by the state involved volunteers who were randomly given real cannabis or placebos to determine if the herb provided relief not seen from traditional medicines.

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    IACM-Bulletin of February 14, 2010

    🌐 USA — The state of Colorado tries to restrict the recommendation of cannabis by physicians

    Stunned at the rapid increase in the number of registered medical cannabis patients in the state, the Colorado Senate voted overwhelmingly on 1 February to impose new restrictions on physicians who make medical cannabis recommendations. The Senate voted 34-1 to pass the bill. The measure bars doctors from writing recommendations inside dispensaries that sell medical cannabis. It requires that doctors review a person's medical history and give them a full exam before recommending that they become a legal user of medical cannabis. Those between 18 and 21 would have to get the approval of two doctors, which is already required for patients under 18. The measure is now going to the state House of Representatives.

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    IACM-Bulletin of January 31, 2010

    🏷️ Science 🌐 USA — Research into the medical benefits of cannabis is discouraged

    According to an article in the New York Times the federal government discourages research into the medicinal uses of inhaled cannabis. The University of Mississippi has the only federally approved cannabis plantation. If they wish to investigate cannabis, researchers must apply to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to use the Mississippi cannabis and must get approvals from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But federal officials have repeatedly failed to act on cannabis research requests in a timely manner or have denied them, according to a 2007 ruling by an administrative law judge at the DEA.

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    IACM-Bulletin of January 17, 2010

    🏷️ IACM — In commemoration of Dr. Ester Fride

    It is with great sadness that the IACM informs their readers that Ester Fride, the Israeli scientist who showed that a newborn mammal cannot suckle and survive without a functional endocannabinoid system, died on New Year's Day at the age of 56. The cause was lung cancer, diagnosed in July, 2008. Dr. Fride, a professor at the College of Judea and Samaria in Ariel, was the first awardee of the IACM Award for Basic Research in 2005.

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    IACM-Bulletin of January 3, 2010

    🏷️ Science — Nabilone improved sleep in patients with fibromyalgia

    At the Pain Clinic of McGill University, Montreal, Canada, the effects of low doses of the THC derivative nabilone (0.5-1.0 mg before bedtime) and the anti-depressant amitriptyline (10-20 mg before bedtime) on sleep were investigated in 31 patients with fibromyalgia and chronic insomnia. Fibromyalgia is a disease characterized by widespread chronic pain and insomnia. Subjects received each drug for 2 weeks with a 2-week period without medications between the two treatment phases.

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