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Bulletin .

A newsletter about cannabis and cannabinoids as medicine

2011
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    IACM-Bulletin of December 18, 2011

    🏷️ IACM — Roger Pertwee awarded prestigious medal

    Former IACM Chairman and long-standing IACM board member Professor Roger Pertwee, a University of Aberdeen pharmacologist, was awarded a top medal for his outstanding contribution to pharmacology. Roger Pertwee, an internationally recognised cannabinoid scientist, is the 19th recipient of the Wellcome Gold Medal, presented every two years by the British Pharmacological Society. Of the previous Medal recipients, three have been Nobel Prize winners. Roger Pertwee, Professor of Neuropharmacology, said: "I feel delighted and very honoured to have been given this medal by such a prestigious society, especially because it relates to pharmacological achievements, in my case mainly in the area of cannabinoid pharmacology."

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    IACM-Bulletin of December 4, 2011

    🏷️ Science — Cannabis improves symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease in an open clinical study

    At a Department of Gastroenterology belonging to Tel Aviv University, Israel, 13 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were included in a pilot prospective study to investigate the effects of a treatment with inhaled cannabis. Several parameters were assessed before treatment and after three months of treatment including the Harvey-Bradshaw index, which provides information on disease activity in Crohn's disease, including general well-being, abdominal pain, number of liquid stools and complications.

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    IACM-Bulletin of November 20, 2011

    🌐 USA — Legal action by advocates of medical cannabis use against crackdown on cannabis dispensaries in California

    Attorneys for medical cannabis advocates on 7 November sought a temporary restraining order to put a stop to a federal crackdown on California cannabis dispensaries, claiming the effort by the state's four U.S. attorneys is unconstitutional. Plaintiffs asked U.S. District Court Judge Donna Ryu in Oakland to issue an order barring the government from arresting or prosecuting patients, dispensary owners or landlords of properties housing dispensaries.

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    IACM-Bulletin of November 6, 2011

    🏷️ Science — Cannabis provides additional pain relief in patients already treated with opioids

    A clinical study was conducted at the San Francisco General Hospital, USA, to investigate the effects of inhaled cannabis on 21 patients with chronic pain, on a regimen of twice-daily doses of morphine or oxycodone. Participants were admitted to hospital for 5 days. They were asked to inhale vaporized cannabis in the evening of day 1, three times a day on days 2-4, and in the morning of day 5. They inhaled 0.9 grams of cannabis (3.56 per cent THC) with a Volcano vaporizer of the company Storz & Bickel. Blood sampling was performed at 12-h intervals on days 1 to 5. The extent of chronic pain was also assessed daily.

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    IACM-Bulletin of October 23, 2011

    🌐 USA — Federal government intends to close cannabis dispensaries in California

    On 7 October federal attorneys announced an ending of what they call California's massive commercial marijuana trade, including medical cannabis dispensaries they say are often fronts for illegal for-profit drug distribution. They outlined a range of actions including civil forfeiture lawsuits against property owners involved in drug trafficking, written warnings to landlords of storefronts illegally selling cannabis and criminal prosecution of other cannabis offenses. The prosecutors said California's medical cannabis law had given cover for large-scale commercial operations to engage in drug trafficking across state lines, with thousands of pounds of marijuana worth tens of millions of dollars flowing across the country from California. "That is not what the California voters intended or authorized, and it is illegal under California law," said Andre Birotte, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California.

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    IACM-Bulletin of October 9, 2011

    🏷️ Science — Cannabis improves symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in an observational study

    According to an observational study by scientists of MaReNa Diagnostic and Consulting Center in Bat-Yam, Israel, presented at the Cannabinoid Conference 2011 in Bonn, Germany, the use of cannabis may improve symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. As a part of their routine consulting work, they assessed the mental condition of 79 adult PTSD patients, who applied to the Ministry of Health in order to obtain a license for the medical use of cannabis. Only part of them (about 50 per cent) got cannabis licenses and constitutes the study group. They were followed for a period of about two years.

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    IACM-Bulletin of September 25, 2011

    🏷️ Science — Cannabis has a positive effect on Crohn's disease according to an observational study

    According to an observational study at Tel Aviv University, Israel, cannabis may have a positive effect on disease activity in Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. In this study disease activity, use of medication, need for surgery, and hospitalization before and after cannabis use were examined in 30 patients. Disease activity was assessed by the Harvey Bradshaw index for Crohn's disease. The indication for cannabis use was lack of response to conventional treatment in 21 patients and chronic intractable pain in 6. Another four patients used cannabis for recreational purposes and continued as they observed an improvement in their medical condition.

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    IACM-Bulletin of September 13, 2011

    🏷️ IACM — General Meeting changes statutes to increase number of patient representatives

    On its General Meeting on 9 September the IACM changed the statutes concerning the patient representatives, changed the membership fees and elected Willy (William) Notcutt from James Paget Hospital in Great Yarmouth, UK, as the new chairman. The following Board Members were re-elected: Manuel Guzman (Spain), Arno Hazekamp (The Netherlands), Roger Pertwee (UK), Ethan Russo (USA), Willy Notcutt (UK), Franjo Grotenhermen (Germany), Daniela Parolaro (Italy), Mark Ware (Canada), Kirsten Müller-Vahl (Germany), and Rudolf Brenneisen (Switzerland). New patient representatives are Michael Krawitz (USA), Alison Myrden (Canada), and Sarah Martin (UK).

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    IACM-Bulletin of August 28, 2011

    🌐 USA — Maryland begins process to legalize the medical use of cannabis

    A program to legalize medical cannabis in Maryland would likely put distribution in the hands of academic research programs and make the drug available to a limited number of select patients, state officials said on 17 August. Members of a state-appointed work group to study and craft new medical cannabis legislation said they will likely pursue a plan that tightly regulates distribution and use of the drug, to steer clear of federal concerns and avoid abuse seen in some other states that allow the drug through doctors’ prescriptions and dispensaries.

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    IACM-Bulletin of August 14, 2011

    🏷️ Science — THC reduces motility of the colon in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

    Researchers at the Clinical Enteric Neuroscience Translational and Epidemiological Research (CENTER) in Rochester, USA, investigated the effects of THC (dronabinol) on colonic motility and sensation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 75 patients with IBS (35 with IBS with constipation, 35 with IBS with diarrhoea, and 5 with IBS alternating between constipation and diarrhoea) were randomly assigned to groups that were given one dose of placebo or 2.5 mg or 5.0 mg dronabinol. Scientists assessed the motility of the colon, tone, and sensation, during fasting and after a meal.

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    IACM-Bulletin of July 31, 2011

    🌐 USA — Governor of New Jersey approves law on the medical use of cannabis

    Doctors in New Jersey will be allowed to prescribe cannabis to seriously ill people after Governor Chris Christie said on 19 July he will let new legislation originally signed by his predecessor be implemented. New Jersey will join 15 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing cannabis for medical use, although the New Jersey legislation is more restrictive than elsewhere. Only patients in New Jersey suffering from specific ailments such as HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis can be prescribed cannabis, and then only after other treatments have failed. The law also is the first in the nation to prohibit patients from growing their own crop at home.

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    IACM-Bulletin of July 17, 2011

    🌐 USA — Justice Department denies rescheduling of cannabis

    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), an agency under the federal Department of Justice, ruled on 8 July that cannabis (usually called marijuana in the United States) has "no accepted medical use" and should therefore remain illegal under federal law. The Time Magazine noted that this decision was made "regardless of conflicting state legislation allowing medical marijuana and despite hundreds of studies and centuries of medical practice attesting to the drug's benefits."

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    IACM-Bulletin of July 3, 2011

    🌐 USA — The federal government clarifies in a statement which licensed growers of cannabis may face prosecution in states with medical cannabis laws

    The US Justice Department said in a memo to federal prosecutors that cannabis dispensaries and licensed growers in states with medical cannabis laws could face prosecution for violating federal drug and money-laundering laws. It says that a 2009 memo by the US Justice Department did not give states cover from prosecution. In 2009, the Justice Department told prosecutors they should not focus investigative resources on patients and caregivers complying with state medical cannabis laws.

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    IACM-Bulletin of June 19, 2011

    🏷️ Science — THC improves driving ability in a patient with Tourette syndrome

    Physicians at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich and the Inn-Salzach Hospital, Germany, presented the case of a 42-year-old truck driver with Tourette syndrome since the age of 6. He exhibited multiple tics and repeatedly standing up and down. Mostly, he was suffering from obsessive thoughts. All standard medications for tic disorders had proven ineffective. After two weeks of a treatment with increasing doses of THC (up to 15 mg a day) tics were significantly reduced.

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    IACM-Bulletin of June 5, 2011

    🌐 Germany — Sativex expected to be available in pharmacies in July for the treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis

    According to a press release by the Spanish company Almirall and the British company GW Pharmaceuticals the cannabis extract Sativex has been granted regulatory approval by the German authorities for the treatment of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis in patients who have not responded adequately to other anti-spasticity medication. Sativex, which contains about equal amounts of THC (dronabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) is expected to be launched in July 2011.

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    IACM-Bulletin of May 22, 2011

    🏷️ Science — THC effective in trichotillomania symptoms in a pilot study

    An open clinical study with patients suffering from trichotillomania, who received oral dronabinol (THC), was conducted at the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, USA. Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder and characterized by the compulsive urge to pull out one's own hair leading to noticeable hair loss, distress, and social or functional impairment. It is often chronic and difficult to treat. Fourteen female subjects with a mean age of 33 years with trichotillomania were enrolled in the 12-week study. Doses ranged from 2.5-15 mg THC daily. The primary outcome measure was change from baseline to study endpoint on the so-called MGH-HP Scale, which measures the intensity of symptoms in trichotillomania. In order to evaluate effects on cognition, subjects underwent pre- and post-treatment assessments using objective computerized neurocognitive tests.

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    IACM-Bulletin of May 8, 2011

    🏷️ Science — Cannabis use reduces symptoms in fibromyalgia patients

    An open clinical study with 56 fibromyalgia patients was conducted at the Institut de Recerca Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain, to investigate effects of cannabis on symptoms and quality of life. Half of the patients were cannabis users and 28 were non-users. Information on cannabis use was recorded on a specific questionnaire as well as perceived benefits of cannabis on a range of symptoms using standard visual analogue scales. Cannabis users and non-users completed three questionnaires related to symptoms of fibromyalgia and quality of life.

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    IACM-Bulletin of April 24, 2011

    🌐 USA — The governor of Montana vetoed a bill that would have repealed the medical cannabis law

    In June last year, Rwanda took the initial steps in allowing cannabis strictly for medical purposes, the first country in Africa to do so. The proposed law provides that cannabis will only be administered in health institutions to relieve pain and other severe diseases. The Minister of Health, Dr Richard Sezibera, while presenting the draft law to Parliament, said that the objective of the Bill was to contribute to the protection of the population while "ensuring that drugs and psychotropic substances are exclusively available for scientific and medical purposes".

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    IACM-Bulletin of April 10, 2011

    🏷️ Science — Cannabis may improve aspects of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease according to a pilot study

    British researchers investigated the effects of a cannabis extract on breathlessness in five healthy subjects and four patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a double blind placebo-controlled crossover study. Subjects received sublingual cannabis extract (Sativex) or placebo. A maximum of 10.8 mg THC (dronabinol) and 10 mg CBD (cannabidiol) were given. Breathlessness was simulated using fixed carbon dioxide loads. Measurements taken were breathlessness (visual analogue scale and breathlessness descriptors), mood and activation, carbon dioxide tension and ventilatory parameters. These were measured at baseline and 2 hours post placebo and drug administration. Among descriptors of breathlessness are for example "My breathing is heavy," "I cannot get enough air," "I feel a hunger for air," "My chest is constricted."

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    IACM-Bulletin of March 27, 2011

    🏷️ Science — Possible role of cannabis in spontaneous regression of astrocytoma in two case reports

    Scientists of the British Columbia Children's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, presented two cases of children with pilocytic astrocytoma, who underwent surgery with incomplete removal of the tumour, leaving behind a small residual in each case in the brain. In the first three years after surgery, in one case there was no change in tumour size and the other showed slight increase in size, followed by clear regression (decrease in tumour mass) of both residual tumours over the following 3-year period. Neither patient received any conventional adjuvant treatment. Researchers noted that "the tumours regressed over the same period of time that cannabis was consumed via inhalation, raising the possibility that the cannabis played a role in the tumor regression."

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    IACM-Bulletin of March 13, 2011

    🏷️ Science — Cannabis extract improved symptoms in patients with refractory spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis

    The effects of the cannabis extract Sativex was investigated in a large Phase III study conducted in several European countries in patients with refractory spasticity due to multiple sclerosis. The study consisted of two phases. In the first 4 weeks participants were treated with the cannabis extract in a single-blinded manner, after which those achieving an improvement in spasticity of 20 per cent or more progressed to a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase. Results had already been published previously on 11 March 2009 by the manufacturer of Sativex, the British company GW Pharmaceuticals, and thereafter in the IACM-Bulletin.

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    IACM-Bulletin of February 27, 2011

    🏷️ Science — THC improves taste and smell perception, appetite and sleep in cancer patients

    At the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science of the University of Alberta, Canada a pilot study investigated the effects of THC (dronabinol) on taste and smell perception as well as appetite, caloric intake, and quality of life in cancer patients. Adult advanced cancer patients, with poor appetite and chemosensory alterations were included in the study and randomized in a double-blinded manner to receive either THC or placebo capsules. 24 of the participants received 2.5 mg THC twice daily and 22 received a placebo for 18 days. Twenty-one patients completed the trial.

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    IACM-Bulletin of February 13, 2011

    🏷️ Science — Cannabidiol improves symptoms of generalized social anxiety disorder in a controlled clinical study

    Scientists at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, investigated the effects of the natural cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) on patients with generalized social anxiety disorder in a simulation public speaking test. Three groups were compared, 12 healthy controls without any medication, 12 patients with anxiety disorder, who received a single dose of CBD (600 mg) and a group of 12 patients, who received a placebo in a double-blind design.

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    IACM-Bulletin of January 30, 2011

    🌐 Germany — Applications for personal cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes cannot generally be dismissed, the Cologne Administrative Court has ruled

    In a ruling of 21 January, the Administrative Court of Cologne has decided in part in favour of a patient suffering from multiple sclerosis, who had applied for an approval for personal cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes. The dismissal of 10 August 2010 by the Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products (BfArM), which is controlled by the Federal Health Ministry, was unlawful, the court said. Now the Institute has to re-examine the application. The notification of 10 August 2010 was mainly substantiated on the basis of security concerns with regard to cultivation in the home, the use of a non-standardized substance and the alleged damage to the international reputation of Germany by allowing personal cultivation of cannabis. In addition, the BfArM argued that the applicant can buy cannabis in a pharmacy. Michael Fischer from Mannheim has required cannabis for many years, and was acquitted in a criminal procedure in 2003 for violation of the narcotics law, since it was ruled that he acted in a state of emergency.

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    IACM-Bulletin of January 16, 2011

    🏷️ IACM — Call for papers for the Cannabinoid Conference 2011 in September

    CALL FOR PAPERS: The scientific committee would like to invite you to present your research at the Cannabinoid Conference 2011 on 8-10 September at the University of Bonn. The Cannabinoid Conference 2011 is a joint meeting of the IACM 6th Conference on Cannabinoids in Medicine and the 5th European Workshop on Cannabinoid Research. You may submit your abstract electronically until 31 May 2011 to info@cannabis-med.org. Abstracts will usually be accepted as posters. From all submissions the scientific committee will select abstracts for oral presentation. There will be awards for the best oral presentations and posters, preferably for young researchers (500 Euros each, about 650 US Dollars). We will decide on the number of awards in summer.

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    IACM-Bulletin of January 2, 2011

    🌐 Israel — Medical cannabis distribution centre raided by the police in Tel Aviv

    According to a report by the Jerusalem Post the police raided a distribution centre for cannabis in Tel Aviv on 15 December. Police say they suspect that a significant amount of the drug was given to criminal organizations that had acquired fake prescriptions. Dozens of disabled and terminally ill people protested outside the storefront on Rehov Ibn Gvirol run by Tikkun Olam, on 19 December. Police arrested two managers of the storefront and held them for questioning for several hours, on suspicion of illegal drug trafficking. Shai Meir, spokesman for Tikkun Olam, the nation’s largest medical cannabis supplier, told reporters at the organization’s headquarters in a north Tel Aviv apartment that police actions against the clinic and its patients mainly harmed those seeking medical treatment.

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