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Bulletin .

A newsletter about cannabis and cannabinoids as medicine

2014
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    IACM-Bulletin of December 28, 2014

    🏷️ IACM — IACM honours Professor Raphael Mechoulam for 50 years of cannabinoid research

    With a film the IACM would like to thank its former chairman Raphael Mechoulam (2003-2005), Lionel Jacobson Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In the year 1964 Prof Raphael Mechoulam together with his colleague Prof Yechiel Gaoni published a ground-breaking scientific article on the isolation and complete elucidation of the structure of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Another research project initiated by him led to the isolation of the first described endocannabinoid anandamide, which was isolated and characterized by two of his postdoctoral researchers in 1992.

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    IACM-Bulletin of December 13, 2014

    🏷️ IACM — Cannabinoid Conference 2015 – Call for abstracts

    The IACM Board of Directors would like to invite you to the Cannabinoid Conference 2015 and present your research. It is a joint meeting of the IACM and the European Workshop on Cannabinoids and will be held on 17-19 September 2015 in Sestri Levante, Italy. The conference website with the preliminary program is online now for submission of abstracts and registration of participants. The deadlines for oral abstracts are 30 April 2015 and for poster abstracts 31 July 2015. In 2011 the IACM already collaborated with the European Workshop and hold a very successful and inspiring conjoint conference at the University of Bonn. Please find here sponsors of the up-coming meeting. If you want to sponsor the conference please contact the IACM by sending an e-mail to info@cannabis-med.org.

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    IACM-Bulletin of November 30, 2014

    🌐 The Netherlands — All activities involving the production of cannabis will become illegal

    The Senate has accepted a legislative proposal of Minister Opstelten (Security and Justice), which makes all actions of persons and businesses who prepare and promote illegal cannabis growing punishable. The maximum prison sentence for such an offence will be three years. The legislative amendment will take effect on 1 March 2015. The new law may make the operation of coffee shops, where citizens of the Netherlands can legally buy small amounts of cannabis, more difficult.

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    IACM-Bulletin of November 16, 2014

    🏷️ Science/Animal — THC and CBD in combination with radiotherapy may be very effective in aggressive brain tumours

    When the natural cannabinoids THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) are used to treat cancer alongside radiotherapy treatment the growths can virtually disappear. The new research by specialists at St George's, University of London, studied the treatment of brain cancer tumours in cancer cells and mice and discovered that the most effective treatment was to combine THC and CBD together with radiotherapy.

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    IACM-Bulletin of November 2, 2014

    🏷️ Science — Cannabis use does not reduce intelligence with the exception of very heavy use in adolescence

    A new study from the University College of London provides strong evidence that cannabis use does not reduce intelligence. The study draws on a large sample of 2,612 children born in the Bristol area of the U.K. in 1991 and 1992. Researchers examined children's IQ scores at age 8 and again at age 15, and found "no relationship between cannabis use and lower IQ at age 15," when confounding factors - alcohol use, cigarette use, maternal education, and others - were taken into account. Even heavy cannabis use was not associated with IQ (intelligence quotient).

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    IACM-Bulletin of October 19, 2014

    🏷️ Science 🌐 UK — New cannabis extract may be helpful in ulcerative colitis according to clinical study

    Data of a clinical phase 2 study with a new cannabis extract of the British company GW Pharmaceuticals show promising signals of efficacy in patients with ulcerative colitis. The pilot trial was a 10-week double-blind, placebo controlled study of GWP42003 extract, which contains cannabidiol (CBD) as the primary cannabinoid, but also tetrahyrdocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids. The trial included 60 adult patients with ulcerative colitis who continued to have symptoms from the condition despite treatment with salicylates, and in some cases immunosuppressive therapy. GWP42003 was given as a twice daily oral capsule up to a maximum dose of 250mg twice daily.

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    IACM-Bulletin of October 5, 2014

    🏷️ Science/Human — Cannabis spray effective against neuropathic pain in long-term study

    The THC/CBD spray Sativex was beneficial for the majority of patients with peripheral neuropathic pain. This is the result of a long-term open study led by researchers of Solihull Hospital, UK. In total, 380 patients with peripheral neuropathic pain associated with diabetes or allodynia (increased pain sensitivity) entered this study from two randomised, controlled trials. Patients received Sativex for a further 38 weeks in addition to their current pain therapy.

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    IACM-Bulletin of September 21, 2014

    🌐 Italy — Army will grow cannabis for medical use

    Italian media reported plans to grow medical cannabis at a military-run pharmaceutical factory in Florence. The agreement was reached between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defence, and further details on the arrangement will be made available by the end of September 2014.

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    IACM-Bulletin of September 7, 2014

    🏷️ Science 🌐 USA — 25 per cent fewer deaths resulting from opioid overdoses in states allowing medical cannabis

    On average, states allowing the medical use of cannabis have lower rates of deaths resulting from opioid analgesic overdoses than states without such laws. A new multi-institutional study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine examined the rate of deaths caused by opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2010. Results reveal that on average, the 13 states allowing the use of medical cannabis had a 24.8 percent lower annual opioid overdose mortality rate after the laws were enacted than states without the laws, indicating that the treatment with cannabis may be safer for patients suffering from chronic pain related to cancer and other conditions.

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    IACM-Bulletin of August 24, 2014

    🏷️ Science/Human — Vaporized cannabis safe and effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain

    A significant reduction in pain intensity was achieved after cannabis inhalation with a vaporizer in 8 patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain. This is the result of an open study by Israeli researchers published in the Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy. The objective of the study was to explore the pharmacokinetics, safety, tolerability, efficacy, and ease of use of the Syqe Inhaler, a novel portable thermal-metered-dose inhaler for cannabis. The patients were on a stable analgesic regimen including medicinal cannabis. They received one dose of 15 mg THC in cannabis.

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    IACM-Bulletin of August 10, 2014

    🌐 USA — The Editorial Board of the New York Times calls for an end to cannabis prohibition

    In a statement of 27 July entitled “Repeal Prohibition, Again” the Editorial Board of the New York Times calls for the legalization of cannabis. “It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished," the statement says. "It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol.

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    IACM-Bulletin of July 27, 2014

    🌐 Germany — Court allows seriously ill patients to grow their own cannabis

    On 22 July the Administrative Court of Cologne ruled that some people suffering from chronic pain should be able to cultivate their own cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Five people suffering from chronic pain and other diseases brought the complaint to the court after Germany's Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) refused them permission to grow the plant at home.

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    IACM-Bulletin of July 13, 2014

    🏷️ Science/Human — THC effective in severely disabled children

    THC shows significant positive effects in children with regard to pain, spasticity, agitation and sleep disorders. This is the result of a case series by doctors of the University Hospital of the Saarland, Germany. 17 children in the age of six months to 17 years with pain, agitation and severe spasticity (10 children with infantile cerebral palsy, two with leukodystrophy, three with metabolism defects and two with hypoxic-ischaemic brain damage) were treated. Most of the children received other medications besides THC. THC doses ranged from 0.1 to 1.1 mg per kilogram of body weight.

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    IACM-Bulletin of June 29, 2014

    🌐 USA — New York will become the 23rd state to legalize the medical use of cannabis

    New York state lawmakers gave final approval on 20 June to a bill that would allow limited access to medical cannabis in New York, joining 22 other states where cannabis has been legalized for therapeutic purposes. Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign the bill into law.

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    IACM-Bulletin of June 15, 2014

    🏷️ Science/Human — Cannabis strains rich in CBD differ in pharmacological effects from strains rich in THC

    Research with 102 patients from the Netherlands using three different cannabis strains from the pharmacies for medicinal purposes shows that pharmacological effects differ depending on the ratio of THC and CBD. These study results by the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction in Utrecht and the Office for Medicinal Cannabis of the Dutch Ministry of Health were published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. 47% of patients used the variety Bedrocan with 19% THC and less than 1% CBD, 28.5% used the variety Bedrobinol with 12% THC and less than 1% CBD and 24.5% used Bediol with nearly equal amounts of THC (6%) and CBD (7.5%). Statistical analysis of subjective effects revealed that high THC in Bedrocan and Bedrobinol resulted in increased appetite compared to Bediol. There was also a higher level of anxiety and depression in the Bedrocan group compared to the Bediol group.

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    IACM-Bulletin of June 1, 2014

    🌐 USA — The House of Representatives stops federal prosecution of medical cannabis users in states, where it is legal

    On 30 May the House of Representatives voted to halt federal prosecutions of medical cannabis users in states that have legalized the drug’s use with a doctor’s prescription, marking the first time a chamber of Congress has approved such a broad decriminalization. The 219-189 vote wasn’t even particularly close, signalling a dramatic change in Congress on the issue of cannabis.

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    IACM-Bulletin of May 18, 2014

    🌐 World — Nobel-prize winning economists urge end to 'war on drugs'

    Global efforts to thwart the drugs trade have failed and the time has come for a radical rethink, according to a group of Nobel-prize winning economists, a former U.S secretary of state, the vice prime minister of Britain and others. "It is time to end the ‘war on drugs’ and massively redirect resources toward effective evidence-based policies underpinned by rigorous economic analysis," the group said in a foreword to a new academic report on global anti-drugs policies.

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    IACM-Bulletin of May 4, 2014

    🏷️ Science 🌐 USA — Cannabis rated most effective for treating fibromyalgia in survey

    Cannabis is far more effective at treating symptoms of fibromyalgia than any of the three prescription drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the disorder. That is one of the findings in an online survey of over 1,300 fibromyalgia patients conducted by the National Pain Foundation and National Pain Report in the USA. The FDA has approved only three drugs - Duloxetine, Pregabalin and Milnacipran - for the treatment of fibromyalgia. Most who have tried the medications say they don’t work. “It’s always a good idea to listen to what our patients are telling us,” said Dr Mark Ware, an associate professor in family medicine and anaesthesia at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, in a comment.

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    IACM-Bulletin of April 20, 2014

    🏷️ Science/Human — Cannabis reduces symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in an open study

    Cannabis is associated with reductions in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in some patients. This is the result of a chart review of 80 patients with PTSD using cannabis according to the medical cannabis law of New Mexico. This analysis is published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs by Dr. George Greer from Santa Fe and collegues from the University of California in Los Angeles and San Diego. New Mexico was the first state to accept PTSD as a condition for the use of medical cannabis.

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    IACM-Bulletin of April 6, 2014

    🏷️ Science — The legalization of medical cannabis causes no increase in crime and may reduce some violent crime

    The legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes causes no increase in crime, according to a new study. In fact, legalized medical cannabis may reduce some violent crime, including homicide, University of Texas at Dallas researchers wrote in the journal Plos One. "We believe that medical marijuana legalization poses no threat of increased violent crime," Robert Morris, the study's lead author, told journalists.

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    IACM-Bulletin of March 23, 2014

    🏷️ IACM — Mailing lists for members

    If you want to stay or get in touch to other IACM members this is the best way. You may subscribe to one of the new three mailing lists here! Regular members (scientists, doctors, etc.) are invited to subscribe to the IACM Science Mailing List to discuss current developments in cannabinoid research, make suggestions for the IACM work, comment on news articles in the IACM-Bulletin, etc. All members of the IACM Board of Directors participate in this mailing list.

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    IACM-Bulletin of March 9, 2014

    🏷️ Science/Human — Controversy over two sudden deaths attributed to cannabis use

    Cannabis may cause sudden unexpected death, scientists of the Institutes of Legal Medicine of the Universities of Duesseldorf and Frankfurt claim. In the journal Forensic Science International Dr Benno Hartung and colleagues presented two case reports of young men, who died unexpectedly. Both were tested positive for THC in blood. The first was a 23-year-old man, who collapsed while using public transport. The THC concentration in his blood was 5.2 ng/ml and that of THC-COOH 12.9 ng/ml. In addition, dilatative cardiomyopathy was found. The second case was a 28-year-old man, who was found dead at home. Blood concentrations were 1.9 ng/ml for THC and 10.1 ng/ml for THC-COOH. No specific causes for death were found, such as cardiovascular diseases, in this case. Authors wrote that "to our knowledge, these are the first cases of suspected fatal cannabis intoxications where full post-mortem investigations (…) were carried out.”

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    IACM-Bulletin of February 23, 2014

    🌐 USA — The federal government allows banks to do business with licensed cannabis shops

    On 14 February the Obama administration issued new guidelines aimed at encouraging banks to start doing business with state-licensed cannabis suppliers, like those in Colorado, even though such enterprises remain illegal under federal law. Administration officials said the policy shift seeks to address problems faced by newly licensed recreational cannabis retailers in Colorado, and medical cannabis dispensaries in other states, that must operate on a cash-only basis, without access to financial services or credit.

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    IACM-Bulletin of February 9, 2014

    🏷️ Science/Human — Link between alcohol use, but not cannabis use, and domestic violence

    Alcohol use, but not cannabis use increases the risk of violence between partners, according to studies done at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, USA. The two studies among college students found that men (n=67) under the influence of alcohol are more likely to perpetrate physical, psychological or sexual aggression against their partners but not men under the influence of cannabis. Women (n=173), on the other hand, were more likely to be physically and psychologically aggressive under the influence of alcohol but, unlike men, they were also more likely to be psychologically aggressive under the influence of cannabis.

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    IACM-Bulletin of January 26, 2014

    🏷️ IACM 🌐 USA — Cannabis is no more dangerous than alcohol Obama says

    President Barack Obama believes smoking cannabis is a "bad habit" but thinks legal penalties now fall disproportionately on minorities and that states legalizing cannabis should go ahead with their plans, he said in a profile released on 19 January. "As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life," he is quoted as saying in a New Yorker magazine article. "I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol."

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    IACM-Bulletin of January 12, 2014

    🌐 Uruguay — Foreign firms want to study the therapeutic potential of cannabis in the country

    Foreign firms want to open laboratories in Uruguay to study the potential uses of medicinal cannabis now that the drug has been legalized in the South American country. Uruguay's Congress recently approved creation of the world's first national marketplace for legal cannabis.

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