Thursday, April 27, 2006

Study: Vaporization a Safe and Effective Cannabinoid Delivery System Via NORML Leiden, the Netherlands: Vaporization is a "safe and effective" cannabinoid delivery system for patients desiring the rapid onset of action associated with inhalation, but who are seeking to avoid the respiratory risks of smoking, according to clinical trial data to be published in the Journal of Pharamceutical Sciences. Researchers at Leiden University's Institute of Biology (the Netherlands) found that use of the Volcano vaporizing device delivered set doses of THC to subjects in a reproducible manner while suppressing the intake of respiratory toxins. "Our results show that with the Volcano, a safe and effective cannabinoid delivery system seems to be available to patients," investigators concluded. "The final pulmonal uptake of THC is comparable to the smoking of cannabis, while avoiding the respiratory disadvantages of smoking." Cannabis smoke contains many of the same carcinogens as tobacco smoke, including greater concentrations of certain aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzopyrene, prompting concerns that chronic marijuana inhalation may be a risk factor for tobacco-use related cancers. Previous research by California NORML and others have demonstrated that cannabis vaporization suppresses many potentially harmful respiratory toxins by heating 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 (near 230 degrees Celsius). A 2004 protocol by California NORML and MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) to investigate the types of emissions produced by cannabis vaporization was recently rejected after an 18-month regulatory delay by NIDA (US National Institute on Drug Abuse), which stated that the study would "not add to the scientific knowledge base in a significant way." "The US Institute of Medicine and others have repeatedly called for the creation of a non-smoked, rapid-onset cannabis delivery system to administer reproducible doses of active cannabinoids to patients," said NORML Advisory Board member Dr. Mitch Earleywine, author of Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence. "These data confirm that vaporization can deliver all the essential components of medical marijuana safely and effectively while suppressing the intake of carcinogenic smoke. Now the Drug Czar's office and the Food and Drug Administration can rest assured that patients may receive the therapeutic relief they need without suffering from the unwanted health risks associated with smoking." Gee, I don't think the Drug Czar and the FDA are going to be that happy about it. The government refuses to allow vaporization studies, claims that "smoked" marijuana can never be a medicine and now we've had to go to another country to get a study done that shows the truth. If this were an accountable government, people would be fired for this. Lawsuits should be filed for intentionally blocking research that could save lives (except, of course, that the government automatically immunizes itself from such lawsuits). Write your representatives. Demand some action. Oh, and for those interested, after a recent increase in the stock prices for GW Pharmaceuticals, it closed today down 2.7% in Online Trading. Probably just a coincidence. And here's where you can get the Volcano. 6:11:21 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Drug War Travesties These have been widely reported elsewhere, but in case you missed them, I wanted to give you the links: Torturing Drug War Suspects: I talked about it some time ago, but Radley brings back to the net the case of the torture of Eugene Siler. Cops torture him to get him to sign a consent form for their search of his place. Siler's wife, however, had turned on a tape recorder and now the audio is available online (Note: The address is an mp3 file being forced to play on Windows Media. If Mac users have trouble making it work, install Windows Media Components for Quicktime). It's truly sickening. And how many times has something like this happened when there wasn't a tape recording? Would a court believe the word of a drug suspect over a cop without such direct evidence? This is an indictment of those specific cops, but it's also an indictment of the drug war in general that fosters such behavior. Life in prison? A 17 year-old man takes part in a robbery that nets $2 (they returned the wallet), pleads guilty, and gets 10 years probation. During his probation, he smokes a joint and flunks a drug test. Judge sentences him to life in prison. I don't know how anyone can claim that makes a bit of sense from a moral, criminal justice, practical, or financial basis. (Read the rest of the article for information on how the judge handles different cases.) [Thanks, David] 9:30:05 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []