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Vaporization A "Safe And Effective" Cannabinoid Delivery System, Study Says
Ninth Circuit Overturns Rosenthal Conviction
The Economist Opines In Favor Of Legal Access To Medical Cannabis, Denounces FDA Statement As "Posturing"Leiden, the Netherlands: Vaporization A "Safe And Effective" Cannabinoid Delivery System, Study Says 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 Pharmaceutical 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." San Francisco, CA: Ninth Circuit Overturns Rosenthal Conviction A three-judge panel of the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday to overturn three felony marijuana cultivation convictions for noted author and cannabis advocate Ed Rosenthal. Rosenthal was convicted in federal court in 2003 for growing cannabis for local medical dispensaries, but was sentenced to only one day in prison because Judge Charles Breyer determined that the defendant did not believe he was violating federal law. Rosenthal had been deputized by the City of Oakland to provide medicinal cannabis to state qualified patients. The Ninth Circuit ruled 3-0 that Rosenthal should be granted a new trial because a juror contacted outside legal counsel during deliberations. Jurors were instructed to uphold federal law - not state law - in the case, and were not allowed to consider evidence that the marijuana grown by Rosenthal was for medicinal purposes. Although jurors found Rosenthal guilty, they later denounced their verdict, saying that they were deceived by government prosecutors as to the true nature of Rosenthal's actions. The US Attorney's office has not commented on whether they will appeal the Ninth Circuit's ruling or retry Rosenthal. The appeals court indicated that if Rosenthal is retried and again found guilty, they would likely let the one-day sentence stand, noting that they "would not be inclined to disturb the court's reasoned analysis underlying its sentencing determination." The court rejected Rosenthal's arguments that he was "immune" from federal prosecution because he had been deputized by the City of Oakland, ruling that he "was not 'duly authorized' to [grow cannabis,] as state law does not allow the manufacturing of marijuana by individuals other than patients or primary caregivers." London, United Kingdom: The Economist Opines In Favor Of Legal Access To Medical Cannabis, Denounces FDA Statement As "Posturing" A recent statement by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alleging that no animal or human data support the use of cannabis for medical purposes lacks "common sense," according to an editorial in today1s edition of The Economist. The editorial notes that the FDA's conclusion contradicts the findings of a comprehensive 1999 review by US Institute of Medicine, and ignores the reality that "today, cannabis is used all over the world ... to relieve pain and anxiety, to aid sleep, and to prevent seizures and muscle spasms." The piece criticizes the US government for impeding clinical research investigating cannabis' medical potential, and for refusing to allow patients legal access to the drug - noting that there is an "unmet medical need" that could be addressed by cannabis "if the American government cared more about suffering and less about posturing." Since the FDA published its statement last week, more than two-dozen newspapers - including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, and the Chicago Tribune - have editorialized against it, arguing that the agency is putting politics before science. |
