 NORML Weekly News in Audio ＮＯＲＭＬのウイクリー・ニュースを聞くこともできます。内容はテキスト版と全く同じです。 英語のヒヤリング練習にも最適です。 |
|
Colorado Cannabis Legalization Initiative Certified For November Ballot
Cannabinoid May Halt Alzheimer's Progression, Study Says
DOE Cuts Funding For Random Student Drug Testing Programs
Seattle Hempfest Celebrates 15 Years This WeekendDenver, CO: Colorado Cannabis Legalization Initiative Certified For November Ballot The Colorado Secretary of State's office announced Wednesday that a statewide initiative that seeks to eliminate all criminal and civil penalties for the possession of cannabis by adults has been certified to appear on the November 2006 ballot. Sponsored by Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), the measure would amend state statutes to make the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis legal in Colorado for those age 21 or older. Last year, voters in Denver passed a similar municipal initiative by 54 percent. Sponsors turned in more than 130,000 signatures from Colorado voters to qualify the measure for the November ballot. "The campaign will highlight the hypocrisy of laws that prohibit the use of marijuana while allowing and even encouraging the use of alcohol, an infinitely more harmful drug," said SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert. La Jolla, CA: Cannabinoid May Halt Alzheimer's Progression, Study Says THC inhibits the formation of amyloid plaque, the primary marker for Alzheimer's disease (AD), far more effectively than approved medications, according to preclinical data to be published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics. Investigators at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California reported that THC inhibits the enzyme responsible for the aggregation of amyloid plaque in a manner "considerably superior" to approved Alzheimer's drugs such as donepezil and tacrine. "Our results provide a mechanism whereby the THC molecule can directly impact Alzheimer's disease pathology," researchers concluded. "THC and its analogues may provide an improved therapeutic [option] for Alzheimer's disease [by]... simultaneously treating both the symptoms and the progression of [the] disease." Previous studies have shown cannabinoids to possess anti oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, both of which may play a role in moderating Alzheimer's. Last year, investigators at Madrid's Complutense University and the Cajal Institute in Spain reported that the intracerebroventricular administration of the synthetic cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2 prevented cognitive impairment and decreased neurotoxicity in rats. Other cannabinoids were also found to reduce the inflammation associated with Alzheimer's disease in human brain tissue in culture. "Our results indicate that... cannabinoids succeed in preventing the neurodegenerative process occurring in the disease," investigators concluded. Over 4.5 million Americans are estimated to be afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. That figure is expected to triple over the next 50 years. Previous human trials of synthetic THC (Marinol) and Alzheimer's found that administration of the drug reduced agitation and stimulated weight gain in patients suffering from the disease. Washington, DC: DOE Cuts Funding For Random Student Drug Testing Programs The US Department of Education (DOE) has dramatically reduced the level of funding available to subsidize random student drug testing programs in public high schools and middle schools, according to the agency's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. According to the agency, only $1.7 million in federal funds will be available for schools that wish to enact student drug testing programs for the 2006-2007 school year. Last year, the DOE subsidized student drug testing programs in 350 schools nationwide at a total cost of more than $7 million. The White House had previously proposed increasing the budget to fund student drug testing programs to more than $25 million. According to the DOE, grantees will be required to participate in an ongoing national evaluation of the effectiveness of mandatory student drug testing programs. To date, the only federal study to assess the impact of student drug testing policies on a national basis found that "drug testing, as practiced in recent years in American secondary schools, does not prevent or inhibit student drug use." Seattle, WA: Seattle Hempfest Celebrates 15 Years This Weekend Event organizers are anticipating nearly 150,000 attendees at this weekend's 15th annual Seattle Hempfest, taking place this Saturday and Sunday at Myrtle Edwards Park in downtown Seattle. More than 80 speakers - including NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre and NORML Founder Keith Stroup - and over 50 bands will participate in the two-day event, which is the largest annual marijuana law reform rally held anywhere in the world. Other speakers scheduled to appear at this year's "protestival" include: NORML Board and Advisory Board Members Dale Gieringer, Dominic Holden, Norm Kent, Frank Lucido, George Rohrbacher, Norm Stamper, Jeffrey Steinborn, and Dan Viets, as well as Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Mikki Norris, Executive Director of the Cannabis Consumers Campaign, Madeline Martinez, Executive Director of Oregon NORML, and Debby Goldsberry, Executive Director of the Cannabis Action Network. |
