Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2006.8.24

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Weekly News in Audio

August 24, 2006

Endocannabinoid System Protects Against Seizures, Study Says

Renee Boje Legal Battle Finally Resolved

California: Legislature Approves Hemp Cultivation Bill

Mainz, Germany:
Endocannabinoid System Protects Against Seizures, Study Says

The endocannabinoid system provides "on demand" protection against experimentally induced seizures and neuronal cell death, according to preclinical data published this month in the journal Neuron.

Investigators at the Johannes Guttenberg University in Mainz and the Max Planck Institute in Munich reported that endocannabinoids, acting upon the brain's CB1 (cannabinoid) receptors, directly target hippocampal glutamatergic neurons to mediate against experimentally induced seizures and cell death in mice. "CB1 expression on hippocampal glutamatergic circuits accounts for this protection and might represent a suitable target for the treatment of neurological disorders associated with excessive neuronal excitation," authors concluded.

Separate preclinical studies have previously demonstrated that natural cannabinoids such as THC and cannabidiol (CBD) are neuroprotective against ethanol-induced cell death, cerebral infarction, and glutamate toxicity. Glutamate, a neurotransmitter, may be produced at toxic levels following strokes or severe head trauma often leading to irreversible brain damage.

In recent years, researchers have identified the endocannabinoid receptor system to be involved in the regulation of several primary biological functions including appetite, body temperature, mood elevation, blood pressure, bone density, embryonic implantation, learning capacity, and motor coordination.

Los Angeles, CA:
Renee Boje Legal Battle Finally Resolved

A US federal court judge has sentenced American expatriate Renee Boje to one year's probation, during which time she will be allowed to reside in Canada with her family.

The ruling concludes a nearly decade-long legal battle for Boje, who filed for refugee status in Canada in 1998 after US federal agents raided a marijuana cultivation operation at the home of cancer survivor and medical cannabis patient Todd McCormick, with whom Boje had a working relationship. Boje faced a potential 10-year federal sentence for her alleged role in the McCormick case.

Under the terms of a plea agreement struck between Boje and federal prosecutors, Boje pled guilty to minor marijuana possession and was sentenced on August 14 to one-year probation. She was allowed to return to Canada the following day, where she resides with her husband and three-year-old child.

Earlier this week, Canadian immigration officials granted Boje a 6-month visitors permit to remain in the country while she attempts to secure Canadian citizenship.

Boje and US prosecutors had begun negotiations to end her legal fight after Boje was denied refugee status in Canada in 2005. Last June, Canadian Justice Minister Irving Colter ruled that Boje must turn herself over to federal authorities and face extradition to the United States. Lawyers for Boje had been appealing that decision, but were not optimistic that it would be overturned.

Sacramento, CA:
California: Legislature Approves Hemp Cultivation Bill

The California legislature this week approved legislation recognizing industrial hemp as an "agricultural field crop" and establishing regulations governing its cultivation by state-authorized farmers. The bill, AB 1147 (The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act), now awaits final approval from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R).

Under the proposal, authorized farmers and researchers would be allowed to cultivate non-psychoactive varieties of cannabis containing less than 0.3 percent THC for industrial purposes, such as fiber content and seed stock. Farmers in Canada, the European Union and elsewhere currently grow hemp commercially as an agricultural commodity for a variety of consumer products, including food.

According to a 2005 Congressional Research Service report, "The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop."

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