Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2006.10.5

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Weekly News in Audio

October 5, 2006

Cannabis Spray Reduces Pain, Spasticity, And Incontinence, Trial Data Says

California: Medical Pot Patients May Receive Financial Reimbursement

North Carolina To Study Economic Impact Of Hemp Cultivation

London, United Kingdom:
Cannabis Spray Reduces Pain, Spasticity, And Incontinence, Trial Data Says

Clinical trial data presented at the 22nd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) and at the 10th Congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) demonstrates that the administration of cannabis extracts can reduce feelings of neuropathic pain, as well as spasticity and incontinence in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other diseases.

Investigators at the EFNS conference reported that subjects who continue their use of cannabis extracts long-term maintain reductions in pain, spasticity, and bladder dysfunction, as well as improvements in sleep quality for periods of up to 100 weeks.

Researchers evaluated the long-term use of Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts, compared to placebo in 507 patients who elected to continue using the drug in an extended, open label clinical trial. Subjects who participated in the follow-up trial did not report developing tolerance to Sativex, and most characterized the drug's side effects as being mild or moderate in severity.

Separate trial data presented this week at ECTRIMS also reported that Sativex administration significantly reduces MS-associated spasticity and has a positive impact on MS-associated incontinence and nocturia.

Clinical trial data published earlier this year in The International Urogynecology Journal reported that both cannabis extracts and oral doses of THC reduced episodes of bladder incontinence in subjects by 38 percent and 33 percent respectively.

Sativex is currently available by prescription in Canada and on a limited basis in Spain and the United Kingdom for patients suffering from MS-associated neuropathy and other symptoms. European and UK regulators are currently reviewing a request to allow for the broader prescription use of the drug in Great Britain, Denmark, Spain, and the Netherlands.

Sacramento, CA:
California: Medical Pot Patients May Receive Financial Reimbursement

The purchase of medicinal cannabis by state-authorized patients is a "bona fide" medical expense and may be covered in part by California's Medical Assistance program (Medi-Cal), according to a decision released last week by the director of the California Department of Health Services (DHS).

The plaintiff in the case, who uses medical cannabis under her physician's supervision to alleviate symptoms of lupus and reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), sought financial reimbursement from the state's medical assistance program for several thousand dollars of expenses she incurred in 2003 and 2004 from the purchase of medicinal marijuana.

Writing on behalf of the DHS, director Sandra Shewry determined that the expenses incurred by the plaintiff should be reimbursed by the agency. "State law recognizes the medical use of marijuana," she wrote. "When used consistent with the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 and [the] Medical Marijuana Program Act, DHS considers medical marijuana [to be] a bona fide medical expense."

The Office of Legal Affairs of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) offered legal assistance in the case.

Raleigh, NC:
North Carolina To Study Economic Impact Of Hemp Cultivation

State officials will assess the economic and environmental feasibility of industrial hemp production, following the approval of legislation authorizing an independent commission to study the domestic production of the agricultural crop.

As enacted by the legislature, "The Beneficial Uses of Industrial Hemp Act" creates a commission to study the "economic opportunities industrial hemp provides to the state and to consider the desirability and feasibility of authorizing industrial hemp cultivation and production as a farm product in North Carolina."

The commission is anticipated to report its findings and recommendations to the 2007 General Assembly and the Environmental Review Commission by December 1, 2006.

Previous state-sponsored hemp studies commissioned in North Dakota, Kentucky, and elsewhere have estimated that hemp cultivation could yield farmers revenues from $320 to $600 per acre.

Earlier this week, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) vetoed legislation that sought to establish regulations governing commercial hemp cultivation by state-authorized farmers, stating that federal law makes no legal distinction between hemp grown for industrial purposes and cannabis.

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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