Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2006.10.26

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Weekly News in Audio

October 26, 2006

NORML Director, Board Members In Colorado To Promote Depenalization Initiative

Synthetic THC Eases Stomach Cramping, Study Says

Cannabis Agonist Slows Alzheimer's Progression, Study Says

Denver, CO:
NORML Director, Board Members In Colorado To Promote Depenalization Initiative

NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre along with NORML advisory board member Norman Stamper (former Chief of Police, Seattle Washington) and NORML board member George Rohrbacher (former Washington state senator) will be speaking tonight in Denver and holding a press conference tomorrow in support of Amendment 44, the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative.

They will be joined by Colorado Rep. Gary Lindstrom, University of Colorado biology professor Robert Melamede, SAFER (Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation) Campaign Director Mason Tvert, and NORML Legal Committee member Jeralyn Merrit.

Representatives from NORML and SAFER will also be hosting a campaign fundraiser for Amendment 44 on Friday night at the Wynkoop Brewing Company in downtown Denver.

Amendment 44 would revise state statutes to make the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis legal in Colorado for anyone age 21 or older. Last year, voters in Denver passed a similar municipal initiative by 54 percent.

Rochester, MN:
Synthetic THC Eases Stomach Cramping, Study Says

Cannabinoids reduce stomach cramping and may play a role in moderating various gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, according to clinical trial data presented this week at the 71st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

Investigators at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota assessed the efficacy of a single dose of dronabinol (synthetic THC) on colonic motility in 52 volunteers participating in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Researchers reported that THC relaxes the colon and eases post-eating contractions and cramping compared to placebo.

Investigators said that these effects were more prominent in women volunteers than men.

"The potential for cannabinoids to modulate colonic motor function in disease deserves a further look," they concluded.

Survey data reported last fall in O'Shaughnessy's: The Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice found that Crohn's disease patients experience subjective benefits from cannabis, including pain relief and increased appetite.

Researchers in the United Kingdom also reported last year that cannabinoids promote healing in the gastrointestinal membrane, and may provide therapeutic relief to patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

More recently, investigators from Germany's Johannes Gutenberg University reported this spring in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation that the "endocannabinoid system may represent a new promising therapeutic target against different GI disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases, functional bowel diseases, and secretion and motility disorders."

Gastrointestinal disorders afflict more than one in five Americans, particularly women.

Atlanta, GA:
Cannabis Agonist Slows Alzheimer's Progression, Study Says

The administration of the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 reduces brain inflammation and improves memory in animals, according to preclinical data presented last week at the 36th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (SFN).

Investigators at Ohio State University, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, reported that older rats administered daily doses of WIN 55,212-2 for a period of three weeks performed significantly better than non-treated controls on a water-maze memory test. Researchers determined that rats treated with the compound experienced a 50 percent improvement in memory and a 40 to 50 percent reduction in inflammation compared to controls.

Investigators said that the cannabinoid agonist was the first compound that they were aware of to reduce inflammation in "an old brain" in a preclinical trial.

"These results provide critical information for the use of the endocannabinoid system that may lead to the use of specific cannabinoid agonists in the treatment of neuroinflammation-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's," they concluded.

The Ohio State study is the second report this month to suggest that cannabinoids may moderate Alzheimer's disease progression. Investigators at the Scripps Research Institute in California previously reported in the journal Molecular Therapeutics that THC inhibits the enzyme responsible for the aggregation of amyloid plaque in a manner "considerably" superior to approved Alzheimer's medications such as donepezil and tacrine.

Separate presentations at this year's SFN conference reported that oral THC reduces symptoms of Parkinson's disease in animals, and that cannabinoids possess long-lasting neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia (a reduction of blood flow to the brain that can cause cell death).

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