Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2007.11.29

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Weekly News in Audio

Novmber 29, 2007

US Clinical Trial Of Cannabis Spray For Cancer Pain Underway

Ten-Fold Spike In Drivers Drug Tested After Passage Of Zero Tolerance DUID Law, Study Says

Wisconsin: Waukesha County Enacts Pot Decriminalization Ordinance

New York, NY:
US Clinical Trial Of Cannabis Spray For Cancer Pain Underway

Forty medical centers across North America will take part in the first-ever US clinical trial assessing the efficacy of Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts, for the treatment of advanced cancer pain.

More than 300 patients with advanced-stage cancer will be recruited for the five-week trial, which will assess the use of Sativex as an adjunct treatment for patients with intractable cancer pain. Subjects in the trial must have a clinical diagnosis of cancer-related pain and must be unresponsive to opioid-based analgesics.

Investigators in the study will be using an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale to determine whether patients’ reported pain scores have fallen by the completion of the trial.

Russel K. Portenoy, chief investigator of the study and Chairman of the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, said: "[M]ore than one-third of patients with cancer, and more than three-quarters of those with advanced disease, have chronic pain. Large surveys indicate that optimal opioid therapy does not yield sufficient relief in a substantial proportion of these patients. There is a clear need for new treatments to improve these outcomes and it is our hope that cannabinoid formulations may represent an important option in the future."

In previous clinical trials of the drug, cancer patients have reported significantly improved pain relief following Sativex administration. Earlier this month, investigators in Britain reported that long-term administration of Sativex reduces neuropathic pain without inducing tolerance in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Canadian health officials granted regulatory approval in August for the prescription use of Sativex to treat cancer pain. Sativex had previously gained regulatory approval in Canada for the treatment of MS-associated neuropathic pain. Regulators in Great Britain and Spain have also granted limited regulatory approval for the drug.

The makers of Sativex, British-based biotechnology firm GW Pharmaceuticals, told Bloomberg News that they expect to have results from the trial next year and are hopeful that they will receive US regulatory approval for the drug by 2011.

Linkoping, Sweden:
Ten-Fold Spike In Drivers Drug Tested After Passage Of Zero Tolerance DUID Law, Study Says

Passage of a Swedish law prohibiting motorists from operating a vehicle with any detectable level of a controlled substance present in their blood has led to a 10-fold increase in the number of cases submitted by police for toxicological analysis, according to data published in the December issue of the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.

Among Swedish drivers administered blood tests, nearly 60 percent were positive for the presence of amphetamines. Cannabis was detected in combination with the presence of other illicit and/or prescription drugs in 20 percent of the drivers tested. Only four percent of drivers tested under the law were positive for the presence of THC alone.

Fifteen percent of suspected drugged drivers tested negative for all controlled substances.

Despite the ten-fold increase in drivers drug tested under the law, investigators previously reported that the increased enforcement has not reduced incidences of drugged driving. According to a 2005 study that appeared in the same journal, "Sweden's zero-concentration limit has done nothing to reduce DUID [driving under the influence of drugs] or deter the typical offender because recidivism is high in this population of individuals."

In recent years, several US states have enacted similar zero tolerance laws. Critics of these laws argue that the statutes inappropriately classify sober drivers as "impaired" and may criminally punish non-impaired drivers for their previous, non-driving-related activities.

"While we all support the goal of keeping impaired motorists off the road 窶� regardless of whether they are impaired from alcohol, prescription drugs, or illicit substances 窶� the enactment of so-called zero tolerance per se legislation is inappropriate, illogical, and does nothing to deter individuals from driving under the influence of illicit substances," NORML Senior Policy Analyst Paul Armentano said. "At best, these laws are an inflexible response to a complex social problem. At worst, they are a cynical attempt to misuse the traffic safety laws to prosecute illicit drug consumers per se."

Waukesha, WI:
Wisconsin: Waukesha County Enacts Pot Decriminalization Ordinance

Waukesha County supervisors voted 27-4 this week to decriminalize pot possession for first-time offenders.

Under the new policy, law enforcement officials may cite rather than arrest individuals found in possession of small quantities of cannabis. Those charged under the ordinance face a fine, but no criminal sanctions.

Under state law, possession of any amount of pot is a misdemeanor offense punishable by up to six months in jail.

County Supervisors said that criminally prosecuting minor pot offenders was placing an undue burden on local police and clogging the county’s courts.

Other regions of the state have enacted similar pot decriminalization policies, including the city of Madison and Milwaukee County.

Since 1973, twelve state legislatures have adopted versions of marijuana decriminalization, replacing jail time with fine-only penalties.

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