Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2007.4.5

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Weekly News in Audio

April 5, 2007

New Mexico Becomes Twelfth State To Authorize Medical Cannabis Use

FDA Postpones Decision On Safety Of Controversial Cannabinoid Blocking Agent

Saliva Tests Still Not Reliable For Detecting Cannabis, Study Says

Santa Fe, NM:
New Mexico Becomes Twelfth State To Authorize Medical Cannabis Use

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) signed legislation into law this week ordering the establishment of a statewide medicinal cannabis distribution program.

Senate Bill 523, the "Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act," mandates the state Department of Health to promulgate rules governing the use and distribution of medical cannabis to state-authorized patients. These rules shall address the creation of state-licensed "cannabis production facilities" and "define the amount of cannabis that is necessary to constitute an adequate supply" for qualified patients.

The Department of Health is ordered to establish the program by October 1, 2007. Patients will not be permitted to cultivate their own medical cannabis under the program.

Governor Richardson, who lobbied for the bill's passage, said: "This law will provide much-needed relief for New Mexicans suffering from debilitating diseases. It is the right thing to do."

New Mexico is the twelfth state since 1996 to enact legislation protecting medical cannabis patients from arrest and state criminal prosecution, though it is only the fourth to do so legislatively.

Rockville, MD:
FDA Postpones Decision On Safety Of Controversial Cannabinoid Blocking Agent

US regulatory authorities announced that an independent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee will hear testimony in June regarding whether the controversial cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR 141716A/Rimonabant is safe for human consumption. The agency had previously announced that it would decide by April 26, 2007, whether to grant US market approval for Rimonabant as a weight-loss drug.

Neither the FDA nor the drug's manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals, gave a reason for the postponement.

Under the FDA's revised timeline, the agency's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee will hear testimony regarding the drug's safety and efficacy on June 13, 2007. The FDA has previously denied Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals permission to market the drug in the US.

Rimonabant, marketed under the trade name Acomplia, recently received regulatory approval for sale in Europe as a prescription dietary aid. It is the first cannabinoid antagonist ever to be approved for human consumption.

Rimonabant blocks the natural binding of endogenous cannabinoids (as well as exogenous cannabinoids such as delta-9-THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana) to the neuronal CB1 receptors, causing users to lose their appetites.

However, because the endocannabinoid receptor system is intricately involved in the regulation of a broad range of primary biological functions --- including appetite, body temperature, mood regulation, blood pressure, bone density, reproduction, learning capacity, and motor coordination --- some experts are concerned that the long-term use of Rimonabant or similar drugs may eventually contribute to a host of significant adverse health effects.

In preclinical trials, newborn mice injected with Rimonabant refuse feeding and often die days after birth. Mice genetically bred to lack the CB1 receptor also suffer from numerous health defects such as cognitive decline, hypoalgesia, decreased locomotor activity, and increased mortality compared to healthy controls.

At least one published case study reports that daily use of the drug may have triggered neurological symptoms of multiple sclerosis in a volunteer with no known history of the disease. Mental health side effects, such as depression, are also commonly reported among volunteers administered Rimonabant.

In human trials, daily administration of Rimonabant is associated with lower blood sugar levels and weight loss compared to placebo. Sanofi is seeking to market the drug in the US under the trade name Zimulti.

Bethesda, MD:
Saliva Tests Still Not Reliable For Detecting Cannabis, Study Says

Saliva tests do not reliably detect the presence of THC, according to a review of ten separate oral fluid, point-of-collection drug testing devices published in the January/February issue of the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.

Researchers at The Walsh Group in Bethesda, Maryland, evaluated the reliability of ten oral fluid devices to detect various controlled substances, including THC and it's inactive metabolite THC-COOH, at cutoff concentrations recommended by the manufacturers.

Of the ten devices tested, six recorded either false negative or false positive test results for THC. Five devices also recorded false positive results for THC-COOH.

Manufacturers' proposed cutoff guidelines for THC varied widely from product to product, from 15ng/ml (lowest recommended cutoffs) to 600ng/ml (highest recommended cutoffs). Currently, no federal regulations govern oral fluid testing cutoff standards.

Investigators concluded, "The detection limits are improving for THC, but reliable detection of marijuana use in forensic investigations, such as driving under the influence and the workplace, remains problematic."

Previous evaluations of onsite oral fluid tests have also shown the technology to be unreliable for detecting the presence of cannabis, particularly when administered at roadside checkpoints.

Several European nations and a handful of US states are testing the use of such devices in an on-going field study investigating the prevalence of motorists who drive under the influence of controlled substances.

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