GOP Mogul Behind Drug Rehab 'Torture' Centers Is Bankrolling Opposition to Pot Legalization in Colorado Lee Fang on September 18, 2012 - 2:30 PM ET Marijuana legalization would harm kids, says Smart Colorado, a group advertising stock images of children along with messages asking for voters to reject Amendment 64, a ballot initiative this year to legalize and tax pot. Smart Colorado, led former Republican senate candidate Ken Buck and a team of Republican lobbyists and campaign operatives, hopes to drive down the popularity of Amendment 64 before Election Day. The supposedly family-friendly group, however, relies heavily on funds from a pair of controversial Republican fundraisers who once led a drug rehab center shut down over wide-ranging child abuse scandals. Save Our Society from Drugs, a Florida-based nonprofit founded by Mel and Betty Sembler, has given Smart Colorado contributions totaling $151,497 through September, according to The Nation’s review of state finance disclosures. That’s 95 percent of the money raised by the group so far. The Semblers have been waging a war on marijuana for decades. Before they led Save Our Society from Drugs, and its sister nonprofit, the Drug Free America Foundation, the Semblers were at the helm of STRAIGHT, Inc., which operated drug abuse treatment centers, mostly for teenagers, from 1976 through 1993. Former clients of the rehab center recount episodes of brutal beatings, rape and systematic psychological abuse. At one facility in Yorba Linda, California, state investigators found that STRAIGHT Inc. subjected children to “unusual punishment, infliction of pain, humiliation, intimidation, ridicule, coercion, threats, mental abuse…and interference with daily living functions such as eating, sleeping and toileting.” Samantha Monroe, who was placed into a STRAIGHT Inc clinic in Tampa at age 13, says she was locked in a room, and forced to wear a clothes stained with urine, feces and menstrual blood—a punishment her counselors called “humble pants.” Richard Bradbury, a former STRAIGHT patient and counselor-turned-whistleblower, told the St. Petersburg Times that Monroe’s experiences weren’t unique. “It was pure child abuse,” Bradbury told reporters. “Torture.” In 1988, Fred Collins, an 18-year-old college student, paid a visit to his brother, who was in treatment for drug abuse, at an Orlando STRAIGHT Inc. clinic. Counselors accused Collins of being high on marijuana because his eyes were red, and held him against his will for months. The abduction, strip-searches and other abuses ended when Collins managed to escape. He was one of many to win judgments against the chain of drug rehab clinics before it was forced to close after investigations and lawsuits began to mount in several states. Though the STRAIGHT drug rehab clinic no longer exist, the Sembler network of anti-drug nonprofits have proliferated, in part because of the family’s extensive political connections. Mel, who served as a major fundraiser for George H.W., Jeb and George W. Bush, was appointed as the Ambassador to Italy in 2001. Betty Sembler, awarded “honorary agent status by the DEA,” has led various anti-drug commissions and task forces on the state and federal level. Three years after STRAIGHT shut down, the Semblers changed its name to the Drug Free America Foundation, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Drug Free America Foundation, a nonprofit that shares resources, an office and staff with the Save Our Society group financing the Amendment 64 opposition in Colorado, has a contract with the federal government to help small businesses develop their own drug-testing programs for employees. In 2010, taxpayers forked over $250,000 to a Sembler group to oversee a drug-free workplace program for the Small Business Administration. It also helps produce anti-marijuana literature and promotional campaigns. Mel Sembler, who made his fortune in real estate, says his opposition to marijuana use influenced his move to the GOP. He switched party affiliation in 1979, when he claims he found out “[President Jimmy] Carter was doing all this pot smoking and stuff in the White House.” Since then, he’s been a proud Republican. Explaining his early support for Mitt Romney (he’s now a leader of Romney’s Florida fundraising team), Sembler says he accompanied then-Governor Romney to Israel during his first official visit and trusts the candidate’s business acumen. Viveca Novak, of OpenSecrets.org, noted that Sembler was spotted on a Romney bundler yacht during the Republican convention last month. Sembler hasn’t renounced his sordid legacy with the STRAIGHT clinics. An online biography of Mel Sember posted by his nonprofit proudly touts his role in founding the scandal-plagued rehab centers. The biography cheerfully claims, that during “its 17 years of existence, STRAIGHT successfully graduated more than 12,000 young people nationwide from its remarkable program.” There is no mention of the child abuse scandals that led to its downfall. There’s little time to worry about the past. He’s waging two battles now: one in Colorado, and another to evict a former Choom Gang member from the White House.

Delegates oppose giving pharmacists authority to prescribe drugs

GOVERNMENT Patients have no constitutional rights to medical marijuana, state court rules The Montana Supreme Court reverses a district court opinion that had halted enforcement of new regulations on medical cannabis. By Alicia Gallegos, amednews staff. Posted Sept. 24, 2012. PRINT| E-MAIL| RESPOND| REPRINTS| SHARE State restrictions on medical marijuana access and sales do not violate patients’ rights to pursue health care under the state constitution, the Montana Supreme Court has ruled. The decision overturns a lower court opinion that had blocked new regulations on the state’s voter-approved medical marijuana law. The restrictions limit medical marijuana dispensers to three patients each and prevent them from making a profit. The limitations essentially gut the original law and make it difficult for patients to obtain medical cannabis, said Elizabeth Pincolini, a board member of the Montana Cannabis Industry Assn., a plaintiff in the lawsuit. ■Case at a glance ■Links ■See related content ■Region: West The rewrite of the original statute “was designed to make it as hard and painful as possible to participate in this program,” she said. “It’s bad news for patients. Everyone has to grow their own [cannabis] or find a provider to provide medicine for free.” The Montana Dept. of Justice, which defended the state, said it was satisfied with the court’s decision. “We are pleased that the Supreme Court has clarified the constitutional issues, and we will continue to defend the law passed by the 2011 Legislature in further proceedings,” said Judy Beck, a department spokeswoman. 16 states have legalized medical marijuana. In 2004, Montana voters approved the use of medical marijuana through enactment of the Medical Marijuana Act. The law said patients could obtain medical cannabis with a written recommendation from a doctor. In 2011, the state Legislature passed a bill to repeal the medical marijuana law, but Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer vetoed the measure. Legislators then enacted the Montana Marijuana Act, which replaced the original law and included new restrictions for the cultivation, distribution and use of medical cannabis. The Montana Cannabis Industry Assn. and others, including two doctors, asked a district court to block implementation of the new statute. A district court enjoined several portions of the law. The court said some sections of the measure substantially inhibited plaintiffs’ fundamental rights under the state constitution “to pursue employment, to seek one’s own health in all lawful ways and to privacy.” The state appealed to the Montana Supreme Court. In a Sept. 11 decision, the state’s high court said people have a right to obtain and reject medical treatment. However, this freedom does not include a right to use a preferred drug, regardless of its legality. “In pursuing health, an individual does not have a fundamental, affirmative right of access to a particular drug,” judges said. “A patient’s selection of a particular treatment, or at least a medication, is within the area of governmental interest in protecting public health, and regulation of that medication does not implicate a fundamental constitutional right.” The case goes back to the district court, which will make a ruling based on the high court’s opinion. Medical marijuana challenged elsewhere The Montana Medical Assn. has not taken a stance on the recent legal challenges against the state’s medical marijuana law, said Jean Branscum, the society’s executive vice president. The association had no comment on the high court ruling. Montana Medical Assn. policy says evidence suggests marijuana has beneficial effects in the treatment of certain intractable medical conditions. Further evidence also has shown significant risks and side effects related to such use, the policy said. To the extent the law permits use of marijuana for medical indications, marijuana should be used only with proper indications in a safe and effective way, and medical marijuana should be subject to the same regulatory scrutiny as any other psychoactive drug with the potential for abuse, according to the policy. Montana is one of 16 states that have legalized medical marijuana. Many of the statutes have been subject to legal challenges asserting that state prerequisites for obtaining medical marijuana are too strict. For example, the Supreme Court of California in August threw out a legal challenge centering on whether cities and counties can regulate medical marijuana dispensaries. An appeals court had ruled that California could not regulate the facilities because marijuana is illegal under federal law. The state high court dismissed the suit, saying the legal arguments were moot. In March, a district judge declared Nevada’s medical marijuana distribution law unconstitutional. That statute does not provide a reasonable method for patients to obtain medical marijuana lawfully, the court said. The issue is before the Supreme Court of Nevada. The Montana plaintiffs have not decided whether to ask the state’s high court to rehear the case, Pincolini said. Montana citizens will have a chance to vote on the latest medical marijuana law later this year. “If people vote no, the law would be off the books and we would go back to the original law,” she said. However, more legislation is needed to improve the initial statute, she said. Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Case at a glance Is a law restricting patients’ access to medical marijuana constitutional? The Montana Supreme Court says yes. The court said people have a right under the state constitution to obtain and reject medical treatment. However, it said this freedom does not include a fundamental right to use a preferred drug, regardless of its legality. Impact: Medical marijuana advocates say the ruling prevents patients from obtaining medical marijuana easily and discourages dispensers from supplying medical cannabis. Montana Cannabis Industry Assn. v. State of Montana, Montana Supreme Court, Sept. 11 Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weblink Montana Supreme Court Cases, to find Montana Cannabis Industry Assn. v. State of Montana, Montana Supreme Court, Sept. 11 (searchcourts.mt.gov/) Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2012 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. RELATED CONTENT » Federal disability law does not cover medical marijuana patients June 4 » Nevada court strikes down medical marijuana law March 26 » Medical marijuana distributors subject to federal prosecution despite state law Feb. 13 » Governors push reclassification of marijuana for medical use Jan. 16

Chapter 6~ from FreeCannabis eBooks

In the '80s, the vast body of data amassed by the federal research programmes proving natural marihuana's therapeutic value for very serious complaints made it imperative that its legal status be changed. This went totally against Reagan and Bush's 'anti-drug policy'. In 1985, the US government tried to play for time by adopting a compromise solution. Having proclaimed, until 1979, that "cannabis had no therapeutic value", the US Department of Health and the FDA now acknowledged and made available to the public a version of synthetic D9-THC called dronabinol, which was manufactured and marketed, as Marinol, by Eli Lilly. (226) It was originally indicated for the side-effects of chemotherapy, and later began to be used with some success as an appetite stimulant for AIDS victims. Soon afterwards, dronabinol was joined by another form of synthetic D9-THC, nabilone, purveyed on the market as Cesamet. Thus, for the first time in half a century, a few cracks began to appear in the edifice of total control erected by the prohibition brigade within the power bloc. But in 1991, on the order of George Bush, who insisted that his repressive anti-drug policy be implemented, the US Department of Health tried to put a stop to research into the therapeutic applications of marihuana by slashing the federal programmes' budgets and discouraging or intimidating researchers. Furthermore- and this was even more serious - it attempted to have all the data amassed by the arduous efforts of thirty years of research (1960-90) destroyed, displaying a mentality and adopting methods worthy of Nazi and Communist totalitarianism. Apart from anything else the decision also hampered the development of new drugs based on cannabis, which oh-so-coincidentally, enabled Eli Lilly's products to continue monopolising the market, as they had done since 1985. (George Bush, let us not forget, became a director of Eli Lilly after leaving the CIA in 1977, and the Bush family holds a considerable number of shares in the company.) In 1973, Dr Tod Mikuriya conducted a systematic investigation of the relevant medical literature and summarised the `Possible Therapeutic Applications of Tetrahydrocannabinols and Like Products' as follows: Analgesic-hypnotic, appetite stimulant, antiepilepticantispasmodic, prophylactic and treatment of neuralgias, including migraine and tic douloureux, antidepressanttranquillizer, antiasthmatic, oxytocic, antitussive, topical anaesthetic, withdrawal agent for opiate and alcohol addiction, childbirth analgesic 2277 antibiotic, intraocular hypotensive, hypothermogenic. (227) And in 1990, Professor Jerome Jaffe fully corroborated Dr Mikuriya in Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, the most authoritative textbook of pharmacology and therapeutic practice in the field of mainstream medicine: Marihuana, D9-THC, and certain synthetic analogs have one established and several potential therapeutic applications. Some synthetic cannabinoids may find use as analgesics or anticonvulsants. The capacity of some natural and synthetic cannabinoids to lower intraocular pressure has had little http://www.drugtext.org/library/books/grivas/chaptersix.htm (3 of 14)3/7/2005 11:48:38 PM Chapter Six Medical Uses of Cannabis clinical utility to date. D9-THC and a synthetic cannabinoid, nabilone, are now available for oral use as antiemetics. They are indicated for control of nausea associated with chemotherapy. (228) The therapeutic value of cannabis and its derivatives is now proven and accepted for the following broad range of pathological conditions: 1) Glaucoma (intraocular hypertension) 2) Side-effects of chemotherapy (nausea and sickness) 3) Asthma 4) Epilepsy and spasms 5) Depression and anorexia 6) Pain of varying aetiology 7) Cancer 8) Dependence on opiates and alcohol Cannabis has four major advantages which make it unique from a therapeutic point of view: 1) It is the least toxic of the available drugs. 2) It has a wide range of therapeutic applications. 3) It acts in a different way from other drugs. 4) It can be combined effectively and safely with any drug. 1. Glaucoma (intraocular hypertension) The term glaucoma refers to a number of ophthalmic problems that are all characterised by increased endophthalmic pressure, which damages the optic nerve, leading to reduced vision and ultimately blindness. The drugs available today (myotics, carboanhydrasis inhibitors, adrenaline) do not cure even the most common forms of glaucoma, are extremely ineffective, are not suitable for all sufferers, have serious side-effects, and have to be taken for the rest of the patient's life. Sufferers who do not respond to them or who cannot tolerate or counteract their serious side-effects are forced to choose between a high-risk surgical operation of dubious effectiveness and blindness. Glaucoma is the second commonest cause of blindness in the United States, and every year it claims the sight of more than 240,000 people worldwide. The existing treatments for glaucoma do no more than control its various manifestations to a slight extent. Myotic drugs cause blurred vision in daylight, which becomes worse in low lighting conditions, are implicated in the development of cataracts, and predispose the patient to ragoiditis and detachment of the retina. Carboanhydrasis inhibitors block the production of the watery fluid in the eye by suppressing the action of the carboanhydrasis that is essential to its formation. Normal doses cause http://www.drugtext.org/library/books/grivas/chaptersix.htm (4 of 14)3/7/2005 11:48:38 PM Chapter Six Medical Uses of Cannabis colicky abdominal or stomach pains, nausea, salivation, diarrhoea, hyperhidrosis, hot flushes, conjunctival congestion, pain in the eyelids, and teariness; large doses cause dyspnoea and affect the functioning of the heart. Adrenaline or epinephrine is used as a conjunctival decongestant in the form of drops or ointment. By 1972 numerous observations, investigations, and reports had been conducted and produced on the effects of marihuana and its derivatives on glaucoma sufferers, and they opened up new, hopeful prospects for dealing with the endophthalmic hypertension associated with glaucoma. While scientists were studying the effects of known doses of marihuana on young male volunteers, it was observed that one of the effects was a reduction of arterial pressure in the eye. They supposed that since this was the case with normal subjects it might also be the case with glaucoma sufferers. And so it proved to be. (229) In the context of the lengthy cannabis investigation planned and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, efforts in this sphere focused on the effects on glaucoma patients of (i) smoking marihuana, (ii) oral administration of D9-THC, and (iii) intravenous administration of D9-THC.(230) 1) SMOKING MARIHUANA AND ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF D9-THC This was a double-blind experiment conducted by Robert Hepler, Ira Frank, and Robert Petrus of the Medical School of UCLA at the NIDA's request.(231) The subjects were male volunteers aged between 21 and 29 years, who were divided into four groups: one group smoked natural marihuana;(232) the second smoked D9-THC mixed with a marihuana-like placebo; the third took synthetic D9-THC by mouth; and the fourth group smoked a marihuana-like placebo without D9-THC. Having fully evaluated their findings, the researchers announced: The amount of pressure drop was in the range of 30% for 2 % THC and natural marihuana. The placebo also showed consistent mild pressure drop, the effect approximating 10% pressure reduction. Since we subsequently observed pressure-reducing effects with cannabinoids other than THC, our THC-eluted marihuana may have contained significant amounts of other active agents... There are no indications so far of any deleterious effects of marihuana smoking on visual function or ocular structures. There is reason to suspect that the mechanism of pressure reduction induced by marihuana smoking may differ from the mechanism of action of standard antiglaucoma drugs presently in use.(233) 2) INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION OF CANNABINOIDS The NIDA assigned the relevant study to Mario Perez-Reyes, Donna Wagner, Monroe Wall, and Kenneth Davis - all researchers in the Medical School of the University of North Carolina. They summed up the study and their findings as follows: http://www.drugtext.org/library/books/grivas/chaptersix.htm (5 of 14)3/7/2005 11:48:38 PM Chapter Six Medical Uses of Cannabis Six different cannabinoids were intravenously infused to normal subjects, and their effect on intraocular pressure was measured. D8- THC, D9-THC, and 11-hydroxy-D9-THC produced significant reductions in intraocular pressure, whereas 8ß-OH-D+-THC, and cannabindiol were less effective. (234) It is now generally accepted that "when smoked, given intravenously, or taken orally, cannabis, THC, and other cannabinoid derivatives have been found to reduce the vision-threatening intraocular pressure of glaucoma",(235) and since 1990 synthetic D9-THC in the form of eye-drops has been available on the market. 2. Side-effects of chemotherapy (nausea and vomiting) Despite the prohibition brigade's hopes to the contrary, the therapeutic value of cannabis is widely recognised today in addressing the side-effects of chemotherapy undergone by cancer patients. Special preparations are already available for this purpose. In the eighth edition of The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (1990), Professor Jerome Jaffe writes: D9-THC and a synthetic cannabinoid, nabilone, are now available for oral use as antiemetic. They are indicated for control of nausea associated with chemotherapy. (236) In the third edition of their textbook, A Handbook on Drug and Alcohol Abuse (1992), Drs Gail Winger, Frederick Hofmann, and James Woods note: THC and its synthetic analogs have been evaluated for their ability to suppress severe nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing some types of cancer chemotherapy. (237) 3. Asthma Marihuana was systematically used in the treatment of bronchial asthma in the nineteenth century, but it has recently been ascertained that the ingestion of D9-THC via the respiratory or the digestive system causes noticeable bronchial dilation in healthy young people. This naturally raised the question of whether marihuana has a similar effect on people suffering from complaints involving bronchial contraction, which would mean it could be used to treat asthma attacks. The latest research shows that marihuana does indeed have such an effect. The NIDA asked Drs L. Vachon, P. Mikus, W. Morrissey, M. Fitzgerald, and E. Gaensler of the Medical School of Boston University to study the effect on asthma of smoking marihuana. The subjects were 17 volunteers aged between 18 and 30 with a history of asthma; all but one of the seventeen had a relation who suffered from asthma. http://www.drugtext.org/library/books/grivas/chaptersix.htm (6 of 14)3/7/2005 11:48:38 PM Chapter Six Medical Uses of Cannabis The effects of a single administration of marihuana smoke on bronchial mechanics were studied in a group of asthmatic subjects. The diagnosis of asthma was made on the basis of history and evidence of reversible airway obstruction; the subjects were free of symptoms at the time of testing. They received a standard volumeof a mixture of air and smoke from natural marihuana containing one of two different concentrations (1.9% and 0.9%) of D -THC. Both concentrations showed significant and prolonged reversal of the bronchoconstriction as yell as significant but shorter duration of tachycardia.(238) The NIDA also asked Drs P. Tashkin, B. Shapiro, and Ira Frank, of the UCLA Medical School to study the direct effects of marihuana on airway dynamics in spontaneous and artificially induced bronchial asthma. Previous studies have shown that both smoked marihuana and oral D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produce significant acute bronchodilatation in healthy young males. We present data on 10 subjects with clinically stable bronchial asthma of mild to moderate severity in whom acute effects of smoked 2 % natural marihuana (7 mgm/kg) and oral D9-THC (15 mgm) on plethysmographically determined airway resistance (RAW) and specific airway conductance (SGAW) were compared with those of placebo using a double-blind crossover technique. After smoked marihuana, SGAW rose immediately and remained significantly elevated (33 to 48% above initial control values) for at least 2 hr, whereas SLAW did not change after placebo. The peak bronchodilator effect of 1250 pg of isoproterenol was greater than that of marihuana, but the effect of marihuana lasted longer. After ingestion of 15 mgm of THC, SGAW was elevated significantly at 1 and 2 hr, and RAW was reduced significantly at 1 to 4 hr, whereas no changes were noted after placebo. In 6 asthmatic subjects, bronchospasm (> 30% decrease in SGAW) was induced by exercise on a bicycle ergometer or treadmill or by inhalation of 0.25 to 1.25 mgm methacholine. Following induction of bronchospasm, subjects smoked 2% marihuana or placebo or inhaled 1,250 pg isoproterenol or saline in a single-blind fashion. Bronchospasm was promptly reversed by smoked marihuana and inhaled isoproterenol but not by smoked placebo or inhaled saline. The above findings indicate that in stable asthmatics smoked marihuana and oral THC cause significant bronchodilatation of at least 2 hr duration and that smoked marihuana is capable of reversing experimentally induced bronchospasm. (239) 4. Epilepsy and spasms In 1949, J. Davis and H. Ramsey studied the antispasmodic effects of cannabis on five epileptic children who were being treated with phenobarbitone and dilatin. The results were extremely encouraging. The demonstration of anticonvulsant activity of the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) congeners by laboratory tests prompted clinical trial in five institutionalized epileptic children. All of them had severe symptomatic grand mal epilepsy with mental retardation... Two isomeric 3 (1 ,2-dimethyl heptyl) homologs of THC were tested, Numbers 122 and 125A, with ataxia potencies fifty and eight times, respectively, that of natural marihuana principles. Number 122 was given to 2 patients for three weeks and to 3 patients for seven weeks. Three responded at least as well as to previous therapy; the fourth http://www.drugtext.org/library/books/grivas/chaptersix.htm (7 of 14)3/7/2005 11:48:38 PM Chapter Six Medical Uses of Cannabis became almost completely and the fifth entirely seizure free... [only] the second patient [had] a brief paranoid behaviour 3.5 weeks later; similar episodes had occurred prior to cannabis therapy. Other psychic disturbances or toxic reactions were not manifested during %e periods of treatment. Blood counts were normal. (240) In 1969, prompted by the results of research, Professor Tod Mikuriya included spasms and epilepsy in the list of conditions on which cannabis might have a therapeutic effect. (241) And in 1990, in view of the findings of research during the intervening twenty years, Professor Jerome Jaffe confirmed Mikuriya's assessment, and stated that "some synthetic cannabinoids may find use as analgesics or anticonvulsants. "(242) 5. Depression and anorexia The weight loss, suffering, and depression arising out of the despair and anguish of impending death are the main symptoms of people with advanced cancer. They are difficult to treat because the available drugs used to control them at present are extremely inadequate and ineffective. Reports by earlier researchers that D9-THC produces euphoria, stimulates the appetite, and has notable analgesic and anti-emetic effects made it a very attractive proposition to study cannabis as a means of helping cancer patients. It naturally drew the interest of the medical world and the NIDA, which latter asked a team of scientists to investigate the appetite-stimulating, anti-depressive, analgesic, and antiemetic effects of cannabis in the context of the complex research programme for the Pharmacology of Marihuana (1967-70). Drs W. Regelson, T. Kirk, M. Green, J. Schulz, and M. Zalis of the Medical School of Richmond University, in association with Professors Butler and Peek of the Psychology Department of Denton University, Texas, conducted double-blind experiments(243) to investigate the effects of D9-THC on both in-patient and out-patient cancer sufferers, and they summed up their work and their findings as follows: Our data suggest that D9-THC has value as an antidepressant and can be of value in the management of both in-patient and out-patient cancer patients - provided somnolence, dizziness, and depersonalization do not result in early discontinuation. The potential of D9 -THC is clear; many patients with advanced cancer are depressed and anxious. Indeed, the despondency and anxiety engendered by cancer destroy the quality of life that remains and become in many patients more important than the organic problems produced by the disease itself. The depression and anxiety in many cancer patients are by no means symptomatic of an unstable personality or an endogenous depression; rather, they are clearly a common response to a catastrophic event that is extremely difficult to deal with as the usual reassurances or psychic-energizers (antidepressants) have little or negative effects. Previous attempts at psychometric evaluation of marihuana (Zinberg and Weil, 1970; Hogan, Manakeon, Conway, and Fox, 1970; McGlothlin and Rowan, 1970) have aimed primarily at the personality and life-history correlates of http://www.drugtext.org/library/books/grivas/chaptersix.htm (8 of 14)3/7/2005 11:48:38 PM Chapter Six Medical Uses of Cannabis reactional use. The cancer population is obviously a nonuser group with special characteristics. This study represents an attempt to define and to determine the effects of D9-THC on that group with particular reference to changes in the despondency that so uniquely characterizes cancer... Of fundamental importance is the almost complete absence of subjective euphoria or high reported in experienced users (by high we mean a euphoric state subjectively apparent to the drug recipient)... One of the previously reported psychological effects of D9-THC that failed to appear among our subjects was suspiciousness... The foregoing results, considered with the clinical observations of the effects of D9- THC demonstrating significant slowing and occasional reversal of the characteristic weight loss associated with cancer, as well as trends toward analgesic and antiemetic effects, suggest promising further study of the efficacy of D9 -THC as a supportive treatment for the control of secondary symptoms in cancer patients... As in a previous study (Lowe and Goodman, 1974), weight gain was demonstrated in more than half the medicated subject. That may be interpreted as further evidence that D9-THC has appetite-stimulating properties, as shown earlier (by Freedman and Rockmore, 1946; Hollister et al., 1968; Clark, Hughes, and Nakashima, 1970)... Summary: D9-THC in cancer patients at acceptable dosage (0.1 mg t.i.d., orally) had the effect of a tranquillizer and mild mood elevator, clearly without untoward effects on cognitive functioning and apparently without untoward effect on personality or emotional stability - at least as can be measured by psychological tests. Medically, the clinical notes and weight data suggest that D9 -THC stimulates appetite and helps retard the chronic weight loss associated with cancer, and hint at some antiemetic and analgesic benefit.. .(244) 6. Pain of varying aetiology At the invitation of the NIDA, R. Noyes, S. Bruk, D. Daran, and A. Canter of the Department of Pathology and Psychiatry of Iowa University's Medical School investigated the analgesic effects of D9- THC on cancer patients and concluded that: A preliminary trial of oral THC demonstrated an analgesic effect of the drug in patients experiencing cancer pain. Placebo and 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg THC were administered double-blind in 10 patients. Pain relief significantly superior to placebo was demonstrated at high dose levels (15 and 20 mg combined). At these levels, substantial sedation and mental clouding were reported. (245) 7. Antitumour effects In 1976 the results were published of the investigation carried out for the NIDA by L. Harris, A. Munson, and R. Carchman of the Medical School of Richmond University into the inhibitory effect of some cannabinoids on certain neoplasms,(246) as a contribution to the discussion prompted by contrary conclusions reached by various earlier studies on animals (247) and human beings .(248) http://www.drugtext.org/library/books/grivas/chaptersix.htm (9 of 14)3/7/2005 11:48:38 PM Chapter Six Medical Uses of Cannabis One interesting conclusion from our study is that cannabinoid activity against neoplasms may not be related to their behavioural properties, since cannabinol, which is essentially behaviourally inactive, is effective in our systems. Our results add a new perspective to the increasing body of evidence that D9 - THC, though behaviourally active, has other cellular actions that may have greater importance in the long run since they may lead to the development of a new class of therapeutic agents. We hope that our model systems will provide the means by which nevi and more active antitumor agents can be developed. (249) 8. Detoxification of alcoholics and drug addicts Modem research into the use of cannabis and cannabis products in the detoxification or maintenance of people dependent on alcohol, drugs, and other addictive substances is based on the therapeutic experience and accumulated knowledge of the medical use of cannabis over the last hundred years as a means of coping with withdrawal symptoms and as a substitute for the substances in question. In 1887, H. H. Kane published his observations on the successful use of cannabis as a substitute with alcoholics. They were corroborated in 1889 by E. Birch, who administered cannabis to his opiumaddicted clients "in treating addictions to opium and chloral hydrate"(250) and in 1891 by J. B. Mattison, who concluded that cannabis "has proved an efficient substitute for the poppy". One of the morphine addiction cases he described was a naval surgeon, "nine years a ten grains daily subcutaneous morphia taker... [who] recovered with less than a dozen doses. "(251) In 1942, S. Allentuck and K. Bowman established that cannabis derivatives are effective in allaying withdrawal symptoms in opium addicts. In their study of forty-nine people dependent onopiates, they observed that "the withdrawal symptoms were ameliorated or eliminated sooner, the patient was in a better frame of mind, his spirits were elevated, his physical condition was more rapidly rehabilitated, and he expressed a wish to resume his occupation sooner. "(252) In 1953, L. Thompson and R. Proctor announced the results of their satisfactory use of a synthetic cannabis product (pyrahexil) for withdrawal symptoms exhibited by patients dependent on alcohol, barbiturates, and certain other addictive substances, and they agreed with Allentuck and Bowman that the use of cannabis did not give rise to biological or psychological dependence and that the discontinuance of the drug did not result in withdrawal symptoms.(253) After the Korean War, when Cold War hysteria was at its height, cannabis and the other `narcotics' were "associated directly with the Communist conspiracy".(254) As a result, the penal sanctions for using them became extremely harsh (255) and research into their therapeutic properties was halted. Research began again in the mid-sixties, when the draconian penal restrictions were eased somewhat, and still continues today, with remarkable results, in the context of programmes set up by various state-run and private organisations under the supervision of the US Department of Health. (256)

Rick Simpson Grasshopper! (playlist)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pl-B581jms&feature=share&list=PL6A406D650932ABFA


The man is a hero.

Maastricht mayor does u-turn over cannabis club membership

Maastricht mayor does u-turn over cannabis club membership Wednesday 05 September 2012 Locals in Maastricht should no longer have to formally register as marijuana users to buy soft drugs from the city’s cannabis cafes, mayor Onno Hoes said in a letter to councillors on Wednesday. Since May 1, cannabis cafes in the south of the country have been turned into member-only clubs in an effort to keep out foreigners. Only locals, who can prove they live in the area, are allowed to sign up for membership. According to Nos television, Hoes says the number of foreigners trying to buy soft drugs has fallen so sharply that the membership cards are no longer necessary. Official register At the same time, so few locals have registered as cannabis users that changes need to be made in the way the membership system works. Because locals are reluctant to register, ID and an official council certificate stating where they live should be sufficient to buy marijuana, the mayor is quoted as saying. Nos says Hoes also hopes this will reduce the number of street dealers who have appeared since the ban was introduced. The marijuana pass system is due to be introduced in the rest of the country, including Amsterdam, in January next year. Amsterdam’s mayor Eberhard van der Laan and a majority of the city council are strongly opposed. Amsterdam Junior justice minister Fred Teeven told the capital’s local television station AT5 on Tuesday the introduction of the pass in the capital would take place in consultation with the city council. ‘The weed card will be introduced in Amsterdam but we will take local government into account,’ Teeven said. Coffee shop holders welcomed the minister's statement, saying it showed the government is beginning to change its position. Election Meanwhile, opponents of the weed card have been campaigning for the legislation to be reversed in the September 12 general election. According to Joep Oomen of the legalise cannabis movement voting for any political party on the left is good and any party on the right is bad. Several parties, including Labour, are also calling for better regulation for marijuana production. Although cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, users can have up to five grammes for personal use or four plants without prosecution. What do you think about the mayor of Maastricht's change of heart? Have your say using the comment form below © DutchNews.nl

ENCOD BULLETIN 91 - Encod.org

ENCOD BULLETIN 91 - Encod.org









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BECOME AN ENCOD MEMBER

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR EUROPEAN CANNABIS SOCIAL CLUBS

EUROPEAN COCA LEAF SOCIAL CLUB





ENCOD BULLETIN 91



Published on Friday 31 August 2012 13:44, by encod . Modified on Friday 31 August 2012 13:44

All the versions of this article: [English] [Español]





2





ENCOD BULLETIN ON DRUG POLICIES IN EUROPE



SEPTEMBER 2012



A TREND THAT WILL STOP THE PROHIBITIONIST TRAIN







A spectre is haunting Europe, the spectre of the Cannabis Social Club. Both the need to break the chains of prohibition and bring the production and distribution of cannabis under a more transparent and accountable control regime are forcing citizens across the EU to invent solutions to problems that politicians are unable to solve.



In Spain and Belgium, legal authorities tolerate the presence of Cannabis Social Clubs, local venues that provide their members with cannabis in a non-profit setting. Local politicians are embracing this model as a basis for a definitive regulation of the cannabis market. Thanks to positive media reports, public opinion seems to have accepted this silent legalization. But national politicians are still hesitating. As always in Europe, their eyes and ears are fixed on what the large countries will decide.



In that sense, developments in France are interesting. In the public selection campaign for the presidential candidate of the Socialist party that took place in 2011, the subject of cannabis popped up regularly. The issue polarised the media and public interest. Three days before the first presidential round in May 2012, in one of his last attempts to prevent his defeat, Sarkozy targeted Hollande, warning that if "socialists came back to power they will legalize cannabis". Again, three days before parliamentarian elections in June, the newly appointed Minister of Housing made a clear media statement as a Green Party leader, explaining that her political force aims "not only to decriminalize drug use but also to legalize cannabis".







On several occasions during his campaign, President Hollande stated that "he is opposed to decriminalisation, and a solution to the drug problem should be found at the European level". Before the elections, it was a way to avoid right wing criticisms, as well as to set the challenge at another level, beyond national boundaries. But since he has come to power, an initiative could be expected to put these words into practice.



Two other interesting things happened as well. Six days after Hollande’s election, on May 12, the French Global Marijuana March gathered more than two thousands people in Paris and several hundreds in dozens of cities ; and on June 16th, an initiative was taken to set up the first French Cannabis Social Club. We are two months later now, and a major movement is growing around the CSC, increasing the debate to the level of a concrete alternative for politicians to implement.







Thus, in the coming Socialist Party congress, a resolution that would facilitate Cannabis Social Clubs and another to make medicinal cannabis legally available will be proposed. Former home affairs minister Daniel Vaillant and several other well-known persons in favour of cannabis regulation are expected to support them.



In addition, two major initiatives have taken place to reignite the French drug debate. An open letter from a policeman to the President has marked the establishment of a French branch of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Drug Prohibition). And a wide coalition of organisations working for harm reduction was formed in favour of a petition for a "new policy on addictions". The proposal to set up safe injection rooms that was buried by the last government has now been relaunched and it could be that these become available in a few French cities in the near future.



In Germany, Chancellor Merkel hosted a meeting in early July with the authors of the petition on cannabis regulation that had been signed by more than 70,000 people. On August 11, the Hanfparade for ’Freedom, Health and Justice’ drew thousands to Berlin; several other parades for cannabis regulation are planned for the month of September.







In the Netherlands on August 18, a "cannabis bus tour" was launched in 23 cities among other initiatives to support the call for a cannabis friendly vote on general election day on september 12th. These elections are crucial for the future of the "Wietpas", the restriction of the access to coffeeshops only to Dutch residents. This measure was introduced in the South of the Netherlands on May 1st, and would be extended to the rest of the country by January 1st, 2013. If the future Dutch government sticks to this agenda, Amsterdam will be flooded by street dealers to provide cannabis to the millions of tourists who visit the city not only for its museums and channel tours. If it decides to abolish the "wietpas" and also if coffeeshops in the South will be re-opened to foreign residents, it might be the start of a definitive regulation of the cannabis chain in the Netherlands.



In Slovenia, at the end of August, an international congress was held on the positive applications of hemp and cannabis, with the participation of a large number of international experts. A modification in the drug law earlier this year has opened up the theoretical possibility of a Cannabis Social Club, and Slovenian activists are exploring the concrete forms in which the dream could become reality.



Outside Europe, similar signals indicate the trend that could be described as: everyone is fed up with prohibition, but nobody dares to be the first to legalise. In the United States, ballot initiatives in Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusettes, Montana, Oregon and Washington will put cannabis regulation on the agenda. In South America, the president of Uruguay has announced a legislative initiative early next year that is expected to lead to the first ’state owned’ production and distribution system for cannabis.







The challenge for cannabis activists is clear. A genuine reform of cannabis policies has to grow from the bottom up. When defining and managing their own model of organising the cannabis chain, citizens will have to take the lead and show the way to most politicians and scientists who still find themselves locked into the prohibitionist framework. With every step they take, activists need to understand the heavy responsibility that lies on their shoulders: if they commit serious errors, either prohibitionists or pharmaceutical companies will use this as an argument to reinforce a total ban or make a sole exception for pharmaceutical cannabis products.



In the coming months, ENCOD plans to widely promote the CSC model with a newly updated leaflet in different languages, and a participation in events in Spain, Belgium, France, Slovenia and Czech Republic. From September 14 to 16, the CSC model will be explained in detail during the first International Cannabis Social Forum, associated with the Hemp Expo Grow in Irun (Spain). On September 26, Belgian CSC Trekt Uw Plant will present its request to the city government of Antwerpen to facilitate a green house to cultivate for its 300 members. The green house would be maintained by 12 full time employees, and produce more than 100.000 euro in yearly rent for the city of Antwerpen.







On October 19, ENCOD will participate in the symposium on Cannabinoïds in Medecine that will be organised in the EU Parliament in Strassbourg, France. This will make clear that whatever the public health sector thinks of cannabis, it should take care of what patients need and say. Early November ENCOD will co-operate with an event at the Faculty of Social Science in Ljubljana, intending to explain and support the CSC model in Slovenia. And from 9 to 11 November, we will be present at the largest International Hemp Fair in Eastern Europe, Cannafest in Prague.



Additionnally, the ENCOD secretariat is involved in other activities as well. Due to the loss of our webmaster Christian, other people had to be found to take the lead in the redesign of the ENCOD website. In this new website, an inventory of ENCOD members will be included. The Steering Committee is considering an initiative based on the advocacy letters that were discussed during the General Assembly. With ENCOD support, the Association ’Friends of the Coca Leaf’ is planning several events in the coming months that will be announced on their new website. And last but not least, we soon hope to announce the setup of the ENCOD Action Fund, where ENCOD members can apply for support for small projects aimed at enlivening the debate on drug policy in their country.



By: Farid Ghehioueche and Joep Oomen (with the help of Peter Webster)





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