Illinois Legislature to Hold Hearing on Medical Marijuana

From NORML.ORG:

NORML is pleased to announce that the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, March 5, regarding Senate Bill 2865. Now is the time to contact your state representatives and urge him or her to support this important legislation.

Senate Bill 2865, along with its companion bill, House Bill 5499, will help to ensure that medical marijuana patients in Illinois will no longer have to fear arrest or prosecution from state law enforcement. However, these bills will only receive serious consideration if your elected officials hear an unmistakable message of support from their constituents.

Despite receiving endorsements from the Illinois Nurses Association and the Chicago AIDS Foundation, a similar measure was narrowly defeated in the Illinois Senate last year. Let's turn last year's narrow defeat into a victory this year.

Currently, twelve states -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington - have enacted laws protecting medical marijuana patients from state prosecution. Patients in these twelve states enjoy legal protections to use medicinal marijuana under a doctor's supervision; seriously ill Illinois citizens deserve this same protection.

Please take two minutes of your time today to contact your state legislators and tell them to support medical marijuana. If your elected officials sit on the House Rules Committee, or the Senate Rules Committee or Senate Public Health Committee, then it is especially important that they hear from you. For your convenience, a prewritten letter will be sent to your representatives when you enter your zip code below.

Thank you for your support of NORML and our efforts to enact medical marijuana reform in Illinois.

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Update: House Postpones New Hampshire Floor Vote

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Nationally Syndicated Talk Show Host To Be New Voice For NORML’s Daily Audio Stash

 -- Over 28,000 Daily Listeners Download Web's Most 'Pot-Friendly' Political Podcast

Washington, DC: The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) has tapped syndicated radio talk show host Russ Belville as the new voice for its highly popular podcast, the NORML Daily Audio Stash.

Belville (aka 'Radical Russ') is the current host of the nationally syndicated radio show, "The Russ Belville Show," which airs on XM Satellite Radio's Air America channel 167 and on various terrestrial stations across the country. Belville also serves as the associate director for Oregon NORML.

"We are thrilled to welcome Russ on board as the new voice of NORML's successful audio-programming," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "Five days a week, Russ will share his broadcast expertise and cannabis insight with the tens of thousands of NORML listeners who tune into the Daily Audio Stash and visit the program's new interactive blog: http://stash.norml.org."

Belville takes over for departing Audio Stash host Chris Goldstein, who co- founded the program with NORML's Executive Director in June 2006.

Today, NORML's Daily Audio Stash ranks among the top 10 'most subscribed' political podcasts in Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store – typically receiving more downloads than podcasts produced by the White House, the Pentagon, and US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Available for download Monday through Friday at 4:20pm eastern time at: http://www.norml.org, the Daily Audio Stash provides a forum for politicians, celebrities, physicians, scientists, and citizen activists to participate in uninhibited conversations about marijuana and legal reform. Recent guests on the Audio Stash include US Congressmen and Presidential candidates Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, noted poet and political activist John Sinclair, recording artists Fishbone and the Kottonmouth Kings, PBS travel-host and author Rick Steves, comedians Tommy Chong and Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing), political columnist and commentators Clarence Page and Froma Harrop, and pot cultivation expert and noted author Ed Rosenthal.

For more information or to learn how you can advertise on NORML's top-rated podcast, please contact host Russ Belville at: radicalruss@gmail.com or Audio Stash Executive Producer Allen St. Pierre at (202) 483-5500.

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NORML Launches New Blog, Front Page Redesign

Washington, DC: NORML's popular website, www.norml.org, unveiled its first redesign in more than eight years this week – adding a pair of staff-driven blogs to the site's front page.

"NORML's front page redesign reflects the organization's commitment to be in more frequent contact with our supporters, as well as our desire to provide activists with the most up-to-date and breaking marijuana law reform news and science," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "NORML's new blog updates – along with NORML's widely popular daily podcast and successful outreach efforts on social networking websites like Facebook – gives us greater ability to communicate in a timely and substantive manner with the millions of Americans who desire an end to the government's war on cannabis consumers."

Allen St. Pierre, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano, and NORML Outreach Coordinator Ron Fisher will be posting their thoughts periodically on: http://blog.norml.org/. Daily commentaries from NORML Daily Audio Stash host Russ Belville will also be available online at: http://stash.norml.org.

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New Hampshire: House To Vote Next Week On Pot Decriminalization Proposal

Concord, NH: Members of New Hampshire's House of Representatives are scheduled to vote Wednesday next week on a measure seeking to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis.

If approved by the House, HB 1623 would replace criminal sanctions outlawing the possession of up to one-quarter ounce of marijuana with civil penalties, punishable by a fine only. Under current state law, the possession or of any amount of cannabis is a misdemeanor offense punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

In January, Vermont Senators approved similar legislation, calling for fine-only sanctions for adults who possess up to one ounce of cannabis. That measure is now pending before the House Judiciary Committee.

Currently, twelve states have enacted versions of marijuana decriminalization – replacing criminal sanctions with the imposition of fine-only penalties for minor pot violators.

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NORML Remembers Outspoken Conservative Marijuana Law Reform Advocate William F. Buckley

Washington, DC: Conservative author and political pundit William F. Buckley died on Wednesday, February 27, from complications from diabetes and emphysema. He was 82 years old.

Though most well known for his politically conservative writings as founder of the magazine National Review, Buckley also spoke out routinely against the criminal prohibition of cannabis. Buckley is believed to have penned more than 40 syndicated columns criticizing America's 'war on drugs,' and enjoyed a nearly five-decade long friendship with former NORML Executive Director (and current MarijuanaNews.com editor) Richard Cowan.

NORML expresses its sincere condolences to the friends and family of William Buckley.

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House Judiciary Leader Criticizes DEA’s Attacks On Medi-Pot Dispensaries

Washington, DC: Efforts by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) urging landlords in California to evict tenants who legally dispense medical cannabis to state-authorized patients has drawn public criticism from US Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

In a statement issued Friday by the 21-term Congressman, Conyers said: "I am deeply concerned about recent reports that the Drug Enforcement Administration is threatening private landlords with asset forfeiture and possible imprisonment if they refuse to evict organizations legally dispensing medical marijuana to suffering patients. The Committee has already questioned the DEA about its efforts to undermine California state law on this subject, and we intend to sharply question this specific tactic as part of our oversight efforts."

In July, DEA administrators mailed letters to dozens of landlords in Los Angeles warning owners that they risk arrest, up to 20 years in prison, and the loss of their property if they continue renting to cannabis dispensaries. Since that time, similar letters have been sent to the landlords of other medicinal cannabis providers throughout the state, including several in San Francisco, leading to the closure of various high-profile dispensaries.

Last week the Arts District Healing Center, a Los Angeles-based medical cannabis provider, filed a federal lawsuit in US District Court claiming that the DEA extorted its landlord by sending a letter threatening imprisonment and property seizure.

House oversight hearings regarding the DEA's actions are anticipated to take place early next year.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or Dale Gieringer, California NORML Coordinator, at (415) 563-5858. A transcript of Representative Conyer's remarks appear online at: http://judiciary.house.gov/newscenter.aspx?A=889.

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Passage Of Medical Marijuana Laws

 'Deprioritization' Measures, Coincides With "Significant, Long-Term Reductions" In Teen Pot Use

Washington, DC: Self-reported rates of adolescent marijuana use are declining at the same time that numerous states and municipalities are removing criminal penalties on the use of pot by patients and minor offenders, NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said today in response to a White House report touting a 25 percent reduction in teen cannabis use from 2001 to 2007.

"The sharp decline in adolescent marijuana use cited by the White House actually began in 1997 – one year after voters in California enacted legislation approving the legal use of cannabis by authorized patients – and this downward trend has continued since that time," St. Pierre said. "During this same period, twelve states – that's more than one-fifth of the US population – have enacted laws allowing for the authorized possession and cultivation of medical marijuana. In addition, numerous large municipalities – such as Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington – have enacted laws making the investigation and prosecution of minor marijuana offenders the cities' 'lowest law enforcement priority.'

"In every case, these measures were opposed by law enforcement and the Drug Czar's office on the premise that they would greatly increase teen marijuana use. However, as this week's White House briefing shows, these legal changes have coincided with a 'significant, long-term reduction' in adolescent pot use."

St. Pierre concluded: "It is evident that the Drug Czar's fears were unfounded then and they are unfounded now. The continued opposition by the White House and law enforcement personnel to the enactment of these compassionate and common sense legal reforms has nothing to do with protecting public safety or addressing teen drug use. These groups' zealous opposition to marijuana law reform is more closely tied to their addiction to bloated budgets and maintaining control over the general public through the coercive tactics associated with criminal prohibition."

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Migraine May Be Related To Underproduction Of Cannabinoids, Study Says

Perugia, Italy: Patients with a history of migraine headaches may be suffering from a clinical deficiency of the endocannabinoid system, according to clinical trial data published in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Investigators at Italy's University of Perugia, Department of Public Health, reported that patients with chronic migraines possessed "significantly lower" levels of the endogenous cannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) in their platelets compared to age-matched controls.

"These data support the potential involvement of a dysfunctioning of the endocannabinoid and serotonergic systems in the pathology of chronic migraine and medication-overuse headaches," researchers' concluded.

A previous paper published in the journal Neuroendocrinology Letters similarly suggested that migraine, fibromyalgia, and other treatment-resistant conditions may be associated with dysfunctions in the endocannabinoid system. This system is believed to play a primary role in regulating humans' mood, appetite, skeletal development, motor coordination, digestion, and reproduction.

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NORML New RE:LEGALIZE! Campaign and Fundraising Week

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A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM NORML's NATIONAL DIRECTOR ALLEN ST. PIERRE December 10, 2007 Dear friend of cannabis freedom, Congratulations and welcome to the NORML family! By joining the 350,000+ concerned citizens who have voiced their support for NORML on Facebook or MySpace, you have engaged in an important first step toward ending our government's oppressive war on weed. This holiday season, NORML is urging you to take the next step by participating in our 'Re:Legalize!' online fundraiser this week. Please take a moment, right now, to make your end-of-year charitable donation to NORML. Your contribution will help to assure that NORML can continue its vital work in 2008 and beyond. NORML's efforts include: - Introducing the first federal bill in Congress in more than 30 years seeking to end all penalties for the possession and use of marijuana; - Coordinating the first Congressional hearings in more than a decade in favor of the legal use of medical cannabis; - Lobbying in favor of HIGHER EDUCATION ACT (HEA) legal reforms to overturn the government's cruel and senseless ban on student aid for convicted cannabis smokers; - Testifying in favor of marijuana law reform before dozens of state legislatures across the nation; - Educating patients and physicians on the latest scientific and medical breakthroughs regarding the therapeutic use of cannabis; - Providing the public with the only available US state-by-state breakdown of criminal and civil marijuana laws; - Producing the most popular marijuana information and reform podcast, NORML's Daily Audio Stash, which now receives over 3 million downloads per year; - Coordinating the only national network of criminal defense attorneys and experts who are available to assist NORML members day or night; - Working with the media to become the most quoted and trusted source for marijuana-related information; - Organizing the only annual marijuana-law reform conferences and legal seminars held in the United States. NORML has always been a grassroots advocacy effort and cannot continue to grow this vital work without your help. By donating today, for as little as $5.00 you can help us protect and serve the tens of millions of Americans who use cannabis to enhance their lives. Your online activism and generosity during the Re-Legalize fundraiser this week can help us represent the millions more who recognize the failure of marijuana prohibition. More than 35 years ago, NORML set out on a path to legalize marijuana. But we can't achieve this goal by ourselves. Please help us liberate all Americans from the shackles of pot prohibition. Our efforts, along with your contribution today, can help us end marijuana prohibition once and for all. Will you join us? Thank you in advance for your generous support of NORML. As I look forward to 2008, I'm heartened by how much we've already achieved, and I'm motivated by how far we have yet to come. Let this be the year that each of us pledge to do all that we can to finally bring an end to pot prohibition -- for the safety of America's children, for the health of our sick and dying, and ultimately, for the betterment of us all. Help us re-legalize marijuana. Make your charitable donation to NORML right now! Sincerely, Allen St. Pierre Executive Director Member, Board of Directors NORML/NORML Foundation Washington, DC director@norml.org

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This Week’s News from NORML

• Report: Drug War Disproportionately Targets Blacks in 97% of Large Counties
  
  
• Seized Medical Cannabis Returned in California and Colorado Cases
  
  
• North Dakota: Farmers' Suit to Grow Hemp Dismissed by Courts -- DEA Approves Hemp Research at North Dakota State
  
  

Report: Drug War Disproportionately Targets Blacks in 97% of Large Counties

Washington, DC: A new report released Tuesday by the Justice Policy Institute states that 193 out of 198 counties studied imprison African Americans at markedly higher rates for drug offenses.

The report found that African Americans are ten times more likely to be imprisoned for a drug offense, despite the fact that whites and African Americans use and sell drugs at comparable rates. In addition, the report found no correlation between the rate at which people are sent to prison and the rate at which drugs are used in a given county. Instead, high county drug prison admission rates were associated with the size of county police and judiciary budgets, the proportion of the county's population that is African American, and higher poverty and unemployment levels.

In 2002, over half of the 175,000 persons admitted to prison for drug offenses nationwide were African American, according to the report. African Americans make up less than 13 percent of the U.S. population.

The authors cite differences in availability of drug treatment for African Americans compared to whites, mandatory minimum sentencing laws, and disparate treatment by police and the courts as factors contributing to the racial disparities in drug imprisonment rates.

In response to their findings, the authors call for a de-escalation of the drug war, a comprehensive policy review and reform of current drug law enforcement practices that are focused in the African American community. They also urge increased funding in public services to help curb drug addiction. "Rather than focus law enforcement efforts on drug-involved people who bear little threat to public safety, we should free up local resources to fund treatment, job training, supportive housing, and other effective public safety strategies," stated JPI executive director Jason Ziedenberg.

Seized Medical Cannabis Returned in California and Colorado Cases

Garden Grove, CA/Fort Collins, CO: The California Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court decision ordering Garden Grove police to return one-third of an ounce of cannabis obtained legally under California's Proposition 215 to Felix Kha, a medical cannabis patient.

Garden Grove attorneys appealed the earlier ruling by the Superior Court of Orange County, arguing that returning the marijuana violated federal laws against marijuana distribution. The Court of Appeals rejected this argument, noting the separation between federal and state law and stating that neither state courts nor state law enforcement are charged with enforcing federal law. The court wrote, "Garden Grove police will actually be facilitating a primary principle of federalism, which is to allow the states to innovate in areas bearing on the health and well-being of their citizens."

In a similar case, Fort Collins police returned 39 dead cannabis plants, along with paraphernalia, to James and Lisa Masters, sixteen months after they were arrested and their medical cannabis was confiscated.

Brian Vicente, attorney for the Masters' and executive director of Sensible Colorado, a marijuana reform group, stated that the exchange represented the largest amount of seized medicinal cannabis ever returned.

The Masters' now are threatening to sue the Fort Collins police for failing to preserve their plants during their sixteen-month stay with law enforcement. The Masters' are seeking monetary compensation for their property in excess of $100,000.

Article XVIII, Section 14 of the Colorado State Constitution states that "any property ... used in connection with the medical use of marijuana... shall not be harmed, neglected, injured, or destroyed while in the possession of state or local law enforcement officials."

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at: director@norml.org or at 202-483-5500.

North Dakota: Farmers' Suit to Grow Hemp Dismissed by Courts -- DEA Approves Hemp Research at North Dakota State

Bismarck, ND: Federal Judge Daniel Hovland dismissed a case brought by farmer Wayne Hauge and state representative David Monson that would have overturned the DEA's ban on industrial hemp cultivation in the United States. Hovland wrote in his decision that the farmers, who are licensed by North Dakota to grow hemp, will have to seek redress in Congress should they desire to grow hemp legally under federal law.

Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, an organization dedicated to legalizing the cultivation of industrial hemp, stated that they are disappointed with the decision, but would redouble efforts in Congress. "[We] will take this decision to Washington, DC to prompt action by Congress on HR 1009, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007, which would clarify a state's right to grow the crop."

In the aftermath of the decision, North Dakota State University (NDSU) received a Memorandum of Agreement from the DEA that, if signed by the university, would allow hemp cultivation research there, according to Vote Hemp. NDSU, which had been attempting to obtain a license from the DEA to grow hemp for research for eight years, had filed an amicus brief in the case detailing their difficulties with the agency. "It seems our arguments about the DEA's delay in processing NDSU's application have resulted in the agency finally taking positive action to allow research," said David Bronner, President of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) and Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a company that produces hemp-based goods.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of Judge Hoyland's decision is available at: http://www.votehemp.com/legal_cases_ND.html.

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Medical Marijuana Patients Needed For Scientific Survey

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From NORML.ORG: November 30, 2007 Dear NORML Supporters, The amount of scientific inquiry into the medical effects of cannabis are ever-increasing, in both scope and frequency. Recently, UCLA research scientist Dr. Deborah Ackerman, Ph.D contacted NORML and requested some help recruiting medical marijuana patients for a web-based survey system, People-Reported Outcomes from Complementary Alternative, and Intergrative Medicine (PROCAIM). For far too many years, anti-drug officials continue to claim that cannabis has no medical value and resist scientific research into the plant. If you're an individual who uses cannabis for articulable medical purposes, please consider taking part in this anonymous, scientific research project. The more verifiable and credible the scientific information re cannabis, the sooner prohibition laws are reformed. Thanks for your help and support! Kind regards, Allen St. Pierre Executive Director NORML/NORML Foundation Washington, DC director@norml.org

NORML and the NORML Foundation: 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC, 20006-2832 Tel: (202) 483-5500 • Fax: (202) 483-0057 • Email: norml@norml.org

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This Week’s News from NORML

• 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
  
  

US Clinical Trial Of Cannabis Spray For Cancer Pain Underway

New York, NY: 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.

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

Linkoping, Sweden: 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 – regardless of whether they are impaired from alcohol, prescription drugs, or illicit substances – 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."

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Predominance of illicit drugs and poly-drug use among drug-impaired drivers in Sweden," appears in Traffic Injury Prevention.

Wisconsin: Waukesha County Enacts Pot Decriminalization Ordinance

Waukesha, WI: 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.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500.

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This Week’s News from NORML

• Cannabis Spray Effective Long Term In Pain Treatment, Study Says
  
  
• US Marijuana Market "Saturated," Pot Prices To Fall, Federal Report Says
  
  
• Join NORML This Month For The 24th Annual Key West Legal Seminar
  
  

Cannabis Spray Effective Long Term In Pain Treatment, Study Says

Liverpool, United Kingdom: Long-term administration of Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts, reduces neuropathic pain without inducing tolerance in multiple sclerosis patients, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Clinical Therapeutics.

Twenty-eight patients completed the two-year, open-label extension trial. Investigators reported that patients required fewer daily doses of Sativex and reported lower median pain scores the longer they took the drug.

Authors also reported that drug's administration was not associated with an increase in patients' use of other analgesics – noting that several of the study's participants reduced or ceased their use of pharmaceutical pain medications while taking Sativex. It has been estimated that more than one out of four MS patients suffer from neuropathic pain.

"[Sativex] was effective, with no evidence of tolerance, in … patients with central neuropathic pain and MS who completed two years of treatment," investigators concluded. "The use of [Sativex], per se, did not lead to a … major increase … in the use of new analgesics, which over at least two years is … a further indirect measure of sustained effectiveness in [this] population."

Previously reported data on the long-term efficacy of Sativex has shown the drug to decrease spasticity and bladder dysfunction in patients with MS.

NORML Senior Policy Analyst Paul Armentano called the extension trial results significant. "Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, degenerative disease; its symptoms become more severe over time," he said. "Therefore, one would assume that patients would be increasing their daily drug administration in order to maintain their initial levels of pain relief. That they are not doing so indicates that patients are not becoming tolerant to the drug's therapeutic effects. More importantly, this result may also be evidence that cannabinoids are, in fact, moderating the progression of this debilitating disease. "

In August, Canadian health officials granted regulatory approval to Sativex as an adjunctive treatment in adult patients with cancer pain. Canadian officials had previously approved the drug's prescription use to treat MS-associated neuropathy.

Makers of the drug are seeking regulatory approval for Sativex in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and in the United States.

US Marijuana Market "Saturated," Pot Prices To Fall, Federal Report Says

Washington, DC: Domestic marijuana production has risen dramatically in recent years and will likely result in reduced retail prices for pot, according to the US National Drug Intelligence Center's (NDIC) 2008 "National Drug Threat Assessment" report.

"[R]ecent increases in cannabis cultivation and marijuana production within the United States coincide with the continued flow of marijuana from foreign sources," the report finds. "[This] may lead to market saturation in major markets, [which] could reduce the price of the drug significantly."

Since 2000, the total number of domestic marijuana plants seized by US law enforcement has increased from 2.8 million to over 5.2 million, the report finds. Authors speculate that a significant portion of the increase in pot production is due to commercial growers relocating their operations indoors, which allows them to increase their total number of harvests per year and produce higher-quality cannabis.

"[Though] the demand for marijuana appears to be relatively stable, … many users now prefer … higher-potency marijuana over commercial-grade marijuana," authors state. Nevertheless, the report concludes that "most" of the marijuana available in the United States continues to be "lower-potency, commercial-grade marijuana produced in Mexico."

In 2006, law enforcement seized more than 1.1 million kilograms of pot along the US/southwest border, according to the study. By contrast, law enforcement seized fewer than 4,200 kilograms of pot along the US/Canadian border.

Domestically, California continues to lead all US states in pot production, with an estimated 2.9 million plants having been eradicated by law enforcement so far this year. This record total is more than four times the total number of plants seized in 2005.

Among California's counties, Lake County, Humboldt County, and Shasta County report the largest numbers of pot seizures.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the NDIC report, "National Drug Threat Assessment 2008" is available online at: http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/.

Join NORML This Month For The 24th Annual Key West Legal Seminar

Washington, DC: NORML is still accepting registrations from practicing attorneys for its 24th annual Key West Legal Seminar – taking place Thursday, November 29 through Saturday, December 1, at the Pier House Resort and Caribbean Spa in downtown Key West.

Topics to be covered at this year's conference include: constitutional limits on roadside police encounters; special jury instructions in drug cases; current efforts to provide for the legal distribution of medical marijuana; and many more.  The conference agenda and speaker bios are available online.

NORML's annual legal seminar is fully accredited in every state that requires continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys.

For more details, or to register for the conference online, please visit: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5341.

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This Week’s News from NORML

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Pot Use Associated With Enhanced Cognitive Performance In Schizophrenics Denver Voters Approve Pot 'Deprioritization' Measure Teen Pot Use Not Associated With Psychosocial Problems, Study Says Pot Use Associated With Enhanced Cognitive Performance In Schizophrenics Sydney, New South Wales: Cannabis use is associated with enhanced cognitive functioning in schizophrenic patients, according to clinical trial data published this month in the journal Schizophrenia Research. Investigators at the University of Sydney assessed the impact of cannabis use on neuropsychological performance in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Sixty male schizophrenics and 17 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Among the schizophrenic group, 44 participants met the DSM-IV criteria for "lifetime cannabis abuse/dependence." Investigators reported, "[W]ithin the schizophrenic group, a larger portion of participants with lifetime cannabis abuse/dependence demonstrated better performance than those without lifetime abuse/dependence. … Frequency and recency of cannabis use were also associated with better neuropsychological performance, predominantly in the domains of attention/processing speed and executive functions." (Executive functions are defined as a set of cognitive skills that are necessary to plan, monitor and execute a sequence of goal-directed complex actions.) It has been estimated that cognitive dysfunctions are present in up to 80 percent of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Sydney study is the second clinical trial this year to report an association between cannabis use and improved cognitive performance in schizophrenic patients. In May, German researchers reported in the journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry that subjects who reported using marijuana prior to their first psychotic episode showed improved cognitive performance on certain tests compared to non-users. A 2005 study by investigators at Manchester Metropolitan University in Britain previously reported that schizophrenic patients who consumed cannabis prior to disease onset possessed greater cognitive skills after ten years than did non-users. For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "The neuropsychological correlates of cannabis use in schizophrenia: Lifetime abuse/dependence, frequency of use, and recency of use," appears in Schizophrenia Research.   Denver Voters Approve Pot 'Deprioritization' Measure Denver, CO: For the second time in three years, Denver voters have approved a municipal ordinance liberalizing local marijuana laws. On Tuesday, 57 percent of Denver voters approved Question 100, which directs the Denver Police Department and the City Attorney's Office to make activities related to the investigation, citation, and/or arrest of adult cannabis users their lowest law enforcement priority. The measure also appoints an eleven-member "Marijuana Policy Review Panel" to monitor all local police activity pertaining to cannabis law enforcement. The initiative's proponents, Citizens for a Safer Denver, proposed the measure after local law enforcement failed to abide by a 2005 voter initiative that sought to abolish civil and criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by citizens age 21 and older. Despite passage of the initiative, non-felony pot arrests rose from fewer than 2,200 in 2005 to approximately 2,500 in 2006. Passage of the latest initiative "should change things in Denver," SAFER Executive Director Mason Tvert said. "If the city carries on with marijuana arrests, they are going to be breaking the law." Also on Tuesday, voters in Hailey, Idaho approved a similar 'deprioritization' ordinance. Hailey voters also endorsed two additional ballot questions authorizing the legal use of medical marijuana and industrial hemp. Details regarding the implementation of all three measures will be determined by a community oversight committee. For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or visit: http://saferdenver.saferchoice.org/Blog-and-Press/.   Teen Pot Use Not Associated With Psychosocial Problems, Study Says Lausanne, Switzerland: Teens who use cannabis do not report more frequent psychosocial problems compared to young people who abstain from the drug, according to survey data published this month in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Investigators at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland analyzed survey data from over 5,200 students age 16 to 20. Of these, 455 subjects reported using only cannabis, 1,703 subjects reported using both cannabis and tobacco, and 3,105 subjects said they abstained from both drugs. Compared with those subjects who reported using both substances, cannabis-only youth were more likely to receive good grades (77.5 to 66.6 percent), play sports (85.5 to 66.7 percent), and live with both parents (78.2 to 68.3 percent). Cannabis-only youth were also less likely to have been drunk in the past 30 days (40.5 to 55 percent) or have used other illegal drugs (8.4 to 17.9 percent). Compared to those subjects who abstained from pot and tobacco, teens who reported using cannabis only were more likely to participate in sports and have a good relationship with friends. Cannabis-only youth received similar grades compared to those who did not smoke pot, but were more likely to report having skipped class. Youth who abstained from pot were more likely to report having a strong relationship with their parents; however, cannabis-only youth did not report suffering from higher rates of depression. Investigators concluded: "Cannabis-only adolescents show better functioning than those who use tobacco. Compared with abstainers, they are more socially driven and do not seem to have psychosocial problems at a higher rate." For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director at (202) 483-5500 or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Characteristics of cannabis users who have never smoked tobacco," appears in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

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