Pink Eyed Jim’s Blog

From the NORML News:

Mainz, Germany: The endocannabinoid system provides “on demand” protection against experimentally induced seizures and neuronal cell death, according to preclinical data published this month in the journal Neuron.

Investigators at the Johannes Guttenberg University in Mainz and the Max Planck Institute in Munich reported that endocannabinoids, acting upon the brain’s CB1 (cannabinoid) receptors, directly target hippocampal glutamatergic neurons to mediate against experimentally induced seizures and cell death in mice. “CB1 expression on hippocampal glutamatergic circuits accounts for this protection and might represent a suitable target for the treatment of neurological disorders associated with excessive neuronal excitation,” authors concluded.

Separate preclinical studies have previously demonstrated that natural cannabinoids such as THC and cannabidiol (CBD) are neuroprotective against ethanol-induced cell death, cerebral infarction, and glutamate toxicity. Glutamate, a neurotransmitter, may be produced at toxic levels following strokes or severe head trauma often leading to irreversible brain damage.

In recent years, researchers have identified the endocannabinoid receptor system to be involved in the regulation of several primary biological functions including appetite, body temperature, mood elevation, blood pressure, bone density, embryonic implantation, learning capacity, and motor coordination.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, “The endocannabinoid system controls key epileptogenic circuits in the hippocampus,” appears in the August 17, 2006 edition of Neuron.

Sacramento — California lawmakers narrowly passed a bill Monday that would allow California’s farmers to tap into the $270 million hemp industry by providing the raw materials used to create hemp products.

The bill, AB1147, is a bipartisan effort by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine ( Orange County ), that would allow California’s farmers to produce hemp oil, seed and fiber — the raw materials that are used in hemp products.

This comes from the NORML Newsfeed via the Ny Times:

Maastricht, a medieval town on the Meuse River in the hilly south of the Netherlands, has long cherished its rare position, a short distance from Belgium and Germany, which gives its people a casual ease with foreign languages, food and visitors.

But as the southernmost point of the nation with the most lenient soft-drug laws in Europe, Maastricht has also turned into a hub for foreign smokers and dealers. It is estimated that more than one million drug tourists a year come from neighboring countries to shop.

…

The mayor, Gerd Leers, and the town council have been searching for answers. Forbidding sales to nonresidents would probably violate European anti-discrimination rules, and closing the cannabis cafes is not the solution either, he said. “The trade will just go underground because demand will not disappear.”

So he has drawn up a plan to move at least half the cafes away from the charming narrow downtown streets and resettle them along the highways near the borders.

He has met with mayors from a dozen nearby Belgian and German towns and villages, explaining his ideas and pleading for cross-border solidarity and greater collaboration. Some have signed a cooperation plan, but others have protested.

Huub Broers, mayor of the nearby Belgian town of Voeren, is one who objected to getting the new outlets on his doorstep.

The Dutch brought on the problem themselves, he said: If there were no sales in Maastricht, the French and the Belgians would not go to stock up there.

But Leers contends that Maastricht has merely borne the brunt of a general problem that the mayors would otherwise find at home.

Several other Dutch border cities intend to relocate their cannabis outlets. “We have already moved two cafes close to the frontier with Germany, where most clients come from,” said Rick van Druten, a town official in Venlo.

“They buy and turn around,” he said. “It solved a lot of congestion and loitering.”

What are the Dutch border towns supposed to do? They can’t exclude other EU citizens from partaking in their coffeeshops, the German, French, and Belgian tourists come and illegally stock up on pot, loiter for a bit, and then traffic it across the borders. It’s not fair that the Dutch, who have a sensible cannabis policy, should have to compromise it because of the actions of foreign nationals.

After 30 years of controlled legalization, the worst problems that The Netherlands is having is complaints of what foreigners do when they get home. That’s an important statement on what would happen if Marijuana was legalized completely, methinks.

I received a letter from Students for Sensible Drug Policy inviting me to their conference from November 17-19, 2006 in Washington DC. I really want to go to this. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. And I’ll copy the letter here in case anyone’s interested in going. If you’re in my area and would like to possibly arrange a group trip, contact me.

Hello James,

It is with excitement and much anticipation that I announce Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s 8th annual conference: “Just Say Know!” This historic event, which will take place at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC on the weekend of November 17-19, promises to be the biggest and best SSDP conference to date, and we hope that you will decide to be a part of it.

To find out more details about the conference, including information regarding travel, lodging, events, financial assistance, and tabling, visit www.ssdp.org/conference/

For too long, our government has had a strict “Just Say No” policy regarding drugs. They have just said “No” to scientific research; “No” to public health; “No” to privacy rights; “No” to common sense; and a great big “No” to a better future. Over the past eight years, a chorus of young voices has swelled in opposition to the government’s disastrous War on Drugs. Our counter-message has been simple but powerful:

“JUST SAY KNOW!”

(more…)

Denver, CO: The Colorado Secretary of State’s office announced Wednesday that a statewide initiative that seeks to eliminate all criminal and civil penalties for the possession of cannabis by adults has been certified to appear on the November 2006 ballot. // –>

Sponsored by Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), the measure would amend state statutes to make the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis legal in Colorado for those age 21 or older. Last year, voters in Denver passed a similar municipal initiative by 54 percent.

Sponsors turned in more than 130,000 signatures from Colorado voters to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

“The campaign will highlight the hypocrisy of laws that prohibit the use of marijuana while allowing and even encouraging the use of alcohol, an infinitely more harmful drug,” said SAFER Campaign Director Mason Tvert.

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La Jolla, CA: THC inhibits the formation of amyloid plaque, the primary marker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), far more effectively than approved medications, according to preclinical data to be published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.

Investigators at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California reported that THC inhibits the enzyme responsible for the aggregation of amyloid plaque in a manner “considerably superior” to approved Alzheimer’s drugs such as donepezil and tacrine.

“Our results provide a mechanism whereby the THC molecule can directly impact Alzheimer’s disease pathology,” researchers concluded. “THC and its analogues may provide an improved therapeutic [option] for Alzheimer’s disease [by]… simultaneously treating both the symptoms and the progression of [the] disease.”

Previous studies have shown cannabinoids to possess anti oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, both of which may play a role in moderating Alzheimer’s.

Last year, investigators at Madrid’s Complutense University and the Cajal Institute in Spain reported that the intracerebroventricular administration of the synthetic cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2 prevented cognitive impairment and decreased neurotoxicity in rats. Other cannabinoids were also found to reduce the inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease in human brain tissue in culture. “Our results indicate that… cannabinoids succeed in preventing the neurodegenerative process occurring in the disease,” investigators concluded.

Over 4.5 million Americans are estimated to be afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. That figure is expected to triple over the next 50 years. Previous human trials of synthetic THC (Marinol) and Alzheimer’s found that administration of the drug reduced agitation and stimulated weight gain in patients suffering from the disease.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, “A molecular link between the active component of marijuana and Alzheimer¹s disease pathology,” is available online at: http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/mpohbp/asap/abs/mp060066m.html. Additional information on cannabinoids and neurodegenerative disorders is available online at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6812.