Kudos to the Los Angeles Times for publishing an editorial today on medical marijuana that gets at the heart of the federal obstruction of meaningful research into one of the most promising therapeutic substances.

Despite a press release recently issued by Americans for Safe Access on the federal solicitation of proposals for the production and distribution of medical marijuana, and a report published in April highlighting the government’s monopoly on marijuana research, mainstream media coverage has been scant. (more…)

Gil Kerlikowske, the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the country’s new Drug Czar was in Fresno, California this week for Operation S.O.S. (Save Our Sierras). The multi-agency effort to eradicate marijuana in eastern Fresno County has nothing to do with medical marijuana. However, that did not stop Kerlikowske from declaring (erroneously) to the Fresno Bee that marijuana “has no medicinal benefit.”

Certainly, Kerlikowske should have limited his public comments to the (non-medical) marijuana being pursued by local and federal agents under Operation S.O.S. But, if he really felt compelled to stray from the issues of recreational marijuana enforcement to comment on the medicinal use of marijuana he should have at least done his homework. (more…)

A new study entitled Marijuana Effectiveness as an HIV Self-Care Strategy, which was released this past weekend in Clinical Nursing Research, indicates that persons living with HIV/AIDS rate cannabis as more effective in treating the symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, diarrhea, and neuropathy than other prescription and over the counter medications.

The study, which was conducted over a two year period and included 775 patients from the USA, Africa, and Puerto Rico, assessed the use of cannabis as a symptom management approach for anxiety, depression, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, and peripheral neuropathy. 27% of survey participants reported using cannabis for medicinal purposes. Researchers wrote that cannabis use “was rated slightly more effective than antidepressants for anxiety and depression, Imodium for diarrhea, [over the counter] (OTC) medications for fatigue, and anti-epileptics and OTC medications for neuropathy” while cannabis was rated “slightly less effective for nausea than either prescribed or OTC medications.” Authors concluded that cannabis “is perceived by users as at least as effective as prescribed medications in symptom management.”

This survey supports the findings of previous clinical trials regarding medical cannabis’s efficacy in treating HIV/AIDS related symptoms. The first such trial, a double blind placebo controlled clinical trial, was conducted in February 2007 and demonstrated that smoked cannabis can relieve HIV related peripheral neuropathy. Two subsequent studies have further confirmed this finding, including a trial at UC Davis that found that even low doses of smoked cannabis can be effective in managing hard to treat neuropathic pain and in a separate trial at UCSF, which reported efficacy in short term treatment of HIV neuropathy.

This post was written by Philippe Lucas, founder & executive director of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society (VICS), founder of Canadians for Safe Access, and member of ASA’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Board.

It is with great pleasure that I announce the successful outcome of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society (VICS) Constitutional challenge of Health Canada’s medical cannabis program and practice.  On Monday, February 2nd 2009 Justice Koenigsberg ruled that the federal regulations limiting the number of people who could grow cannabis in one location, and the rules limiting the number of patients that a producer could grow for were arbitrary, served no public interest, and were therefore unconstitutional. She stayed her decision for one year in order to allow the federal government to amend their medical cannabis regulations to reflect her ruling.

Although Justice Koenigsberg went on to find the defendant, Mr. Mat Beren – who was in charge of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society’s production and research facility – guilty of cannabis possession and cultivation for the purpose of trafficking, she then immediately granted him an absolute discharge, essentially exonerating him of all charges.   In granting Mr. Beren the discharge, the judge stated that “In my view, it would be contrary to public interest for Mr. Beren to have criminal record.  If ever there was a case where an absolute discharge is appropriate, it’s this one.”  She also urged Health Canada to establish regulations that would legally authorize organizations like the Vancouver Island Compassion Society that are legitimately helping medical cannabis patients through research and distribution to continue their good work without the ongoing threat of arrest and prosecution.

This important legal decision came about as result of a nearly five year Charter challenge which stemmed from a 2004 police raid on the Vancouver Island Therapeutic Cannabis Research Institute (VITCRI), a cannabis production, research and breeding facility owned and operated by the Vancouver Island Compassion Society.  The judge has yet to issue a written decision, and we will make it available as soon as it becomes available.

This marks the fifth time that this program has been found unconstitutional since 2001, and although it is a major victory for Canadian medical cannabis patients and those working to help them, the decision didn’t address and remedy ongoing access problems.   Judge Koenigsberg noted that Health Canada has only granted legal access to medical cannabis to about 2600 people so far, despite there being between 400,000 and 1 million medical cannabis patients in Canada, but failed to find the access regulations unconstitutional.  However, as a result of her ruling patients will be able to benefit from the economies of scale in regards to the production of their medicine, and experienced cultivators will have more freedom and motivation to assist authorized patients.

The VICS and its 850 members would like to thank our amazing legal team for this historic victory.  Lawyers Kirk Tousaw and John Conroy QC both worked tirelessly on this challenge at greatly reduced legal rates, and they deserve much of the credit for this win.  We’d also like to thank our lay and expert witnesses, who gave so much of themselves and whose testimony formed the foundation for Justice Koenigsberg’s historic decision.  Lastly, a huge thanks to our supporters in both Canada and the U.S., particularly the Marijuana Policy Project, Robert Field, and the Drug Policy Alliance, without whose financial support this challenge would not have been possible.

A new website was launched today that provides valuable information on a variety of social issues facing Americans. OpposingViews.com facilitates debates on issues ranging from the death penalty to global warming. The debate on medical cannabis begins with the question, “Should medical marijuana be federally legalized?”

Millions of Americans take prescription drugs to treat a plethora of illnesses and symptoms, but not all drugs are created equal. The question of whether or not to consider marijuana a viable medical treatment remains a hot button issue. In states like California, medical marijuana clubs have flourished despite their federal illegality. Should the federal government allow states to make their own decisions, or is marijuana nothing more than a dangerous narcotic?

So far, the experts that have weighed in as proponents are Americans for Safe Access and the Marijuana Policy Project. The opponents are Eric Voth, MD, with the Institute on Global Drug Policy and the Drug Free America Foundation.

As the viewer, not only are you able to learn new facts and information, but you can also “vote” and provide comments. I urge you to visit the site and provide your input today!

ASA argues that medical marijuana should be federally legalized for a number of reasons: a) cannabis is a safe and effective medicine, b) the public and medical community supports medical cannabis, c) twelve states have adopted medical cannabis laws, d) the federal government is obstructing medical marijuana research, e) marijuana medicines are legal in other countries, and f) Americans who are ill deserve the most health options possible.

Don’t take my word for it, though. Read the Washington Post article on the launch of this new website, but better yet, visit OpposingViews.com today to vote and provide your valuable input.

Welcome to the latest installment of ASA’s video testimonial project. As many of you may remember, the video testimonial project has been designed to help educate people about medical cannabis by having patients and supporters share their stories.

This project was also designed to help people like you educate your friends and family about medical cannabis by sharing these videos with your community. Forward this blog to family, friends, and community members and help spread the word about medical cannabis. Also, check back here next Monday for the next installment of the video testimonials.

Philippe from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Philippe is the founder of Canadians for Safe Access and a member of ASA’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. You can read more about him and other members of the board here.

Thank you again to Carson Higby-Flowers for volunteering to record, edit, and produce the testimonials. Also, thank you to all of the brave patients, supporters, researchers, and advocates who took the time to participate in the video shoots. Check out last week’s installment here. Also, be sure to check back next Monday for the next video testimonial installment.

Earlier this month, there were two exciting developments for medical cannabis internationally. In Israel, a Tel Aviv medical clinic began dispensing medical cannabis to patients in need, while in Canada, a federal court ruling ended the monopoly a federal contractor has on supplying cannabis to patients, opening up possibilities for dispensaries and collective production of medicine.

Our international counterparts may be surging ahead in their paths to provide safe access for patients who benefit from medical cannabis, but here in the US, it’s sometimes hard to move to the conversation about access when our government barely budges on research issues. The DEA continues to uphold a monopoly on the production of cannabis for research, even though it’s own administrative law judge recommended ending this monopoly by granting a license to Professor Lyle Craker to grow research material.

While whole plant medical cannabis is being stonewalled though, GW Pharmaceuticals is moving rapidly through Phase III trials in the US for Sativex, a cannabis-based tincture. GW’s chairman, Dr. Geoffrey Guy, had this to say about the progress of Sativex:

“2008 promises to be an equally eventful year for GW, with the results of a number of key Sativex Phase III trials in Europe and the US due to be reported. The momentum behind Sativex and the wider field of cannabinoid medicines, as highlighted today by the promising results of our THCV metabolic research programme, continues to grow…”

It’s good to know that GW recognizes the potential for a wider field of cannabis medicine, but until the monopoly on production of cannabis for research is ended, it will be difficult for researchers to push this field forward in the United States.

Until then, at least patients in Israel are happy: “One cancer patient said the ministry’s decision to offer the drug through the clinic was “a blessing,” saying it prevents suffering patients from being driven to buy the drug illegally.”