Uncategorized

Dr. René Kurz and Dr. Kurt Blaas published a case report documenting improvements in hyperactivity, lethargy, irritability, stereotypy and inappropriate speech in an autistic child administered dronabinol.*

The authors conclude that this study showed that the use of dronabinol may be able to reduce the symptoms of autism.

To date there have been no other reports of the use of cannabinoids in autism. The authors point to anecdotal data in internet blogs and discussion forums where there are many reports of parents who have tried THC for their autistic children, but without medical monitoring and inappropriate administration.

The abstract is below but you can read the full article here

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of dronabinol (delta-9-THC) as supplementary therapy in
a child with autistic disorder.

Methods: A child who met the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
criteria for a diagnosis of autistic disorder and who took no other medication during the observation
time was included in an open and uncontrolled study. Symptom assessment was performed using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) before and after six months of medical treatment.

Result: Compared to baseline, significant improvements were observed for hyperactivity, lethargy,
irritability, stereotypy and inappropriate speech at follow-up (p=0.043).

Conclusion: This study showed that the use of dronabinol may be able to reduce the symptoms of
autism.

Keywords: early infantile autism, autistic disorder, dronabinol, cannabinoid

This article can be downloaded, printed and distributed freely for any non-commercial purposes, provided the original work is properly cited (see copyright info below). Available online at www.cannabis-med.org

Read the full article here

Science Editor Jahan Marcu is currently investigating the pharmacology of cannabinoid receptors. Contact science { at } freedomisgreen.com

* dronabinol is marketed under the name Marinol.

8/31/2011 – Floatingsheep.org released their analysis of the underground marijuana market in the United States. The end result isn’t news to consumers: East Coast residents pay the most for an ounce of pot.

Wired magazine also featured a unique map (see below) that was created from the study data. It compares marijuana prices to the severity of laws. There were some other factors included into the equation, like the distance from Humbolt County, California.

The study centers on prices gathered directly from the public through anonymous online submissions. Thousands of individual reports were sent in through www.priceofweed.com.

Here is their rundown on the average cost of top-shelf marijuana:

Distribution of High Quality Observations by State

Connecticut          Reports= 124   Price = $426.20/oz

Delaware               Reports = 26    Price = $450.00/oz

D.C.                         Reports= 71      Price = $460.70/oz

Florida                  Reports=575    Price = $361.80/oz

Georgia                 Reports = 209  Price = $412.20/oz

Maine                    Reports =  57    Price = $360.00/oz

Maryland             Reports = 162   Price = $436.30/oz

Mass.                    Reports = 368    Price = $416.30/oz

New Hampshire Reports = 58      Price = $407.60/oz

New Jersey         Reports =  198   Price = $412.40/oz

New York            Reports = 876    Price = $416.90/oz

N. Carolina         Reports = 254    Price = $417.90/oz

Pennsylvania     Reports =  400   Price = $414.30/oz

Rhode Island     Reports =71       Price = $419.30/oz

S. Carolina          Reports =  98     Price = $399.00/oz

Vermont             Reports = 61      Price =$393.60/oz

Virginia               Reports =223    Price = $411.90/oz

West Virginia    Reports = 35     Price =$392.80/oz

Read the complete study here.

High Times Magazine has employed a similar method of collecting price information from readers for many years. The monthly “THMQ Pot Prices” column also offers a market analysis of different grades of marijuana and even individual strains.

Again, East Coast readers of HT mag are willing to exchange the most greenbacks for green flowers (with hints of reds, lavenders, oranges and purples). High Times July 2011 THMQ showed Chem Dog selling in New York for an astounding $560 per ounce.

While that was definitely the costliest bud found, many of the THMQs are close match for the floatingsheep.org prices.

Population density, thus simple demand, is a major factor to driving up prices on the East Coast. The severity of laws also tends to bump up the cost as distributors take a greater risk and pass that on to consumers.

Perhaps the most interesting trend for the cost of cannabis has been its stability over the last decade.  There have been moderate increases in the cost of all grades of marijuana. But there has been nothing of a cannabis price bubble compared to other consumer items, like housing, food or gasoline.

Some good news is that several data sources are showing a general decline in marijuana prices. For example the floatingsheep.org study showed that Oregonians pay an average of $255.80 per ounce for high-grade cannabis. So far, those kinds of price reductions have not reached the East Coast.

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

New research in The Journal of Molecular Pharmacology demonstrates that Cannabis compounds may be a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. It may seem counter-intuitive that compounds from the Cannabis plant may preserve memory, however Cannabidiol (CBD) and other compounds on the plant have neuroprotective effects. CBD appears to inhibit the cells directly involved with the progression of the disease. Read the new study on cannabinoids and Alzheimer’s disease.

[UPDATE 5/13/2011 – Governor Jack Markell signed the bill into law. DE is now, officially, a medical marijuana state.] 5/11/2011 – “The First State” may become the 16th with a working medical marijuana law. The Delaware Senate passed the amended medical marijuana bill today 17-4. This was the final vote and the bill now heads to Governor Jack Markell’s desk for his signature.

The language creates Compassion Centers within each county for qualifying patients to access up to six ounces of cannabis per month. There are no provisions for home cultivation.

Despite the recent flurry of paper threats from several US Attorneys against medical marijuana programs, more states are moving ahead with bills to legalize them. Medical cannabis dispensaries are also just a signature away from becoming a reality in Vermont.

Activism links:

http://www.mpp.org/states/delaware/

http://www.delawareansformedicalmarijuana.org/

5/25/2011 – Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotropic compound found in the Cannabis plant that is currently being exploited by researchers for its therapeutic properties. CBD is usually the second most abundant compound found in the plant.

A research team devoted to studying the effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) on the immune system has made a series of breakthroughs that may have uncovered a mechanism of CBD’s actions (Kozela 2009, Rimmerman 2011, Juknat 2011). The team may have discovered the specific genes responsible for some of CBD’s therapeutic effects. This type of research could be a big leap forward.

Previously the same team had shown that CBD can effectively treat the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis in mice. This is in agreement with earlier research published by other labs throughout the world.

This collective body of research demonstrates that CBD that is isolated from the plant (as well as Cannabis preparations containing CBD) have been shown to ameliorate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis in animal models and clinical trials. The effects of CBD on disease progression include decreased inflammation, neuronal protection, and decreased immune cell activity.

In other words, this is even more science that shows how CBD from natural cannabis plants works to treat MS in animals and humans.

Now for the interesting genetic details. CBD can affect the genes Soat2 andCyp27a1, which control sterol metabolism (Ex. Cholesterol). These are part of a larger group of genes, known as stress genes. The well-known cannabinoid THC does not appear to have any effect on these genes.

Anandamide is a natural compound made by mammals from lipids, in a sense it is the “natural THC” found in our brains and throughout the human body. Anandamide and THC act through the cannabinoid receptors and have similar effects. For example THC and Anandamide have similar effects on pain, appetite, and memory.

Special receptors allow THC and Anandamide to work, but CBD does not interact directly with cannabinoid receptors.

Additionally, this research team found that CBD can increase the amount of Anandamide and other important lipids.

There are dozens of cannabinoids in the Cannabis plant. Much attention has been paid to THC over the years because of its euphoric side-effect. Researchers are now very interested in the abilities of CBD because it works so effectively without causing impairment.

Jahan Marcu is currently investigating the pharmacology of cannabinoid receptors. He was working at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute when exciting discoveries were made showing enhanced anti-cancer effects with THC and CBD from the Cannabis plant. The findings were published in the Journal of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. In 2009 he received the Billy Martin Award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS). Jahan is currently the vice-chair the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board at Americans for Safe Access (ASA).   Contact:  science { at } freedomisgreen.com

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent any University, business or affiliates. While the information provided in this blog is from published scientific studies it is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.

5/5/2011 – Despite the recent flurry of paper threats from several US Attorneys against medical marijuana programs, more states are moving ahead with bills to legalize them. Last month the Delaware Senate passed compassionate use legislation and now the House has followed suit. Both floor votes showed strong support. The bill must return to the Senate to finalize some last-minute amendments but the House vote tonight is a good sign that “The First State” may become the 16th with a working medical marijuana law.

From The News Journal

The Delaware House approved use of marijuana for medical purposes today, but tacked on additional restrictions to require the drug is distributed in tamper-proof containers and prohibit smoking cannabis in buses and vehicles.

The House voted 24-17 on Senate Bill 17, which must go back to the Senate for the upper chamber to consider the changes.

The legislation allows Delawareans with cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder and other debilitating diseases to get a doctor’s recommendation to use marijuana to treat their pain, nausea or illness.
Qualified patients would be issued a state identification card.

Three state-regulated not-for-profit dispensaries would be established in each county to sell and distribute medical marijuana to qualified patients and caregivers. READ FULL ARTICLE

Medical marijuana legislation is also pending in New Hampshire, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and Connecticut … and that’s just on the East Coast.

Activism links:

http://www.mpp.org/states/delaware/

http://www.delawareansformedicalmarijuana.org/

“I am indebted to no man and only one woman, my dear wife, Betty, as I begin this very difficult job.” – Gerald Ford, 1976

Betty Ford is considered one of the most outspoken First Ladies in our history. Her candor and boldness may not seem as controversial now, but during her time in the White House, her views on women’s rights, gay rights, abortion, addiction and cancer were considered radical.

Her views on marijuana were considerably open for the time as well. According to Mrs. Ford, her young adult children probably had smoked marijuana — and if she were their age, she’d try it, too.

Here are a few quotes from an incredibly strong woman who has made an indelible imprint on our history:

• I was an ordinary woman who was called onstage at an extraordinary time. I was no different once I became first lady than I had been before. But, through an accident of history, I had become interesting to people.

• I’ve learned a lot about myself. Most of it is all right. When I add up the pluses and subtract the minuses, I still come out pretty well.

• We were in a position where my husband had been sworn into office during a very, very difficult time. There had been so much cover-up during Watergate that we wanted to be sure there would be no cover-up in the Ford Administration. So rather than continue this traditional silence about breast cancer, we felt we had to be public.

• My makeup wasn’t smeared, I wasn’t disheveled, I behaved politely, and I never finished off a bottle, so how could I be alcoholic?

• [Martha Graham] shaped my whole life. She gave me the ability to stand up to all the things I had to go through, with much more courage than I would have had without her.

• [About becoming First Lady at Nixon’s resignation] I figured, okay, I’ll move to the White House, do the best I can, and if they don’t like it, they can kick me out. But they can’t make me be somebody I’m not.

• [About her husband’s appointment as Vice President in 1973] If I had known what was coming, I think I would have sat right down and cried.

Gerald Ford on the definition of a successful marriage:

“A successful marriage cannot thrive on simply a mutuality of interests, important as that ingredient is over the years for compatibility. There must be understanding, compassion and emotion which fits under the umbrella of love. A marriage that has these attributes can weather the storm clouds that are inevitable in an intimate relationship … There must be a belief on the part of both that there is nothing of a higher priority than the sanctity and continuation of the relationship.”

Betty on the secret of their successful marriage:

“You go into it, both of you, as a seventy-thirty proposition. In other words, here I’m giving seventy, he can give thirty, he’s giving seventy, I give thirty. When you’re going overboard trying to please each other, you can’t help but be happy.”

I love non-traditional life trajectories. Perhaps because I live one. And apparently, so does Heather Donahue, best known for 1999 horror film “The Blair Witch Project.” While the movie turned out to be a massive hit, it didn’t do much for Donahue’s acting career. She moved north of Hollywood, met a man named Judah at a meditation retreat (of course she did – oh California!) and tried her hand at growing marijuana.

An excerpt from Chicago Tribune interview:

A: “I went to a meditation retreat after burning all of my acting-related stuff in the desert, and I met this guy there who lived in this town that I had been to several years prior. He sat down next to me, invited me to a hot spring, invited me to his house in this town. And I said, ‘What do you do for work?’ Because that was really the hold-up for me moving there. I had no idea what people did for work. And he grew pot and I said, ‘Well, let’s check it out.’”

Q: Are you concerned that what you’ve written could be used by police to go after people you knew when growing pot?

A: “Everybody in the book is disguised. I think it would be quite hard to figure out who the people around me were. And I had at some point to make a decision. Do I want to participate in the conversation about this issue?

“Because I think prohibition does way more damage than the cannabis plant does, and I think it’s time that we look at that sensibly and with a little bit of humor. And I felt like I had a moral decision that I had to make. And yeah, I have to live with that and yes that gives me some sleepless nights.”

Read more.

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished artist with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can be found surfing or singing karaoke at a local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

On Mother’s Day, we celebrate and honor those who gave us life. However as a mother, every day I am reminded of a terrible war that is destroying the fabric of our families and putting our children at risk. The so-called War on Drugs happens all around us, but it is mostly a war on cannabis consumers. Today I hope that mothers will join me and pay attention to some peaceful solutions for marijuana.

As a compassionate and reasonable society, it is time to legalize cannabis for responsible adult use. Drug dealers do not card children. Prohibition has only kept our youth in constant contact with pot instead of putting it safely behind the counter. Cannabis belongs in a controlled environment where taxpaying and responsible adults can purchase it.

Let me be clear – I do not want my kids to use or abuse cannabis. But I certainly don’t want them going to jail or losing their chances at a college education if they end up getting caught with a joint. Prisons do not protect children, parents do. By legalizing marijuana we can begin to have more truthful conversations with our kids and teens about using it.

Anne Davis, mother of two young girls, agrees, “Mothers who are actively involved with their children have open, honest relationships with non-judgmental communication. They strive to be positive role models. These qualities will serve the best interests of our youth, not the failed policy of prohibition.”

Further legalizing marijuana will keep families together. Mothers do not deserve to be persecuted in the courts or in the delivery room for having small amounts of marijuana. Children should not be separated
from their parents over pot. Hardworking Americans should not lose good paying jobs because they medicate or recreate with cannabis.

Mothers ended alcohol prohibition almost a century ago. I hope mothers
will join the growing effort to end marijuana prohibition today, for the sake of us all but mostly for the children.

Diane Fornbacher has been a cannabis law reform activist for 15 years. She has worked with some of the top reform organizations (NORML, Drug Policy Alliance, Americans for Safe Access, The November Coalition, Vote Hemp). Fornbacher is the current Vice Chair of the NORML Women’s Alliance and serves on the board of The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ). When she isn’t working to change the cannabis laws she enjoys photography, writing poetry being a mother and performing spoken word with local bands. Contact: grassroots { at } freedomisgreen.com

NORML Women’s Alliance on Facebook

Steve Bloom’s latest article at CelebStoner.com addresses the proliferation of T & A (that’s “tits and ass” for those living in a monastery) in most marijuana trade magazines and websites. Does it serve the movement (um…how could it?) or does it reduce it to a frat-level boys club, where women are reduced to mere poster fodder?

According to Bloom:

I’m not a prude, I just don’t think it’s appropriate to fill up a pot magazine with images strictly for male readers, essentially turning off the female base. The few woman on the staff [of High Times] would occasionally suggest that a sexy guy should be on the cover. Never happened. I’d regularly hear from women in the movement who’d distanced themselves from the magazine because of the racy content.

Another issue has long been the use of scantily-clad women in advertisements. That certainly has not changed. Take look at most marijuana mags and websites and you’ll inevitably be confronted by objectionable ads, like the legalbuds.com banners  or the BC Bud Depot two-page spreads. These are tacky trade-magazine ads that diminish the overall quality of any publication that accepts them. But they also pay the bills,

Now that I’m a website publisher, I encounter the same issues High Times faces, just on a smaller scale. We’ve built CelebStoner as a counter to High Times and Skunk – a sexist-free environment where readers don’t have to be worried about being offended by salacious ads and editorial content. We’ve rejected numerous ad banners that were deemed offensive. High Times doesn’t turn any advertiser away.

Elsewhere on the web, you’ll find plenty of “buds & babes” sites, such as 420girls.com, Girls4ganja.com, ganjaporn.com, girlsgoneweed.com and so on. Women smoking pot with little or no clothes on? Clearly, these are men’s sites. Just like with porn, if women allow themselves to be photographed nude for the purpose of male and (and certainly in some case) female arousal, that’s their choice. Let’s assume no one is being forced to do anything. The same with bud babes. Still, these sites demean women who otherwise would not be featured if they didn’t play the part of sexy sirens.

Been to a cannabis trade show lately? The floors are crawling with barely-clothed women pitching products. People shrug and say that’s what happens at trade shows, but why does that have to be the case at our shows? Are we not different and better? At KushCon II in December, the NORML Woman’s Alliance (NWA) made a stink about the woman in question and a dress code was hastily ordered (and of course not followed).

These issues sparked the forming of the NWA last year. Women in the movement are tired of being harassed, bullied, taken for granted and advantage of, not considered for leadership positions, and objectified. The NWA got together for a tasteful photo shoot to show how they want to be seen – as elegant, powerful woman, not cheesecake girls flaunting their assets.

Read more.