Cannabis Related Disorders

Michigan Medical Marijuana Certification Center Brings Relief to Patients Across Michigan

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:00:00 +0000

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Marijuana is not just for brownies anymore. It has touched the lives of thousands of Michigan residents who are struggling with chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, spasms or wasting syndrome.

For patients in Michigan, relief is now even closer. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Certification Center (MMMCC) has opened a new, larger location in Southfield to help qualified patients get doctor recommendations to use medical marijuana as an alternative pain treatment. The new Center is located at 29777 Telegraph Road, Suite 1451 in Southfield. It also is opening a second facility in Grand Rapids this month.

In his 49 years of medicine, Dr. Henry Gonte has never experienced anything like it. The self-described, "old country doctor" says he has never done more gratifying work than certifying patients to use medicinal marijuana.

"These are people who are sick – the sickest of the sick," Gonte says. "Most of...

Long-time cannabis use associated with psychosis

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:15:00 +0000

Young adults who have used cannabis or marijuana for a longer period of time appear more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals (see also JAMA and Archives Journals ).

Previous studies have identified an association between cannabis use and psychosis, according to background information in the article. However, concerns remain that this research has not adequately accounted for confounding variables.

John McGrath, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., of the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Australia, and colleagues studied 3,801 young adults born between 1981 and 1984. At a 21-year follow-up, when participants were an average age of 20.1, they were asked about cannabis use in recent years and assessed using several measures of psychotic outcomes (including a diagnostic interview, an inventory of delusions and...

WILLIAMS CRITICISED FOR PRAISING CANNABIS

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:07:00 +0000

Mar 09, 2010 (WENN via COMTEX) -- British pop star ROBBIE WILLIAMS has come under fire from campaigners for championing marijuana as a "lovely" drug.

The Millennium hitmaker, who has struggled with substance abuse problems in the past, admitted he gained several pounds while smoking cannabis, but branded the drug "lovely".

He said, "Weed, it's such a lovely drug. It is such a lovely drug. But it doesn't mix well with me at all. It doesn't take much to trigger - I mean, I'll get psychosis from having this cup of tea! Seriously. The caffeine in that's enough. But it's just a shame about the weed, because I did love it."

But anti-drugs activist Debra Bell has taken exception to the remarks, insisting the singer's comments are irresponsible.

She says, "Does he really know what he's saying? This drug causes huge damage to children and their families." (PAW//KD)

GT Legend Automotive Holdings and Compassionate Therapeutic Solutions, LLC Discuss the Medical ...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:00:00 +0000

FULLERTON, Calif., March 8, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GT Legend Automotive Holdings, Inc. (Pink Sheets:GTLA) issued a statement today regarding the debate over medical marijuana.

Joycelyn Elders, MD, former US Surgeon General, wrote, "The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS -- or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day." (Source: http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=1325 ).

While studies show that therapeutic cannabis aids in pain relief, helps physical conditions to improve and allows the aching population to function with increased capability, the medical marijuana movement still faces some tenacious opposition. On the other hand, it also has some unwavering proponents, including talk show host, Montel Williams.

Williams has participated in several...

Long-time cannabis use linked to psychosis

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Washington, Mar 2 (ANI): Youngsters who use cannabis or marijuana for a longer period of time are more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, says a new study.

The study will appear in the May print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

To reach the conclusion, John McGrath, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., of the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Australia, and colleagues studied 3,801 young adults born between 1981 and 1984. At a 21-year follow-up, when participants were an average age of 20.1, they were asked about cannabis use in recent...

Teens smoking marijuana at increased schizophrenia risk

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Sydney, Feb 28 (ANI): Teens who smoke marijuana are at a greater risk of developing schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms in the future, a new study has found.

After observing more than 3800 youngsters, researchers learnt that people who used the drug for six or more years were twice as likely to suffer from delusional disorders than those who never used it.

Researchers from Queensland Brain Institute, at the University of Queensland, quizzed 3801 young adults who were born in Brisbane between 1981 and 1984.

Among the 1272 participants who had never used marijuana, 26 (2 per cent) were diagnosed with psychosis, while the 322 people who had used marijuana for six or more years, 12 (3.7 per cent) were diagnosed with the illness.

The average age of the participants was about 20.

According to the authors, the study...

Report: 4.3 million baby boomers use pot

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:50:00 +0000

The aging of the baby boom generation is resulting in a dramatic increase in levels of illicit drug use among adults 50 and older, a U.S. officials said.

Pamela S. Hyde of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said the increases may require the doubling of substance abuse treatment services needed for this population by 2020.

The report, "Illicit Drug Use among Older Adults," shows that an estimated 4.3 million adults aged 50 or older, or 4.7 percent, used an illicit drug in the past year.

Less than 9 percent of men ages 50-54 had used marijuana in the past year, while 3.9 percent of women in this age group did, the report said.

Although marijuana use was more common than non-medical use of prescription drugs for adults age 50-59, among those ages 65 and older, non-medical use of prescription drugs was more common than marijuana.

The report is based on data...

Marijuana use by seniors goes up as boomers age

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:35:00 +0000

MIAMI -- In her 88 years, Florence Siegel has learned how to relax: A glass of red wine. A crisp copy of The New York Times, if she can wrest it from her husband. Some classical music, preferably Bach. And every night like clockwork, she lifts a pipe to her lips and smokes marijuana.

Long a fixture among young people, use of the country's most popular illicit drug is now growing among the AARP set, as the massive generation of baby boomers who came of age in the 1960s and '70s grows older.

The number of people aged 50 and older reporting marijuana use in the prior year went up from 1.9 percent to 2.9 percent from 2002 to 2008, according to surveys from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The rise was most dramatic among 55- to 59-year-olds, whose reported marijuana use more than tripled from 1.6 percent in...

Drugs use doubled over the past three years

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Author: Helen Christophi

THE PERCENTAGE of cocaine and cannabis users in Cyprus doubled between 2006 and 2009 with more women using, and a hike from zero to 1.6 per cent in the 55-64 age group taking up cannabis, it emerged yesterday.

The statistics were released yesterday in the second annual Pancyprian General Population Survey on Tobacco, Alcohol and other Psychoactive Substances compiled by the Cyprus Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EKTEPN).

The survey randomly sampled 3,500 people, 45 per cent male and 55 per cent female, aged 15 to 64 years, and focused on the nature of the use of cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and LSD between 2006 and 2009.

According to the...

Calif. research shows pot can ease muscle spasms

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:23:00 +0000

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The first U.S. clinical trials in more than two decades on the medical benefits of marijuana confirm pot is effective in reducing muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis and pain caused by certain neurological injuries or illnesses, according to a report issued Wednesday.

Igor Grant, a psychiatrist who directs the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego, said five studies funded by the state involved volunteers who were randomly given real marijuana or placebos to determine if the herb provided relief not seen from traditional medicines.

"There is good evidence now that cannabinoids may be either an adjunct or a first-line treatment," Grant said at a news conference where he presented the findings.

The California Legislature established the research center in 2000 to examine whether the therapeutic claims of medical marijuana advocates could withstand scientific scrutiny. In 1996, state voters became the first in...

Marijuana can be pain reliever, study finds [The Sacramento Bee, Calif.]

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:37:00 +0000

Feb. 18--Smoking pot can soothe tingling or burning pain -- but you don't need to get high to find relief.

Those are preliminary findings of an $8.7 million California study, the first major research conducted on the effects of marijuana in two decades.

Researchers concluded that marijuana can provide relief for neuropathic pain caused by injuries, infections, diabetes, strokes and other medical conditions affecting the nervous system.

The studies, conducted since 2000 by the Center for Medical Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego, also found that smoking pot offers at least short-term relief for muscle spasms.

The findings, released Wednesday in a report to the Legislature, are sure to drive debate over public policy governing California's burgeoning medical marijuana market.

But while the research endorsed medical benefits of marijuana, it was anything but an endorsement for getting stoned.

In fact, a clinical trial for 38 patients who smoked marijuana for pain from...

Study: Marijuana useful treatment for some pain-related medical maladies [BC-MED-MARIJUANA:OX]

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:44:00 +0000

SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Medical marijuana is a promising treatment for some specific pain-related medical conditions, researchers from the University of California's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research reported Wednesday.

State-funded studies conducted over the past decade have found marijuana effective by itself or in combination with other drugs for conditions such as nerve pain associated with HIV and muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis. Although California was the first of 14 states to legalize marijuana's medical use, it remains the only state to have spent public money on researching the drug's efficacy; it has been 20 years since the last results of U.S. clinical trials of smoked marijuana.

"This study confirms all of the anecdotal evidence" of suffering eased by marijuana, said state Sen. Mark Leno.

Leno was joined at a State Capitol news conference by researchers and by former state Sen. John Vasconcellos, who authored the 1999 legislation commissioning this $8.7 million...

Cops: Imitation pot as bad as the real thing

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:27:00 +0000

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- There may be nothing like the real thing, but some industrious marijuana users have seized on an obscure but easily accessible substance that mimics the drug's effects on the brain _ creating a popular trade in legal dope that has stymied law enforcement authorities.

The users are buying a product known as K2 _ or "Spice," Genie" and "Zohai" _ that is commonly sold in head shops as incense. Produced in China and Korea, the mixture of herbs and spices is sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Users roll it up in joints or inhale it from pipes, just like the real thing.

Though banned in most of Europe, K2's key ingredients are not regulated in the United States _ a gap that has prompted lawmakers in Missouri and Kansas to consider new legislation.

"This isn't Jerry Garcia's marijuana," said...

Marijuana-like drug alarms some Oklahoma experts [The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City]

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:16:00 +0000

Feb. 15--Drug enforcement officials and educators are warning about a synthetic form of marijuana that may slip by drug tests.

The drug, called K2, is sold legally as incense and can be smoked. It is a mixture of herbs and chemicals. The drug does not show up on marijuana drug screens, experts say.

K2's use as a drug isn't widespread in Oklahoma, said Dr. William Banner of the Oklahoma Poison Control Center. Oklahoma City police have no reported calls about the drug.

However, the Kansas legislature has passed measures to outlaw K2. And one Oklahoma school administrator is seeing signs that the drug is spreading to those struggling with addiction.

Tina Barker, director of the Oklahoma Outreach Sober School, a school for students recovering from addiction, said she's been told about the drug by her students.

"Probably about a month and a half ago we started getting some weird behavior, where it felt very...

The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., Paul Carpenter column: Hash brownies no longer funny [The ...

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:04:00 +0000

Feb. 5--It was pretty funny in the late 1960s when Los Angeles lawyer Harold Fine, as played by Peter Sellers, decided to drop out and become a hippie after getting zonked on a lovely young woman's "groovy" brownies.

The movie was "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" and it is true that the real-life Toklas, Gertrude Stein's lover, published a recipe for marijuana-laced fudge, which, in popular culture, evolved into "hash brownies." (Hashish is a refined drug derived from marijuana plants.)

That movie was followed by ' 'Easy Rider," which also depicted the delights of pot, and the cannabis-saturated Woodstock music festival. Then came a prolonged series of Cheech and Chong comedy albums and movies with similar themes.

It was all good fun.

I tried marijuana in those days but did not care for it, so I'm sure I'd dislike other drugs, too. I also do not like the feeling of debility induced...

Undercover Narc Testifies for Marijuana Legalization in Rhode Island -- Senate Commission ...

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:15:00 +0000

A former undercover narcotics detective will tell a Rhode Island Senate commission on Wednesday that it is time for the state to legalize and regulate marijuana sales, or at least decriminalize possession of the drug.

(Vocus) February 2, 2010 -- Jack Cole, executive director of the Massachusetts-based group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a worldwide organization of pro-legalization cops, judges and prosecutors, planned to tell the commission that, "During my 26-year career in the New Jersey State Police, about a thousand people were arrested as a result of my actions as an undercover officer. Those arrests accomplished nothing. Worse yet, the war on drugs has become a self-perpetuating, constantly expanding policy disaster that has absorbed more than a trillion of our tax dollars. Yet, today drugs are cheaper, stronger and easier for our children to access.” Cole said he hopes to "help Rhode Island legislators understand that thousands of lives...

Don't legalize marijuana [BC-MARIJUANA-COMMENTARY:LA]

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:10:00 +0000

The Los Angeles City Council's vote Tuesday to shut hundreds of so-called medical marijuana dispensaries was a welcome move, but the larger battle over pot has just begun.

Across the country, lawmakers and residents of cash-strapped states are edging ever closer to legalizing _ and taxing _ marijuana. In California, the first state in the nation to pass a medical marijuana law, backers of an initiative to legalize the drug expect to gather enough signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot. And a Field Poll last year showed more than half of California voters would support such a move.

Two beliefs drive this push to make pot legal: that new tax revenue will stave off deeper budget cuts and that marijuana is a relatively benign drug. Neither is true.

Legalization almost certainly would bring with it additional substance abuse in the state, and the long-term public costs associated with...

Pro-Legalization Cops Support Washington State Marijuana Hearing This Week

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:23:00 +0000

Two Bills -- One for Legalization, One for Decriminalization -- Will Be Heard

Olympia, WA -- Seattle's former police chief and a larger group of cops, judges and prosecutors who fought in the failed "war on drugs" is cheering this Wednesday's marijuana policy hearing in the Washington State House of Representatives as a sign of increasing public frustration with prohibition and the widespread desire for new approaches like legalization and decriminalization.

"Our marijuana laws help bankroll violent cartels and drug gangs. They do nothing to reduce our kids' access and they're costing our state millions of dollars, both in enforcement and in lost revenues," said Norm Stamper, Seattle's retired police chief and a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). "A rapidly growing number of Washingtonians recognize that regulating marijuana, much as we regulate alcohol, is an idea whose time has come. I couldn't be more encouraged by the...

High expectations? States weigh marijuana reform

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:30:00 +0000

OLYMPIA, Washington_Washington is one of four states where measures to legalize and regulate marijuana have been introduced, and about two dozen other states are considering bills ranging from medical marijuana to decriminalizing possession of small amounts of the herb.

"In terms of state legislatures, this is far and away the most active year that we've ever seen," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance, which supports reforming marijuana laws.

Nadelmann said that while legalization efforts are not likely to get much traction in state capitals anytime soon, the fact that there is such an increase of activity "is elevating the level of public discourse on this issue and legitimizing it."

"I would say that we are close to the tipping point," he said. "At this point they are still seen as symbolic bills to get the conversation going, but at least the conversation can be a serious...

Washington among states considering legalizing marijuana, dozens of states weigh other reforms

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:01:00 +0000

OLYMPIA, Wash. _ Washington is one of four states where measures to legalize and regulate marijuana have been introduced, and about two dozen other states are considering bills ranging from medical marijuana to decriminalizing possession of small amounts of the herb.

``In terms of state legislatures, this is far and away the most active year that we've ever seen,'' said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance, which supports reforming marijuana laws.

Nadelmann said that while legalization efforts are not likely to get much traction in state capitals anytime soon, the fact that there is such an increase of activity ``is elevating the level of public discourse on this issue and legitimizing it.''

``I would say that we are close to the tipping point,'' he said. ``At this point they are still seen as symbolic bills to get the conversation going, but at least the conversation can...

Lines drawn for legalization of pot [San Bernardino County Sun, Calif.]

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:38:00 +0000

Dec. 24--The stakes could rise considerably in 2010 in the argument over marijuana use -- and not just for medical purposes.

Officials from a group campaigning to put a marijuana-legalization measure before California voters said they have enough signatures to qualify for the 2010 ballot.

The possibility of marijuana being legalized in the state has riled activists on both sides of the issue.

"First off, we don't think it's going to pass at all," said Paul Chabot, co-founder of the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition.

"California has really woken up since Proposition 215 passed in 1996. Most Californians now know this fraud is brought to us by those who funded the (marijuana) legalization initiative."

Proposition 215 legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

A Field Poll conducted in April found that 56 percent of California residents supported legalizing and taxing marijuana to help bridge the state budget deficit.

"The question is of the 5...

Pot damage on teens worse than thought

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:49:00 +0000

Daily consumption of marijuana in teens can cause depression and anxiety, and have an irreversible long-term effect on the brain, Canadian researchers say.

Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a psychiatric researcher at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, says the damaging effects of marijuana on young brains are worse than originally thought.

"Teenagers who are exposed to cannabis have decreased serotonin transmission, which leads to mood disorders, as well as increased norepinephrine transmission, which leads to greater long-term susceptibility to stress," Gobbi says in a statement.

"Our study is one of the first to focus on the neurobiological mechanisms at the root of this influence of cannabis on depression and anxiety in adolescents."

Previous epidemiological studies have shown how cannabis consumption can affect behavior in some teenagers, Gobbi says.

The study, published in Neurobiology of Disease, also demonstrates that marijuana consumption causes more serious damage during adolescence than adulthood.

Cannabis and adolescence: A dangerous cocktail

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:07:00 +0000

MONTREAL, Dec. 17 /CNW Telbec/ - Canadian teenagers are among the largest consumers of cannabis worldwide. The damaging effects of this illicit drug on young brains are worse than originally thought, according to new research by Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a psychiatric researcher from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. The new study, published in Neurobiology of Disease, suggests that daily consumption of cannabis in teens can cause depression and anxiety, and have an irreversible long-term effect on the brain.

"We wanted to know what happens in the brains of teenagers when they use cannabis and whether they are more susceptible to its neurological effects than adults," explained Dr. Gobbi, who is also a professor at McGill University. Her study points to an apparent action of cannabis on two important compounds in the brain - serotonin and norepinephrine - which are involved in the regulation of neurological functions...

Study shows pot more popular among teenagers

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:08:00 +0000

DETROIT_Smoking marijuana is becoming even more popular among U.S. teens and they have cut down on smoking cigarettes, binge drinking and using methamphetamine, according to a federal survey released Monday.

More teens also are getting high on prescription pain pills and attention-deficit drugs, according to eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders surveyed by the University of Michigan for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The increase of teens smoking pot is partly because the national debate over medical use of marijuana can make the drugs seem safer to teenagers, researchers said. In addition to marijuana, fewer teens also view prescription drugs and Ecstasy as dangerous, which often means more could use them in the future, said White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske.

The "continued erosion in youth attitudes and behavior toward substance abuse should give pause to all parents and policy-makers," Kerlikowske said.

"These latest data confirm that we must redouble our efforts to implement...

Addiction Treatment Center Warns that Marijuana Decriminalization Debate has Distorted ...

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Mountainside Addiction Treatment center in Connecticut has found that more and more individuals of all ages coming into treatment who speak of hearing so much about prospective legalization of marijuana in various states for medical purposes that they convinced themselves that it is an acceptable drug for them to experiment with and to regularly use.

(PRWEB) December 11, 2009 -- Mountainside Addiction Treatment center in Connecticut has found that more and more individuals of all ages coming into treatment who speak of hearing so much about prospective legalization of marijuana in various states for medical purposes that they convinced themselves that it is an acceptable drug for them to experiment with and to regularly use.

There are reputable people who want to see marijuana used for pain relief in certain individuals at certain points in their lives. The message needs to be conveyed clearly and with an understanding that...