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IACM-Bulletin of 3 April 2005
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* The Netherlands: Health minister considers stopping the sale
of medicinal cannabis in pharmacies
* Science: THC and cannabis increase food intake in HIV
positives with weight loss
* Science: Oral THC claimed to induce psychosis
1.
The Netherlands: Health minister considers stopping the sale of
medicinal cannabis in pharmacies
Health Minister Han Hoogervorst is considering abandoning the
legal sale of medicinal cannabis in pharmacies and closing the
Office of Medicinal Cannabis. In response to questions from the
Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives of the Dutch
parliament) he said on 17 March that he intends to decide on the
future of the program after summer.
Questions were related to the status of the program, which
started to sell cannabis in pharmacies in September 2003 and
lost 400,000 Euros in 2004. Hoogervorst said that in times of
budget cutbacks, such a project was destined to be stopped. He
also noted that doctors were not very positive about prescribing
cannabis to patients and that patients prefer to buy it from coffee-
shops.
Hoogervorst also claimed that the medicinal properties of
cannabis have never been proven and that the use of cannabis
may cause side-effects such as psychoses. But the Office of
Medicinal Cannabis asserted that patients do benefit from
cannabis and psychoses occur only rarely. The PvdA (Partij van
de Arbeid, Labour Party) called on the minister to put more
energy into the success of the program.
(Sources: expatica.com of 18 March 2005, De Volkskrant of
18 March 2005, NRC Handelsblad of 18 March 2005)
2.
Science: THC and cannabis increase food intake in HIV
positives with weight loss
Researchers at the Columbia University in New York
investigated the effects of 10, 20, and 30 mg of oral THC and
cannabis cigarettes of different potencies (1.8, 2.8, and 3.9
percent THC) on food intake in two groups of HIV positive
cannabis smokers in eight 7-hour sessions. One group consisted
of 15 subjects with significant loss of muscle mass and the other
of 15 subjects without loss of muscle mass.
The three different cannabis cigarettes and the two lower THC
doses (10 and 20 mg) were well tolerated with few physical
symptoms and significant increases in ratings of "good drug
effect", while the highest dose of THC (30 mg) caused significant
side effects in some participants. Both THC and cannabis
increased caloric intake in the group with weight loss but not in
the control group. The effects on cognitive performance were
minor.
Authors conclude that "for experienced marijuana smokers with
clinically significant muscle mass loss, both dronabinol (at acute
doses at least four to eight times the current recommendation)
and marijuana produce substantial and comparable increases in
food intake without producing adverse effects."
(Source: Haney M, et al. Dronabinol and marijuana in HIV+
marijuana smokers: acute effects on caloric intake and mood.
Psychopharmacology 2005 Mar 19; [Electronic publication
ahead of print])
3.
Science: Oral THC claimed to induce psychosis
A study by researchers of the University of Lausanne,
Switzerland, on oral THC in eight healthy volunteers, of whom
two developed psychotic reactions for some hours after
ingestion, received some media attention. The press agency
Reuters noted "Oral Cannabis Induces Psychosis at Low
Levels". However, subjects did not receive low doses of THC
and they did not develop a psychosis but psychotic reactions,
such as anxiety and delusion, well known side effects of
cannabis ingestion.
Participants in the study were occasional users of cannabis and
received either 20 mg of oral THC (Marinol) or an oral cannabis
preparation containing either 15.8 or 45.7 mg THC on average.
The study intended to investigate psychomotor impairment and
driving capability after cannabis use. The two cases who
developed psychotic symptoms were 22-year-old men who
received 20 mg of THC or a cannabis preparation containing
16.5 mg THC. In both cases psychic side effects disappeared
within several hours after ingestion.
Researchers expressed their surprise about the anxiety causing
effects of THC which, however, are well known. Usually clinical
studies start with single doses of 2.5 or 5 mg THC, rarely with
10 mg THC to find out the appropriate and tolerated dose and
to avoid severe side effects. The tolerated doses vary
considerably in different subjects. Only in regular users higher
doses should be applied as starting dose. In recent clinical
studies tolerated doses varied between 5 and about 100 mg
THC daily.
(Sources: Reuters of 1 April 2005, BBC News of 1 April 2005,
Favrat B, et al. Two cases of "cannabis acute psychosis"
following the administration of oral cannabis. BMC Psychiatry
2005;5:17)
4.
News in brief
***Chile: Medical cannabis
Two Chilean lawmakers plan to introduce a bill to legalize
medical cannabis after recent high profile arrests of a wealthy
grandmother and a retired economist for growing the drug for
medical purposes sparked national debate. Laura Soto of the
Party for Democracy which is part of the ruling centre-left
Concertacion coalition and her party colleague Antonio Leal
said they would introduce their bill in the coming days. The
proposal would make cannabis available through pharmacies
and eliminate penalties for people who grow cannabis for
personal medicinal use. One of the arrested subjects is Maria
Luisa Velasco, the ex-wife of a former senator. (Source: Reuters
of 28 March 2005)
***Science: Synergistic effects in pain
Australian researchers investigated possible synergistic and
additive effects of a cannabinoid (CP55,940), morphine and
dexmedetomidine in acute pain models in mice. Synergistic
(more than additive) interactions were observed between the
cannabinoid and dexmedetomidine in the hot plate test, and
between the cannabinoid and morphine in the hot plate test and
the tail flick test. (Source: Tham SM, et al. Br J Pharmacol
2005;144(6):875-84.)
4.
ONE YEAR AGO:
- Canada: Pilot project on cannabis in pharmacies in British
Columbia
- The Netherlands: Smaller sale of cannabis in pharmacies than
expected
- USA: Medical use of marijuana can be used as a defense in a
criminal drug trial
TWO YEARS AGO:
- IACM: Second call for papers - IACM 2nd Conference on
Cannabinoids in Medicine
- Belgium: Legalisation of cannabis for personal use
- The Netherlands: Doctors may prescribe cannabis
- USA: Reduction of criminal penalties for medical cannabis
users expected in Maryland
(More at the IACM-Bulletin archives:
http://www.cannabis-med.org/)
International Association for Cannabis as Medicine (IACM)
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Phone: 2247-968083
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Email: info@cannabis-med.org
http://www.cannabis-med.org