Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2007.1.18

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Weekly News in Audio

January 18, 2007

Marijuana Extracts Effective In Treating Neuropathic Pain

Feds Raid Eleven Los Angeles Medi-Pot Dispensaries

Endocannabinoids Reduce Gastric Ulcers, Study Says

Salisbury, United Kingdom:
Marijuana Extracts Effective In Treating Neuropathic Pain

Medicinal cannabis extracts improve patients' management of neuropathic pain better than standard analgesics, according to the results of a pair of clinical trials announced this week by British biotechnology firm GW Pharmaceuticals.

More than 250 patients with peripheral neuropathic pain (pain caused by damage to the nervous system) participated in the two placebo-controlled trials. Volunteers received either Sativex (an oral spray containing precise doses of the plant cannabinoids THC and CBD) or placebo.

In the first trial, patients suffering from severe pain characterized by allodynia (the occurrence of pain in response to normally non-painful stimulus) "obtained clinically important improvements in their management of pain and quality of sleep" after taking Sativex.

In the second trial, patients with diabetic neuropathy reported a 30 percent mean improvement in pain scores after taking Sativex, with one-third of patients reporting more than a 50 percent improvement in pain following the drug's administration.

"Even in this most difficult to treat population, Sativex has produced improvements over and above current treatments," the company stated in a press release.

Previous clinical trials of Sativex have shown the drug to reduce incidences of neuropathic pain associated with both Multiple Sclerosis and cancer. Sativex is currently available by prescription in Canada to treat MS-associated neuropathy, and on an 'import-only' basis in Spain and the United Kingdom.

Results of a US clinical trial assessing the use of inhaled cannabis to treat neuropathy are expected to be published this spring. Preliminary results presented in 2004 at the 11th Annual Retrovirus Conference in San Francisco demonstrated that inhaling cannabis was associated with a 30 percent reduction in pain in patients suffering from HIV-associated neuropathy.

Neuropathic pain affects an estimated one percent of the world's population and is typically unresponsive to both opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen.

Los Angeles, CA:
Feds Raid Eleven Los Angeles Medi-Pot Dispensaries

Federal law enforcement agents raided 11 medicinal marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles county yesterday in one of the most high profile actions taken by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in California since the state's passage of Proposition 215 in 1996.

According to the Los Angeles Times, federal agents simultaneously raided five dispensaries in West Hollywood, as well as additional medicinal cannabis operations in Venice, Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, and Woodland Hills. Government officials told the Times that more than 20 people had been detained for questioning, but charges had yet been filed. Spokespersons for the DEA said that hundreds of marijuana plants and several thousands pounds of cannabis were seized in the raids.

Speaking on the NORML AudioStash regarding yesterday's raids, NORML Legal Committee member Bruce Margolin of Los Angeles said: "The government is just rattling their swords ... taking down these dispensaries. Do they think they are going to stop the need for medical marijuana in California and other states [by raiding these clubs]? I don't think so, but by shutting down these safe access locations, patients are going to have to turn to the black market [for their medicine.]"

The raids came just hours after city officials in West Hollywood and Los Angeles approved regulations limiting the number of medicinal cannabis dispensaries operating in their cities.

Krakow, Poland:
Endocannabinoids Reduce Gastric Ulcers, Study Says

Administration of the naturally occurring cannabinoid anandamide inhibits the development of stress-induced gastric ulcers, according to preclinical data published recently in the Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology.

Investigators at Poland's Jagiellonian University Medical College and Germany's University of Erlangen-Nuremberg reported that the administration of anandamide significantly reduced ulcers in rats in a dose-dependent manner. Researchers also noted that anandamide administration was associated with an increase in gastric mucosal blood flow. Gastric blood flow plays a primary role in protecting and healing the stomach lining.

Administration of a synthetic cannabinoid receptor antagonist aggravated gastric damage and reversed the protective effect of anandamide, investigators determined.

Investigators reported contrary results following the administration of anandamide in rats with acute pancreatitis, finding that the endocannabinoid increased the severity of the disease. Anandamide did not alter the morphology of pancreatic tissue or increase pro inflammatory serum levels in rats without the disease.

Previous preclinical research indicates that the endocannabinoid system may be an ideal therapeutic target for the treatment of various gastrointestinal (GI) disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and colitis. Activation of this system suppresses gastrointestinal motility, reduces acid reflux, and protects against inflammation in animals, and has been demonstrated to promote healing in human tissue.

Most recently, investigators at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota reported that single doses of THC significantly reduce stomach cramping in humans compared to placebo.

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