Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2007.10.18

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Weekly News in Audio

October 18, 2007

North Americans Most Likely To Search The Internet For Pot

California: Governor Vetoes Hemp Pilot Project

Pot Compound Should Be Evaluated As Brain Tumor Treatment, Study Says

Washington, DC:
North Americans Most Likely To Search The Internet For Pot

Internet users in the United States and Canada are the world’s most frequent searchers for websites about pot, according to a report this week by Reuters News Wire.

According to statistics provided by the popular Internet search engine Google, Canadians and Americans are more likely than citizens of other countries to perform Internet searches using the keyword "marijuana."

"Both Canadians and Americans report higher rates of cannabis use compared to almost all other nations on the planet," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "These millions of cannabis consumers desire fact-based, educational information about marijuana and marijuana law reform, and they are increasingly turning to the Internet and away from the federal government and the mass media to obtain it."

NORML has greatly expanded its online presence to take advantage of this growing trend, St. Pierre explained 窶� noting that NORML’s podcast is one of the most downloaded political audiocasts on the Internet, averaging over 140,000 downloads per week.

St. Pierre also said that more than 277,000 subscribers to the social networking website Facebook.com have recently joined NORML’s online ‘Cause’ group 窶� which allows users to donate directly to the organization.

In addition, this past September, NORML launched an ‘in world’ office on the popular 3-D virtual world Second Life.

The organization also maintains a popular MySpace page, available online at: http://www.myspace.com/natlnorml.

"We are extremely pleased that NORML is leading the way in online activism 窶� not only among drug policy reform groups, but among all non-profit organizations," St. Pierre said. "Building effective and influential coalitions within online communities is an integral part of NORML’s educational and outreach activities."

Sacramento, CA:
California: Governor Vetoes Hemp Pilot Project

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has vetoed bi-partisan legislation that would have defined industrial hemp as an "agricultural field crop" and established statewide regulations governing its cultivation by authorized farmers.

As approved by the legislature, Assembly Bill 684 would have instituted a pilot program permitting farmers to cultivate hemp in four California counties: Imperial, Kings, Mendocino, and Yolo. Farmers would have been required by law to submit random samples of their plants to an authorized laboratory to assure that their crop did not contain THC potencies greater than 0.3 percent.

"Under federal law, all cannabis plants, regardless of variety or THC content, are simply considered to be 'marijuana,' which is a federally regulated controlled substance," Schwarzenegger stated in his veto message. He speculated that farmers who failed to obtain federal permits to grow hemp could face federal prosecution 窶� regardless of state law.

It is the second year in a row that the Governor has vetoed such legislation.

Industrial hemp is currently grown commercially in Canada and in the European Union for its fiber content. According to a 2005 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, the United States is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate the plant as an economic crop.

Ramat-Gan, Israel:
Pot Compound Should Be Evaluated As Brain Tumor Treatment, Study Says

The primary psychoactive agent in cannabis, THC, possesses anti-tumoral activity in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines and should be evaluated in clinical trials as a treatment for brain cancer, according to preclinical data to be published in the journal Acta Oncologica.

Investigators at Bar-Ilan University in Israel report that the administration of THC significantly affects the viability of GBM cells. Glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive form of glioma (brain cancer), strikes some 7,000 Americans annually, and generally results in death within one to two years following diagnosis.

"THC [is] an essential mediator of cannabinoid antitumoral action," investigators concluded. "Administration of Delta(9)-THC to glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines results in a significant decrease in cell viability. … [I]t is suggested that Delta(9)-THC and other cannabinoids be implemented in future clinical evaluation as a therapeutic [agent] for brain tumors."

In 2006, investigators at Complutense University in Spain reported that the intracranial administration of THC decreased recurrent GBM tumor growth in humans.

Separate preclinical studies indicate that cannabinoids can inhibit the proliferation of various cancer cell lines, including breast carcinoma, prostate carcinoma, lung cancer, and lymphoma.

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