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Weekly News in Audio

October 25, 2007


Chris Goldstein
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  Random Drug Testing May Increase Risks Among Student Athletes, Study Says -- Findings contradict White House publication touting testing’s “proven” benefits
  Inhaled Cannabis Has Biphasic Effect On Capsaicin-Induced Pain, Study Says
  DEA Head Announces Resignation


Portland, OR:
Random Drug Testing May Increase Risks Among Student Athletes, Study Says -- Findings contradict White House publication touting testing’s “proven” benefits

Random drug testing programs that target high school athletes do not reduce self-reported drug use and may encourage greater risk-taking behaviors, according to findings published in the November issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Investigators from Oregon’s Health & Science University (OHSU) performed the two-year trial, which is the first-ever prospective randomized clinical trial to assess the deterrent effect of drug and alcohol testing among high school athletes. Researchers found that students who underwent random drug testing did not differ in their self-reported drug use compared to students at neighboring schools who were not enrolled in drug testing programs.

Investigators also determined that students subjected to random drug testing were more likely to report an "increase in some risk factors for future substance use," compared to students who attended schools without drug and alcohol testing.

"This was a state-of-the-art collection and testing program that exceeded those of typical school testing programs," lead investigator Linn Goldberg said in a OHSU press release. "If this did not show significant deterrent effects, less-sophisticated programs are not likely to be more successful."

A 2003 cross-sectional study of student drug testing previously reported, "Drug testing, as practiced in recent years in American secondary schools, does not prevent or inhibit student drug use." However, critics of the study argued that investigators included schools with dissimilar drug testing policies in their comparison.

Since 2005, the US Department of Education has appropriated over $10 million dollars to enact random student drug testing programs in public middle schools and high schools around the nation. The White House has repeatedly lauded the programs, claiming that "student drug testing has proven to be effective in schools that have tried it."


La Jolla, CA:
Inhaled Cannabis Has Biphasic Effect On Capsaicin-Induced Pain, Study Says

Inhaling cannabis is associated with both an increase and a decrease in humans’ response to painful stimuli, according to clinical trial data to be published in the forthcoming issue of the journal Anesthesiology.

Investigators at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) assessed the effects of smoked marijuana on capsaicin-induced pain in 15 healthy volunteers. (Capsaicin is the active component of chili peppers.) Participants in the trial inhaled cigarettes containing either cannabis of varying strengths or a placebo.

Subjects who inhaled medium-potency cannabis (4 percent THC) reported that they experienced a significant reduction in capsaicin-induced pain 45 minutes after smoking. By contrast, subjects provided high-potency pot (8 percent THC) reported experiencing an increase in pain.

Participants reported that inhaling low-potency cannabis (2 percent THC) did not affect their pain response.

"Our study suggests that there is a therapeutic window for analgesia, with low doses being ineffective, medium doses resulting in pain relief, and high doses increasing pain," lead investigator Mark Wallace said in a UCSD press release.

A previous clinical trial conducted earlier this year found that smoking medium-potency cannabis (3.56 THC) significantly reduced HIV-associated neuropathy (nerve pain).


Washington, DC:
DEA Head Announces Resignation

US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief Karen Tandy announced this week that she will be stepping down as the agency’s first female director.

Tandy, who headed the agency for the past four years, will become a senior vice president of the Motorola Company. Motorola, a leading wireless and broadband communications firm, is the chief financial sponsor of the DEA’s controversial exhibit "Target America," which argues that illicit drug use sponsors international terrorism 窶 including the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, DC.

During Tandy’s tenure, DEA officials dramatically stepped up their efforts to target and federally prosecute medical marijuana patients and providers in California, as well as other states that allow for the drug’s use under state law. In 2005, Tandy authored the DEA white paper, "Marijuana: The Myths Are Killing Us," which states: "We need to put to rest the thought that there is such a thing as a lone drug user, a person whose habits affect only himself or herself. Drug use, including marijuana use, is not a victimless crime. … [M]arijuana kills … innocents."

Tandy also led extradition efforts against Canadian publisher and marijuana law reform activist Marc Emery, along with two colleagues, on charges that they distributed cannabis seeds to US citizens. Tandy called Emery’s arrest "a significant blow" to the "marijuana legalization movement," noting that Emery financially sponsored various drug liberalization campaigns in the United States. Extradition hearings for Emery remain ongoing.

Neither the Bush Administration nor the DEA have issued a public statement regarding Tandy’s successor.