Trump’s Leading Choice for FDA Chief has Prescribed Medical Marijuana | The Joint Blog

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March 10, 2017

by Anthony Martinelli

According to Dr. Tom Price, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, President Trump’s pick for head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be announced “this week, if not next”.

FDA The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) has reported that the Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former deputy commissioner of the FDA, is the front-runner for the position. Dr. Gottlieb is a physician who has written recommendations for medical marijuana, as he explained in a 2013 interview with Patch.com.

During the interview, Dr. Gottlieb was asked “How many patients have you prescribed medical marijuana for?” Dr. Gottlieb answered “Approximately 10.”

The doctor was then asked to share a success story, which he did:

A multiple sclerosis patient was in a great deal of pain. She tried all types of medication in addition to massage, yoga and even meditation. Nothing worked. Medical marijuana gave her some relief, and she was able to resume some of her normal activities and almost return to her baseline level of function.

The full interview can be found by clicking here.

Last year Dr. Gottlieb was a panelist at the Innovation in the Cannabis Industry conference in Philadelphia. At the event Dr. Gottlieb said that he’s seen many patients with neuopathatic pain find relief in medical marijuana.

As we’ve reported Jim O’Neil has also been in the running for head of the FDA (and according to RAPS he still is) ; O’Neil is not only a supporter of legalizing marijuana, he has actively worked towards it as a member of the board of directors for the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform, which helped legalized cannabis in California.

Source: Trump’s Leading Choice for FDA Chief has Prescribed Medical Marijuana | The Joint Blog

Study: CBD-Rich Marijuana Reduces Seizure Frequency | The Joint

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By NORML

The administration of whole-plant cannabis extracts rich in the cannabinoid cannabidol (CBD) is associated with reduced seizure frequency in patients with refractory epilepsy, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior.

Researchers performed a retrospective chart review of the clinical records of 272 patients who were taking whole-plant CBD extracts.

Eighty-six percent of those treated observed some clinical benefit (a reduction in seizure frequency) while ten percent experienced a complete clinical response. The remaining patients were either not responsive to treatment or reported an exacerbation of seizures during therapy.

Beneficial side effects, such as improved mood, better sleep quality, and increased appetite were reported.

“The cannabinoids’ novel mechanisms of action are an attractive consideration for possible seizure control,” authors concluded. “In patients with refractory epilepsy that have a low likelihood of responding to a subsequent AED (anti-epileptic drug), a trial of artisanal cannabis formulas may be indicated.”

Source: Study: CBD-Rich Marijuana Reduces Seizure Frequency

Study: Cannabinoids May Help Treat Traumatic Brain Injury

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March 7, 2017

by Anthony Martinelli

Cannabinoids may provide a potential treatment option for traumatic brain injury, according to new research.

The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, and published online by the U.S. National Institute of Health.

“The endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) system regulates a diverse array of physiological processes and unsurprisingly possesses considerable potential targets for the potential treatment of numerous disease states, including two receptors (i.e., CB1 and CB2 receptors) and enzymes regulating their endogenous ligands N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide) and 2-arachidonyl glycerol (2-AG)”, states the study’s abstract.

“Increases in brain levels of endocannabinoids to pathogenic events suggest this system plays a role in compensatory repair mechanisms.”

It continues; “Traumatic brain injury (TBI) pathology remains mostly refractory to currently available drugs, perhaps due to its heterogeneous nature in etiology, clinical presentation, and severity. Here, we review pre-clinical studies assessing the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids and manipulations of the endocannabinoid system to ameliorate TBI pathology.”

Specifically, the study notes, “manipulations of endocannabinoid degradative enzymes, CB1 and CB2 receptors, and their endogenous ligands have shown promise in modulating cellular and molecular hallmarks of TBI pathology such as; cell death, excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, cerebrovascular breakdown, and cell structure and remodeling.”

TBI-induced behavioral deficits, such as learning and memory, neurological motor impairments, post-traumatic convulsions or seizures, and anxiety “also respond to manipulations of the endocannabinoid system.”

As such, “the endocannabinoid system possesses potential drugable receptor and enzyme targets for the treatment of diverse TBI pathology.”

The study concludes by stating that; “Promising classes of compounds, such as the plant-derived phytocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, and endocannabinoids, as well as their non-cannabinoid receptor targets, such as TRPV1 receptors, represent important areas of basic research and potential therapeutic interest to treat TBI.”

This study certainly isn’t the first to find cannabinoids to be useful for traumatic brain injury.

For example, a 2015 study published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology found that activation of the body’s cannabinoid receptors can rescue learning and memory after a traumatic brain injury.

A 2014 study published by the American Journal of Surgery came to the conclusion that “A positive THC screen is associated with decreased mortality in adult patients sustaining TBI [traumatic brain injury].”

And a 2013 Cerebral Cortex study found evidence that activation of the body’s cannabinoid receptors may lead to neuroprotective benefits which can help heal the brain after a traumatic injury.

Source: Study: Cannabinoids May Help Treat Traumatic Brain Injury

Bills that would legalize medical cannabis have been filed in West Virginia’s House of Delegates and Senate.

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March 06, 2017

by Anthony Martinelli

The Joint Blog

Delegate Mike Pushkin (D) filed House Bill 2677, and Senator Richard Ojeda (D) filed Senate Bill 386. Both would legalize medical cannabis, albeit in different manners. HB 2688 has no cosponsors, whereas SB 386 is cosponsored by a bipartisan coalition of nine senators.

HB 2677 would legalize the possession of up to six ounces of cannabis, and the cultivation of up to 12 plants, for those with a qualifying condition who receive a recommendation from a physician. Qualifying conditions include:

(A) Cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, agitation of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, addiction to opiates or amphetamines or the treatment of these conditions;

(B) A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: Cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe or chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including, but not limited to, those characteristic of multiple sclerosis; or

(C) Any other medical condition or its treatment added by the department, as provided in section six of this article.

The proposal would established a system of licensed and regulated cannabis dispensaries, as a means of safe access to the medicine.

SB 386 would also legalize medical cannabis – including license dispensaries – but in a more limited way. Qualifying conditions include:

(A) A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition that results in a patient being admitted into hospice or receiving palliative care; or

(B) A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or the treatment of a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition that produces:

(i) Cachexia, anorexia, or wasting syndrome;

(ii) Severe or chronic pain that does not find effective relief through standard pain medication;

(iii) Severe nausea;

(iv) Seizures; or

(v) Severe or persistent muscle spasms.

 

HB 2677 has been assigned to the House Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse Committee. SB 386 has been assigned to the Senate Health and Human Resources.

End Federal Marijuana Prohibition ~ bosmos ~ Body of a Sinner Mind of a Saint ~

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We have a chance to finally rid ourselves of the Federal Prohibition of marijuana. Representatives Tom Garrett (R-VA) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) have introduced bipartisan legislation, HR 1227, to exclude marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, thus leaving states the authority to regulate the plant how best they see fit.  You can read the bill in its entirety here.

The “Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017” eliminates federal criminal penalties for possessing and growing the plant. This legislation gives states the power and flexibility to establish their own marijuana policies free from federal interference.

Representative Garrett says that marijuana prohibition disproportionately impacts those residing in jurisdictions of lower socioeconomic status, and believes that state governments are plenty capable of setting their own marijuana policies.“Virginia is more than capable of handling its own marijuana policy, as are states such as Colorado or California,” he said in a prepared statement.
The intent of the “Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017 is consistent with the view of most voters. According to recent polling (items 63, 64 and 65) by Quinnipiac University, 59 percent of Americans support full marijuana legalization and 71 percent believe that states, not the federal government, should set marijuana policy. 

Read the entire article at its Source: End Federal Marijuana Prohibition

Live Free or Die but not in New Hampshire, House Bill 591

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Article reprinted from Appalachian Prospectors Gold Prospecting Adventures

As many of you know I am a gold prospector and if you don’t know, you know it now.  I enjoy the great outdoors by prospecting for gold, I would hike miles and miles, over mountain ranges just to get to a good gold prospecting location. For me to hike I need a destination and a purpose. The same with camping, I will camp in the worst weather, for days and even weeks for gold prospecting. Gold prospecting is my serenity, just like fishing is to some, or hunting to others it is my passion. I like to prospect in New Hampshire, and I love to dredge for gold. I love New Hampshire, especially the state moto “live Free Or Die”. This is the state I was born in, I call New Hampshire my home state, most of my relatives still live in New Hampshire, my ancestors settled in New Hampshire while it was still the Massachusetts colony, one day I plan on going home. I want to spend my retirement in the mountains prospecting and dredging for gold.

Earlier this week I read an article in the Concord Monitor online titled: Bill would halt dredging machinery in N.H. gold prospecting , my blood pressure sky rocketed and I thought I was going to have a stroke because what I read was a proposed bill, HB 591 to ban gold dredging in New Hampshire. The entire bill is based on misconceptions about small scale suction gold dredging, possibly even lies. What happened to live free or die? There goes my whole plan for retirement. I would like to clear the air on some of these misconceptions about gold dredging especially those listed in this news article.

“There’s a surprising amount of damage that can be done by one of these things,” Claims Rep. Lee Oxenham, a Plainfield Democrat, which by the way indroduced and sponsored this bill. What I want to know is what is this surprising amount of damage. What is the merit for this bill? I don’t want to hear opinion and conjecture or flat out lies, show me the data that supports your claim. what I need to see are studies and or reports that have been peer reviewed, performed on the practice of small scale suction dredging because the ones that I have read prove otherwise.

It is obvious that who ever provided the information for this article knows very little to nothing about the subject of gold prospecting , gold dredging or anything associated with the practice thereof. The article states and I quote ” The bill also would outlaw similar processes and technologies with names like “rocker box” and “highbanking,” which suck up stones and water from steambeds via small gasoline-powered pumps and filter them in some way to help the users spot tiny flecks of gold that might be there.” Rocker boxes and highbankers don’t suck up stones you shovel into them. Rocker boxes don’t even have a motor on them it is a hand operated device that you pour water in with a pail. How does legislation get introduced on anything without even the basic facts even being known and better yet how does it pass a House vote? Something is wrong with our government.

Here is another quote from the article: “New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services says these processes stir up too much silt and mud, “releasing fine sediments back into the stream” that can harm life in the waterway.” Flat lazy water is where mud and silt covers the bottom, rivers on flat land, swamps, ponds and lakes is where you would find this condition, this is not at all ideal for gold dredging. We don’t dredge here. What is ideal is a river that drops at least 10 feet per mile which means faster moving water, silt and mud does not settle in these areas for us to dredge up, we need to dredge in gravel, rocks where only the heavy materials, minerals like magnetite, hematite, garnet and gold will settle, the lite materials have already been washed away by nature.

Another quote from the article:

“The turbidity can go for thousands of yards – it’s not just localized,” said Oxenham. “It’s disruptive for fish, insects, the benthic community in all its forms.” There are occasions where you may dredge into a pocket of clay and there is a moment of noticeable turbidity, it is not constant, travels about 50 to 100 yards and 100 is stretching it, not thousands. Notice in the picture below how clear the water is, this is typically how it runs.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Yet another quote: “Further, she added, the noise and smell of the machines “can drive those searching for the unmediated, unspoiled experience of our natural wonders out of the state, along with their tourist dollars.” Yes there is the noise of  a small engine, the size of a lawn mower engine, a push mower not a riding one.  What smell? This makes it sound like we are running a paper mill out here and we are driving all the tourist away, simply not true. We have just as much right to the wild as a hiker or any one else who is recreating out in the state of New Hampshire. I am spending my money too, on campgrounds or other lodging, groceries, restaurants, gas stations, ice cream stands not to mention the $50.00 I pay for the permit to dredge.

New Hampshire residents should be outraged by this legislation because it is all based on fiction and if this is how legislators deal with a matter such as this imagine how legislation is passed on matters that you really care about. Maybe they should focus their efforts more on things like the heroin epidemic in the state.

If you like to prospect for gold and dredge in New Hampshire then please stand up for your rights and attend the public hearing that is going to be held by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee which the date and place is yet to be determined.  You should be able to find the date here when it is determined: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/senate/committees/legislation/committee_billstatus.aspx?l=368&cc=S38&r=1

 

 

Bipartisan Legislation to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition Filed in U.S. Congress

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by Anthony Martinelli

A bill to end the prohibition of marijuana on the federal level has been filed in Congress with bipartisan support.

memphisThe Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017 was filed by Representatives Tom Garrett (R-VA) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI). It would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances, which would end its prohibition on the federal level, allowing states to decide what marijuana policies they want to follow.

The proposal is identical to a measure filed in 2015 by Senator Bernie Sanders.

“I have long believed justice that isn’t blind, isn’t justice”, Representative Garett said in press release about the bill’s introduction. “Statistics indicate that minor narcotics crimes disproportionately hurt areas of lower socio-economic status and what I find most troubling is that we continue to keep laws on the books that we do not enforce. Virginia is more than capable of handling its own marijuana policy, as are states such as Colorado or California.”

Garrett continued; “this step allows states to determine appropriate medicinal use and allows for industrial hemp growth, something that will provide a major economic boost to agricultural development in Southside Virginia. In the coming weeks, I anticipate introducing legislation aimed at growing the hemp industry in Virginia, something that is long overdue.”

The post Bipartisan Legislation to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition Filed in U.S. Congress appeared first on TheJointBlog.com.

Don’t tread on weed: A plea to Trump administration

Don’t tread on weed: A plea to Trump administration to let marijuana legalization proceed.   Denver Post editorial: There’s a need to consider the hard-working American people who benefit from legal cannabis Published: Dec 23, 2016, 6:42 am • Updated: about a month ago Comments (12) By The Denver Post Editorial Board Last week came […]

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Denver Post editorial: There’s a need to consider the hard-working American people who benefit from legal cannabis

Published: Dec 23, 2016, 6:42 am • Updated: about a month ago Comments (12)

By The Denver Post Editorial Board

Last week came the news that Colorado’s legal cannabis industry topped $1 billion in sales in the first 10 months of the year. While anyone familiar with the trends expected a breakthrough this year, the industry’s early surpassing of that lofty mile-marker presents plenty of cause for reflection.

We bring it up because next year a new top cop will take the helm under President-elect Donald Trump, and there is some cause for worry should he be confirmed by the Senate.

Trump’s pick for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions, of Alabama, is anti-cannabis. From once joking that he thought members of the Ku Klux Klan were OK until he learned some of them smoked pot, to saying in April that “Good people don’t smoke marijuana,” Sessions believes weed is dangerous and shouldn’t be legal. He is critical of the Obama administration’s relatively hands-off approach toward states whose voters approved the drug.

Marijuana legalization & President-elect Donald Trump

American legalization’s fate: What’s next for U.S. marijuana industry under President Trump?

Jeff Sessions: Trump’s pick for attorney general not fan of legal weed

Platforms: What you need to know about Trump’s marijuana views

Weed news and interviews: Get podcasts of The Cannabist Show.

Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Watch The Cannabist Show.

Peruse our Cannabist-themed merchandise (T’s, hats, hoodies) at Cannabist Shop.

Should an Attorney General Sessions decide to flout the rights of states that have undertaken the cannabis experiment, and return the agency to aggressive enforcement of federal marijuana laws, he could easily start arresting growers, retailers and users. But would he really want to do that?

We offer some reasons for the future Trump administration to not only maintain the current president’s kindness, but to see the advantages for hard-working American people who benefit from legal pot.

Given Election Day victories for medical and recreational pot in eight states, more than half the states in the U.S. have now approved sales and use of medical marijuana, and 65 million people live in states that green-lighted recreational sales.

Colorado’s current haul helps fuel national estimated sales of  $7.4 billion in 2016. Now that California voters have followed our lead, it’s possible that another $6.5 billion could be added to national tallies from the Golden State alone by 2020.

The legal cannabis industry is the fastest-growing sector in Colorado, and it employed more than 18,000 direct and related full-time workers in 2015.

For a president-elect looking to create and keep good jobs in the United States, a crackdown on this burgeoning industry would seem a poor move indeed. It’s just math. To keep several hundred manufacturing jobs in Indiana, Trump had to cajole a major U.S. company and the state had to offer millions of dollars in tax breaks.

Guess what? Colorado’s cannabis industry, as in other states, isn’t outsourcing overseas and makes its money without government subsidies or tax breaks. Meanwhile, the industry is dumping significant tax and sin tax revenue into the state’s coffers.

Colorado’s experience has shown that legal sales of cannabis can be accomplished with plenty of regulatory oversight and without the horror-story outcomes of a strung-out populace. In fact, voters in Denver — the world’s largest legal cannabis market — just said “yes” again to the experiment by giving the thumbs-up to a pilot program that allows businesses to offer pot use to their customers. Clearly no reefer-madness backlash here.

Sessions hasn’t signaled what he would do regarding pot enforcement as attorney general. Perhaps he already sees the benefit. But conservatives should get it in writing, stand up for states’ rights and allow the success of this new industry to continue.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by e-mail or mail.

This story was first published on DenverPost.com

 

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Makes New Disparaging Comments on Marijuana

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At a press conference today Attorney General Jeff Sessions made new, and disparaging, comments on marijuana. “Most of you probably know I don’t think America is going to be a better place when more people of all ages and particularly young people start smoking pot,” Sessions told reporters today. “I believe it’s an unhealthy practice…

via Attorney General Jeff Sessions Makes New Disparaging Comments on Marijuana — TheJointBlog.com

Study: Kids with High Academic Scores More Likely to Use Cannabis, Less Likely to Smoke Cigarettes | The Joint Blog

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New research has found that adolescents with high academic scores are considerably more likely to consume cannabis than those with low scores.

The study was published by the British Medical Journal. According to its abstract, the study’s aim “was to determine the association between childhood academic ability and the onset and persistence of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use across adolescence in a representative sample of English schools pupils.” Researchers wanted to conduct the study because “Previous research has produced conflicting findings.”

For the study, data from “7 years of the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE)” was used; in total there were 6,059 participants “with information on academic ability around age 11 and health behaviours from age 13/14 to 16/17 (early adolescence) and from age 18/19 to 19/20 (late adolescence).” Researchers used “Self-completion questionnaires during home visits, face-to-face interviews and web-based questionnaires” to determine the results.  […]

Entire blog post at the Source:  Study: Kids with High Academic Scores More Likely to Use Cannabis, Less Likely to Smoke Cigarettes