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NORML E-Zine
Volume 7
Issue 38
September 30, 2004

The NORML E-Zine is a free weekly compilation of major news items
regarding marijuana policy. Text of archived stories is available on
NORML's website at:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3442

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TOP STORIES

* Pot Compound Triggers Cell Death In Leukemic Cell Lines
* Feds Quit Hemp Food Fight
* Vermont To Begin Registering Legal Medical Cannabis Patients
* October 4-5: Washington DC Protest To Demand Rescheduling Cannabis

_______________________________________________________
Pot Compound Triggers Cell Death In Leukemic Cell Lines
    London, United Kingdom:  Compounds in marijuana target and kill cells
associated with leukemia, according to clinical findings published this
month in the journal of the American Society of Hematology.
    Researchers at Saint Bartholomew's Hospital in London determined that
the cannabinoid THC induces programmed cell death (apoptosis) in three
leukemic cell lines.  In tests, cell death began to occur as early as six
hours after exposure to THC.
    "We have shown that THC is a potent inducer of apoptosis in leukemic
cell lines," authors concluded.
    Though the researchers did not speculate as to THC's mechanism of
action, they did observe that it did not appear to act synergistically
with other standard chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin.
    Previous clinical trials have also shown cannabinoids to stave the
growth of certain types of cancerous tumors, as well as induce programmed
cell death in malignant cells.  Clinical data published in August in the
journal of the American Association for Cancer Research determined that
cannabinoids inhibited the growth of glioma (brain) tumors in mice and in
two human subjects by restricting the tumors' blood supply.  Last
November, a study published in the Journal of Pharmacology and
Experimental Therapeutics found that the administration of the
non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD induced apoptosis in human glioma cells.
    For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior
Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.  Abstract of the study are available
online at:
http://www.bloodjournal.org/

_________________________
Feds Quit Hemp Food Fight
    San Francisco, CA:  The Bush administration has decided not to
challenge a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling striking down proposed
US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations that sought to
criminalize the possession and manufacture of edible hemp seed or oil
products that contain trace amounts of THC.
    The allotted time for the US Justice Department to appeal the Ninth
Circuit ruling expired this week.
    The court had previously ruled in February that the DEA's proposed ban
was improper because it classified non-psychoactive hemp as a Schedule I
controlled substance without following the required legislative
procedures. The DEA "cannot regulate naturally-occurring THC not contained
or derived from marijuana ... because non-psychoactive hemp is not
included in Schedule I," the court determined.  "The DEA has no authority
to regulate drugs that are not scheduled, and it has not followed
procedures required to schedule a substance."
    The administration's decision not to appeal the ruling marks a
long-awaited victory for the Hemp Industries Association (HIA), which
represents over 200 hemp companies in North America.  The HIA had urged
the court to invalidate the DEA's regulations, first proposed in October
2001, because the agency lacks the legal authority to regulate
non-psychoactive hemp, and because minute amounts of THC in hemp products
represent no threat to public safety.
    "This is a huge victory for the hemp industry," said David Bronner,
Chair of the HIA's Food and Oil Committee.  This decision removes "the
cloud the DEA put into the marketplace [and] will spur a dramatic surge in
the supply and consumption of healthy omega-3 rich hemp seed in America."
    For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, Executive
Director of the NORML Foundation, at (202) 483-5500, or visit:
http://www.votehemp.org
    
____________________________________________________________
Vermont To Begin Registering Legal Medical Cannabis Patients
    Montpelier, VT:  The Vermont Department of Public Safety will begin
accepting applications next month from patients seeking to legally possess
and cultivate marijuana under state law.  The new law, approved by the
legislature in May, legalizes the possession of up to two ounces of
marijuana and/or the cultivation of up to three marijuana plants (one
mature plant, two immature plants) for patients suffering from cancer,
HIV, AIDS, or multiple sclerosis.
    Patients and their caregivers must be registered with the state
Department of Public Safety to qualify for protection under the law.
Vermont's medical marijuana patient registration program will be similar
to existing state-authorization programs in Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii,
Nevada and Oregon.
    Three other states - California, Maine, and Washington - have also
enacted laws legalizing the use of medicinal cannabis for qualified
patients.  However, these state laws do not mandate patients to register
with any overseeing state agency.
    Vermont state officials will have 30 days from the date of an
application to verify the patient's condition.  The state will then issue
the patients an identification card certifying that they are registered
with the state's medical marijuana program.
    Application forms for the state registry are expected to be posted by
mid-October on the Department of Public Safety's website.
    For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul
Armentano of the NORML Foundation at (202) 483-5500.  A summary of state
medical marijuana programs is available online at:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3391

__________________________________________________________________
October 4-5: Washington DC Protest To Demand Rescheduling Cannabis
    Washington, DC:  Patients, health professionals and drug law reform
advocates from across the nation will converge in Washington DC on Monday,
October 4, 2004 to participate in a two-day rally demanding that the US
government reschedule marijuana so that doctors may legally prescribe it.
Participants will hold a press conference at the National Press Club on
Monday, followed by a demonstration outside the offices of the US Health
and Human Services on Tuesday.
    For more information, please visit:
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=1295 


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NORML Media Watch
NORML was featured prominently in several media outlets this week,
including The Houston Press, AlterNet, and The National Post (Canada).  To
read these articles or about other NORML media appearances, check out
"NORML in the Media" at:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5481

Sign up for NORML's monthly pledge program today!
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Smokers vote in 2004! Check out the candidate's updated positions on
marijuana policy.  If you have not already done so, register to vote or
change your voter registration address at:


-- 
To live outside the law, you must be honest... 
(Absolutely Sweet Marie - Blonde on Blonde - 1966)