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NORML E-Zine
Volume 8
Issue 8
February 24, 2005

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


TOP STORIES

Today's topics:

* Efficacy Of Student Drug Testing Not Backed By Evidence
* Cannabinoids Stave Off Alzheimer's Decline
* Former Ogilvy & Mather Execs Found Guilty Of Overbilling
  Drug Czar's Office For Anti-Pot Ads

___________________________________________________________________
Efficacy Of Student Drug Testing Not Backed By Evidence, Study Says
    Layerthorpe, United Kingdom:  There exists little "high-quality
evidence" to support the premise that student drug testing deters drug
use, and there are indications that the procedure may be "potentially
damaging" to youth drug prevention efforts, according to a study released
this week in Britain by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
    "Whilst the theory behind [random student] drug testing is plausible
enough, the evidence for it is remarkably thin," says the report.  It
notes that "very few independent and rigorous evaluations have been
conducted to identify the impact of drug testing programs in school," and
that among those studies that have taken place, "The evidence that
programs lead to a reduction in use is far from conclusive."
    For example, a 2004 US federal study of 76,000 students by the
University of Michigan's Institute of Social Research found no difference
in illegal drug use among students in schools that drug test versus those
that do not.
    The Rowntree report further warns that imposing suspicionless, random
drug testing upon students could be a "potentially damaging" approach to
drug prevention because the program "could undermine trust between pupils
and staff," and "encourage some pupils to switch from [the] use of
cannabis ... that can be traced a relatively long time after use, to drugs
that are cleared from the body much more quickly, including heroin."
    The report concluded that UK government officials should "avoid the ad
hoc proliferation of random [student] drug testing programs until such
time as there are clear data on effectiveness."
    The publication of the Rowntree study came on the same day that the
White House released its 2005 "National Drug Strategy," which calls for a
record $25.4 million in federal tax dollars to be spent "supporting
schools in the design and implementation of [drug testing] programs
designed to screen selected students randomly."  The White House report
further states that the US government had previously funded the
implementation of suspicionless student drug testing programs in 79 middle
school and high schools, and hopes to greatly increase the number of
schools that employ drug testing - calling it "powerful, safe, and
effective."
    Responding to the White House's support for student drug testing, the
Rowntree report commented, "Testing programs have been developed in the
United States in advance of the research needed to assess their efficacy."
    For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul
Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.  Full text of the Joseph Rowntree
Foundation report, entitled "Random Drug Testing of Schoolchildren: A shot
in the arm or a shot in the foot for drug prevention," is available online
at:
http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/1859352839.pdf
    
______________________________________________________
Cannabinoids Stave Off Alzheimer's Decline, Study Says
    Madrid, Spain:  Cannabinoids prevent the neurodegenerative decline
associated with Alzheimer's disease in animals and in human brain tissue,
according to clinical trial data published in the current issue of the
Journal of Neuroscience.
    Researchers at Madrid's Complutense University and the Cajal Institute
reported that the intracerebroventricular administration of synthetic
cannabinoids prevented cognitive impairment and decreased neurotoxicity in
rats, and reduced the inflammation associated with Alzheimer's disease in
human brain tissue.  "Our results indicate that cannabinoid receptors are
important in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease and that cannabinoids
succeed in preventing the neurodegenerative process occurring in the
disease," authors concluded.
    Findings published last summer by Complutense researchers reported
that cannabinoids inhibit malignant brain tumor growth in animals, and may
provide a potential therapy for human glioma patients.
    Recent reviews published by the Society for Neuroscience and in the
journal Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America have
noted that cannabinoids may be clinically useful in the treatment of
several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimers, amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson's disease.
    Previous human trials on synthetic THC (Marinol) and Alzheimer's found
that administration of the drug reduced agitation and stimulated weight
gain in patients suffering from the disease.
    For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior
Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.

________________________________________________________
Former Ogilvy & Mather Execs Found Guilty Of Overbilling
Drug Czar's Office For Anti-Pot Ads
    Washington, DC:  Former Ogilvy & Mather executives Shona Seifert and
Thomas Early each face up to five years in prison after being found guilty
this week on 10 counts that they defrauded the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
    While at Ogilvy & Mather, the ad firm hired by the Drug Czar's Office
to create ad spots for the $1.2 billion "National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign," the duo conspired to doctor time-sheets to fraudulently
increase the number of hours billed to the ONDCP, prosecutors charged.
    A 2001 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that
time-sheets for 28 Ogilvy & Mather employees were altered to reflect more
than 3,100 hours worth of work that had not taken place.  The firm had
previously agreed to a civil settlement with the US Justice Department in
2002 regarding the overbilling.
    The White House had continued to pay Ogilvy & Mather to produce
anti-drug public service announcements until last year.
    For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul
Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.


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NORML Media Watch
NORML was featured prominently in several media outlets this week,
including The Boston Globe, The Washington Times, and New York Newsday. 
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

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-- 

"But to live outside the law, you must be honest"
Bob Dylan - Absolutely Sweet Marie - 1966