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NORML E-Zine
Volume 7
Issue 33
August 26, 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

* Cannabis Extracts Reduce MS-Associated Spasticity, Other Symptoms
* New Federal Report Contradicts Drug Czar's Claims
* Australian State Approves Hemp Cultivation

__________________________________________________________________
Cannabis Extracts Reduce MS-Associated Spasticity, Other Symptoms,
Study Says 
    Oxford, United Kingdom:  Medicinal cannabis extracts significantly
reduce spasticity and other symptoms compared to placebo in patients
suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), according to clinical trial data
published in the August issue of the journal Multiple Sclerosis, Clinical
and Laboratory Research.
    One hundred and sixty patients participated in the double-blind,
randomized, placebo-controlled trial.  Volunteers were administered
cannabis extracts containing equal amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
and cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound in marijuana, or
placebo via an oromucosal spray.  Researchers used a Visual Analogue Scale
(VAS) to evaluate the extracts' impact on patients most troublesome
symptom, as well as other MS-associated disabilities, including pain,
tremor, and fatigue.
    Authors found that cannabis extracts reduced patients' primary mean
symptom score compared to placebo.  In particular, spasticity VAS scores
were "significantly reduced" by the extracts in comparison to placebo.
    Extracts had "no significant adverse effects on cognition or mood and
intoxication was generally mild," authors added.
    Previous clinical data published last year in the journal Clinical
Rehabilitation concluded that cannabis extracts can improve neurogenic
symptoms unresponsive to standard treatments, including MS-associated
pain, impaired bladder control, muscle spasms and spasticity.
    British authorities are currently reviewing the medicinal cannabis
extract Sativex, produced by GW Pharmaceuticals, for licensing and
regulatory approval in the UK.
    For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior
Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.  Multiple Scelrosis, Clinical and
Laboratory Research is available online at:
http://www.arnoldpublishers.com/journals/pages/mul_scl/

_________________________________________________
New Federal Report Contradicts Drug Czar's Claims
    Washington, DC:  A newly released federal report refutes claims by US
Drug Czar John Walters that the United States is being inundated with
Canadian pot, that the drug's potency is dramatically rising, and that
marijuana poses a greater public health threat than heroin or cocaine.
    According to the US Department of Justice report, "National Drug
Threat Assessment 2004," the overwhelming majority of commercial grade
marijuana consumed in the US comes from California and Mexico.  The report
further adds that Hawaii, not Canada, is the US' "leading source of high
potency marijuana."  The report estimated that between 10,000 and 24,000
metric tons of marijuana is available in the US.
    In recent months, Walters has testified that the US marijuana market
is being inundated with high potency cannabis from British Columbia,
dubbing it the "crack of marijuana."  Most recently, Walters has claimed
that this influx of Canadian pot is directly responsible for sending
rising numbers of Americans to the emergency room.
    According to the DOJ report, however, increased mentions of marijuana
during emergency room visits "in recent years have not been significant,"
and account for less than ten percent of all drug mentions.  The report
further stated that the average THC content of US commercial grade
marijuana is around five percent, despite claims by Walters that today's
marijuana potency levels are "10 to 20 times stronger" than they were a
generation ago.
    Authors of the report note that despite federal and state anti-drug
efforts, marijuana remains "widely available" in the United States, with
"98.2 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide
[describing] marijuana availability as high or moderate."  Nevertheless,
only 13 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies identified
marijuana as "their greatest drug threat," and less than five percent
identified pot as "the drug most contributing to violent crime in their
areas."
    The release of the DOJ report came on the eve of an announcement from
the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy that the
administration plans "to shift some of the focus in research and
enforcement from 'hard' drugs such as cocaine and heroin to marijuana."
    For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul
Armentano of the NORML Foundation, at (202) 483-5500.  Copies of the
report are available online at:
http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs8/8731/
    
__________________________________________
Australian State Approves Hemp Cultivation
    Canberra, Australian Capitol Territory:  Licensed farmers will be
allowed to cultivate hemp for commercial purposes under legislation
recently approved by the Australian Capitol Territory's (ACT) Legislative
Assembly.
    Proponents of the law change argued that the crop will help to
regenerate land around Canberra that was recently devastated by bush
fires.
    Hemp is presently cultivated for commercial purposes in Australia in
Queensland, and on a trial basis in Tasmania.
    In another recent change to the ACT's marijuana laws, legislators have
also reduced the number of pot plants one may possess for recreational
purposes without facing criminal charges from five to two.  Possession and
cultivation of marijuana for personal use has been decriminalized in the
ACT since 1989.
    For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul
Armentano of the NORML Foundation at (202) 483-5500.  A summary of United
States hemp laws and resolutions is available at:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3395


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NORML Media Watch
NORML was featured prominently in several media outlets this week,
including The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco
Chronicle.  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!
https://secure.norml.org/join/pledge.html

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:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5916
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-- 

"The BATF is NOT interested in helping you or 
making your life easier or the laws clearer."