12/20/2012 – Over one hundred and fifty supporters gathered in Philadelphia on Saturday December 15th to call for the federal legalization of cannabis. “Smoke Down Prohibition” was organized by a local comedy activism crew The Panic Hour and supported by PhillyNORML. The event took place in front of Independence Mall and the Liberty Bell.
Speakers included: N.A. Poe and Steve Miller-Miller from The Panic Hour; Adam Kokesh from AdamvsTheMan; Ken Wolski from The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ); Vanessa Waltz medical marijuana patient; and yours truly from Freedomisgreen.com and PhillyNORML.
At 4:20PM most of the crowd participated in civil disobedience by smoking cannabis until 4:30PM.
Although there was presence of Philadelphia Police and National Park Police, there was no interference of the protest: No arrests or citations took place at the event.
A 48foot by 14foot banner asking to “Legalize Medical Marijuana” from Robert Platshorn at The Silver Tour was rolled out with passing cars and even SEPTA buses honking their support.
Many of the participants called specifically on President Obama to end federal marijuana prohibition.
Medical Marijuana 48×14 banner rollout
48x14ft medical marijuana banner test
Steve Miller Miller from The Panic Hour opens w comedy set
Supporter holding Women Love Pot sign 12/15/2012 Philadelphia
Marijuana legalization supporters hold signs at "Smoke Down Prohibition" Philadelphia 12/15/2012
Ken Wolski RN "Together we can create more rational drug laws—drug laws that are worthy of respect and obedience. Not like the unjust laws that we have today."
NJ cancer/medical marijuana patient Vanessa Waltz from CMMNJ speaks
Rachel, Steve, Poe and Vanessa from The Panic Hour
Freedomisgreen.com will be helping with a letter writing campaign for women currently serving time on marijuana-related charges. Guidelines here.
Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of Richard Nixon’s ill-fated “War on Drugs” campaign. Millions of dollars have been spent and countless lives have been wasted or irrevocably altered. As an ongoing series, we will spotlight various women behind bars due to egregious marijuana-related sentencing and how you can help.
This is your chance to move beyond outrage and reach out to women who need your support more than ever. Prison is a profoundly alienating and traumatizing experience. A letter to inmate is a very powerful tool. You can send words of support and inspiration or simply treat them like a pen pal. Remember, these women undoubtedly need some normalcy in their lives. A “day in your life” letter may seem dull to you, but very rewarding to them. Reach out! Show your support, share your story. Studies show that contact from the outside world bolsters self-esteem and helps alleviate depression and anxiety disorders caused by prison life.
Simply put your letter in the body of an email and send to [email protected]. Keep it under 1000 words. No attachments please. In the subject heading, put Patricia Spottedcrow’s name.
This month, send a letter to: Patricia Spottedcrow
Patricia Marilyn Spottedcrow, 25, currently resides in Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Oklahoma where she’ll be spending the next nine years. For the sale of $31 of marijuana, she will live without her four young children and husband and no longer work in nursing homes. She had no prior convictions. Spottedcrow began her sentence on Dec. 29, 2010.
Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at the local dive bar. Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com
(Aileen Lam, 72 and Virginia Pon, 65 charged with growing hundreds of marijuana plants in San Bruno home.)
It all began when neighbors heard loud banging coming from the women’s home on Valleywood Drive, nestled in between Skyline Boulevard and Interstate 280.
Then they saw two men, later identified as Kitae Chae, 38, and Kenny Kong, 34, breaking down the front door and lingering inside for a few minutes before driving off in a BMW, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
The neighbors called police, and officers who stopped the BMW in South San Francisco found the men with $12,000 in cash, marijuana packaging material and seven ecstasy pills, Wagstaffe said.
When they arrived at the Valleywood Drive home, investigators found a substantial pot-growing operation: more than 800 marijuana plants, $3,000 in cash and a bypass through which electricity was being stolen from Pacific Gas and Electric Co., police said.
In short order, officers arrested the occupants — 72-year-old Aleen Lam and Virginia Chan Pon, 65. It’s not Pon’s first run-in with the law: She is already facing charges in Yolo County for allegedly passing more than $40,000 in bad checks over a three-day period at Cache Creek Casino.
“I have never seen or heard of women in their 60s and 70s running a grow house,” Wagstaffe said. “I certainly hope it is aberrational rather than a trend. I suppose profiteering in illegal enterprises crosses all the generations.”
The two women face a variety of drug charges, and Chae and Kong are accused of drug and burglary counts. Lam has not yet entered a plea, while the others have pleaded not guilty. All four are being held at San Mateo County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail each.
Prosecutors have filed a motion requiring that the two women show a legitimate source for any bail they post.
NYC Cannabis Peace March lands in Foley Square on May 7, 2011
He was about 50, heavyset, with cropped grey hair. He wore a button-down short-sleeved shirt, cheap jeans and white New Balance sneakers. His eyes were completely hidden by a pair of knockoff reflective shades – the ‘alien eye’ variety. He had an earpiece with a cable that led to his cell phone. And he was walking along in the NYC Cannabis Peace March, with hundreds of loud pot protestors.
There was one big difference between this man and the rest of the crowd: he was an undercover cop. What happened when I confronted him cuts to the core of why cannabis prohibition must end.
The 2011 New York marijuana march was blessed with inviting sun and 72 degrees of warmth – the first thaw for city dwellers after a long winter. The yearly protest started at Washington Square Park, where about 30 uniformed New York City police officers greeted the gathering marchers.
Participants were told to stand in a box created by sections of metal parade fencing. Although penned and surrounded by police, the marchers were nonchalant, keeping up lively conversation, handing out signs and snapping photos. The uniformed cops were passive, but there was certainly a tense bite to the air.
Marchers gather
My job was to help with the organization of the parade. I took a moment to speak with Jim, the Police Civil Affairs Unit contact. He wore a sweatshirt with an embroidered badge instead of a uniform and a gun, but he was clearly a cop.
Jim cordially explained the route and told us to give them a five-minute heads-up before the start. More marchers arrived along with even more uniformed police. Other activists such as Empire State NORML, NYC NORML and Cures Not Wars brought hundreds of rally signs. In a short time, almost every single marcher had one in their hands.
We gathered the marijuana supporters, started them chanting, “DEA GO AWAY” and began to move onto Broadway.
March moves down Broadway
The route would take us about one mile down to Foley Square and we had to stay on the sidewalk. The marching group was happy, loud and plowing through the crowds of weekend tourists and shoppers. Hundreds of gawkers snapped photos, waved and shouted their support for legalization.
We were only about a block down Broadway, but already there was a single file line of almost 30 uniformed police officers walking in the street parallel to the cannabis march.
Helping to keep up the chants had me constantly running to the front, back, and middle of the parade, occasionally having to weave between the fence posts of black uniforms.
Then someone lit a joint. I didn’t see it; I could smell it. Suddenly the sweet odor was gone. A photographer ran up to me saying “They just got some guy.” I looked back but saw nothing. That was the first time I noticed Mr. Undercover, walking in the cop line.
Things were moving along quickly. In fact, we were walking a bit too fast. It began to feel like the Cannabis Peace Jog. As we tried to slow down the pace, a video documentarian grabbed my arm and said, “They’re arresting another one!”
I turned and saw fleeting images of a scuffle through the crowd. Mr. Undercover and two uniformed cops seemed to be handling a 20-something man. Yelling out another chant, I continued with the march.
The next time I looked back, Mr. Undercover was right in the crowd. This time, he was holding one of our marijuana rally signs too. This flipped a little switch in me and my decision was to address the situation.
I sidled up to him as the peaceful protest continued down Broadway. We were under some scaffolding and in the shade. Catching his attention I said, “Hey man, it sure is great to see you guys marching with us.”
Mr. Undercover cut me off with a thick Gotham accent and a deadly serious tone: “You are notgoing to bring any at attention to me. Do we understand each other?”
“I’m just here marching,” I said.
“And I’m marching too,” said Mr. Undercover. “But if you bring any more attention to me, this march will be over for you. Do we understand each other?”
“Look, I…”
“Walk away from me. You will not bring any more attention to me today. Do we understand each other??”
“I’ll just keep doing what I do then.”
Taking a few steps away, I turned around to face the marchers and shouted, “WHO WANTS TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA IN NEW YORK?”
Noisy cheers.
“WHO WANTS THE POLICE TO STOP ARRESTING POT SMOKERS?”
Louder cheers.
Mr. Undercover glared at me. I had the uneasy sense that he was taking that very moment to decide whether to shoot, taze or arrest me. But instead he moved out of the crowd and marched off to the side.
We were about halfway to our destination. After our little chat, Mr. Undercover spent the rest of the march intermittently holding his sign up at chest level and then down at his side. He kept a smartphone in his hand or at his ear from that point on.
I imagined him calling up the special police unit that stood ready to handle smartass marijuana activists. But after a few minutes, I recognized that we had an uncomfortable détente.
Mr. Undercover was afraid that I would call “NARC” and point to him – certainly a possibility that crossed my mind. Still, this guy was already sticking out like a sore thumb. Clearly he wasn’t a professional undercover officer but a regular cop in plain clothes. This made me feel sorry for him as a human being, but it also intensified my anger at the tactic.
Using police to poorly infiltrate the political efforts to change marijuana laws goes against everything that the United States stands for. Americans should be free to gather, speak out, and confront the government. Surrounding such activities with armed, uniformed police and sending undercover police agents into a non-violent crowd is what we expect out of China, Libya, Syria, Bahrain or Russia.
But it looks like we must expect that treatment in New York City as well. This heavy-handed approach to legitimate political change should disgust all Americans.
As a Quaker, I believe in and practice non-violence. In order to meet that challenge in real-life confrontation, it takes one thing: empathy.
Law enforcement officers in New York and around the country are enslaved by our senseless prohibition laws. They risk their lives, often losing them, fighting a futile war against their own neighbors. Ending marijuana prohibition is imperative to the freedom of all Americans. But it will also free our law enforcement officers from the bonds of this tragically failed policy.
Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.
Medical marijuana growing in CA – pic by C. Goldstein
New Jersey recently approved six Alternative Treatment Centers to produce medical cannabis under some heavy restrictions. But the science just doesn’t add up for some of the complex regulations proposed by the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). Trying to run one of the new non-profits under these rules may prove to be impossible.
One of the biggest concerns for medical professionals, scientists and the patients who qualify is the proposed 10 percent limit on THC potency. NJ DHSS claims that these provisions follow the federal cannabis program at the University of Mississippi (UMiss). This program serves a total of four (4) patients.
It is true that the Ole Miss program doesn’t usually provide Cannabis cigarettes with more than 10% THC but New Jersey regulators leave out the reason: Cannabis cigarettes with greater THC content will get stuck in the federal program’s cigarette rolling machine:
“The cigarettes are not made here, unless there’s a requirement for high-potency material, which doesn’t lend itself to mechanized production of cigarettes, because it gets resinous and gums the machine. We use a small hand roller for that,” says ElSohly. “But if we need them in bulk, like say 60,000 cigarettes, we have a subcontract with a company in North Carolina.” read full
Dr. ElSouly handling federal medical marijuana
Other differences exist between New Jersey’s regulations and the federal government’s marijuana program:
– Dr. ElSohly can process Cannabis into cigarettes, patches, suppositories, etc. in order to fit specific research and clinical needs.
– Dr. ElSohly also grows high potency varieties for research and in doing so has discovered new cannabinoids.
Every government sponsored medical marijuana program in the world, including at UMiss, allows the Cannabis plants to be homogenized and thus standardized. But NJ DHSS has failed to acknowledge even the simple fact that THC content can vary within cannabis strain varieties, and even within a plant itself.
It would take another three-month cycle to produce a replacement crop. This could put the Alternative Treatment Center in the position of great financial risk and leave patients with a limited supply.
Some basic high school biology is important here: The Cannabis plant does not produce uniform amounts of cannabinoids in its flowers. Light helps plants grow, and the parts of a plant that are exposed to more light (on the top of the plant) become more developed than the fruits on the lower branches. So, in theory a Cannabis plant could have 15% THC on the very top flowers but a mere 3% level on the lower branches.
In the rest of the world, the method of production employed is that the cannabis plants are ground up and a mixture is prepared. If the material in New Jersey is going to be processed then there is no need for THC limits, testing each plant, or destroying potent medicine. The desired THC level can be reached by mixing low and high potency plant materials. This is also how GW Pharmaceuticals produce their Cannabis spray called Sativex, a mixture of two cannabis varieties that have been processed and standardized.
Again, NJ DHSS is implying that every medical marijuana plant would need to be tested to prove they are below this arbitrary threshold. The cost of setting up and running such a lab to fulfill these extraneously inefficient rules could be in the tens-of-millions of dollars. This is extremely inefficient and wasteful but it also demonstrates ignorance when it comes to regulating medicines and plant products.
Dr. ElSohly, who runs the federal medical cannabis program said in The Memphis Flyer, “The market demands higher potency all the time, and the higher-potency marijuana is more expensive and creates less bulk.”
If NJ is going to mandate any testing by the ATCs the plant material should be screened in large batches just like the University of Mississippi and every other medical marijuana program in the world.
Currently no regulations exist for any other drug like those being proposed for marijuana in New Jersey. Even opium has fewer regulations. Is every poppy plant from Tanzania or Afghanistan tested for opiate levels before it’s shipped to the U.S.? No, of course not. Raw opium flowers are shipped in pressed bricks to laboratories for processing before it is delivered to hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.
New Jersey is ignoring the reality of common scientific practices for medical marijuana and is presenting a health policy that is almost science fiction.
Jahan Marcu is currently investigating the pharmacology of cannabinoid receptors. He was working at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute when exciting discoveries were made showing enhanced anti-cancer effects with THC and CBD from the Cannabis plant. The findings were published in the Journal of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. In 2009 he received the Billy Martin Award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS). Jahan is the vice-chair the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board at Americans for Safe Access (ASA). Contact: science { at } freedomisgreen.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent any University, business or affiliates. While the information provided in this blog is from published scientific studies it is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.
Saturday May 21st was the only sunny day last week in Philadelphia. The weather was a blessing for the crowd of about 1,000 people who participated in the annual Cannabis Peace March on South Street. PhillyNORML organizes the local demonstration that enjoys one of the best attended marijuana marches in the country. Similar events took place in over 300 cities.
Police and marchers showed mutual respect; there were no incidents or arrests. The message of marijuana legalization rang out in the city where the roots of American government were planted.
Here are some photos and short video clips.
Crowd gathers at Broad and South for the 2011 Philly marijuana march – by Ken Wolski
Marcher holding a volunteer-crafted sign – by Ken Wolski
VIDEO1 – march underway
VIDEO2 – march middle
Video 3- Primate Fiasco band with march at 3rd and South
Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.
A research team based in Poland may have discovered that a CBD-like compound is a major component of the flax plant. The Cannabis plant makes CBD (Cannabidiol), a miraculous plant compound that demonstrates the potential to treat a wide range of diseases with virtually no side effects.
Interestingly, the researchers discovered the presence of a CBD-like compound in flax accidentally. They were analyzing genetically modified flax plants and comparing them to natural flax plants. The team noted that the production of several compounds was slightly enhanced in the GMO plants and decided to identify them.
Further analysis revealed that CBD-like compounds were prevalent in many parts of the flax plant and their products, such as such as fibers, seeds, leaves, and seedcakes.
The authors believe the beneficial actions of flax (such anti-inflammatory effects) may be due to the presence of this CBD-like compound. However, the mechanism of CBD’s benefits remains a mystery since CBD does not activate the same receptors as THC.
THC acts on the cannabinoid receptors called CB1 and CB2, which are part of the endocanabinoid system (ECS). The ECS includes the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), as well as a variety of other compounds and additional receptors. Scientists may someday discover the mechanism of CBD, but it will take many years of thorough research to understand exactly how CBD works.
The discovery of CBD in flax is an important one, but the authors make some misleading claims in their manuscript; claims which are not supported by their work or the work of other scientists. They authors claim to be the first people to find cannabinoids IN another plant. Their article was published in 2012—one of the earliest discoveries of non-cannabis sources of cannabinoids is from 1979.
In fact, flax is now part of an ever-growing list of plants that can produce cannabinoids (See image of Phytocannabinoid Producers).
Cannabinoids such as cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabicyclol (CBC), and cannabicitran (CBT) have been discovered in the following: species ofrhodenderons (Rhodenderon Anthpogonoides), Voacanga Africana, liverwort (Radula Marginata), and woody umbrella (Helichrysum Umbraculigerum). Beta-caryophyllene is a cannabinoid present in virtually all plants and activates the CB2 receptor, notably it occurs in high amounts in cloves and black pepper.
The author’s description of CBD also contains a serious discrepancy:
“…CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, is responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of marihuana, acting mostly on the CB2 receptor…” The authors suggest that CBD is activating CB2 receptors.
This statement regarding the activity at a CB2 receptor is not supported by any data from the authors nor is it supported by the referenced studies in the article. The studies (one and two) referenced by the authors did not use CBD in a single experiment. They provide no evidence that CBD is directly interacting with the CB2 receptor. The authors could have cited this article as indirect evidence of CBD interacting with CB2, but there is substantial evidence to suggest that CBD doesn’t need the CB2 receptor for its beneficial effects.
A similar misconception was also made by TIME Magazine last year, claiming that CBD activates CB2 receptors.
As mentioned above the mechanism of CBD isn’t clear yet, but there is enough evidence to SUPPORT that the effects of CBD can occur without activating cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. CBD might be the first modulator of the ECS, enhancing or inhibiting certain activities. Different experiments have shown:
CBD can block CB1 and CB2 receptors-the opposite of THC, which activates them.
Misrepresenting a compound or drug may appear as a minor issue, but it can negatively influence lawmakers and doctors, leading to legal and medical quandaries and ultimately preventing a plant compound like CBD from reaching the clinics. The main hurdles for a successful cannabis-based medicine are the unacceptable side effects that can occur from THC; CBD does not have undesirable side effects.
Cannabis that contains CBD remains prohibited, while flax products are widely available in concentrated forms such as dietary supplements. Although the precise mechanism of CBD remains elusive, its promising medicinal effects are already recognized, and it is legally available when harvested from the appropriate plant.
Here are some additional links to research on the mechanisms of CBD:
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent any University, business or affiliates. While the information provided in this blog is from published scientific studies it is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.
It’s been a friggin’ looooong winter at ye olde Jersey shore. My Mary Jane supply is practically nil. Sadly, I’m forced to roll teeny pinners that burn up in mere seconds upon lighting. I think I’m high, but it could just be the lighter fluid, I don’t know. Sad times indeed but like a bear living off of her fat during hibernation (is that what they do?), I’m forced to make the best of it.
Luckily I’ve found that watching copious amounts of Trailer Park Boys is practically the equivalent of getting high until some kind soul (hint, hint, Exit 63) visits me at the Jersey shore and replenishes my stash.
Okay back to the best show ever.
Now there are plenty of pot-friendly shows (Weeds, Workaholics, etc.), but then there’s Canada’s Trailer Park Boys who literally swim in the shit. (They make a driveway out of hash. Need I say more?)
The cast is adorable, the plot lines are insane and if you watch it long enough, you a. experience a second-hand high and b. almost get the sense that Sunnyvale really exists. (If it does, I’m moving there and hanging with Ricky, Julian and Bubbles.)
So stop what you’re doing and watch the clips below. (Because whatever you’re doing isn’t that important, I promise. Remember I can see you. It’s the Internet.)
Available on Netflix or YouTube.
———
Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished artist with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can be found surfing or singing karaoke at a local dive bar.
Medical marijuana sign by activist Jim Miller on the steps of the NJ State House- *photo by Diane Fornbacher
7/12/2011 – Commentary by Chris Goldstein – Governor Christie and the New Jersey Legislature often tout the state’s medical marijuana law as being the “most restrictive in the nation.” Sure, it is so strict that seriously ill or even terminal residents don’t get any marijuana at all.
Some of the blame falls right back on the Legislature. Elected officials spent five years debating a law that included provisions for home cultivation. That pragmatic language was cut at the last minute by the Assembly Health Committee. States like Vermont, Rhode Island, Washington and Maine have allowed small plots by patients and caregivers while dispensary regulations are worked out. Without these provisions New Jersey residents have been left without any legal access.
Yet the delays, legal wrangling and plain opposition to the compassionate use law from the Christie Administration have been among the most unsettling acts of politics in NJ. The issue cast a clear picture of the storm that has hit Trenton. Governor Christie cares to spend time on cancer patients and those living with AIDS only to keep them from consuming state-approved cannabis. Perhaps if every suffering patient were a millionaire living in a North Jersey suburb they would get better treatment.
Last year Gov. Christie requested a six-month to one-year delay in implementing the law. At the same time he suggested that Rutgers University should have a monopoly contract for growing and distributing the state regulated cannabis. Like all of the Gov’s other medical marijuana ideas the giant Crimson Knights Cannabis Farm was clearly designed to fail. Patients and advocates rallied against both concepts. But the legislature passed a 90-day delay. Christie has since extended this indefinitely.
The Legislature then passed concurrent resolutions stating that the Christie Administration’s proposed regulations for the program violate the intent of the law. Patients were forced to re-testify again and again before committees in Trenton. But elected officials have not taken the final steps to remove those maliciously constructed rules.
Given false hopes and hollow assurances many patients have already given up on the program. Some are planning to move to states like Maine, Colorado or Rhode Island. Others hit the streets to pay exorbitant prices for medical grade cannabis.
And qualifying patients do get arrested. We saw the state vigorously prosecute John Ray Wilson, a man without health benefits trying to treat Multiple Sclerosis by growing seventeen marijuana plants. Wilson got a five-year prison sentence. Another qualifying patient, David Barnes, chased down Gov. Christie at several Town Hall Meetings. Christie told Barnes that he would have a state issued ID card for medical marijuana; twice …back in 2010.
But not every ill patient can corner the governor for a bold-faced lie in front of TV cameras. At this time, not a single ID card has been issued.
Then there are the strictly law abiding citizens, some of them dying from their conditions. Although their physicians recommend cannabis and they know it could help relieve their suffering, they wait for fully legal access. Thousands of qualifying terminally ill residents have passed away already, waiting in vain.
Unfortunately the compassionate use program was not immune from Jersey-style politics from both parties. Six medical marijuana Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC) have been approved by the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). Three ATCs have close ties back to none other than Gov. Christie. Another ATC has Assemblyman Thomas Giblin, a powerful Democrat, as the leader of the Medical Advisory board. Adding to the intrigue, the two physicians at DHSS who had seen through the regulations for the cannabis program, Dr. Poonam Alaigh and Dr. Susan Walsh, abruptly resigned just days after the ATC applications were approved.
The Gov’s new spin is that he wants legally unrealistic assurances from the federal government. Because he is a former US Attorney, Christie is a qualified expert at playing both sides of the legal fence on this issue. The real question is to why he would waste so much time and energy fighting the state law.
Christie has also been trying to carefully groom his national image as being brutally honest. But this has not been the case for medical marijuana. The governor has refused to meet with patients or advocates and is now keeping the NJ program suspended by a personal whim. All of this has been done while Christie and his fellow NJ Republicans trash western states with blow-dried conservative rhetoric about medical cannabis.
It does not help that a myriad of state positions in New Jersey are now held by former criminal prosecutors. These are talented attorneys but they lack transparency and diplomatic ability. Dismissing the wisdom of the community and locking out advocates, the policy for cannabis (along with many other public health issues) is decided in the thick-walled vault of Christie’s office.
Medical marijuana isn’t the only policy that has been negatively affected by this approach to governance. But this may be the most heartbreaking.
Right now, hundreds more qualifying patients are lamenting our state government from their deathbeds in a haze of fully legal opiate drugs. The only way to end this impasse over medical marijuana is for Chris Christie to follow the state Constitution in the best spirit of American federalism and show some true, human compassion. It is also long overdue for the NJ Legislature to stand up to the bully governor to protect the state’s most vulnerable residents by aggressively moving every option to implement the law.
Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions? [email protected]
3/16/2011 – A recent medical case-report highlights a striking association between inhaled Cannabis and anti-tumor effects in young adults with brain cancer. This gives scientists new evidence that the chemical compounds from the Cannabis plant (known as cannabinoids) may have significant anti-cancer effects in humans.
The 13 year-old patient showed up at the hospital suffering from increasing headaches, nausea, and vomiting. She had prolonged memory problems and began to deteriorate rapidly. An emergency MRI scan revealed a tumor mass in her brain. She underwent a craniotomy and most of the tumor mass was removed. Her doctors then followed the remaining tumor mass closely with subsequent MRI scans.
The authors note that this patient volunteered that she began smoking cannabis at age 14, after her diagnosis, and continued almost daily from age 16 up to 19 years of age. As they scanned her brain over time, the tumor mass became smaller with each checkup. According to the study, the tumor in the teenager had almost completely disappeared six years after the operation.
The paper states, “The regular use of Cannabis coincided with the time course of radiological tumor regression.” This patient received no further medication or medical treatment. The biggest variable in her remission seemed to be “Cannabis Inhalation.”
This was not a completely unique case. The 11 year-old patient in the same report arrived at the hospital with a history of headaches that gradually became worse and ultimately lead to nausea, vomiting and confusion. An MRI revealed a tumor mass and she underwent a craniotomy. A small remnant of the cancer was left behind, later confirmed by a follow up MRI. Over the next three years, the tumor would demonstrate the features of regression. Then, around the time the patient was 14, the tumor began to regress. Finally, six years post-surgery, the tumor remnant had nearly disappeared.
The authors write, “The only significant feature in the history was the consumption of Cannabis via inhalation, on average three times a week. This occurred in the last 3 years of follow up, namely between the ages of 14 and 17, and coincided with the time course of the regression of the residual tumor.”
Foroughi and his team suggest there may be plant synergy and recommend studying the whole Cannabis plant, “since any beneficial effect may not be caused by one compound, molecule, or cannabinoid alone.” This theory is supported by previous research; published evidence shows that cannabinoids have an enhanced anti-tumor activity when they are applied in combination.
The report concludes that “more research may be appropriate to investigate the therapeutic use of these substances” and goes on to say, “Such research will be difficult to achieve because Cannabis is illegal in many jurisdictions.”
There has never been a clinical trial studying the anti-cancer effects of smoked marijuana. However, there has been one clinical trial with pure Delta9-THC and brain cancer. Several patients in Spain were admitted to a study focused on the issue of safety of using cannabinoids in the clinic. The patients were administered Delta-9 THC by direct injection into the site of the tumor. A slight reduction in cancer proliferation was reported but the treatment did not cure any of the patients.
The authors write, “Cannabinoid delivery was safe and could be achieved without overt psychoactive effects.”
Since this was a pilot trial on the safety of injected THC, the most important point is that none of the patients died during the study and no serious adverse effects were reported. A review of the evidence can be read here and a follow-up study is being conducted in Spain.
Can marijuana contribute to the regression or remission of certain cancers? Given the slow progress of clinical trials for whole plant Cannabis, it can be frustrating waiting for years, even decades, trying to answer these vital questions. But for the two young women with brain cancer in Dr. Foroughi’s report, a shift to a cannabis lifestyle may have made a difference.
Jahan Marcu is currently investigating the pharmacology of cannabinoid receptors. He was working at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute when exciting discoveries were made showing enhanced anti-cancer effects with THC and CBD from the Cannabis plant. The findings were published in the Journal of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. In 2009 he received the Billy Martin Award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS). Jahan is currently the vice-chair the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board at Americans for Safe Access (ASA). Contact: science { at } freedomisgreen.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent any University, business or affiliates. While the information provided in this blog is from published scientific studies it is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.
Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of 
A research team based in Poland may have 
In fact, flax is now part of an ever-growing list of plants that can produce cannabinoids (See image of Phytocannabinoid Producers).
A similar misconception was also made by 
