Betreff: ACM-Mitteilungen Datum: Mon, 14 Jul 97 22:49 +0100 Von: ACMed@t-online.de (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Cannabis als Medizin) ------------------------------------------ ACM-Mitteilungen vom 14.7.1997 ------------------------------------------ In den ACM-Mitteilungen wollen wir zu medizinischen Aspekten von Cannabis informieren. Die Informationen stammen aus verschiedenen (deutschsprachigen und englischsprachigen) Quellen. Wir können diese nicht immer auf ihren vollständigen Wahrheitsgehalt überprüfen. ACM Arbeitsgemeinschaft Cannabis als Medizin (Alliance for Cannabis as Medicine) Maybachstr. 14 D-50670 Köln Germany Fon: +49 (0)221-912 30 33 Fax: +49 (0)221-130 05 91 Email: ACMed@t-online.de Internet: http://www.hanfnet.de/acm ------------------------------------------- Cannabis als Medizin - Cannabis as Medicine ------------------------------------------- Legalise cannabis for medical uses - British doctors July 3, 1997 LONDON, Reuters [WS] via Individual Inc. : British doctors voted almost unanimously on Wednesday in favour of calling for the use of cannabis to be legalised to help in the treatment of serious conditions like multiple sclerosis and cancer. More than 400 doctors at a British Medical Association (BMA) conference in Edinburgh heard colleagues describe how some desperate patients ended up in prison for buying illegal cannabis, a BMA spokeswoman said by telephone. The motion was proposed by Dr Upendra Pati from Merseyside in northwest England, who told the conference that certain cannabinoids offered valuable help for sufferers of many painful conditions. ``We don't want our patients to use unlicensed cannabinoids that could be dangerous,'' the spokeswoman quoted Pati as telling the conference. Other doctors said hundreds of patients were turning to illegal drug dealers to get hold of the only treatment they knew would relieve their suffering. "When patients are in pain we should be there to give them relief. When they are sick and dying, they should be able to turn to the doctor, not to the drug dealer," said medical academic Steve Hajioff. British doctors are currently permitted to prescribe just two cannabis derivatives and only for the treatment of nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. These drugs can be prescribed only in hospitals. The BMA spokeswoman said there were many different cannabinoids which relieved the symptoms of conditions such as asthma, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. The association stressed it was not interested in decriminalising cannabis for general public use. It was preparing a detailed report into the possible medical uses of cannabis which would be published later this year, the spokeswoman said. Legalisation of more forms of cannabis would help doctors study its effects, both beneficial and harmful, she added. Doctors have little idea of its dangers, although studies in the United States have linked it to some forms of cancer. The drug was first reported as having medicinal qualities 5,000 years ago by Chinese emperor Chen Nung, who advocated its use against malaria, constipation and absent-mindedness. Doctors in Britain were banned from prescribing most forms of cannabis in 1971 after the World Health Organisation ruled there were other licensed drugs that could take its place. A spokeswoman for Britain's Health Ministry said the government would look at any new evidence of the medical benefits of cannabis, but these would have to be weighed against its side-effects. "There is evidence in some cases that prolonged use of cannabis can give rise to acute and transient psychotic disorders," she said. "Obviously it (legalisation) is something that would have to be looked at very carefully before making any decision." [Copyright 1997, Reuters] Cannabis-derived drug to be tested on MS patients Scotland On Sunday (Edinburgh, UK), July 6, 1997 The first Scottish trials of a cannabis-derived drug to treat MS patients could start in the next 6 months. [Dabei handelt es sich offenbar um THC (ACM)] The news will be welcomed by thousands of people who suffer from the debilitating disease north of the border. Scotland has the highest incidence in the UK of MS, a progressive disease of the nervous system. Around one in 800 people are affected. Just last week the British Medical Association called for the legalisation of such drugs for medicinal use to stop patients being forced to obtain illegal supplies from drug dealers to treat illnesses such as MS. A number of people claiming a medical defence have been sent to prison for breaking the law. Only one cannabis derivative is so far licensed in the UK and its use is restricted to the treatment in hospital of cancer patients. Professor Roger Pertwee, reader in biomedical sciences at Aberdeen University, is currently finalising details of the trial and is seeking funding for this year-long research. The move follows a survey on the use of cannabis by MS sufferers in the UK and US which showed that the drug relieved muscle stiffness and pain. Around 80 patients will take part in a trial which will involve a cannabis-related compound called THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, which is licensed in America to treat cancer and AIDS patients. Pertwee believes that a single compound will prove to be more effective than taking cannabis itself, as the majority of the psycho-active substances found in the drug are unlikely to be benificial to patients. He expects the trial to begin in the next 6 to 9 months. Pertwee, who has been researching cannabis and related compounds (known as cannabinoids) for 30 years, will put forward the arguements for using cannabis-based drugs at a conference in London this week organised by the MS Society and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. "Some drugs used to treat MS are not very effective for all patients or may give them very unpleasant side effects," he said. "For that group of patients, cannabinoids might help." Pertwee expressed concern that people were currently resorting to buying cannabis on the street and said he would prefer them to take the drug under medical supervision until trials had been carried out as there was a risk that cannabis could bring on a heart attack in people with cardiac problems, or schizophrenia in those generally predisposed to the condition. People with asthma and glaucoma could also benifit from treatment with cannabinoids, he said. The MS Society is keen to see properly controlled clinical trials of any potential treatment involving substances derived from cannabis. Beginn der Anorexie/Kachexie-Studie verschoben Der Beginn der unter der Leitung von PD. Dr. Robert Gorter vom Institut für onkologische und immunologische Forschung in Berlin geplanten Studie mußte erneut verschoben werden. Geplanter Start der Studie ist nun der Oktober 1997. Insgesamt 720 Patienten - je 360 für die AIDS- und die Krebs-Studie - sollen während einer sechsmonatigen Rekrutierungsphase in die Studie aufgenommen werden. Wichtigstes Einschlußkriterium ist ein Gewichtsverlust von mehr als 5% des Normalgewichts in der vergangenen 6 Monaten, so daß der Patient nach Ansicht des jeweiligen Untersuchers Kandidat für eine Stimulation des Appetits ist. Während einer achtwöchigen Behandlungsphase werden die Patienten randomisiert und doppelblind mit 2x1 Kapsel von je 2,5 mg THC als synthetisches THC oder Cannabisextrakt (Cannador) bzw. mit Placebo-Kapseln behandelt und, neben der Beobachtung ihres Gewichtsverhaltens, aufgefordert, auf visuellen Analog-Skalen Appetit, Übelkeit und Stimmungslage zu protokollieren. An der Aids-Studie nehmen medizinische Einrichtungen aus Deutschland, Holland und Spanien teil (Berlin, Essen, Bremen, Hamburg, Münster, Hannover, Köln, Bonn, München, Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Barcelona), an der Krebs-Studie Einrichtungen aus Deutschland, Holland, der Schweiz und Östrreich (Kiel, Köln, Bonn, Nürnberg, München, Berlin, Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Wien, Bern). -------------------------------------------------------------- Verschiedenes - Miscellaneous -------------------------------------------------------------- aus der Sueddeutschen Zeitung vom 23.6.1997 Auch Haschraucher koennen Auto fahren Der Bayerische Verwaltungsgerichtshof urteilt in letzter Instanz: Cannabis darf nicht automatisch Fuehrerschein-Verlust zur Folge haben Menschen, die im Rahmen von Strafermittlungen in den Verdacht geraten sind, gewohnheitsmaessig Haschisch zu rauchen, bekommen immer haeufiger zusaetzlichen Aerger mit ihren Fuehrerscheinstellen. Denn die Ordnungsbehoerden bezweifeln inzwischen fast routinemaessig, dass Cannabiskonsumenten noch ordentlich Auto fahren koennen. Der Bayerische Verwaltungsgerichtshof hat diesen Automatismus nun gebremst. Der Fall war typisch: Eine Frau, Sozialhilfeempfängerin, hatte in einem Polizeiverhoer eingeraeumt, zwar niemals Haschisch erworben, Joints aber gelegentlich geraucht zu haben. Obwohl die Staatsanwaltschaft die Ermittlungen einstellte, las die Ordnungsbehoerde spaeter aus den Akten den ,,dringenden Verdacht" heraus, daß Frau ... gewohnheitsmaessig Haschisch konsumiere. Schlussfolgerung der Beamten: ,,Es bestehen erhebliche Bedenken gegen ihre Fahreignung." Die Frau wurde deshalb aufgefordert, ein fachaerztliches Fahreignungsgutachten plus Urin- und Haaranalyse vorzulegen. Als die Beschuldigte aber zunaechst nur eine Urinprobe anbot und spaeter auch diese zurueckzog, wurde ihr Fuehrerschein mit sofortigem Vollzug eingezogen. Der Widerspruch dagegen hatte ebenso wenig Erfolg wie das Verwaltungsgerichtsverfahren in erster Instanz. Die Klaegerin gehoerte in den Augen der Richter nicht mehr zu den ,,Probiererinnen". Und aus dem Umstand, daß sie weder Arbeitslosengeld noch -hilfe, sondern ,,laufend Hilfe zum Lebensunterhalt" bekomme, schlossen sie gar auf eine moegliche Drogenproblematik. In der Berufungsverhandlung vor dem Bayerischen Verwaltungsgerichtshof (VGH) kam es dann aber ganz anders. Der 11. Senat unter dem Vorsitzenden Richter Elmar Festl gelangte zu der Auffassung, dass selbst zugestandene oder nachgewiesene Regel- oder Gewohnheitsmaessigkeit des Cannabiskonsums fuer sich allein nicht schon geeignet ist, berechtigte Zweifel an der Kraftfahreignung zu begruenden". Das Gericht konnte auch aus dem verkehrsmedizinischen Gutachten "Krankheit und Kraftverkehr" von 1996, das die allgemein anerkannte Richtlinie zur Begutachtung darstellt, nicht herauslesen, dass dauernder Cannabiskonsum quasi automatisch die fehlende Faehigkeit des Konsumenten indiziere, seinen Haschgenuss und das Autofahren zu trennen. Auch die in dem vorangegangenen Gutachten von 1985 noch angenommene Moeglichkeit, daß Haschraeusche selbst Tage spaeter urploetzlich wieder aufflammen koennten - Wissenschaftler nannten das ,,flash-back" oder ,"Echo-Rausch" - werde in der Neuauflage nicht mehr erwaehnt. Es gebe also keine hinreichenden Erkenntnisse dafuer, dass bei regel- oder gewohnheitsmaessiger Cannabiseinnahme die koerperlich-geistige Leistungsfaehigkeit eines Kraftfahrers staendig unter das erforderliche Mass herabgesetzt waere. Die Begutachtung einer Person sei aus Sicht der Ordnungsbehoerden also nur dann angebracht, wenn sich der Verdacht auf unkontrollierte Konsumgewohnheiten beziehungsweise Drogenfahrten aus den Strafakten oder sonstigen Unterlagen konkretisieren lasse. Es sei auch rechtlich bedenklich, wenn Behoerden ohne konkreten Hinweis auf das Trennvermoegen" vom Konsumenten durch medizinische Untersuchungen Aufklaerung darueber verlangen ob sein Konsum als regel- oder gewohnheitsmaessig angesehen werden muesse. (Aktenzeichen: 11 B 96.2359.) Ekkehard Mueller-Jentsch Sueddeutsche Zeitung 23.6.1997 July 3, 1997 NORML Responds To Recent Marijuana And Brain Studies Rat Studies Must Not Overshadow Decades Of Epidemiological Human Research That Fails To Demonstrate That Marijuana Has The Kind Of Serious Dependence Liability Of Heroin, Alcohol, Or Tobacco July 3, 1997, Washington, D.C., 1997: Recent studies performed on rats lend little support to the notion that marijuana may act as a "gateway" to harder drugs in humans, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) announced today. Two independent studies reported in this month's edition of Science Magazine revealed that marijuana-like synthetic agents induced chemical changes in the brains of rats that are commonly associated with drugs of dependence. The first study, conducted by a team of researchers in Italy, demonstrated that THC -- one of the active ingredient in marijuana -- stimulated the release of a neurochemical called dopamine in the so-called "reward pathways" of the brain. The second study indicated that rats suffered effects of mild withdrawal from the chemical HU-210, a potent substance that mimics the effects of marijuana, when administered a blocking agent directly in the brain. Some scientists speculate that the findings from these two studies, when examined together, show that marijuana manipulates the brain's stress and reward systems the same way as more potent drugs. While NORML does not question the actual science of these latest studies, the organization sharply criticizes the "real-world application" of their findings. "Many substances have some dependence liability, including legal ones like chocolate, sugar, and caffeine, and illegal ones, such as cocaine and heroin," NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup explained. "The issue is not whether or not marijuana has any dependence liability, but its relative dependence liability compared to other drugs. This research further supports, rather than challenges, the assertion that marijuana does not have sufficient abuse potential for Schedule I status because it explains the neurological basis the mild withdrawal symptoms that occasionally occur and emphasizes the chronic levels of use necessary to induce them. "Furthermore, these two studies must not overshadow the decades of epidemiological research that fails to demonstrate that marijuana has the kind of serious dependence liability of heroin, alcohol, or nicotine, or that it leads to the use of other drugs. Even if this rat research is replicated, it is a large leap to suggest that it proves that marijuana is either a drug of dependence or a "stepping-stone" to harder drugs, two assertions which have not been convincingly demonstrated either clinically or epidemiologically after decades of research. The limitations of these studies are suggested by the fact that it is possible to demonstrate the reinforcing properties of opiates and cocaine with rats by self-administration studies. Animals will not, under any circumstance, self-administer THC. "Lastly, NORML reaffirms that there are no conclusions drawn from these studies that in any way support the government's current policy of arresting and jailing otherwise law-abiding citizens who smoke marijuana. Marijuana has never demonstrated the criteria necessary to mandate its Schedule I prohibited status and that remains unchanged." SWITZERLAND Switzerland occupies the first place in the list of narcotics consumers. "1994/1997: Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs in Switzerland", the report issued by the Ministry of Health, shows data, facts and trends. Tobacco addicts are 1 million people, 300,000 alcoholics and 30,000 drug-addicts. (DIE PRESSE 26/06, NEUE ZUERCHER ZEITUNG 27/06) SWITZERLAND The Federal Governement drug-policy goes against the popular initiative called "youths without drugs". The government proposes: prevention, therapies, harm reduction, and repression. The Minister of Internal Affairs warned against the miraculous solution presented by the popular initiative. The chief of the national policy favors the repression of the trade and not the war against drug-addicts. (NEUE ZUERCHER ZEITUNG 03/07) SWITZERLAND The coordination for the cannabis market denounces that besides the production of legal derivatives of cannabis, Swiss buy 100 tons of hashish from the black market, this provokes a loss of 1,000 jobs and some 500 million Swiss Francs of tax elusion. (NEUE ZUERCHER ZEITUNG 03/07)