'Cannabis' medicine may help children with epilepsy - initial trials on Dravet Syndrome

Children with severe epilepsy could be helped by a new treatment derived from the cannabis plant.

The medicine does not contain the ingredient that produces the high associated with recreational cannabis.
The treatment, called Epidiolex, is based on one of the non-psychoactive components of the cannabis plant, CBD.

 
 The medicine does not contain the ingredient that produces the high associated with recreational cannabis

Early studies in the US have shown treatment with CBD may reduce the frequency and severity of seizures in children with severe forms of epilepsy.

The new trial marks the first time the treatment has been tested in the UK.

Patients are being enrolled for a trial of the treatment at Edinburgh University's Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre, based at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow and Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool are also driving the study.

There are further centres in the US, France and Poland.

Rare type
 
Their initial focus will be on children with Dravet Syndrome, a rare but serious type of epilepsy that is difficult to treat. Some children will receive the treatment while others will receive a placebo.

Continue reading: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-30496780

Spaniards say yes to Medical cannabis legalisation

MORE than half of the Spanish population is in favour of legalising cannabis consumption, says study.
The investigation, carried out by the Foundation for Aid against Drug Addiction (FAD) revealed that a 52 per cent of Spaniards is supportive of cannabis consumption amongst adults.

Through 1,456 interviews, the foundation has been able to determine that Spanish citizens treat cannabis in a different way than other illegal drugs. In fact, only a 20 per cent of the interviewees supported the legal consumption of cocaine.

 
 Spainards are in favour of medical cannabis

This report was conducted previously in 1999 and 2004. The comparison of data reveals that Spanish population is now more open to cannabis commercialisation than ever before.

“There has been a development around the image of this drug, which could have contributed to an increase of a more cannabis-friendly population,” says the report.

Spaniards still think that drug use is hazardous and placed heroin and cocaine as the most dangerous ones. The report revealed that many citizens link the ruse of substances with the pursuit of new experiences and curiosity but also with personal, social or family problems.

Finally, a 61 per cent of interviewees were in favour of anti-tobacco laws and 15 per cent said these laws should be made stricter. 

https://www.euroweeklynews.com/news/spanish-news/item/124431-spaniards-say-yes-to-cannabis-legalisation

Medical cannabis call rejected by Jersey States

States members have voted down three requests from chronically ill islanders to have cannabis-related products for medicinal use.

They were named in separate propositions requesting permits for Sativex, Bedrocan BV and cannabis.
Health minister Andrew Green said Sativex was already available on private prescription.

He said his power to grant such permits was not intended for medicinal cannabis use.
Jersey's drugs laws allow the health minister to issue licences for the possession of cannabis for "special purposes".

 
Evelyn Volante wanted the right to possess cannabis for medicinal purposes
 
Deputy Montfort Tadier lodged three propositions naming chronically ill islanders Evelyn Volante (pictured), Ann Hill and Katie Le Texier.

• Cannabis - Evelyn Volante, who has severe digestive problems, wanted a permit to make it legal for her to possess the Class B substance cannabis for pain relief
• Sativex - Ann Hill, a multiple sclerosis patient, asked to be prescribed and supplied with Sativex - a legal, cannabis-based medication - and for the drug to be made more widely available in Jersey
• Bedrocan BV - Katie Le Texier, who has fibromyalgia, wanted a permit that would allow her to be prescribed Bedrocan BV, which is cannabis legally grown in medical-grade conditions in the Netherlands

Senator Green said his power to grant cannabis permits was identical to little-used powers available in the mainland.

UK authorities have only granted such permits for industrial hemp production, he said.

"It is unlikely that 'special purpose' was ever intended to cover medicinal use," said Senator Green.
"While the law allows for the minister for health and social services to issue a licence for research and special purposes it does not provide for the minister to step into the shoes of a doctor and, in effect, take clinical decisions in respect of an individual case."

Regarding Sativex, Senator Green said because it was already available privately Ms Hill was essentially asking the States to pay for the drug, which had already been refused on cost grounds.

He said Sativex would cost up to £5,000 per year per patient.

Deputy Tadier said: "We did not succeed but we will keep fighting."

http://www.gov.je/Pages/default.aspx

Cheeky police ask cannabis farmers come forward

Police have appealed for the owners of a large cannabis farm to come forward - in a cheeky social media sting. 

 

The official Edinburgh Police twitter account put out a post this morning advising anyone who had lost their cannabis farm to contact officers, as it had been found.

The post from @EdinburghPolice said: “Any1 lost a 33k cannabis cultivation in Edinburgh? Don’t panic, we found it. Please come collect.”

It was accompanied by a picture of an officer in a crime-scene outfit packing bags with cannabis plants, and was quickly retweeted dozens of times.

Continue reading: http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/cheeky-police-ask-cannabis-farmers-come-forward-1-3629207

Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband MP lied on youtube over medical cannabis!

Ed Miliband yesterday said he had never taken illegal drugs – but added that he had ‘read about’ the effects of cannabis.

 

 Mr Miliband said he is opposed to decriminalisation of drugs warning it sends out a'dangerous' message to young people

ADMIN: IF HE HAD READ THE EFFECT THAT MEDICAL CANNABIS HAD ON PATIENTS HE WOULD BE THROWing HIS WEIGHT BEHIND THIS CAMPAIGN!

The Labour leader said he was opposed to the decriminalisation of drugs, including cannabis, warning it would send out a dangerous message to young people.

Mr Miliband was asked about his attitude towards drugs during an online question and answer Leaders Live discussion with young people, produced by Bite the Ballot with ITV News.

Asked whether he had ever experimented with drugs, he said: ‘I have not taken drugs… but I have read about it.’

Continue reading: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2866249/I-don-t-drugs-read-says-Labour-leader-Ed.html

Mr Miliband said Government should ‘always be looking at the way we discourage young people from taking drugs.’

He went on: ‘I’m not in favour of decriminalisation of, for example, cannabis. 

'I think there are mental effects of cannabis that people maybe didn’t realise a decade ago.’

An Israeli crop developer aims at maximizing medical cannabis benefits while reducing its high

Two Israeli companies that have been working to improve medical marijuana have submitted applications for the approval of two new cannabis strains genetically bred to manage medical conditions more effectively than those current available.



 
 Israel is one of about a dozen countries and US states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and one of the few where growing cannabis for use in medical treatment is legal. Under rules adopted last year, patients who want to use marijuana to relieve chronic pain or treat other conditions (such as psychosis) apply to one of 31 authorized doctors for a prescription, which is dispensed at authorized pharmacies.

There are eight licensed growers in Israel, one of which is a company called Seach Ltd. Seach has teamed up with an Israeli software developer called BreedIT, which has devised a technique to help breeders modify crops to emphasize specific traits. The new joint development project, formed in August, is called KanaboSeed.

The BreedIT system is based in part by research conducted by Professors Haim Rabinowitch and Nachum Kedar of Hebrew University, most famous for their work in developing popular strains of cherry tomatoes and perfecting long-life tomatoes that contain a ripening inhibitor gene to guarantee a longer shelf life.

The new technology, according to BreedIT CEO Dr. Oded Sagee, is essential to the development of the medical marijuana industry – which Sagee believes is set for a major worldwide expansion. “We decided to develop an organized breeding program to assist breeders to develop new breeds of cannabis,” Sagee said in an interview earlier this year. Currently, he said, the available strains are not optimized for medical use. “We believe that with our knowledge and background we will be able to develop new breeds that will be more effective,” he added.

Sagee, along with the other researchers working in the nascent medical marijuana business, is hoping to develop strains of cannabis that have improved CBD-to-THC ratios. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, and is the component of cannabis that most interests casual users of cannabis; the more THC, the better the high. Those who use marijuana to relieve chronic pain also seek strains with higher levels of THC than CBD; those strains are more effective at masking pain.

Continue reading: http://www.timesofisrael.com/designer-strains-of-cannabis-could-cure-more-ills/

Public Health Department is recommending more than $7 million in grant money for eight studies centered on research into both the safety of medical cannabis

Colorado state’s Public Health Department is recommending more than $7 million in grant money for eight studies centered on research into both the safety of cannabis and the possibilities for its use as a treatment for symptoms of various ailments and diseases.

Some of the research seems to be based around promising earlier work done outside the United States. A 2004 survey at the Prague Movement Disorder Center indicated that more that half of Parkinson’s Disease patients who tried cannabis noticed subjective improvement. Israeli researchers in 2013 presented an observational study of 17 Parkinson’s patients that showed a 30 percent increase in their average Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale. So “A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebocontrolled Crossover Study of Tolerability and Efficacy of Cannabidiol (CBD) on Tremor in Parkinson’s Disease” sounds really promising in finding out whether those results were subjective or not.

 
Medical cannabis - So bring on the research. Bring on the studies. But for goodness sakes, lay off the hyperbole.

Another, “Cannabidiol (CBD) and Pediatric Epilepsy,” might share some insight into why CBD, one of the most active cannabinoids, eases symptoms of certain forms of epilepsy in children. This is a subject of interest to a growing number of Americans, especially after the Sanjay Gupta CNN medical marijuana documentaries last year and work done by Israeli scientists. Subjective evidence indicates there is definitely something happening, enough so that parents are moving to Colorado to gain access to a particular CBD strain. A scientific study might shed light on why it’s happening.

Some research has suggested a connection between the endocannabinoid system and how the brain processes traumatic memories. So “Treating PTSD with Marijuana: Clinical and Functional Outcomes” and “A Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Cross Study Comparing the Analgesic Efficacy of Cannabis versus Oxycodone” aim right at the heart of a serious debate about whether cannabis might be effective in treating symptoms of post traumatic stress syndrome in our veterans, who are sometimes treated with narcotic drugs, which puts them at risk for opioid abuse and other side effects.

Read More: http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-13740-finally-some-cannabi.html

Investors flock for Australia's 'George Clooney of medicinal cannabis' company

Australia's first initial public offering in a medicinal marijuana company is three times oversubscribed, giving high hopes to its founder's ambitions to become "the George Clooney of medicinal cannabis".

Perth-based Phytotech, due to list on the Australian Securities Exchange on December 22, is seeking to raise $5 million. Founder and executive director Ross Smith said investors - some from as far afield as Russia and the United States - have already asked for shares worth $15 million.

"South of the equator there's nothing available in the medicinal cannabis sphere," Smith told Reuters by telephone. "We're going to close it early because it's so massively oversubscribed."

 

Smith set up Phytotech in August to sell medicinal marijuana and develop a disposable device to inhale the drug. He envisions any advertising for the products to run along the lines of the ads for Nestle Nespresso coffee machines that feature Clooney.

"I'd be on the shore of Lake Como, puffing away and two beautiful women would come up and say, 'Is that a Phytotech?' and I'd say 'Why, yes'," Smith said with a laugh.

According to the IPO prospectus filed with the stock market regulator, Phytotech plans to grow medicinal grade marijuana in Israel, the only country that allows exports of the drug, for sale in the United States, Canada and Europe.

"South of the equator there's nothing available in the medicinal cannabis sphere," Phytotech founder Ross Smith.

It is also positioning itself for possible changes in Australia, where the cultivation and sale of cannabis are banned. There are trials to grow medical cannabis in a couple of states and legislation to allow its sale is before parliament.
 

continue reading: http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/investors-flock-for-australias-george-clooney-of-medicinal-cannabis-company-20141204-11zr60.html#ixzz3KwyLca3Z

Victory for medical cannabis in Uruguay's as new President commits to legalising cannabis

Leftwing Tabaré Vázquez won clear victory in Sunday’s presidential poll, and will stand by legislation to introduce world’s first state-run marijuana marketplace

 The overwhelming victory of a leftwing candidate in Uruguay’s presidential runoff vote this weekend means that the tiny South American country will move ahead with its plan to create the world’s first state-run marijuana marketplace.

But Tabaré Vázquez has made it very clear he has concerns about the marijuana law passed by his predecessor, José “Pepe” Mujica, the popular president from his own Frente Amplio (Broad Front) progressive party, whom he will succeed in March.

 
 “There’s going to be a strict and close evaluation of the effect on society of this law,” Vázquez warned during his electoral campaign. Although the president-elect has said he will stand by legalization, his attitude to marijuana is ambivalent.

An oncologist by profession, Vázquez, 74, made health issues one of the main concerns during his previous presidential term between 2005 and 2010, and has declared himself worried over the health implications of marijuana sales. “First of all, you shouldn’t consume drugs,” he said in a recent television interview in which he described the law as primarily an “experiment”.

Continue reading: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/01/uruguay-vazquez-legal-marijuana?CMP=twt_gu

man who grew medical cannabis to stop headaches spared jail

A MAN who was found to be growing 53 cannabis plants after neighbours alerted police to the smell has avoided a prison sentence.

James Webber, 32, from Hullbridge Road, South Woodham Ferrers, pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court to the production of the illegal plants in the loft and kitchen at his home.
 
 The court heard how Webber, an engineer who studied the building of timber-framed structures at university, had begun using the drug after medication he was using for "serious headaches" led to insomnia.

"He had been suffering from a head condition," said Howard Godfrey QC, representing Webber. "He was consuming a considerable amount of medication and they had some side effects meaning that he has not been able to sleep for years.

"He knows now that he has got to stop. This isn't going to happen again."

Continue reading http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Man-grew-cannabis-stop-headaches-spared-jail/story-24736110-detail/story.html#ixzz3KjEq8MiN