Pot Shrinks Tumors; Government Knew in '74

Alternet
Raymond Cushing

In 1974 researchers learned that THC, the active chemical in marijuana, shrank or destroyed brain tumors in test mice. But the DEA quickly shut down the study and destroyed its results, which were never replicated -- until now.

The term medical marijuana took on dramatic new meaning in February, 2000 when researchers in Madrid announced they had destroyed incurable brain tumors in rats by injecting them with THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.

The Madrid study marks only the second time that THC has been administered to tumor-bearing animals; the first was a Virginia investigation 26 years ago. In both studies, the THC shrank or destroyed tumors in a majority of the test subjects.

Most Americans don't know anything about the Madrid discovery. Virtually no major U.S. newspapers carried the story, which ran only once on the AP and UPI news wires, on Feb. 29, 2000.

The ominous part is that this isn't the first time scientists have discovered that THC shrinks tumors. In 1974 researchers at the Medical College of Virginia, who had been funded by the National Institute of Health to find evidence that marijuana damages the immune system, found instead that THC slowed the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice -- lung and breast cancer, and a virus-induced leukemia.

The DEA quickly shut down the Virginia study and all further cannabis/tumor research, according to Jack Herer, who reports on the events in his book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes." In 1976 President Gerald Ford put an end to all public cannabis research and granted exclusive research rights to major pharmaceutical companies, who set out -- unsuccessfully -- to develop synthetic forms of THC that would deliver all the medical benefits without the "high."

The Madrid researchers reported in the March issue of "Nature Medicine" that they injected the brains of 45 rats with cancer cells, producing tumors whose presence they confirmed through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). On the 12th day they injected 15 of the rats with THC and 15 with Win-55,212-2 a synthetic compound similar to THC. "All the rats left untreated uniformly died 12-18 days after glioma (brain cancer) cell inoculation ... Cannabinoid (THC)-treated rats survived significantly longer than control rats. THC administration was ineffective in three rats, which died by days 16-18. Nine of the THC-treated rats surpassed the time of death of untreated rats, and survived up to 19-35 days. Moreover, the tumor was completely eradicated in three of the treated rats." The rats treated with Win-55,212-2 showed similar results.

The Spanish researchers, led by Dr. Manuel Guzman of Complutense University, also irrigated healthy rats' brains with large doses of THC for seven days, to test for harmful biochemical or neurological effects. They found none.

Colorado and Washington vote to become first US states to legalize marijuana

Russia Today



Marijuana is now legal in Colorado and Washington for recreational use, and possibly in Oregon as well.

While the decision in Colorado is historic, it was not without controversy: The measure won by a close six-point margin, 53% in favor to 47% opposed. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper was an ardent opponent to the legalizaiton of recreational marijuana use, and reacted to the decision in the following statement: “The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly.”

Proponents of the initiative argued that pot is safer than alcohol, and that the legal sale of marijuana could rake in $45 to 100 billion in tax revenue, according to Bloomberg. The government will also save an estimated $14 billion in cannabis-related costs in fighting the war on drugs.

Massachusetts and Arkansas have also passed ballot initiatives allowing use of marijuana for medical purposes. These are two of the six states debating medical marijuana laws in 2012, a concept already accepted in around a third of US states. In California, a state often seen at the vanguard of the medical marijuana movement, there are more than 1,000 pot dispensaries in operation. It is also estimated that there are more facilities that sell medical marijuana in Colorado than there are Starbucks coffeehouses.

While nearly two-thirds of US states support some form of cannabis legalization and taxation, there still some obstacles to overcome before pot advocates can fully celebrate. Pot is still illegal at the federal level. It is widely believed that after the first state moves towards legalization for recreational marijuana use, a fight with federal law enforcement will ensue. Now that that gauntlet has been thrown down, all eyes turn to US Attorney General Eric Holder to see how the Obama administration will proceed. It remains to be seen how the controversial war on drugs will play out in areas where state and federal laws are in conflict.

NJWeedman found not guilty in pot distribution case

Philly Burbs
Danielle Camilli

Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion hopes the not-guilty verdict a Burlington County jury rendered in his pot distribution trial plants a seed for other medical marijuana patients and sparks a change in the law.

“I think other patients should argue the same points. They can call it the ‘Weedman defense,’ ” he said after a jury of 10 women and two men returned the verdict Thursday following an hourlong deliberation that ended the three-day trial. “The law is wrong. My jury heard that and understood that.”

Forchion, who claims dual residency in Pemberton Township and Los Angeles, was acquitted of possession with the intent to distribute a pound of marijuana that police found in his trunk during a traffic stop on April 1, 2010, in Mount Holly.

The state contended that the sheer volume in Forchion’s possession and the $2,000 in cash he had in his pocket at the time of his arrest were tell-tale signs of distribution, despite the absence of other packaging paraphernalia.

Forchion has maintained that he is no drug dealer. He brought the marijuana from California, where he is a licensed medical marijuana patient, for his own use while on a trip to New Jersey to visit his family, he claimed.

“I don’t use it the way the state says. To me, it’s medicine, it’s food,” Forchion said in his closing argument, noting for the jury that he had been eating pot-laced cookies throughout the trial. “I feel I’m the victim of a flawed law.”

Forchion is believed to be the first defendant in New Jersey to be allowed to present his use of medical marijuana as a defense in a criminal trial, garnering his case attention statewide and beyond as the legalization debate continues.

While he was not allowed to discuss the New Jersey law, which was not in effect when he was arrested nor would it now allow him to legally possess the drug here, Forchion was able to tell the jury that he is a licensed medical marijuana user in California.

At an earlier trial last spring, he was convicted of possession, but that jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the more serious distribution charge, leading to this week’s retrial.

Superior Court Judge Charles Delehey, who presided over both trials, will sentence Forchion in January for possession. The defendant could get up to 18 months in prison, but he likely will get a probationary term.

The longtime activist and author used his criminal case, with the potential exposure of five to 10 years in prison, to rally his cause and start debate.

In pretrial motions, which were subsequently barred from being argued before the jury, Forchion challenged the constitutionality of the state’s criminal code now that New Jersey has a Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana law that recognizes the benefits of cannabis.

He said Thursday he looks forward to the state Appellate Division reviewing that motion when he appeals the possession conviction.

Forchion, who represented himself with the help of court-appointed attorney Donald Ackerman, counted on having a few “potheads” or sympathizers on his jury to keep him out of prison. He said that he thought he was in for another deadlocked jury and that the not-guilty verdict came as a surprise.

“I expected to get one juror, but I got 12,” he said. “I didn’t expect it, and I am very grateful. I think the jury sent a huge message to the state, the governor and the Prosecutor’s Office. People don’t want marijuana users hauled into court and locked up in jail.”

Forchion, who wore a “Marijuana … It’s OK. It’s Just Illegal” T-shirt for his final day of trial, said he plans to stay in New Jersey for about a week to campaign for Congress in New Jersey’s 3rd District.

NJWeedman’s case highlighted the differences in the state’s medical marijuana laws and the national debate over legalization. While Forchion was charged here and faced prison time, in California he ran a successful medical marijuana dispensary.

It was closed when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided it as he awaited trial, effectively putting him out of business even though he was not charged with a crime. Forchion said Thursday that once news of his acquittal reached DEA agents in Los Angeles, he received a call that he could pick up some of his seized business equipment.

Oaksterdam University Raid 'Payback' For California's Marijuana Legalization Effort?

LA Weekly
Dennis Romero

The man who bankrolled California's closest shot yet at fully legalizing marijuana, Prop. 19, saw his Oaksterdam University cannabis college in Oakland raided by federal authorities yesterday.
And pot advocates are fuming.

The Drug Policy Alliance suggests the raid by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service might have served one possible goal:


"Payback" for the 2010 legalization effort that failed but made a good try of it. The ballot effort was backed by Richard Lee, the millionaire owner of Oaksterdam.

During the campaign surrounding the initiative, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that even if it passed, feds would still crack down on what they consider to be a nationally outlawed drug.




Federal officials raided the school, which focuses on the business of cultivating and peddling medical marijuana, via a search warrant that remained sealed. That means we don't get to know why the bust took place or what allegations were being claimed.

Also, our sister publication, SF Weekly, reported that other locations tied to the Oaksterdam might also be targeted by the feds.

L.A. has a branch of the school in Atwater Village. (Read more about the L.A. campus here).
Drug Policy Alliance executive director Ethan Nadelmann:

I don't know whether this morning's raid represents some form of 'payback' for Prop 19. But I suspect and hope that the principal impact of such heavy-handed police actions by federal authorities will be to increase support for the broader legalization of marijuana, especially among Republicans and conservatives who care strongly about states' rights.

He called out the Obama administration for, on the one hand, asking federal law enforcement to show restraint in states where medical marijuana is legal and, on the other, standing by as these raids seem to happen with increasing frequency:

... The current situation reflects a failure of leadership by President Obama, Attorney General Holder and the U.S. Congress.

Interviews at the time of the raid conducted by Dennis Bernstein for Flashpoint Pacifica Radio




[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

Arizona Governor's Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Dismissed

StopTheDrugWar
Philip Smith

A federal judge Wednesday threw out a lawsuit filed on behalf of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) that had blocked the implementation of the state's voter-approved medical marijuana dispensary program. Brewer and state health officials had sued to ask the court for clarification about whether the state's medical marijuana law was preempted by federal drug laws, saying they feared going forward would put state employees at risk of federal prosecution.

But US District Court Judge Susan Bolton dismissed the lawsuit, saying the state had not shown that federal prosecutors there had threatened to prosecute state or local employees for following the law, nor had it shown that any harm would come absent a ruling from the court.

"Plaintiffs do not challenge any specific action taken by any defendant," Bolton wrote. "Plaintiffs also do not describe any actions by state employees that were in violation of (the Controlled Substances Act) or any threat of prosecution for any reason by federal officials. These issues, as presented, are not appropriate for judicial review."

Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson told the Arizona Republic the governor was consulting with Attorney General Tom Horne before deciding whether to appeal. He also criticized the decision.

"What this court has essentially said is that it won't hear the state's lawsuit unless and until a state employee faces federal prosecution for enforcing Proposition 203," Benson said. "The federal court has essentially punted on the issue."

The ruling came in response to a motion to dismiss filed by the ACLU, which welcomed the decision and called on Brewer to quit being an obstacle.

“It is unconscionable for Gov. Brewer to continue to force very sick people to needlessly suffer by stripping them of the legal avenue through which to obtain their vital medicine," said Ezekiel Edwards, director of the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project. "Today's ruling underscores the need for state officials to stop playing politics and implement the law as approved by a majority of Arizona voters so that thousands of patients can access the medicine their doctors believe is most effective for them."

Under Arizona's medical marijuana law, passed in 2010, patients registered with the state are supposed to be able to obtain medical marijuana from tightly-regulated dispensaries, but that hasn't happened yet. Now, one more hurdle has been removed.

Phoenix, AZ

United States