Source: @norml
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Mon, 26 Jul 2013 04:20:21 PST
New Hampshire Becomes 19th State To Legalize Medical Use Of Marijuana
Concord, NH: Governor Maggie Hassan has signed legislation, House Bill 573, into law making New Hampshire the 19th state to authorize the physician-recommended use of cannabis for qualified patients.
Stated Hassan: "HB 573 legalizes the use of medical marijuana in a way that makes sense for the State of New Hampshire and gives health providers another option to help New Hampshire's seriously ill patients. ... By providing strong regulatory oversight and clear dispensing guidelines, this bill addresses many of the concerns that were expressed throughout the legislative process.
The new law creates four state-sanctioned dispensing facilities to produce and distribute cannabis to state-qualified patients who possess a doctor's recommendation. Patients must have a preexisting relationship of at least three months with their physician prior to receiving a recommendation for cannabis therapy. Patients diagnosed with one of approximately twenty qualifying conditions - including cancer, hepatitis C, muscular dystrophy, Crohn's disease, or multiple sclerosis - will be permitted to legally possess up to two-ounces of cannabis. Under the law, patients must obtain cannabis only from a state-licensed facility. Qualified patients will not be provided with any legal protections to possess or use cannabis prior to the establishment of such facilities.
It has been estimated that it may take state regulators up to two years to get the nascent program up and running.
As originally passed by the House, the measure allowed qualified patients the option to grow their own cannabis. It also allowed physicians to recommend cannabis for the treatment of post-traumatic stress. Both provisions were stripped from the bill by the Senate at the request of the Governor.
Study: Marijuana Smoking Not Linked With Liver Disease Progression In Hep C Patients
Montreal, Canada: Marijuana smoking is not associated with the promotion of liver disease in subjects infected with both hepatitis C and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to data published online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
A team of investigators from McGill University in Montreal and the University of Toronto assessed the impact of marijuana smoking on liver disease progression longitudinally in a cohort of nearly 700 subjects with HIV and the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Study participants at baseline reported having previously used cannabis, on average, some seven times per week, with 40 percent of subjects acknowledging having consumed cannabis daily. Participants were monitored over a median period of 32 months.
Investigators reported, "In this prospective analysis we found no evidence for an association between marijuana smoking and significant liver fibrosis progression in HIV/HCV coinfection." Authors speculated that previously reported positive associations between cannabis smoking and liver disease progression were likely the result of "reverse causation due to self-medication."
Authors concluded: "[I]n this first prospective evaluation of liver disease progression among HIV-HCV infected persons, we could not demonstrate any important effect of marijuana on liver disease outcomes. A causal association is unlikely: hazard ratios were weak and ... there was no dose-response relationship. It is likely that previous studies have been biased by reverse causality as patients use more marijuana to relieve symptoms as liver disease progresses."
Subjects diagnosed with HIV and/or hepatitis C frequently report using cannabis to treat disease symptoms as well as the side effects associated with conventional drug therapies, such as nausea and appetite loss.
Full text of the study, "Marijuana Smoking Does Not Accelerate Progression of Liver Disease in HIV-Hepatitis C Coinfection: A Longitudinal Cohort Analysis," appears online in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Cannabinoid Produces Beneficial Metabolic Effects In Animal Model Of Diabetes
Buckingham, United Kingdom: The administration of the organic cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) is associated with positive metabolic effects that may potentially be beneficial to subjects with adult-onset diabetes, according to preclinical data published in the scientific journal Nutrition & Diabetes.
Investigators at the University of Buckingham in England and the Institute for Biomolecular Chemistry in Italy assessed the effects of THCV administration on dietary-induced and genetically modified obese mice. Authors reported that although THCV administration did not significantly affect food intake or body weight gain in either of the models, it did produce several metabolically beneficial effects, including improved glucose tolerance, improved liver triglyceride levels, and increased insulin sensitivity.
Researchers concluded: "Based on these data, it can be suggested that THCV may be useful for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes (adult onset diabetes), either alone or in combination with existing treatments. Given the reported benefits of another non-THC cannabinoid, CBD in type 1 diabetes, a CBD/THCV combination may be beneficial for different types of diabetes mellitus."
In May, Harvard Medical School researchers published observational data in The American Journal of Medicine reporting that subjects who regularly consume cannabis possessed favorable indices related to diabetic control as compared to occasional consumers or non-users of the substance. Separate observational trial data published in 2012 in the British Medical Journal previously reported that adults with a history of marijuana use had a lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes and possess a lower risk of contracting the disease than did those with no history of cannabis consumption.
Full text of the study, "The cannabinoid delat-9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) ameliorates insulin sensitivity in two mouse models of obesity," appears in Nutrition & Diabetes.
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