Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Tue, 20 Oct 2015 04:20:21 PST
Study: Marijuana Smoking Does Not Promote Head and Neck Cancer
Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Marijuana smoke exposure is not positively associated with the development of cancers of the head or neck, according to the results of a systematic literature review published online ahead of print in the journal Archives of Oral Biology.
Investigators from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil reviewed nine case-control studies to assess whether marijuana smoking favored the development of head and neck cancer. Authors reported that subjects who used cannabis were no more likely to develop the disease than were subjects with no history of use, after researchers controlled for potential confounding factors such as age, gender, race, and the use of tobacco and alcohol.
"The result of this study indicated no association between lifetime marijuana use and the risk for development of head and neck cancer," authors concluded.
A separate analysis of six case-control studies published last year in the International Journal of Cancer similarly identified no positive association between cannabis smoke exposure and lung cancer, while a 2009 case-control trial published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research reported that moderate levels of marijuana use were associated with a reduced risk of head and neck cancer.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Head and neck cancers among marijuana users: A meta-analysis of matched case-control studies," appears in Archives of Oral Biology.
Democrat Presidential Nominee Says He'd Vote For Marijuana Legalization Measure
Las Vegas, NV: Democrat presidential nominee Bernie Sanders said that he "would vote yes" on a pending statewide ballot measure to regulate the licensed production and retail sale of cannabis to adults.
Speaking at the inaugural Democrat presidential debate Tuesday in Las Vegas, Sen. Sanders (VT) was asked whether he would support a 2016 ballot proposal legalizing adult marijuana use and sales in Nevada.
He responded: "I would vote yes because I am seeing in this country too many lives being destroyed for non-violent offenses. We have a criminal justice system that lets CEOs on Wall Street walk away, and yet we are imprisoning or giving jail sentences to young people who are smoking marijuana. I think we have to think through this war on drugs which has done an enormous amount of damage. We need to rethink our criminal justice system, we we've got a lot of work to do in that area."
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she was not yet ready to vote in favor of legalizing adult cannabis use, but that she was supportive of permitting states the opportunity to move forward with alternative policies. She also said that she supports efforts to legalize marijuana use for therapeutic purposes and acknowledged, "[W]e have got to stop imprisoning people who use marijuana." In separate remarks made the following day, she re-affirmed, "I would certainly not want the federal government to interfere with the legal decision made by the people" of a state that has legalized marijuana.
Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who was not asked about his views on marijuana policy during the debate, has previously pledged to use executive authority to reschedule cannabis under federal law.
California: Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Regulation And Safety Act
Sacramento, CA: Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a legislative package of bills that seek to provide regulations for California's medical cannabis industry.
The Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act, which consists of three separate bills (Assembly Bill 266, Assembly Bill 243, and Senate Bill 643), creates a new state agency within the Department of Consumer Affairs to develop rules and licensing procedures for authorized medical cannabis dispensaries. Dispensaries must be compliant with local guidelines prior to receiving a state license. State-licensed dispensaries will be permitted to operate on a 'for profit' basis. However, the new regulations will not override existing municipal moratoriums, nor will they prohibit the collection of local sales taxes on marijuana purchases in communities that presently impose them.
Separate language in the Act seeks to regulate the licensed production of cannabis and imposes rules in regard to growing, testing, and labeling cannabis like other agricultural products. The Act also seeks to provide additional oversight to physicians who recommend cannabis therapy. However, it does not limit physicians from recommending cannabis at their own discretion - activity that is codified under Proposition 215/the Compassionate Use Act.
The new law takes effect on January 1, 2016. However, regulations imposed by the new law are not expected until early 2017.
Family Physicians Group Resolves In Favor Of Reclassifying, Decriminalizing Cannabis
Denver, CO: Delegates of the American Academy of Family Physicians resolved to support the decriminalization of minor marijuana offenses and reaffirmed their stance that cannabis ought to be reclassified federally at its 2015 Conference of Delegates.
Delegates voted in support of a resolution calling for the "decriminalization of the possession of marijuana for personal use," but stopped short of endorsing the plant's legalization and regulation.
Delegates also reaffirmed support for reclassifying cannabis from a schedule I substance under federal law in order to "facilitate further research on the potential medical uses of pharmaceutical cannabinoids."
The American Association of Family Physicians represents over 110,000 family physicians, residents, and students.
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