NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - July 2, 2009
This Week's News from NORML
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Increased Marijuana Use Not Associated With Rise In Incidences Of Schizophrenia, Study Says
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Oregon: Lawmakers Pass Regulations To License Commercial Hemp Production
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International Cannabinoid Research Society To Hold Annual Conference Next Week
Increased Marijuana Use Not Associated With Rise In Incidences Of Schizophrenia, Study Says
Staffordshire, United Kingdom: Increased cannabis use by the public has not been followed by a proportional rise in diagnoses of schizophrenia or psychosis, according to the findings of a forthcoming study to be published in the journal Schizophrenia Research.
Investigators at the Keele University Medical School in Britain compared trends in marijuana use and incidences of schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005. Researchers reported that the "incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining" during this period, even the use of cannabis among the general population was rising.
"[T]he expected rise in diagnoses of schizophrenia and psychoses did not occur over a 10 year period," authors concluded. "This study does not therefore support the specific causal link between cannabis use and incidence of psychotic disorders. ... This concurs with other reports indicating that increases in population cannabis use have not been followed by increases in psychotic incidence."
The results of a separate clinical trial published earlier this month reported that the recreational use of cannabis does not stimulate the production of dopamine in a manner that is consistent with the development of schizophrenia.
Last year, British lawmakers reclassified cannabis possession from a verbal warning to a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in jail. Lawmakers called for the increased penalties in large part as a response to allegations that marijuana use was linked to rising incidences of mental illness.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. For additional information on cannabis use and mental illness, please see the NORML white paper, "Cannabis, Mental Health, and Context," available online at: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6798. Full text of the study, "Assessing the impact of cannabis use trends in diagnosed schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005," will appear in Schizophrenia Research.
Oregon: Lawmakers Pass Regulations To License Commercial Hemp Production
Salem, OR: State lawmakers approved legislation this week that seeks to license farmers to cultivate hemp as an agricultural commodity. Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only trace (less than one percent) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana.
On Tuesday, House Representatives approved Senate Bill 676 by a vote of 46 to 11. Senators had previously endorsed the measure by a vote of 27 to 2.
The bill now awaits action by Democrat Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
As approved by the legislature, SB 676 authorizes the state Department of Agriculture to regulate the commercial production of cannabis containing levels of THC under 0.3 percent THC.
Democrat senator Floyd Prozansky, who sponsored the measure, said, "By passing SB 676 with strong bi-partisan support, the Oregon Legislature has taken a proactive position to allow its farmers the right to grow industrial hemp, to provide American manufacturers with domestically-grown hemp, and to profit from that effort."
A handful of states - including North Dakota, Montana, and Vermont - have enacted similar regulations to allow for the licensing of industrial hemp production under state law. However, such production remains criminally prohibited under federal law, which defines all varieties of cannabis as illegal under the Controlled Substances Act.
In June, Maine lawmakers approved similar legislation, LD 1159, calling on the state to license farmers to grow hemp "contingent upon action by the federal government."
Legislation pending in Congress, HR 1866, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009, seeks to amend federal law to allow for the state-licensed production of hemp, free from federal interference.
According to a 2005 Congressional Research Service report, "The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop."
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or visit: http://www.votehemp.com.
International Cannabinoid Research Society To Hold Annual Conference Next Week
Chicago, IL: Over 250 researchers from around the globe will convene next week to attend the 19th Annual Symposium of the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS). The three-day conference will take place from July 8 to July 11 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois.
Scientific presentations include analyses of the therapeutic use of cannabinoids for the treatment of numerous conditions - including cancer, social anxiety disorder, alcoholism, acne, and stroke.
Registration information and conference agenda is available online at: http://cannabinoidsociety.org/SYMPOSIUM.2009/index.html.
The ICRS is a scientific association with over 400 members, all active researchers in the field of endogenous, plant-derived and synthetic cannabinoids.
NORML and the NORML Foundation: 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC, 20006-2832
Tel: (202) 483-5500 • Fax: (202) 483-0057 • Email: norml@norml.org
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