NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - June 25, 2009
This Week's News from NORML
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California: Marijuana Smoke Added To State's List Of Carcinogens
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Oral THC Improves Symptoms Of Schizophrenia, Study Says
California: Marijuana Smoke Added To State's List Of Carcinogens
Sacramento, CA: The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) and the California Environmental Protection Agency have added marijuana smoke to the state's list of official carcinogens, pursuant to Title27, California Code of Regulations, section 25305(a)(1).
Under state law, the Governor's office is required to publish an annual list of chemicals that possess potential carcinogenic properties and/or are associated with reproductive toxicity, such as arsenic, lead, and tobacco smoke. Products containing such chemicals are required to carry warning labels. Business establishments with ten employees or more are also are mandated to post signs indicating whether there is a likelihood that an individual may be exposed to such chemicals while on the premises.
State environmental regulators determined that there is "limited" evidence "suggestive" that marijuana smoke exposure may be associated with an increased cancer risk in humans. Their review added, "[T]he similarities in chemical composition and in toxicological activity between marijuana smoke and tobacco smoke, and the presence of numerous carcinogens in marijuana (and tobacco) smoke, provide additional evidence of carcinogenicity."
Presently, over 300 separate chemicals - including aspirin and alcoholic beverages - are designated as carcinogens under California law.
Labeling requirements for marijuana smoke will not take effect until June 2010. Neither marijuana nor edible products containing marijuana will be designated as carcinogens under state law.
Regulators made no official determination regarding the status of cannabis vapor, which does not contain combustion gases and has been determined to be a "safe and effective vehicle" for cannabis delivery in clinical trials.
Authors of the review did note that the largest population case-control study ever to assess the use of marijuana and lung cancer risk did not find a positive association between long-term cannabis smoking and cancer.
California NORML Coordinator Dale Geiringer said that the ruling did not come as a surprise because it has been well known for years that cannabis smoke contains known carcinogenic chemicals. However, he noted that the intake of these noxious chemicals "can be completely eliminated by vaporization or by consuming marijuana orally."
NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said that it remains unclear what effect, if any, these new regulations will have on the dispensing of medical marijuana in California. "Since it is marijuana smoke, not marijuana per se, that is at issue here, it is not clear that legally operating medicinal cannabis dispensaries will have to alter their actions to comply with Prop. 65," he said - noting that few such facilities allow patients to smoke cannabis on the premises. "Liquor stores are not required to post warnings on the premises just because they dispense alcohol, so why would medical cannabis dispensaries be treated any differently?"
For more information, please contact Dale Gieringer, California NORML Coordinator, at (415) 563-5858 or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.
Oral THC Improves Symptoms Of Schizophrenia, Study Says
Orangeburg, NY: Daily administration of oral synthetic THC significantly improves symptoms of schizophrenia, according to the findings of an open-label case series published this month in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Investigators at the Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, New York, and the New York University School of Medicine, administered 2.5 to 5 mg doses of oral THC (dronabinol) for a period of eight weeks to six patients diagnosed with chronic, refractory schizophrenia. All of the patients enrolled in the study had reported previously using cannabis to mitigate their condition.
"Four of the 6 patients improved to a clinically significant extent (after taking dronabinol)," researchers reported. "Three of the six patients had a robust response, with modest to marked reductions in core psychotic symptoms. Patients 1 and 2 showed improvement within several weeks of beginning the medication, whereas patient 3 required 8 weeks to reach significant improvement. In addition, robust improvement in overall functioning was also observed, with patients 1 to 3 changing from being gravely ill to being functioning individuals able to be discharged. Patient 4 had more limited improvement in that he was calmer, cooperative, and less aggressive but had persistence of his core psychosis. Nevertheless, his overall functioning was significantly improved. ... There were no clinically adverse effects."
Investigators concluded, "These results ... open a possible new role for cannabinoids in the treatment of schizophrenia."
Previous studies assessing the use of marijuana in patients with schizophrenia have produced mixed results. A 2007 German study reported improved cognition in patients who used cannabis, and a 2008 Australian study found that patients diagnosed with schizophrenia report experiencing subjective relief from pot. Critics of medical cannabis use have argued that heavy marijuana use may exacerbate psychosis in patients with mental illness. However, the largest trial ever conducted comparing cannabis using and non-using schizophrenic patients reported no statistically significant "differences in syptomatology between schizophrenic patients who were or were not cannabis users" after controlling for patients' age, sex, and ethnicity.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Synthetic Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (dronabinol) can improve symptoms of schizophrenia," appears in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
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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