Medicinal Cannabis Bill

Medicinal Cannabis Bill

The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party are calling on all MPs to support an extremely important piece of legislation that will be before the house on Wednesday 1st of July. Metiria Turei‘s Medicinal Cannabis Bill will make it legal for patients with severe or life threatening illnesses and injuries to access the medicine they need. For many patients, the only medicine that works to relieve their suffering is Cannabis.

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Cannabis is already legally available in New Zealand on prescription from a doctor. The pharmaceutical cannabis preparation Sativex has been approved for a number of patients. However many people in need cannot afford Sativex or they prefer to source there essential medicine elsewhere. Metia Turei’s Bill will increase access to this important medicine by allowing patients or their caregivers to grow their own cannabis. By allowing those patients most in need to grow their own medicine, they will no longer have to risk buying from the black market and will no longer have to fear arrest and imprisonment.

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Emeritus Professor Lester Grinspoon from Harvard Medical School, believes that Cannabis will be the world’s most important medical drug in the 21st century.

The reason cannabis is such an effective medicine, with thousands of years of use, is because it contains over 60 active therapeutic compounds. The cannabis plant can be breed for different levels of these cannabinoids, and specific strains have been developed to treat specific ailments, such as ADHD. Scientists can also isolate specific compounds in cannabis to create unique new medicines.

At present Sativex is the sole cannabis product on the market. While it is effective for many conditions including MS, others conditions such as chronic pain require an Indica rather than Sativa based preparation.

Metiria’s Bill will allow for a more diverse range of cannabis products to be made available, to better suit the needs of patients. Concerns about the smoking of cannabis medicine, can be addressed by the use of a number of alternative delivery methods, including vaporisation, oral ingestion, ointment or spray. While cannabis has a bad reputation due to its illegal status, all of the uses of this medicine can be referenced to scientific studies. Cannabis has been scientifically shown to be 100% non toxic, non addictive and has never caused a single death from overdose.

The scientific and lay literature of the medical effectiveness of cannabis is extensive. There are

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numerous conclusive studies which show that cannabis reduces the growth of cancer tumors, including studies conducted at the University of Otago. Some conditions like Glaucoma, can only be effectively treated with cannabis. When made into a skin balm, cannabis is an effective remedy for both Arthritis and Melanoma.

Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders are in desperate need of this medicine. Only the most heartless and uncaring members of parliament could vote against the compassionate use of cannabis. Already the hard-line USA has approved medical marijuana in many states. Not to follow suit here would cause outrage throughout the New Zealand medical marijuana community, not to mention years of needless suffering for thousands of people.

Below are some of that conditions that cannabis is effective treatment for:

Appetite Loss Arthritis Asthma Addiction Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Anxiety Disorders AIDS Wasting Syndrome Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Autism Aversive Memories Bipolar Affective Disorder Brain Injury/Stroke Cancer (including Breast cancer, Cervical cancer, Lung cancer, Skin cancer) Depression Dystonia Epilepsy Fibromyalgia Glaucoma Migraine Nausea Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Chemo Related Nausea Chronic Pain Diabetes Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure/Hypertension Lymphoma Migraine Mental Illness Multiple Sclerosis Movement Disorders Musculoskeletal Disorders Neuroprotection Nail Patella Syndrome Parkinson’s disease Pancreatitis Rheumatoid Arthritis Sickle Cell Disease Schizophrenia Skin allergies Sleep Apnea Tourette-Syndrome Ulcerative Depression, Violent, uncontrollable outbursts in children

ENDS

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Support Global Drug Policy Reform: World Drug Day, 26 June

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Call to Action: Support Global Drug Policy Reform
World Drug Day, 26 June 2009

I. The War on Drugs has become a War on People.

As the United Nations brings worldwide attention to problems related to illicit drugs, we call for a new approach. In too many countries, the “war on drugs” has become a war on people. Millions of non-violent drug users face abuse and imprisonment, while they have no access to proper healthcare or effective treatment. Lowlevel traders and producers receive sentences disproportionate to their crimes and languish in prisons around the globe. Millions more face crop destruction and police harassment as they struggle to make ends meet, with few alternatives as the global economy falters. Meanwhile, the HIV epidemic gains pace.

II. Five Actions Today

After decades of policies that have failed to make our societies safer or healthier, and given overwhelming evidence which shows that criminalizing drugs is both counterproductive and highly destructive, we call on governments to:

1. Focus on reducing the harms related to drug trade and use, such as making needle and syringe exchange programs widely available (NZ as worldwide AIDS/HEPC initiative).
2. Decriminalize the possession of drugs for personal use. (NZ as worldwide “D” Classification)
3. Ensure that evidence-based treatments for pain and addiction are widely available, including methadone and buprenorphine. (& Cannabis)
4. Treat supporting farmers in moving away from coca or poppy cultivation as a development issue. (remove the subsidy of prohibition!)
5. Comply fully with human rights obligations in any drug control measure, ensuring proportionality of penalties, abolishing the death penalty, and avoiding non-evidence-based forms of treatment.

III. Driving Away Drug Users Creates Public Health Disasters

Image by John Gevers via Flickr

Nearly three decades into the global HIV epidemic, we reiterate that driving people who use drugs underground only makes the transmission of HIV and hepatitis more likely. The number of HIV infections due to injecting drug use is rising steadily. In parts of Eastern Europe and South-East Asia, this figure reaches 80%. As the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has said, “Forcing drug users to hide and denying them access to life-saving treatment and prevention services is creating a public health disaster. This happens even though the evidence from scientific and medical research on best practices and cost benefit analyses is overwhelmingly in favour of harm reduction programming….

The message is clear. It is time to be guided by light of science, not by the darkness of ignorance and fear.” Indeed, rather than a security-focused approach that costs roughly $100 billion per year worldwide, we need to look at this first and foremost through the lens of public health. In the blind effort to rid the world of drugs, 80% of cancer patients worldwide are denied access to opiate-based pain relief.

IV. Adopt a Humane Approach

A humane, compassionate approach to drug use based on harm reduction principles and respect for human rights is the most effective way to limit the negative impact of drug use, trade, and production. Scientific and medical research on best practices and cost benefit analyses overwhelmingly favors harm reduction programs, including needle exchange, drug substitution therapy, and condom distribution. We applaud countries who have already taken steps in this direction. Recently, both Germany and Switzerland have voted to make medical heroin available for chronically dependent opiate users and the new U.S. administration has come out in support of needle exchange. Ecuador pardoned thousands of drug ‘mules’

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

imprisoned with disproportionate sentences and 80 Argentinean judges made a public call to reform their country’s drug laws. In order to stop the spiral of drug-related violence and disease intensifying across the globe, more countries must follow suit.

[See comments for the list of signatories)

Blair Anderson
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

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Froggie Lie, caused by Drug We Drink.

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Outrage as French rugby player admits assault lie

WELLINGTON (AFP) — New Zealand officials reacted with outrage and called for an inquiry after French rugby player Mathieu Bastareaud admitted his claim of being attacked by thugs in Wellington was a lie.

The 20-year-old said Thursday in a statement on the website of his French club Stade Francais that a cut and bruising on his face was caused by a fall in his room after drinking with team-mates early on Sunday.

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This is drug policy, and the duress of shaming. Why is it that after I heard the story the first time round, it smacked of exactly the outcome absent ‘all the facts’. What is there to figure?

—
Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›
Social Ecologist ‘at large’
ph (643) 389 4065 cell 027 265 7219

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Some Drugs Driving

It doesnt mean it makes a difference to fatalities or accidents however.
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One of the problems with current drug policy (and is clearly evident in the drugged driving debate) is that drug substitution occurs. This is a two way street. (ask an economist!) Just as one can drive people to more harmful options, so too can we promote less harmful options by simply removing the impediments.

Cannabis is a least harmful option. As much as some folk will gnash their teeth and say, no drugs are good… (and they may even be right) from a social policy perspective, enforcement is a least efficient way to manage the problem and may, as in the case with cannabis, be an impediment to ‘credible education messages’.

This is highly evident when one ‘models’ what would happen if we could eliminate alcohol on the road by substituting with cannabis. Road deaths (and other harms) would plummet. This is not to argue that cannabis should be compulsory, rather it helps us understand that, if a less harmful option is better than a more harmful option, and that leads to less deaths/accidents IT MAY WELL BE that the death that it saved was the very death that some individuals for whom the harm has been acute (and I share their heartache) would not have experienced that grief.

We have an obligation to solve problems with the least amount of invasive procedures as we can. It doesnt stack up, that just because we can (use Police) we must.

Look at how much we have changed societal response to drink driving through social mores around Sober Drivers etc.

Policing/Enforcement doesn’t deserve all the credit (as much as they may wish to take that credit to justify continuation of policy enforcement).

Accidents occur without cannabis, there mere presence (in a zero tolerance model) does not make it ‘responsible’.

Cannabis consumers (who drive, but not necessarily are stoned) do not make the unwise choices to drive that alcohol drivers make at relative degrees of intoxication. And that is a massive head start in harm limitation.

But that requires a society that has moved beyond intolerance. Regretably our drug laws are structured to enable the very worst in people. Even the ones who make moral (or otherwise) choice not to use cannabis… tiredness, distraction, stress and use of ‘legal drugs, prescribed or otherwise’ are NO LESS RESPONSIBLE for the outcomes of their behaviors.

It is wrong that we should hide behind our foibles and responsibilities while casting dispersions upon that of which they know little.

A more informed debate, founded in good social science should have been held. It is regrettable that our Expert Advisory Committee (on Drugs) has been expediently weighted by ‘enforcement’ over health.

No good will come of this.

Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›

Social Ecologist ‘at large’
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com
http://blair4mayor.com
http://efsdp.org

ph (643) 389 4065 cell 027 265 7219

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The Unknowns of Napier Hill

I agree with Adam that there are ‘factors’ that are unaccounted for in the current societal response to drug(s) that are evident in the Napier incident – if one wants to examine it.

The problem with ‘drug related’ incidences is that Police and Media have no truck with

Alcohol via Wikipedia

‘discovery’ and there are lot of people for whom ‘drugs are evil and a scourge’ that keep them, and us, boxed into the paradigm.

What Adam has described is a function of the ‘deviancy amplification’ that creates a matrix of dysfunctional ’set’ and ’setting’. Prohibition of alcohol trade, [possession and consumption was never illegal] created the dangerous ’set’ of violence, protection and corruption, none of which could be attributable to the pharmacology of ethyl alcohol.
(see Science of Intoxication: “pharmacological hand grenade” )

Napier is an example of such a set.

combusting alcohol ~ Wikipedia

Politicians see no votes in such ‘understandings’ thus rendering us all stupid!

No drug is as dangerous as its ’set’ created by bad policy, bigotry and double standards.

Show me a drug that can kill a Policeman at 100yds!

37. adam June 21, 2009 at 8:24 pm

hey there. i agree that jan was most certainly another victim,but for somewhat different reasons. napier is a prodomonantly mongrel mob town, so likewise with all the local jails. as the newspapers said, jan was a vocal anti P crusader, and shared no love with the local mob. we must ask: was the reason that this man was so heavily armed -for an expected search warrant, or just maybe it was to protect himself and loved ones from the mob??? this theory carries on to his reaction to the search warrant. if he was in fact a mongrel mob target, then the only thing keeping him safe on the outside are his collegues and his awesome arsenal. he must have been somewhat of a stalemate for a target..until the day he goes to jail. where there are no guns, and the odds arent great to say the least. this fear/reaction may have been what it took to send him over the edge. thinking that if he goes inside for the dope stuff he was a dead man. not an excuse, rather a feasable insight into the mind of a ??????? RIP Jan Molenaar

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Handle on Non-Lethal Force For Change

Following the recent Queensland multi-tased death arrest I have noticed a consistent representation of views on blogs and media comment pages that validates my concerns that the general populace would go along with this fear of crime thing. (manufactured consent?)

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Much of it is predicated on drug myths. (much the same as crack, crank and meth led to up scaling from .38’s to .45 and to automatics).

1:1 meetings this week with local [National] MP’s only trot out more tough on behaviour, crime, tough on alcohol…. and meth. Despite all evidence to the contrary.

The BERL report(s) on drug harms released prior to the Law Commission discussion documents is a failure in due process as well as ‘failure in reason’ misstating the problem by orders of magnitude.

When can we expect someone factor in the benefits of ‘common civility’.

No Media in New Zealand has written critically of the implication of applied, and now law, Class D drug policy. No Member of the House has regaled.

Yet, like BERL’s reports, it’s a MoH issue. Drugs=Minister’s Warrant, Alcohol=Ministry’s Brief.

Public perception… Taser’d means drugged.
Where is the ‘legal’ sector on this.?
http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/lawsuit-filed-by-mother-of-man-who-died-after-being-tasered/113391/http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/children_zapped_by_stun_gun/25801/

Today’s Police arbitrary ‘handle on gun’ ownership issue even cites Napier’s ‘Molenaar’ incident while pot smoking was likely the very effective, safe and economic anti-anxiolotic scientific research shows it to be and, was by the perpetrators community actions, ‘mediating meth in the community’ no good story can be told.

More guns will be found to be ‘semi-automatic’ and the cycle begins again. Any gun elevates drug [prohibition] harm. Feeds fear. Allocates more Money for Failure.

Professor of Law, Jock Young had it right back in the seventies. “deviancy amplifying” all right! BERL’s economists wouldn’t know a benefit or a behavior if they fell over them and RH. John Key wouldn’t know a science adviser if one fell over him.

I recall a certain Minister of Health back in 1975 who, on enactment of the Misuse of Drugs Act, said that it ‘would give the Police powers to which they were not entitled’, how prophetic.

— Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›

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Dew Point and Pot: H1N1 virus spread by respiratory droplets and stopped by cannabis..

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Dew Point and Pot: H1N1 virus spread by respiratory droplets and stopped by cannabis..

We all know influenza is more common in winter. But researchers have not known why. Virologist doctor Peter Palese has been studying the effects of heat and cold on the flu virus. He found that at higher temperatures, the flu virus didn’t spread, but at colder temperature it did.

“The virus is probably more stable in cold temperature, so it hangs in the air much longer,” Dr. Palese told Ivanhoe.

Allowing it to spread easier. Here’s how — when we cough or sneeze, microscopic droplets of water and the virus enter the air. Dry, cold conditions dry out the droplets, helping the virus linger in the air. The dry air also dries out nasal passages, which helps the virus stick.

“Cold dry air going over your nasal mucosa gets cracks in our airways and that allows virus to get in more easily,” Anice Lowen, researcher at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine told Ivanhoe.

Influenza has long been considered a seasonal virus. Factors including indoor crowding during cold weather, seasonal fluctuations in host immune responses, relative humidity, temperature, and UV radiation have all been suggested to account for this phenomenon, but none of these hypotheses had previously been tested directly.

The researchers tested the effects of temperature and relative humidity on infected and naive guinea pigs. The study found that low relative humidities of 20%-30% induced the rapid spread of the virus, with the opposite effect at 80% or above. Also, results showed that the virus spread more easily at 5 °C than at 20 °C, with no transmission at 30 °C.

The data implicates that low relative humidities produced by indoor heating and winter temperatures favor the spread of influenza. This study should serve as the basis for understanding the seasonality of other viral infections. / Citation: Lowen AC, Mubareka S, Steel J, Palese P (2007) Influenza virus transmission is dependent on relative humidity and temperature. PLoS Pathog 3(10): e151. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.0030151

Its the Dew Point! (or open a window!)

(either cumulus cloud height, or calculate from coldwater* / temperature relationship [good ed idea] or use 200 dollar weather tool )

Putting this to use, it’s easy to figure out the dew point, and thus the expected comfort level, directly from the relative humidity and the temperature: for instance, if it is 30 °C outside, and the relative humidity is 75%, then the dew point temperature will be about 25 °C. It’s also easy to see how much could be gained from evaporative cooling – in this case, at most 5 degrees. “Further, by adjusting the relationship a little to account for the effects of temperature, it is also simple to use the relative humidity to compute the altitude of cumulus cloud bases without a calculator to a good approximation, usually within about 10%”, says Lawrence

BUT CONSIDER this from my colleague Bob Melamede

Chief Science Officer for CSI Dr. Melamede believes the potential for cannabinoids that naturally prevent excessive inflammatory immune responses is enormous.

He stated, “Based upon recent discoveries regarding the role that endocannabinoid system plays in maintaining human health, we may have a unique solution to the looming threat posed by deadly influenza strains that we believe, if implemented, could save millions of lives.“

World Health Organization has just declared a swine flu pandemic – raising its pandemic warning from phase 5 to 6.

This is the first global flu epidemic in 41 years. There have been outbreaks in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Dr. Robert J. Melamede, Director and Chief Science Officer for Cannibis Science Inc. reports, “Research into use of whole cannabis extracts and multi-cannabinoid compounds has provided the scientific rationale for medical marijuana’s efficacy in treating some of the most troubling diseases mankind now faces, including infectious diseases such as the flu and HIV, autoimmune diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and diabetes, neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, stroke and brain injury, as well as numerous forms of cancer.”

Dr. Melamede went on to say, “The high lethality of some strains of flu can be attributed to the excessive inflammatory response driven by Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF). Endocannabinoids are nature’s way of controlling TNF activity. Phytocannabinoids can mimic the natural endocannabinoids to prevent excessive inflammatory immune responses.”

Cannabis Science Inc., President & CEO, Steven W. Kubby sent a letter to Homeland Security Administration Secretary Janet Napolitano. “We have the science and preliminary anecdotal results confirming the anti-inflammatory properties of our new lozenges and indicating they may present an effective and non-toxic treatment for minimizing the symptoms and harm from influenza infections. Our lozenges appear to down-regulate the body’s excessive inflammatory response to the influenza virus, which could reduce the deadly consequences of an infection into something that is more like a common cold. Because of my cancer and diminished auto-immune functions, even common influenza is a deadly threat, and I’ve had incredible symptomatic relief with the lozenge.”

Chief Science Officer for CSI Dr. Melamede believes the potential for cannabinoids that naturally prevent excessive inflammatory immune responses is enormous. He stated, “Based upon recent discoveries regarding the role that endocannabinoid system plays in maintaining human health, we may have a unique solution to the looming threat posed by deadly influenza strains that we believe, if implemented, could save millions of lives.”

Dr. Robert J. Melamede, Director and Chief Science Officer, stated, “The influenza virus has a unique genetic make up that, in combination with its replicative machinery, has an extraordinary capacity to mutate. As a result, the high lethality of some strains can be

Image via Wikipedia

attributed to the resulting adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is caused by an excessive immune inflammatory response driven by Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) that leads to the death of respiratory epithelial cells and resulting organ failure. Endocannabinoids are nature’s way of controlling TNF activity. Existing peer reviewed publications have shown that phytocannabinoids can prevent this cell death by mimicking the endocannabinoids that nature has selected to prevent excessive inflammatory immune responses.”

“This sounds very promising, but, of course the political hurdles are daunting.” / Rose Field, Pittsburgh Gardening Scene Examiner

Arising from both of these concepts, Dew Point and Pot, there is the benefit of internalising the commercial potential of fostering the epidemiological research (under NZ’s Class D legal regulation, already in place.) at the same time teaching through schools the health promotion / prevention strategy (and optimal home and commercial heating model for swine flu mitigation) around dew point.

Note: Auckland humid, Christchurch dry validated by current infection levels. Worth exploring?

*Max Planc Society 010405

—
Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›

Social Ecologist ‘at large’
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com/
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com/
http://blair4mayor.com/
http://efsdp.org/

ph (643) 389 4065 cell 027 265 7219
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DeClassifying the Popular ALCP Vote.

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Perhaps Tumeke should consider a more expansive acknowledgement of extra-participatory parliamentary election candidates and parties.
(see Tim Selwyn’s Unite’s candidate’s debate on the Tumeke Blog)

The inclusion of the Libertarians as ‘extra-parliamentary’ discounts the fact that Aotearoa Legalise (ALCP) has consistently and influentially polled since 1996 MMP and it has two of those candidates complete some thirteen years of participatory democracy.

Should we be surprised then that New Zealand is the first country in the world to go beyond the primary UN obligations to the founding covenants and override its obligations to the Single Conventions on Narcotics by legally regulating (R18) recreational (use, sale, storage, exchange, labeling, etc.) soft drugs under the aegis and management of the Ministry of Health.

If nothing else, those candidates at the Mt Albert by-election tables ‘because they are more serious’ and thus deserving of media space thus mind share should be asked to explain and be tested against this crucial law and order issue. An issue that has seen honourable men killed on service to a mission impossible and civilians as collateral damage in our driveways, streets and motorways.

Yet “Class D” has escaped media or political attention, despite the first job of the PM’s science adviser to take the P out of cough mixture (loud applause in CHCH town hall when RH J Key mentioned it…) and alcohol, and hoons, get the money – libraries, pools and culture are someone else responsibility. [What ever happened to ‘for the people’.]

600 Cops is a sign of failure, whereas 600 less would be ‘best practice’ measure of social policy success. Purposeful implementation of Class D is the ticket to that success. Mt Albert voters have been deprived of an opportunity to send an important ‘law and order’ signal to RH Key and Co. One that would better inform the alcohol debate.
—
Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›

Social Ecologist ‘at large’
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com/
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com/
http://blair4mayor.com/
http://efsdp.org/

ph (643) 389 4065 cell 027 265 7219

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On Stupidity, Ignorance, Greed and Love of Power.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the April Centre for Independent Studies 2009 John Bonython lecture by PJ O’Rourke (video online. http://vimeo.com/channels/cis#4435734 )

O’Rourke is well known for his combination of conservative economic views and libertarian views on vice such as sex and drugs.^[3]

O’Rourke’s views on Individual Rights is a clue to lifting the dialog on drug policy.

I am keen to see Maxim Institute advance its position and acknowledge ‘free will’ market based policy for its ‘Adam Smith‘ efficiency, efficacy and equitably. (law=fist, reason=hand)

Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we’re looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn’t test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power. P. J. O’Rourke

Drugs have taught an entire generation of American kids the metric system. — P.J. O’Rourke

Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›

Social Ecologist ‘at large’
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com/
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com/
http://blair4mayor.com/
http://efsdp.org/

ph (643) 389 4065 cell 027 265 7219

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Outrageous Suggestion

New Zealand’s favourite family entertainment and cultural advisors….

And if you happen to point out that there must be something good about drugs otherwise people wouldn’t keep doing them, everyone jumps up and down and has a fit about it, because you can’t point out the obvious when it comes to drugs because that might make people do them more. More hypocrisy!

(snip)

My family are total drug hypocrites. For years various members of my family have smoked and drunk themselves senseless, while all the time Mum and Dad were mouthing off about how we’d never sell drugs because that is bad. As opposed to steal shit which is somehow good? How does that work? / Loretta West – “Outrageous Fortune”

Blair Anderson
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

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