October Newsletter
Content
Scholarships, Networking and Alliances Coming Up
The North Carolina Cannabis Patients Network, NCCPN, has received sponsorship from Canadian attorney, Kirk Tousaw, for NCCPN Legislative Director and Treasurer, Ben Scales, Attorney at Law, of Asheville, NC and Rep. Earl Jones (D-Guilford County) to travel to Canada on an educational and fact-finding mission as they prepare medical marijuana legislation in our state.
While in Canada, they have been invited to meet with the mayor of Vancouver, the drug policy coordinator, tour the Vancouver Island Compassion Society and see the public benefits from medical cannabis legalization. Travel dates have not been determined due to the November election.
NCCPN Officers Head To NC Center for Nonprofits Annual Conference Thanks To Scholarships & Donations
NCCPN President, Kim Sherrill & Executive Director, Jean Marlowe will attend the NC Center for Nonprofits Annual Conference in Raleigh, NC on October 15-17, 2008 thanks to donations & scholarships. This conference will enable NCCPN to make valuable alliances and receive assistance making our mission a reality in NC. We would like to thank Dennis & Sheila Walton, Duke Energy and others for their kind and much needed support.
Newsletter Spotlight
Take your photo with a sign that reads "Medical Marijuana Patients Want Change Too!" and send it to the Obama Campaign headquarters. Obama says that he will call on congress to reschedule cannabis for medical reasons.
New Study Shows Cannabis Smokeless Delivery Method Safe
A team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, medical school and SF General Hospital have demonstrated that a smokeless method of delivering the active chemicals in cannabis is safe and effective.
While a large-scale study conducted by one of the world's leading pulmonary specialists showed that even heavy cannabis smokers had no increased risk of lung cancer, the tars and other byproducts of combustion remain a concern, particularly for those who are most seriously ill. As the researchers note, "Although cannabis may have potential therapeutic value, inhalation of a combustion product is an undesirable delivery system."
The clinical trial utilized a "vaporizer," a device that heats the cannabis to a temperature just below ignition, releasing the cannabinoids in the plant material for inhalation as a heated mist. The study concludes that "vaporization of cannabis is a safe & effective mode of delivery of THC. Further trials of clinical effectiveness of cannabis could utilize vaporization as a smokeless delivery system."
More Recent Research
Cannabis May Slow Progression of Multiple Sclerosis
April, 2007 Nature.
Two New Clinical Neuropathy Trials Show Cannabis Effective
June, 2008 Journal of Pain.
2008 Neuropsychopharmacology, UC School of Medicine.
Cannabinoids Fight Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Tumor Growth
2008 International Journal of Cancer.
