cannabisnews.com: New Life Breathed Into Marijuana Study





New Life Breathed Into Marijuana Study
Posted by CN Staff on June 12, 2003 at 07:51:20 PT
By Jean Whitney, Staff Writer
Source: San Mateo County Times
San Mateo -- A groundbreaking medical marijuana experiment by San Mateo County doctors got a second life Wednesday after the federal government agreed to open up eligibility on who may participate in the testing. The County hospital's chief of AIDS research, Dr. Dennis Israelski, launched a study two years ago with AIDS patients on the use of marijuana in alleviating painful symptoms of AIDS. 
However, narrow standards on who could join the study hamstrung researchers and some subjects dropped out, complaining the federally-supplied pot was too harsh. So this week, after nearly a year of waiting, the County got the green light to revise the study. "We're going to step up the research," said County Supervisor Mike Nevin, who along with Israelski, championed the research, despite national controversy over the drug's medical use. "I'm glad that the federal government has allowed this important medical research to continue," Nevin said. The County's study will now look at treating a broader range of symptoms associated with AIDS, not only neuropathy or limb pain. Sixty HIV-positive individuals with symptoms that include nausea, weight loss, neuropathy and others will help determine whether it is feasible to treat patients through inhaling the smoke of doctor-prescribed marijuana cigarettes. "Liberalizing the eligibility criteria will allow greater enrollment," Israelski said Wednesday after learning about the federal OK to expand the study. "We are not a pot club," Israelski added. The research has the full support of the County Board of Supervisors. Nevin in particular, has often described how he was moved by the testimony of friend and late County Health Services deputy director Joni Commons, as to the benefits of the drug in reducing pain from cancer treatment. A year ago, County researchers sought a different quality of marijuana for subjects, but that request was evidently rejected by federal regulatory agencies that must approve use of the otherwise illegal drug. Israelski said that instead, storage and handling of the drug would be modified, in order to minimize harshness and maintain its potency. Study subjects will be encouraged to keep the marijuana frozen until no more than 24 hours before its daily use over six weeks. Patients must also keep a log of their drug use, including the amount used and its effects. "I hope that with the modifications, the sampling will be better tolerated by subjects, and meet with more acceptance," Israelski said. A later County study will look at treating cancer patients' symptoms with medical marijuana, through the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research in San Diego. The medical marijuana study is one of 30 different research projects Israelski oversees at the Clinical Trials and Research unit of San Mateo Medical Center, the County public hospital.For information about joining the study, call 573-2408. Source: San Mateo County Times, The (CA)Author: Jean Whitney, Staff WriterPublished: Thursday, June 12, 2003 Copyright: 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc.Contact: mmcpartl angnewspapers.comWebsite: http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:CMCRhttp://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/Doctors Want Better Marijuana for Study http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15272.shtmlCritics Aren't High On Federal Weedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13071.shtmlDEA Approves UC San Diego Marijuana Study http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11450.shtml 
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on June 12, 2003 at 17:45:31 PT
Twigs & Beans?
"Israelski said that instead, storage and handling of the drug would be modified, in order to minimize harshness and maintain its potency."Does that mean they will remove the twigs & beans this time? 
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on June 12, 2003 at 10:57:53 PT:
Jose
Is that a leaf I see in the picture? Harsh, very harsh. Everyone knows the seeds are for eating, not smoking. No wonder they can't get many patients to sign-up-for or stay-in the study.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, if that's what they call research-grade, I'll eat my hemp granola.
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Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on June 12, 2003 at 10:03:20 PT
see also...
Picture of Debris - 3 NIDA Cannabis Cigarettes 
http://freedomtoexhale.com/debris.jpg 
Picture of Debris - 3 NIDA Cannabis Cigarettes 
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Comment #2 posted by Jose Melendez on June 12, 2003 at 10:01:35 PT
Pro or Con, Read and Weep.
http://www.cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=seeds++stems+picture+posted+harsh
the rest of the story...
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on June 12, 2003 at 09:25:25 PT
Frozen schwag?
What a marvelous idea! Is this some kind of cruel joke by the medical community? It's like the wizard of oz: Ignore the man behind the curtain! In this case, it's "ignore the thousands of people getting medical relief from high-quality cannabis all over the Northern California!"  The government and doctors have fingers firmly pressed against both ears "la la la la research-grade research-grade"
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