Binky
09-30-2005, 12:03 PM
Positive Marijuana Result Not Associated With Auto Crash Culpability
September 29, 2005 - Baltimore, MD, USA
Baltimore, MD: Marijuana use, as indicated by the presence of cannabis metabolites, is not associated with crash culpability among injured drivers, according to data presented at the annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.
Researchers at the University of Maryland's National Center for Trauma and EMS obtained clinical toxicology reports for more than 2,500 injured drivers to identify the presence of alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana. Authors found that drivers who tested positive for alcohol in the blood had" significantly higher crash culpability" than sober drivers. Authors further found a "significant association" between cocaine use and crash culpability for male drivers between 21 and 40 years of age.
"In contrast, for both men and women, [the] study did not find an association between crash culpability and marijuana use," researchers determined. Drivers between the ages of 41 and 60 who tested positive for marijuana were less likely to be culpable than drug-free drivers, they added.
Because researchers based their analysis on the presence of drug metabolites in the urine rather than the presence of controlled substances in blood, authors could not determine whether the drivers' drug use directly preceded their injury or had taken place days earlier.
"While the current study does not provide evidence of cocaine and marijuana impairment, or use at the time of injury, it provides information about culpability relative to users of cocaine and marijuana," authors concluded. "To clarify the role of marijuana use in crash culpability, a large study of injured patients treated in acute care settings using blood tests to assess for marijuana use proximal to time of injury would be quite useful."
According to an analysis of on-road crashes released earlier this month by an international expert panel: "The most meaningful recent culpability studies indicate that drivers with THC concentrations in whole blood of less than 5 ng/ml have a crash risk no higher than that of drug-free users. The crash risk apparently begins to exceed that of sober drivers as THC concentrations in whole blood reach 5-10 ng/ml." Authors added, however, "Because recent studies involved only a few drivers with THC concentrations in that critical range, a reliable assessment of the associated crash risk is still lacking."
THC blood levels typically fall below 5 ng/ml in recreational cannabis users within 60 to 90 minutes after inhalation.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Expert, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Crash culpability relative to age and sex for injured drivers using alcohol, marijuana or cocaine," appears in the 2005 Annual Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. A comprehensive breakdown of state drugged driving laws appears in NORML's report, "You Are Going Directly to Jail: DUID Legislation: What It Means, Who's Behind It, and Strategies to Prevent It," available online at: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6492
DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6681
35th Annual Midwest Harvest Festival To Take Place This Weekend
September 29, 2005 - Madison, WI, USA
Madison, WI: Event organizers are expecting several thousand attendees at the 35th annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival, taking place this weekend at the Liberty Mall in downtown Madison. The two-day event, which advocates for the legalization and regulation of cannabis for adults and features dozens of speakers and musical acts, is one of the largest and most long-running annual marijuana-law reform rallies in the United States.
Speakers scheduled to appear at this year's Harvest Festival include: NORML Founder Keith Stroup; Madison NORML chapter coordinator Gary Storck; noted authors and activists Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris; IMMLY (Is My Medicine Legal Yet) founder Jacki Rickert; longtime Hempfest organizer Ben Masel; and State Representative Mark Pocan.
For more information on speakers and events at this year's 35th Annual Midwest Harvest Festival, please visit: http://www.madisonnorml.org.
DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6683
Cannabis Extracts Effective In Treatment Of Pain-Related MS Symptoms, Study Says
September 29, 2005 - London, United Kingdom
London, United Kingdom: Cannabis extracts reduce neuropathic pain and pain-related sleep disturbances in Multiple Sclerosis patients unresponsive to standard treatment, according to clinical trial data published in the current issue of Neurology.
Sixty-six patients participated in the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Volunteers self-administered Sativex, a whole plant medicinal cannabis extract containing precise doses of the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol (CBD), as an adjunctive analgesic treatment to their existing medications throughout the trial.
"Our findings demonstrate that Sativex was effective in reducing both central pain in MS and pain-related sleep disturbance in a population with moderate to severe central pain inadequately relieved by existing medication," principle investigator Carolyn Young stated in a press release.
In previous clinical trials, Sativex has been demonstrated to alleviate numerous MS-associated symptoms compared to placebo, including pain, muscle spasms, and bladder incontinence.
The drug, now available in Canada, is pending regulatory approval in the United Kingdom.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Randomized, controlled trial of cannabis-based medicine in central pain in multiple sclerosis," appears in the September 27, 2005 issue of Neurology.
DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6682
Source: NORML Foundation (DC)
Published: September 29, 2005
Copyright: 2005 NORML
Contact: norml@norml.org
Website: http://www.norml.org/
September 29, 2005 - Baltimore, MD, USA
Baltimore, MD: Marijuana use, as indicated by the presence of cannabis metabolites, is not associated with crash culpability among injured drivers, according to data presented at the annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.
Researchers at the University of Maryland's National Center for Trauma and EMS obtained clinical toxicology reports for more than 2,500 injured drivers to identify the presence of alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana. Authors found that drivers who tested positive for alcohol in the blood had" significantly higher crash culpability" than sober drivers. Authors further found a "significant association" between cocaine use and crash culpability for male drivers between 21 and 40 years of age.
"In contrast, for both men and women, [the] study did not find an association between crash culpability and marijuana use," researchers determined. Drivers between the ages of 41 and 60 who tested positive for marijuana were less likely to be culpable than drug-free drivers, they added.
Because researchers based their analysis on the presence of drug metabolites in the urine rather than the presence of controlled substances in blood, authors could not determine whether the drivers' drug use directly preceded their injury or had taken place days earlier.
"While the current study does not provide evidence of cocaine and marijuana impairment, or use at the time of injury, it provides information about culpability relative to users of cocaine and marijuana," authors concluded. "To clarify the role of marijuana use in crash culpability, a large study of injured patients treated in acute care settings using blood tests to assess for marijuana use proximal to time of injury would be quite useful."
According to an analysis of on-road crashes released earlier this month by an international expert panel: "The most meaningful recent culpability studies indicate that drivers with THC concentrations in whole blood of less than 5 ng/ml have a crash risk no higher than that of drug-free users. The crash risk apparently begins to exceed that of sober drivers as THC concentrations in whole blood reach 5-10 ng/ml." Authors added, however, "Because recent studies involved only a few drivers with THC concentrations in that critical range, a reliable assessment of the associated crash risk is still lacking."
THC blood levels typically fall below 5 ng/ml in recreational cannabis users within 60 to 90 minutes after inhalation.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Expert, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Crash culpability relative to age and sex for injured drivers using alcohol, marijuana or cocaine," appears in the 2005 Annual Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. A comprehensive breakdown of state drugged driving laws appears in NORML's report, "You Are Going Directly to Jail: DUID Legislation: What It Means, Who's Behind It, and Strategies to Prevent It," available online at: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6492
DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6681
35th Annual Midwest Harvest Festival To Take Place This Weekend
September 29, 2005 - Madison, WI, USA
Madison, WI: Event organizers are expecting several thousand attendees at the 35th annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival, taking place this weekend at the Liberty Mall in downtown Madison. The two-day event, which advocates for the legalization and regulation of cannabis for adults and features dozens of speakers and musical acts, is one of the largest and most long-running annual marijuana-law reform rallies in the United States.
Speakers scheduled to appear at this year's Harvest Festival include: NORML Founder Keith Stroup; Madison NORML chapter coordinator Gary Storck; noted authors and activists Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris; IMMLY (Is My Medicine Legal Yet) founder Jacki Rickert; longtime Hempfest organizer Ben Masel; and State Representative Mark Pocan.
For more information on speakers and events at this year's 35th Annual Midwest Harvest Festival, please visit: http://www.madisonnorml.org.
DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6683
Cannabis Extracts Effective In Treatment Of Pain-Related MS Symptoms, Study Says
September 29, 2005 - London, United Kingdom
London, United Kingdom: Cannabis extracts reduce neuropathic pain and pain-related sleep disturbances in Multiple Sclerosis patients unresponsive to standard treatment, according to clinical trial data published in the current issue of Neurology.
Sixty-six patients participated in the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Volunteers self-administered Sativex, a whole plant medicinal cannabis extract containing precise doses of the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol (CBD), as an adjunctive analgesic treatment to their existing medications throughout the trial.
"Our findings demonstrate that Sativex was effective in reducing both central pain in MS and pain-related sleep disturbance in a population with moderate to severe central pain inadequately relieved by existing medication," principle investigator Carolyn Young stated in a press release.
In previous clinical trials, Sativex has been demonstrated to alleviate numerous MS-associated symptoms compared to placebo, including pain, muscle spasms, and bladder incontinence.
The drug, now available in Canada, is pending regulatory approval in the United Kingdom.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Randomized, controlled trial of cannabis-based medicine in central pain in multiple sclerosis," appears in the September 27, 2005 issue of Neurology.
DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6682
Source: NORML Foundation (DC)
Published: September 29, 2005
Copyright: 2005 NORML
Contact: norml@norml.org
Website: http://www.norml.org/