RESEARCH UPDATE-----------RESEARCH UPDATE-----------------RESEARCH UPDATE---------------RESEARCH UPDATE-----------------------RESEARCH UPDATE
Osteoporosis May Be Treatable with Cannabinoids
New research out of Israel shows that osteoporosis, a degenerative bone condition afflicting 10 million Americans over age 50, may be treatable with cannabinoids.
Researchers found that the body's natural endocannabinoid system helps control how the body replaces old bone with new growth. In the study, activating CB2 cannabinoid receptors reduced bone loss and stimulated bone formation.
This would seem to confirm early studies that showed faster bone loss in mice that had fewer CB2 receptors.
Study Confirms Cannabis Helps People with HIV/AIDS
Cannabis has been commonly recommended to help people with HIV/AIDS combat nausea and appetite loss, and numerous studies have shown it to be an effective treatment.
A new Columbia University study, the first in nearly 20 years to examine cannabis' efficacy, has shown that not only is smoked cannabis effective, it's substantially more so than Marinol, the synthetic oral drug, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients in the trial gained almost 2.5 lbs over four days.
To produce similar weight gain, Marinol had to be given in doses eight times higher than current recommendations.
State Medical Marijuana Laws Do Not Increase Drug Use
A statistical study has found that passing state laws legalizing the medical use of cannabis does not increase the drug's recreational use.
Researchers looked at two "high-risk" groups (ER patients and arrestees) in four states, California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Researchers reported that "the introduction of medical cannabis laws was not associated with an increase in cannabis use."
This finding confirms a study of states with medical marijuana laws conducted by the US General Accounting Office (GAO), which found that legalizing medical cannabis has not led to increased recreational use.
NATIONAL ACTION ALERTReach Out for Research: Petition Your Community
to Support Medical Cannabis Research!
ASA has created a petition that you can print out and circulate at your work, school, home, church, and in your larger community. Download and print out this petition calling on your U.S. Senators to support access to materials for FDA-approved medical cannabis research. Our goal is to collect 30,000 signatures by April 21st. These petitions will be hand delivered each to of your Senators by our National Office staff. Please join in our efforts and begin gathering signatures today!
Visit ASA's fun interactive map to download a petition addressed to your state's U.S. Senators. Go to:
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=5448&preview=1&cache=0 Please send completed petitions to ASA Headquarters:
Americans for Safe Access
Attn: Sonnet Seeborg Gabbard
1322 Webster Street, Suite 402
Oakland, CA 94612
Fax: (510) 251-2036
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