M25 Artificial Cannabis Caper Exposed.

M25 Artificial Cannabis Caper Exposed



Back in 2010 the newspapers were full of a new and unusual cannabis caper which was carrying on around stretch's of the M25 motorway north of London.



Police had been called by a farmer who was growing industrial hemp. According to the farmer cars were pulling up to his crops, the occupants would then jump out and cut down as much of the cultivated hemp plants as possible, and then make off before 'the rozzers' arrived.



The farmer claimed to have lost hundreds of kilo's of plant matter which was worthless unless you wanted to make hemp yarn, or hemp based cosmetics.



Local police were at a loss to why people would want to steal something which whilst it may look like cannabis, thats where the similarities end.



A police officer who was called to the scene explained "People think they can get high on hemp".



"It looks like cannabis, it even smells like cannabis, but without the psycho active THC crystals which gather on the female cannabis plant, (which the industrial hemp plant has none of), industrial hemp is absolutely useless as a recreational drug!?



So why would people go to such length's to steal it?



The answer was mentioned in the text above. Industrial hemp looks, smells and feels just like the humble cannabis plant. The only bit missing is the bit that gets you stoned.



Enter JWH-018



JW Huffman is an organic chemist from the United States. In the last decade or two scientists like he have been able to manufacture synthetic cannabinoids. That is, the bit of the cannabis plant which brings with it the high, as well as all the medical benefits.



Now THC as we know it consists of a soup consisting of over 400 different substances, and differs markedly from plant to plant let alone from species to species. So try as they may, the pharmaceutical industry has been unable to synthesize whole-plant THC. But they can recreate little bits of it. One of the most popular little bits is called JWH-018, (named after its creator Dr JW Huffman of Clemson University).



Jwh-018 was recently 'outed' as being the active component in Artificial cannabis products marketed under the brand names of Spice and K2, as well as a great many others.



These synthetic marijuana products are said to mimic the effects of cannabis whilst at the same time being upwards of 10x more potent than regular smoked cannabis.



A lab in Germany revealed JWH-018 was the secret ingredient in Spice type products and almost overnight a legend was born.



Clever boffin types were using solvent evaporation technique's to infuse their chosen vegetable matter with man made cannabinoid JWH-018, creating in the process a synthetic version of cannabis.



The problem was of course, finding something which would burn readily when dried whilst at the same time mimicking the taste and smell of cannabis.



Then, a gang of drug dealers happened upon a field of industrial hemp. A field full of 12 foot cannabis plants. Can you imagine?



It didn't take long to figure out how well the solvent extraction method would work on the dried hemp, and soon after wards North London and the rest of the UK was flooded with an artificial form of cannabis which was being grown for the gangsters by a local farmer, albeit unwittingly.



Any that was intercepted would be destroyed as being regular cannabis, and no one was any the wiser. Not the Police, nor the cannabis buying public. Until now!



Good home-grown cannabis should always come with a coating of crystals.



If the cannabis you are buying doesn't have a healthy coating of what looks like sugar then chances are you're smoking something which came not from a natural plant, but out of a Chinese or American laboratory.



You have been warned.



Cannazine Cannabis News

Cannabis and Pain Management

Wellness

With Every Breath We Take

Marijuana and Pain Management

By: Bill McCarberg, M.D.

Millions of people in the United States suffer from chronic pain, and much of that suffering cannot be relieved adequately by existing treatments. Patients are in desperate need of new pain management approaches. Cannabinoid medicines appear very promising, although the subject often is obscured by controversy, prejudice, and confusion in part because cannabinoids have some relation to the cannabis plant – also known by the slang term marijuana.



What scientific reasons do doctors have to think that cannabinoids actually work? Do they provide genuine symptom improvement, or do patients become intoxicated and merely think that their symptoms are reduced?



Basic research conducted over the past 20 years provides us with many answers. In the early 1990s, researchers identified the cannabinoid receptor system. This system is found in some of the most primitive animal forms on earth – it is also the most widespread receptor system in the human body.



The cannabinoid receptor system has two types of receptors:



CB1 receptors are found primarily in the brain, spinal cord, and periphery.

CB2 receptors are on the immune tissues.

Specific molecules (called endocannabinoids) are produced by the body that interact with these CB1 and CB2 receptors, much like endorphins interact with the body's opioid receptor system. These findings initiated a new era of scientific interest and research in cannabinoids.



Numerous studies have now established that cannabinoids help lessen pain and affect a wide range of symptoms and bodily functions. Such research has also demonstrated that cannabinoids may work together with opioids to enhance their effectiveness and reduce tolerance.



This body of research has allowed cannabinoids to be informally classified into three types:



endocannabinoids (produced by the body)

phytocannabinoids (produced by the cannabis plant)

synthetic cannabinoids (produced in the laboratory)

Each type is being studied aggressively, but because endocannabinoids are quickly metabolized and probably cannot be patented, they have not yet been researched in humans.



What progress is being made toward developing cannabinoids as prescription pain relievers? Some cannabinoids are unstable and many are insoluble in water, which makes them difficult to research and turn into modern medicines. Patients react very differently to cannabinoids. Data from recent clinical trials are encouraging, but somewhat mixed. Looking closely at the results suggests that composition and delivery route (i.e., how a medicine is administered) are extremely important to the viability of cannabinoid medicines.



The Delivery Route



When taken orally, cannabinoids are not very well absorbed and often have unpredictable effects. Patients often become sedated or have intoxication-like symptoms when tetrahydrocannabinol (THC – the primary psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis) is metabolized by the liver. A small number of studies with Marinol (synthetic THC in sesame oil in a gelatin capsule) and Cesamet (synthetic THC analogue) have shown some effectiveness in pain relief, but optimal doses that relieve pain often cannot be achieved because of unpleasant psychologic side effects.



Inhaling cannabinoids, especially THC, also may cause problems for many patients. Blood levels rise suddenly and then drop off sharply. This rapid on-off effect may produce significant intoxication, particularly in patients who are new to cannabinoids. This may pose the risk of abuse potential. Smoking cannabis produces this effect, which is the very reason that recreational users prefer the inhaled route. Patients, however, generally wish to avoid psychologic effects, and it is unclear how difficult it might be to find a dosing pattern that enables them to have pain control without side effects.



A new product, called Sativex, was approved by Health Canada in June 2005 for marketing as an adjunctive medicine for central neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis. Adjunctive therapy means taking two or more medications to help control pain.



Sativex has a different delivery system – an oromucosal/sublingual spray absorbed by the lining of the mouth – that, according to the manufacturer, generally allows patients to gradually work up to a stable dose at which they obtain therapeutic pain relief without unwanted psychologic effects.



In the United States, Sativex is being studied in large randomized trials in cancer pain that has not been adequately relieved by opioids. Three early and six pivotal controlled studies in the United Kingdom demonstrated positive results treating chronic pain of various origins including neurologic pain, various symptoms of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer pain. Initial results show improvement in pain for more than one year despite lack of effectiveness of the opioids. Common adverse effects of Savitex have included complaints of bad taste, stinging, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea or fatigue.



Additional research also may uncover other ways of avoiding the problems associated with oral or inhaled delivery. Ajulemic acid, a synthetic cannabinoid, binds to both the CB1 and CB2 receptors, and has shown benefit in a small neuropathic pain trial. It may have reduced psychologic effects and is being studied for the treatment of interstitial cystitis.



The Interplay of Cannabinoids



The use of herbal cannabis – usually smoked – has received considerable media attention since California and Arizona passed "medical marijuana" initiatives in 1996. Despite numerous anecdotal reports of effectiveness, very few controlled studies have been published in the pain area. Little is known about the number of patients who actually experience some degree of benefit or side effects.



Furthermore, herbal cannabis is neither standardized nor monitored for quality. The cannabinoid content can vary a great deal, and cannabis sold at dispensaries may be contaminated with pesticides or mold. Dosing is uncertain, depending on the preparation or method of use. So-called "vaporizers" do not eliminate all the contaminants. Without clinical trial data and an assurance of product quality, physicians lack the information necessary to assist patients in making informed therapeutic decisions. Both the FDA and Institute of Medicine have stated that there is no future for herbal cannabis as a prescription medicine.



Nevertheless, there may be some truth to the idea that there is pain relief potential in phytocannabinoids (plant-based cannabinoids) and that such potential may be affected by the interaction of THC with other botanical components, particularly with other cannabinoids. Modern strains of cannabis have been bred to maximize the THC at the expense of all other cannabinoids, most of which do not have psychologic effects. Some of those cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), have been demonstrated to have important therapeutic value, particularly on pain and inflammation.



Concluding Thoughts



The possibilities for cannabinoid medicines are very promising, and much exciting research is proceeding at a rapid pace. As new FDA-approved cannabinoid products become available, physicians and patients will have a solid scientific foundation from which to assess their appropriateness. Hopefully, robust scientific data will soon allow cannabinoids to take their place – along with opiates and other pain relievers – in the modern medical supply for treating chronic pain.



Bill H. McCarberg, MD, is founder of the Chronic Pain Management Program for Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. He has served on the board of directors of the American Pain Society and currently is co-president of the Western Pain Society and a National Pain Foundation Advisor.

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AlterNet / By Paul Armentano

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Pot Versus Alcohol: Experts Say Booze Is the Bigger Danger

For more than three decades, America's marijuana policies have been based upon rhetoric. Perhaps it's time to begin listening to what the experts have to say.

July 1, 2010 |

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Speaking privately with Richard Nixon in 1971, the late Art Linkletter offered this view on the use of marijuana versus alcohol. "When people smoke marijuana, they smoke it to get high. In every case, when most people drink, they drink to be sociable."

"That's right, that's right," Nixon agreed. "A person does not drink to get drunk A person drinks to have fun."

The following year Linkletter announced that he had reversed his position on pot, concluding instead that the drug's social harms were not significant enough to warrant its criminal prohibition. Nixon however stayed the course -- launching the so-called "war" on drugs, a social policy that now results in the arrest of more than 800,000 Americans each year for violating marijuana laws.

Decades later, the social debate regarding the use of marijuana versus alcohol rages on. Yet among objective experts who have studied the issue there remains little debate at all. Despite pot's long-standing criminalization, scientists agree that the drug possesses far less harm than its legal and celebrated companion, alcohol.

After quantifying the harms associated with both drugs, the researchers concluded: "Overall, most of these risks (associated with marijuana) areFor example, in the mid-1990s, the World Health Organization commissioned a team of experts to compare the health and societal consequences of marijuana use compared to other drugs, including alcohol, nicotine, and opiates. small to moderate in size. In aggregate they are unlikely to produce public health problems comparable in scale to those currently produced by alcohol and tobacco On existing patterns of use, cannabis poses a much less serious public health problem than is currently posed by alcohol and tobacco in Western societies."

French scientists at the state medical research institute INSERM published a similar review in 1998. Researchers categorized legal and illegal drugs into three distinct categories: Those that pose the greatest threat to public health, those that pose moderate harms to the public, and those substances that pose little-to-no danger. Alcohol, heroin, and cocaine were placed in the most dangerous category, while investigators determined that cannabis posed the least danger to public health.

In 2002, a special Canadian Senate Committee completed an exhaustive review of marijuana and health, concluding, "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue."

In 2007, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare hired a team of scientists to assess the impact of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs on public health. Researcher reported that the consumption of alcohol was significant contributors to death and disease. "Alcohol harm was responsible for 3.2 percent of the total burden of disease and injury in Australia," they concluded. By comparison, cannabis use was responsible for zero deaths and only 0.2 percent of the estimated total burden of disease and injury in Australia.