Nature's Herbs
1713 W. El Segundo Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90222
Hours: Mon-Wed 10am to 7pm, Thu-Sat 10am to 8pm
Phone: 323-777-1319
Covers the following zip codes in Compton, California: 90220, 90221, 90222, 90223, 90224
If you know of an event that you feel should be listed on our calendar, please send details to info@mjdispensaries.com ~Thank You
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Compton Dispensaries, Collectives and Co-ops
Nature's Herbs
1713 W. El Segundo Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90222
Hours: Mon-Wed 10am to 7pm, Thu-Sat 10am to 8pm
Phone: 323-777-1319
Covers the following zip codes in Compton, California: 90220, 90221, 90222, 90223, 90224
Friday, December 3, 2010
NEWS: Drug use relatively low in local schools
Funded by the California Department of Education, the biennial survey is designed to gauge the health of a school site by assessing health-risk behaviors that hinder academic success.
Self-reported data include grades, truancy, substance abuse, crime-related behavior and perceived safety at school. Students are also questioned about supportive social structures, such as the presence of caring adult relationships in their lives.
The most recent survey was conducted during the 2009-10 school year and released last month. It includes responses from 3,375 fifth-, seventh-, ninth- and 11th-graders within Burbank Unified School District.
Fourteen percent of Burbank seventh-graders and 18% of ninth-graders said they had used inhalants, which was higher than the 11% and 14% statewide averages.
But alcohol and drug use among Burbank Unified students is comparable to or below state and national averages in nearly all other categories, according to the survey.
For example, 17% of seventh-graders, 42% of ninth-graders and 63% of 11th-graders reported that they had consumed a glass of alcohol at least once — below the 24%, 47% and 66% reported in the statewide averages for the same categories, respectively.
Twenty-seven percent of Burbank Unified seventh-graders, 23% of ninth-graders and 19% of 11th-graders reported having been in a physical fight. State averages were 32%, 25% and 19%, respectively.
"I realize that we are below state and national averages, but to be very honest, I am not satisfied with that," said Tom Steele, director of student services for the district. "That is something we continue to work on."
Twenty-four percent of Burbank Unified ninth-graders and 34% of 11th-graders reported smoking marijuana at least once. Nationally, those numbers were 25% and 42%, respectively.
"I think our district and probably most districts have seen an increase in drug use with the medical marijuana being approved," Steele said. "It has been a pretty dramatic increase. The reason is marijuana is so much more accessible now because anyone can get a prescription for anything. If you have a hangnail you can get a prescription for medical marijuana."
The data compiled as part of the California Healthy Kids Survey is taken very seriously by district officials, Steele said, and is cross referenced with disciplinary statistics on a site-by-site basis.
He meets regularly with assistant principals for discipline at each of the middle and high schools to address specific issues, Steele said, and the results of the survey helps direct their work.
The district recently reintroduced random drug searches using drug sniffing dogs, Steele said. The searches had an immediate impact. On the second visit, the number of hits dropped by about 50%, he said.
"Am I happy about [the numbers]?" Steele said. "No, I am not. I think we can do better. I think this next year's report is going to be better than this year's report."
Source: The Burbank Leader
NEWS: How cannabis dampens the immune system
Prakash Nagarkatti at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and colleagues injected the main active ingredient of cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), into mice. THC activated two types of cannabinoid receptor on immune cells, called CB1 and CB2. Activation of these receptors led to a "massive mobilisation" of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which play a crucial role in lowering the immune system response back down to normal levels (European Journal of Immunology, DOI: 10.1002/eji.201040667).
The discovery offers a possible explanation of why cannabis smokers have a higher risk of getting infections, says Nagarkatti. It may also mean THC could be used when there is a need to suppress the immune system - after an organ transplant, for example.
Source: New Scientist
NEWS: Dispensary files claim against Rancho Mirage
Rancho Mirage faces a legal claim from a marijuana dispensary it shut down while officials sift through conflicting legal signals on the issue.
On Thursday, attorney Jeff Lake filed a $530,000 claim with the city on behalf of Desert Heart Collective, the first step toward filing a lawsuit.
Rancho Mirage has 45 days to either pay or reject the claim, at which point the collective would be ready to sue, Lake said.
But he added it still doesn't have to come to that.
“We are working with the city diligently and are attempting to get an ordinance passed before the moratorium expires, which is Dec. 15,” Lake said.
That seemed unlikely after Thursday's City Council meeting, where members voted 4-1 to revisit proposed regulations for operating dispensaries in the city at their Jan. 20 meeting.
Councilman Scott Hines voted no, saying they should try to resolve the matter sooner.
Another council meeting is set for Dec. 14 for a vote on extending the dispensary moratorium, which Lake calls “illegal and unenforceable” in the claim.
The council first adopted that moratorium Sept. 16 after discovering Desert Heart Collective had opened at 42-900 Bob Hope Drive, Suite 111.
The claim is seeking revenue, wages and other costs Lakes said were lost when the dispensary was shut down because of the moratorium.
Rancho Mirage had no law against dispensaries when Desert Heart applied for a business license. But the application was rejected on the grounds dispensaries weren't permitted by existing zoning.
City Attorney Steve Quintanilla said during the council meeting some California cities had turned dispensaries away without banning them based on the federal prohibition on all pot usage.
But a state 4th District Court of Appeals panel ruled Anaheim couldn't use federal law to justify its ban, and on Wednesday the state Supreme Court turned down that city's appeal of the decision.
A statement in that ruling indicated the Supreme Court thinks it “unlikely” that cities can ban dispensaries outright, Quintanilla said.
Two residents spoke in opposition to dispensaries at the meeting.
Rick Smith said he isn't against medical marijuana for patients who truly need it.
But he said ads in local weekly papers for existing dispensaries make it obvious they're going after a different market.
“This one offers $25 off a consultation with a doctor. Why wouldn't you be going to your primary care physician?” Smith asked.
Part-time resident Bob Garner said storefront dispensaries are charging patients too much for medical cannabis and should be banned, keeping distribution between medical marijuana collective members without storefronts.
“Everything's in disarray except the dollars rolling in,” he said.
Source: The Desert Sun
On Thursday, attorney Jeff Lake filed a $530,000 claim with the city on behalf of Desert Heart Collective, the first step toward filing a lawsuit.
Rancho Mirage has 45 days to either pay or reject the claim, at which point the collective would be ready to sue, Lake said.
But he added it still doesn't have to come to that.
“We are working with the city diligently and are attempting to get an ordinance passed before the moratorium expires, which is Dec. 15,” Lake said.
That seemed unlikely after Thursday's City Council meeting, where members voted 4-1 to revisit proposed regulations for operating dispensaries in the city at their Jan. 20 meeting.
Councilman Scott Hines voted no, saying they should try to resolve the matter sooner.
Another council meeting is set for Dec. 14 for a vote on extending the dispensary moratorium, which Lake calls “illegal and unenforceable” in the claim.
The council first adopted that moratorium Sept. 16 after discovering Desert Heart Collective had opened at 42-900 Bob Hope Drive, Suite 111.
The claim is seeking revenue, wages and other costs Lakes said were lost when the dispensary was shut down because of the moratorium.
Rancho Mirage had no law against dispensaries when Desert Heart applied for a business license. But the application was rejected on the grounds dispensaries weren't permitted by existing zoning.
City Attorney Steve Quintanilla said during the council meeting some California cities had turned dispensaries away without banning them based on the federal prohibition on all pot usage.
But a state 4th District Court of Appeals panel ruled Anaheim couldn't use federal law to justify its ban, and on Wednesday the state Supreme Court turned down that city's appeal of the decision.
A statement in that ruling indicated the Supreme Court thinks it “unlikely” that cities can ban dispensaries outright, Quintanilla said.
Two residents spoke in opposition to dispensaries at the meeting.
Rick Smith said he isn't against medical marijuana for patients who truly need it.
But he said ads in local weekly papers for existing dispensaries make it obvious they're going after a different market.
“This one offers $25 off a consultation with a doctor. Why wouldn't you be going to your primary care physician?” Smith asked.
Part-time resident Bob Garner said storefront dispensaries are charging patients too much for medical cannabis and should be banned, keeping distribution between medical marijuana collective members without storefronts.
“Everything's in disarray except the dollars rolling in,” he said.
Source: The Desert Sun
Thursday, December 2, 2010
NEWS: Weedmaps is Now Taking Investors
Yelp for pot web site Weedmaps.com is having a historic fourth quarter. The twelve-person Orange County concern just went public through a de facto reverse merger with LC Luxuries. Now renamed General Cannabis, CANA trades at $4.05 on the pink sheets and — unlike its publicly traded pot peer “Medical Marijuana Inc” — CANA has a business model and actual revenue to report.
“Medical Marijuana Inc. is a very dubious stock,” says Weedmaps founder Justin Hartfield, now Chief Web Officer of General Cannabis. “What we are trying to do is bring legitimate and real numbers. We're going to be reporting every quarter even though we're on the pink sheets and not required by law. We're going to do it anyway to build confidence in the company and build confidence within our shareholders. And the only reason we can do that is because we have real earnings. Weedmaps is generating profits. True profits.”
Weedmaps grossed $400,000 off 50,000 paying users in September. Those users are a fraction of a national audience that reviews dispensaries, seeks specific strains in their area, and posts to the Weedmaps forums. Weedmaps.com is part of constellation of “thousands” of pot-themed URLs Hartfield has bought up. The Computer Science graduate from University of California, Irvine got the idea three years ago after his first trip to a dispensary.
“It's a lot like the first time you step into a coffee shop in Amsterdam,” Hartfield said during a phone interview from Amsterdam, where he's on a business trip that includes the High Times Cannabis Cup. “There's not some sketchy drug dealer with a bunch of drugs coming over to my house. It's really safe, it's cheap enough, and it's quick and easy.”
Hartfield already ran a search engine optimization company called Saddleback SEO, helping clients achieve higher rankings on Google. Hartfield partnered with friend Keith Hoerling to build out a Yelp for pot in two weeks in 2008, and Hartfield used his knowledge of SEO to scoop up tons of search traffic.
“It was 100-percent search-engine-based. That was what I did in a previous life. And we based our business off of it. We love Google,” he said.
Most people use the site for free, but like Craigslist or Yelp, Weedmaps charges dispensary owners for prime placement, review rebuttals, and advertising. User payments became so torrential, credit card processors assumed fraud. Weedmaps had to create its own merchant-processing account to deal with payments, and spin-off “Cannapay” now does billing for two-dozen other businesses. It may become a credit union. Weedmaps' free iPhone app also gets 700 to 800 new downloads a day and has been downloaded over a half a million times.
In 2011, General Cannabis will use its digital footprint to launch more goods and services to a national market worth tens of billions of dollars. Weedmaps plans a dispensary deals section like a Groupon for weed, and they have something called Weedmaps TV. “Suffice to say a 24-7 content channel dedicated to marijuana,” he says.
Weedmaps TV could nab advertisers shut out of traditional TV or radio, where FCC censure threatens stations who take pot club ads. Other potential advertisers include related industries like Chronic Tacos in Irvine. “We're going to reach across verticals and go into head shops, hydro stores, lawyers, and doctors.”
The only barrier to growth Hartfield sees is a legal one. Though fifteen states now have legal medical pot, some newly elected state governors ran on anti-medical marijuana platforms.
“There's a lot of stigma, there's a lot of misinformation, what it really is is propaganda that the government has been feeding the citizens since the Marijuana Tax Act in the '30s. Slowly but surely people are learning for themselves.”
General Cannabis has partnered with NORML to politicize Weedmaps' userbase as well as rapidly develop NORML's own online technology. Hartfield is anticipating a 2012 legalization effort in three states. “Those three are Oregon, California, and Colorado. I suspect at least one will pass.”
Legalization will poll at 48.2 percent in California by 2012, he predicts, and a state pot tax law could pick up the last two percent.
Weedmaps' biggest haters often come from the medical pot community itself, though. Some perceive Hartfield's young, bold approach as a threat to hard-won patient rights. Weedmaps sites like weedporn.com and weedorskin.com don't exactly legitimize medical use. Arizona medical marijuana campaign manager Andrew Myers notes that national support for medical marijuana has peaked and begun to erode, even as full legalization's supporters grow.
“It's like a Stockholm Syndrome," says Hartfield. "The police have finally given a small loophole to these sick and dying patients. As a function of being sick and dying, you really care about where your medication is going to come from and making sure you have it tomorrow. So if anybody tries to claim the system you're using, the loophole you're using, is anything but a loophole, there could be feedback.
“I'm not saying we need to abandon medical marijuana. We need to keep medical marijuana and we also need to have legalized marijuana,” he says.
Weedmaps also drives down medical pot prices, he says.
“There's always a backlash especially with a model as disruptive as Weedmaps,” he said. “We list everybody's prices. It's all searchable. You know which strains cost how much and where, and the people that want to keep their margins high could have a problem with that, if they don't understand that we're expanding the pie for everybody. There's always naysayers, right?”
So why didn't Google or Yelp beat Hartfield to the business?
“I'm sure Yelp is kind of scratching their head going, 'Why couldn't we?' Really, they couldn't, dude. Yelp is more for restaurants, Google is making so much money they don't want to concern themselves with this little, tiny marijuana market. Weedmaps is so niche specific that we don't see Yelp as a competitor and vice versa. We're really focusing on strains and patients searching for particular strains.”
A fresh infusion of capital from public investors will make that happen, said Hartfield. “People are always asking, 'How can I get involved with Weedmaps?' We never really had a good vehicle until now,” he said. “We're really happy to get it all wrapped.”
TECH SPECS:
[Note: Medical Marijuana Inc.'s Bruce Perlowin says the company had lacked a business model, but should have revenue soon. It launched two hemp-based, multi-level marketing products in the fourth quarter.]
Source: East Bay Express
“Medical Marijuana Inc. is a very dubious stock,” says Weedmaps founder Justin Hartfield, now Chief Web Officer of General Cannabis. “What we are trying to do is bring legitimate and real numbers. We're going to be reporting every quarter even though we're on the pink sheets and not required by law. We're going to do it anyway to build confidence in the company and build confidence within our shareholders. And the only reason we can do that is because we have real earnings. Weedmaps is generating profits. True profits.”
Weedmaps grossed $400,000 off 50,000 paying users in September. Those users are a fraction of a national audience that reviews dispensaries, seeks specific strains in their area, and posts to the Weedmaps forums. Weedmaps.com is part of constellation of “thousands” of pot-themed URLs Hartfield has bought up. The Computer Science graduate from University of California, Irvine got the idea three years ago after his first trip to a dispensary.
“It's a lot like the first time you step into a coffee shop in Amsterdam,” Hartfield said during a phone interview from Amsterdam, where he's on a business trip that includes the High Times Cannabis Cup. “There's not some sketchy drug dealer with a bunch of drugs coming over to my house. It's really safe, it's cheap enough, and it's quick and easy.”
Hartfield already ran a search engine optimization company called Saddleback SEO, helping clients achieve higher rankings on Google. Hartfield partnered with friend Keith Hoerling to build out a Yelp for pot in two weeks in 2008, and Hartfield used his knowledge of SEO to scoop up tons of search traffic.
“It was 100-percent search-engine-based. That was what I did in a previous life. And we based our business off of it. We love Google,” he said.
Most people use the site for free, but like Craigslist or Yelp, Weedmaps charges dispensary owners for prime placement, review rebuttals, and advertising. User payments became so torrential, credit card processors assumed fraud. Weedmaps had to create its own merchant-processing account to deal with payments, and spin-off “Cannapay” now does billing for two-dozen other businesses. It may become a credit union. Weedmaps' free iPhone app also gets 700 to 800 new downloads a day and has been downloaded over a half a million times.
In 2011, General Cannabis will use its digital footprint to launch more goods and services to a national market worth tens of billions of dollars. Weedmaps plans a dispensary deals section like a Groupon for weed, and they have something called Weedmaps TV. “Suffice to say a 24-7 content channel dedicated to marijuana,” he says.
Weedmaps TV could nab advertisers shut out of traditional TV or radio, where FCC censure threatens stations who take pot club ads. Other potential advertisers include related industries like Chronic Tacos in Irvine. “We're going to reach across verticals and go into head shops, hydro stores, lawyers, and doctors.”
The only barrier to growth Hartfield sees is a legal one. Though fifteen states now have legal medical pot, some newly elected state governors ran on anti-medical marijuana platforms.
“There's a lot of stigma, there's a lot of misinformation, what it really is is propaganda that the government has been feeding the citizens since the Marijuana Tax Act in the '30s. Slowly but surely people are learning for themselves.”
General Cannabis has partnered with NORML to politicize Weedmaps' userbase as well as rapidly develop NORML's own online technology. Hartfield is anticipating a 2012 legalization effort in three states. “Those three are Oregon, California, and Colorado. I suspect at least one will pass.”
Legalization will poll at 48.2 percent in California by 2012, he predicts, and a state pot tax law could pick up the last two percent.
Weedmaps' biggest haters often come from the medical pot community itself, though. Some perceive Hartfield's young, bold approach as a threat to hard-won patient rights. Weedmaps sites like weedporn.com and weedorskin.com don't exactly legitimize medical use. Arizona medical marijuana campaign manager Andrew Myers notes that national support for medical marijuana has peaked and begun to erode, even as full legalization's supporters grow.
“It's like a Stockholm Syndrome," says Hartfield. "The police have finally given a small loophole to these sick and dying patients. As a function of being sick and dying, you really care about where your medication is going to come from and making sure you have it tomorrow. So if anybody tries to claim the system you're using, the loophole you're using, is anything but a loophole, there could be feedback.
“I'm not saying we need to abandon medical marijuana. We need to keep medical marijuana and we also need to have legalized marijuana,” he says.
Weedmaps also drives down medical pot prices, he says.
“There's always a backlash especially with a model as disruptive as Weedmaps,” he said. “We list everybody's prices. It's all searchable. You know which strains cost how much and where, and the people that want to keep their margins high could have a problem with that, if they don't understand that we're expanding the pie for everybody. There's always naysayers, right?”
So why didn't Google or Yelp beat Hartfield to the business?
“I'm sure Yelp is kind of scratching their head going, 'Why couldn't we?' Really, they couldn't, dude. Yelp is more for restaurants, Google is making so much money they don't want to concern themselves with this little, tiny marijuana market. Weedmaps is so niche specific that we don't see Yelp as a competitor and vice versa. We're really focusing on strains and patients searching for particular strains.”
A fresh infusion of capital from public investors will make that happen, said Hartfield. “People are always asking, 'How can I get involved with Weedmaps?' We never really had a good vehicle until now,” he said. “We're really happy to get it all wrapped.”
TECH SPECS:
- Core Business Name: Weedmaps.com
- Number of URLS owned: thousands
- Employees: 12
- Headquarters: Irvine, CA
- Weedmaps.com Gross: $400,000
- Paid userbase: 50,000
- Database architecture: Joomla (from Microsoft, Google, eBay)
- Serving: HTML5
- Developing in 2011: embeddable widgets, location-based services, single sign-on across site.
- Stock Ticker Symbol: CANA
[Note: Medical Marijuana Inc.'s Bruce Perlowin says the company had lacked a business model, but should have revenue soon. It launched two hemp-based, multi-level marketing products in the fourth quarter.]
Source: East Bay Express
VIDEO: Adela Falk's Presentation on Medical Marijuana to SD Council
Adela Falk's Presentation on Medical Marijuana before the San Diego City Council. From council meeting on November 9, 2010.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
NEWS: Study In Monkeys Suggests Marijuana Does Not Lead To Faster HIV Disease Progression
A small study of monkeys infected with the monkey version of HIV, Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, found that regular administration of tetrahydrocannabinol – the active compound in marijuana – was not associated with faster SIV disease progression.
In fact, the monkeys were less likely to die early, experienced small reductions in their viral loads, and had slightly better retention of body mass. However, the study authors stated that the results are too preliminary to suggest marijuana might slow the progression of HIV.
“In terms of viral replication, disease progression, and immunological parameters, chronic use of cannabinoids may not be detrimental to the infection,” said Dr. Patricia Molina, lead author on the study.
However, she added, “It is too premature to claim that this also reflects protection or improvement of disease in HIV-positive [patients], or how this would play out in the presence of antiretroviral therapy.”
Studies have estimated that about a quarter to a third of people with HIV use marijuana to ease symptoms from HIV infection or antiretroviral therapy. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary drug in marijuana, is available in two forms: the marijuana plant itself and two different pills, which are available by prescription.
Marijuana, which is usually smoked, is not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is illegal according to federal law. However, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized use of marijuana for people with HIV.
In addition, Marinol (dronabinol), which contains THC, and Cesamet (nabilone), which contains a synthetic version of THC, are available by prescription. Marinol is approved by the FDA for the treatment of HIV-associated anorexia, while Cesamet is approved for use in treatment of anorexia and wasting in people with HIV.
Most research has shown that using marijuana or prescription THC can help ease common symptoms and side effects of antiretroviral therapy in people with HIV (see related AIDS Beacon news). However, some research has suggested that marijuana and THC may have harmful effects on the immune system, which could lead to more illnesses and faster HIV disease progression.
In this study, researchers set out to determine whether regular THC use causes faster disease progression in monkeys infected with SIV, the monkey equivalent of HIV.
Four monkeys were injected twice daily with THC starting approximately one month prior to being infected with SIV. Another four monkeys were infected with SIV but did not receive THC.
After infection, the researchers monitored immune system markers, CD4 (white blood cell) counts, and viral loads (amount of virus in the blood) over the course of 6 months. The monkeys receiving THC continued to receive the drug twice daily throughout the study period.
Contrary to the researchers’ expectations, results showed that regular THC administration did not increase viral load or lead to faster disease progression.
In fact, infected monkeys receiving THC had slightly lower viral loads than infected monkeys that did not receive THC, although the difference was too small to be significant. CD4 counts also dropped more slowly in monkeys receiving THC.
In addition, among the infected monkeys receiving THC, the first death did not occur until 11 months after infection. In that time, three of the four infected monkeys not receiving THC died: two about 5 months after infection and a third after 7 months.
Results also showed that monkeys receiving THC lost less weight 3 to 6 months after infection than monkeys not receiving THC, although the difference was too small to be significant.
The authors noted that their study was small, which means individual differences between monkeys could have played a role. Nonetheless, they concluded that THC does not increase disease progression and, in fact, regular administration of THC may actually delay SIV disease progression, possibly by reducing inflammation and weight loss.
Dr. Molina stated that additional follow-up studies on the monkeys are planned. “There are many things we are interested in pursuing, such as what happens with a longer period of exposure to THC prior to infection, can we eliminate the psychoactive effects of THC and still see protection, does THC interfere directly with viral entry into the cell, etc.,” said Dr. Molina.
The authors also plan to study the effects of THC in female monkeys (all the monkeys in this study were male) and what the biological mechanism of THC’s effects on disease progression might be.
Dr. Molina stated that they would like to replicate the results in human studies, but that this presents some challenges.
“These are difficult studies, and finding the right cohort of patients is quite complex,” said Dr. Molina. “Questions arise as to whom do we study? People on antiretroviral therapy plus cannabinoids? Do we add cannabinoids to the therapy? Do we study cannabinoid users?”
“We are interested in pursuing it, just not at that stage yet,” she added.
For more information on the study, please see the article in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses.
Source: AIDS Beacon
![]()
In fact, the monkeys were less likely to die early, experienced small reductions in their viral loads, and had slightly better retention of body mass. However, the study authors stated that the results are too preliminary to suggest marijuana might slow the progression of HIV.
“In terms of viral replication, disease progression, and immunological parameters, chronic use of cannabinoids may not be detrimental to the infection,” said Dr. Patricia Molina, lead author on the study.
However, she added, “It is too premature to claim that this also reflects protection or improvement of disease in HIV-positive [patients], or how this would play out in the presence of antiretroviral therapy.”
Studies have estimated that about a quarter to a third of people with HIV use marijuana to ease symptoms from HIV infection or antiretroviral therapy. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary drug in marijuana, is available in two forms: the marijuana plant itself and two different pills, which are available by prescription.
Marijuana, which is usually smoked, is not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is illegal according to federal law. However, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized use of marijuana for people with HIV.
In addition, Marinol (dronabinol), which contains THC, and Cesamet (nabilone), which contains a synthetic version of THC, are available by prescription. Marinol is approved by the FDA for the treatment of HIV-associated anorexia, while Cesamet is approved for use in treatment of anorexia and wasting in people with HIV.
Most research has shown that using marijuana or prescription THC can help ease common symptoms and side effects of antiretroviral therapy in people with HIV (see related AIDS Beacon news). However, some research has suggested that marijuana and THC may have harmful effects on the immune system, which could lead to more illnesses and faster HIV disease progression.
In this study, researchers set out to determine whether regular THC use causes faster disease progression in monkeys infected with SIV, the monkey equivalent of HIV.
Four monkeys were injected twice daily with THC starting approximately one month prior to being infected with SIV. Another four monkeys were infected with SIV but did not receive THC.
After infection, the researchers monitored immune system markers, CD4 (white blood cell) counts, and viral loads (amount of virus in the blood) over the course of 6 months. The monkeys receiving THC continued to receive the drug twice daily throughout the study period.
Contrary to the researchers’ expectations, results showed that regular THC administration did not increase viral load or lead to faster disease progression.
In fact, infected monkeys receiving THC had slightly lower viral loads than infected monkeys that did not receive THC, although the difference was too small to be significant. CD4 counts also dropped more slowly in monkeys receiving THC.
In addition, among the infected monkeys receiving THC, the first death did not occur until 11 months after infection. In that time, three of the four infected monkeys not receiving THC died: two about 5 months after infection and a third after 7 months.
Results also showed that monkeys receiving THC lost less weight 3 to 6 months after infection than monkeys not receiving THC, although the difference was too small to be significant.
The authors noted that their study was small, which means individual differences between monkeys could have played a role. Nonetheless, they concluded that THC does not increase disease progression and, in fact, regular administration of THC may actually delay SIV disease progression, possibly by reducing inflammation and weight loss.
Dr. Molina stated that additional follow-up studies on the monkeys are planned. “There are many things we are interested in pursuing, such as what happens with a longer period of exposure to THC prior to infection, can we eliminate the psychoactive effects of THC and still see protection, does THC interfere directly with viral entry into the cell, etc.,” said Dr. Molina.
The authors also plan to study the effects of THC in female monkeys (all the monkeys in this study were male) and what the biological mechanism of THC’s effects on disease progression might be.
Dr. Molina stated that they would like to replicate the results in human studies, but that this presents some challenges.
“These are difficult studies, and finding the right cohort of patients is quite complex,” said Dr. Molina. “Questions arise as to whom do we study? People on antiretroviral therapy plus cannabinoids? Do we add cannabinoids to the therapy? Do we study cannabinoid users?”
“We are interested in pursuing it, just not at that stage yet,” she added.
For more information on the study, please see the article in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses.
Source: AIDS Beacon
NEWS: Upland says no to medical marijuana cooperative
UPLAND - The City Council this week denied another medical marijuana cooperative the ability to operate within city limits.
Route 66 Nursery, 1743 W. Foothill Blvd., had appealed a decision by city staffers to deny their application for a business license.
Council members denied the application because the cooperative was not consistent with the city's zoning ordinance that prohibit medical marijuana cooperatives.
The council denied the appeal on Monday at a special meeting at City Hall.
"We've been consistent, I think, in our dealing with four previous facilities involving marijuana and I see this as being slightly different, but still I think we are within our boundaries to deny it," Councilman Tom Thomas said.
Qualified medical marijuana patients can pay a monthly fee for a small plot to grow and cultivate their own medical marijuana at Route 66 Nursery.
The nursery applied for a business license on June 28 and had it denied two days later.
The nursery in September filed an appeal letter challenging the city's decision.
David Welch, the attorney representing Route 66 Nursery, said the city's zoning ordinance is inconsistent with state law.
California voters approved the Compassionate Use Act in 1996, which decriminalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Welch also cited the Medical Marijuana Program Act of 2004 that made it possible for the state to determine ways of dispensing medical marijuana.
"I really focus on the true intent for the seriously ill. If the seriously ill can't cultivate marijuana in the city of Upland, must they go outside the city or can they (the patients) do it?" Welch said. "This legislation and the people of California were wise enough to allow that to occur for them, but the city of Upland denied them that right, so I'll talk to my client and proceed from there."
However, the city's position is that there is nothing in either act that requires the city to allow medical marijuana cooperatives, dispensaries or nurseries, according to the staff report.
Source: Contra Costa Times
Route 66 Nursery, 1743 W. Foothill Blvd., had appealed a decision by city staffers to deny their application for a business license.
Council members denied the application because the cooperative was not consistent with the city's zoning ordinance that prohibit medical marijuana cooperatives.
The council denied the appeal on Monday at a special meeting at City Hall.
"We've been consistent, I think, in our dealing with four previous facilities involving marijuana and I see this as being slightly different, but still I think we are within our boundaries to deny it," Councilman Tom Thomas said.
Qualified medical marijuana patients can pay a monthly fee for a small plot to grow and cultivate their own medical marijuana at Route 66 Nursery.
The nursery applied for a business license on June 28 and had it denied two days later.
The nursery in September filed an appeal letter challenging the city's decision.
David Welch, the attorney representing Route 66 Nursery, said the city's zoning ordinance is inconsistent with state law.
California voters approved the Compassionate Use Act in 1996, which decriminalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Welch also cited the Medical Marijuana Program Act of 2004 that made it possible for the state to determine ways of dispensing medical marijuana.
"I really focus on the true intent for the seriously ill. If the seriously ill can't cultivate marijuana in the city of Upland, must they go outside the city or can they (the patients) do it?" Welch said. "This legislation and the people of California were wise enough to allow that to occur for them, but the city of Upland denied them that right, so I'll talk to my client and proceed from there."
However, the city's position is that there is nothing in either act that requires the city to allow medical marijuana cooperatives, dispensaries or nurseries, according to the staff report.
Source: Contra Costa Times
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