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Is Ketamine a Quick Fix for Hard-to-Treat Depression?

The Archives of General Psychiatry published a randomized, controlled trial hailing ketamine as a promising treatment for depression among patients with bipolar disorder. The new paper says that in most cases ketamine "resulted in a robust and rapid (within minutes) antidepressant response."

Expert calls for civil drug punishments

Professor David J. Nutt, past chairman of the UK's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, believes a radical new approach to drug policy that may include the regulated sale of some drugs is in order. He thinks drug users should face civil sanctions such as fines or the loss of their driver's license instead of criminal penalties. Nutt says the criminal approach to drugs has failed but there was a reluctance to change because most politicians were scared of losing votes if they were to tell the truth about the failed drug policy.

Dr. Frank in Michigan June 24,25,28; seminars for patients, physicians in Oakland, California new location TBA

Dr. Frank Lucido | Family and General Practice since 1979 • Safe and Appropriate Recommendations since 1996 | www.DrFrankLucido.com

Dr. Frank in Michigan June 24,25,28; seminars for patients, physicians  in Oakland, California new location TBA!
http://drfranklucido.blogspot.com/2010/06/dr-frank-michigan-june-242528-seminars.html

 

Dr. Frank will be in Michigan June 24-June 28, and available to see patients in Ann Arbor, Lansing area

To schedule:
email [email protected] or call office 510-848-0958 during office hours 9-noon, 1:30-4pm Pacific Time

Also in this blog:
Report on Frank's last trip to Michigan, and Dr. Frank's AIMLegal Physician Seminar in Detroit May 8

Coming up in Next Blog:
New venue for Dr. Frank's seminars for patients, physicians in Oakland To Be Announced soon!
Report on High Times 1st ever Medical Cannabis Cup in San Francisco this past weekend June 19, 20, 2010
Report on Maine Medical Cannabis Conference Saturday, University of Southern Maine, June 5, 2010
   Keynote speaker was Montel Williams
http://www.mainemedicalcannabisconference.com/index.html
http://www.mainemedicalcannabisconference.com/conferencespeakers.html
Also: My Montel Williams and Angel Raich story from Drug Policy Alliance Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico last November, 2009

Report on Frank's trip to Michigan: Michigan AIMLegal Michigan Pioneers of Medical Cannabis:

Report on Michigan trip
I was in Michigan April 30-May 10 to:
1. spend some good time with mom and family and friends
2. connect with the Michigan medical cannabis community
3. hold a seminar for medical cannabis physicians and
4. perform medical cannabis evaluations

I feel good about all 4, and had a great time for the 10 days I was in Michigan
1. Good family time staying at my Mom's for 10 days, in East Lansing area (Hi Mom, Dad, brother Mark!!)
2. connect with the Michigan medical cannabis community:
Saturday, May 1:
I had my brother Mark reserve a picnic area in Lake Lansing Park, and I sent out a last minute email invite to my Michigan contacts just before I left California, so I had no idea if ANYONE was going to show up.

I billed it as:
Dr. Frank Lucido's Seminar for Patients, Caregivers, and Patients Advocates: Everybody's Entitled to My Opinion, or 14 years experience with medical cannabis consulting. There will be ample time for Q & A.
My soundbite for Michigan:
I'VE SEEN THE FUTURE: IT'S NOT ALL PRETTY, BUT SOME OF IT IS BEAUTIFUL

I'm glad my brother Mark, and friend Derek came, because for the first hour it was just the 3 of us playing Frisbee. (still lots of fun!)
Then my only other guest showed up.
One person.
But it was the perfect person for me to meet:
Robin Schneider, president of the Capital City Compassion Club.
We spoke for the next hour. I got to talk about my 14 years experience, and got to hear what's been going in Lansing area medical cannabis issues.
I really like the idea of Compassion Clubs, especially to the extent that their intention is not commercial, but informational and networking.
That week, I got to see Robin's name in the Lansing State Journal, about her testimony to the Lansing City Council, about a proposed ordinance that "would require a permit for commercial establishments" growing, storing or dispensing of medical marijuana, including for home delivery."
according to the May 5 article. See:
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010305040026

Also on May 2, I was in Ann Arbor at a benefit for SSDP (Students for a Sensible Drug Policy), held at the Michigan Union, at my alma mater, University of Michigan.
Chris Chiles, the outgoing president of Ann Arbor SSDP used the occasion of his graduation to hold a benefit for National SSDP(Students for a Sensible Drug Policy)

I was honored to be asked to speak, and was happy to donate to this great organization.

http://ssdp.org/about/
Mission Statement

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the War on Drugs is failing our generation and our society.

SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future, while fighting back against counterproductive Drug War policies, particularly those that directly harm students and youth.

Good going Chris!

Patients Out of Time Conference Video Promotion

The Sixth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, co-sponsored by the School of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco; the Rhode Island State Nurses Association and Patients Out of Time will be held on April 15 - 17, 2010 at the Crowne Plaze Hotel in Warwick, RI. The Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition (RIPAC) is the local host and partner with Patients Out of Time for this forum. To view the video, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxj6f31swS4. For more information and to register, see http://medicalcannabis.com/Clinical-Conferences/2010-upcoming-conference

Harvard Economist: Decriminalizing Marijuana Could Save Rhode Island $11 Million Annually

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

MARCH 3, 2010

Harvard Economist: Decriminalizing Marijuana Could Save Rhode Island $11 Million Annually

Taxing and Regulating Marijuana Could Provide State With Up to $48 Million Per Year, According to Testimony Expected Thursday

CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP assistant director of communications …… 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND — Tomorrow, Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron will testify before the state’s Marijuana Prohibition Study Commission and explain how changing the state’s current marijuana policies could save tens of millions of dollars annually, and even possibly generate additional tax revenue.

         According to Miron’s estimates, reducing the penalty for the possession of small amounts of marijuana to a civil fine would save Rhode Island roughly $11.1 million per year in reduced expenditures on police. Miron also estimates that taxing and regulating marijuana would save the state roughly $40.5 million per year in reduced expenditures on police, prosecutors, judges and prisons. Taxing and regulating marijuana could also generate roughly $7.6 million per year in new tax revenue, according to Miron.

         “Professor Miron’s estimates illustrate just one of the many reasons why Rhode Island lawmakers should consider changing the state’s disastrous prohibition on the nation’s largest cash crop,” said Robert Capecchi, a legislative analyst with the Marijuana Policy Project. “As lawmakers examine the economically unsound and wasteful policies that unnecessarily arrest, prosecute and incarcerate thousands of individuals simply for using a substance that is safer than alcohol, I hope they pay particular attention to Professor Miron’s findings, especially in these tough economic times.”

         WHAT: Meeting of Rhode Island’s Marijuana Prohibition Study Commission

         WHO: Prof. Jeffrey Miron, Department of Economics at Harvard University

         WHEN: Thursday, March 4, at 5 p.m.

         WHERE: Room 212 in the State House

         With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.

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Press Release: AMA Report Recognizes Medical Benefits of Marijuana, Urges Further Research

PRESS RELEASE Americans for Safe Access For Immediate Release: November 10, 2009 AMA Report Recognizes Medical Benefits of Marijuana, Urges Further Research Largest and oldest U.S. physician-based group reverses long-held position on medical marijuana Houston, TX -- The American Medical Association (AMA) voted today to reverse its long-held position that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I substance with no medical value. The AMA adopted a report drafted by the AMA Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH) entitled, "Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes," which affirmed the therapeutic benefits of marijuana and called for further research. The CSAPH report concluded that, "short term controlled trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis." Furthermore, the report urges that "the Schedule I status of marijuana be reviewed with the goal of facilitating clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods." The change of position by the largest physician-based group in the country was precipitated in part by a resolution adopted in June of 2008 by the Medical Student Section (MSS) of the AMA in support of the reclassification of marijuana's status as a Schedule I substance. In the past year, the AMA has considered three resolutions dealing with medical marijuana, which also helped to influence the report and its recommendations. The AMA vote on the report took place in Houston, Texas during the organization's annual Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates. The last AMA position, adopted 8 years ago, called for maintaining marijuana as a Schedule I substance, with no medical value. "It's been 72 years since the AMA has officially recognized that marijuana has both already-demonstrated and future-promising medical utility," said Sunil Aggarwal, Ph.D., the medical student who spearheaded both the passage of the June 2008 resolution by the MSS and one of the CSAPH report's designated expert reviewers. "The AMA has written an extensive, well-documented, evidence-based report that they are seeking to publish in a peer-reviewed journal that will help to educate the medical community about the scientific basis of botanical cannabis-based medicines." Aggarwal is also on the Medical & Scientific Advisory Board of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the largest medical marijuana advocacy organization in the U.S. The AMA's about face on medical marijuana follows an announcement by the Obama Administration in October discouraging U.S. Attorneys from taking enforcement actions in medical marijuana states. In February 2008, a resolution was adopted by the American College of Physicians (ACP), the country's second largest physician group and the largest organization of doctors of internal medicine. The ACP resolution called for an "evidence-based review of marijuana's status as a Schedule I controlled substance to determine whether it should be reclassified to a different schedule. "The two largest physician groups in the U.S. have established medical marijuana as a health care issue that must be addressed," said ASA Government Affairs Director Caren Woodson. "Both organizations have underscored the need for change by placing patients above politics." Though the CSAPH report has not been officially released to the public, AMA documentation indicates that it: "(1) provides a brief historical perspective on the use of cannabis as medicine; (2) examines the current federal and state-based legal envelope relevant to the medical use of cannabis; (3) provides a brief overview of our current understanding of the pharmacology and physiology of the endocannabinoid system; (4) reviews clinical trials on the relative safety and efficacy of smoked cannabis and botanical-based products; and (5) places this information in perspective with respect to the current drug regulatory framework." Further information: Executive Summary of AMA Report: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/AMA_Report_Executive_Summary.pdf Recommendations of AMA Report: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/AMA_Report_Recommendations.pdf American College of Physicians resolution: http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/other_issues/medmarijuana.p df # # # With over 30,000 active members in more than 40 states, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. ASA works to overcome political and legal barriers by creating policies that improve access to medical cannabis for patients and researchers through legislation, education, litigation, grassroots actions, advocacy and services for patients and the caregivers.

AMA Calls for Review of Medical Marijuana’s Legal Status

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                           
NOVEMBER 10, 2009

AMA Calls for Review of Medical Marijuana’s Legal Status

New Policy Marks Historic Shift From Prior Stance

CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications …………… 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205

HOUSTON, TEXAS — In a move considered historic by supporters of medical marijuana, the American Medical Association’s House of Delegates today adopted a new policy position calling for the review of marijuana’s status as a Schedule I drug in the federal Controlled Substances Act. The old language in Policy H-95.952 had previously recommended that “marijuana be retained in Schedule I,” which groups marijuana with drugs such as heroin, LSD and PCP that are deemed to have no accepted medical uses and to be unsafe for use even under medical supervision.

         The revised policy, adopted today, states, “Our AMA urges that marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods.” It goes on to explain that this position should not be construed as an endorsement of state medical marijuana programs.

         “This shift, coming from what has historically been America’s most cautious and conservative major medical organization, is historic,” said Aaron Houston, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, who attended the AMA meeting. “Marijuana’s Schedule I status is not just scientifically untenable, given the wealth of recent data showing it to be both safe and effective for chronic pain and other conditions, but it’s been a major obstacle to needed research.”

         Drugs listed in Schedule II, for which medical use is permitted with strict controls, include cocaine, morphine and methamphetamine. A pill containing THC, the component responsible for marijuana’s “high,” is classed in Schedule III, whose looser requirements allow phoned-in prescriptions.

         With more than 29,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.

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Press Release -- New Report: Marijuana Arrests Don't Affect Use; Penalty Structure Boosts Illegal Market

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                             
NOVEMBER 5, 2009           

 

Most Exhaustive Set of Marijuana Arrest Data Ever Shows No Relation Between Arrests and Use Rates; Penalty Structure Boosts Illicit Market
Florida Has Toughest Penalties, Arrest Rate Highest in D.C, Black Arrest Rate 3 Times That of Whites

CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications …………… 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205

                  Jon Gettman ………………………………………………...……………………540-822-5739

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The most exhaustive collection of data ever on U.S. marijuana arrests, penalties and related information, released today, finds no relationship between marijuana arrest and use rates, while penalty structures act as a price support mechanism that boosts the illegal market. Assembled by Jon Gettman, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Criminal Justice at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, the new report finds:

·      Marijuana arrests have nearly doubled since 1991, while levels of marijuana use remained fundamentally unchanged.

·      Penalties that escalate for increased amounts of marijuana encourage consumers to make multiple small purchases, acting as a price support for the illicit market.

·      Florida has the nation’s harshest marijuana penalties, while the District of Columbia has the highest arrest rate for marijuana offenses.

·      Although the rate of marijuana use is only about 25 percent higher for African-Americans than for whites, blacks are three times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession as whites.

         “These figures paint a devastating portrait of a failed policy that burns through tax dollars while doing nothing but harm,” said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. “Most Americans agree that marijuana prohibition doesn’t work, even if most politicians aren’t yet ready to publicly agree with their constituents.”

          Gettman’s summary report, “Marijuana Arrests in the United States (2007),” is available at http://www.drugscience.org/Archive/bcr7/bcr7_index.html. The full Marijuana Policy Almanac, including state rankings and individual reports for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, is at http://www.drugscience.org/States/US/US_home.htm.

         With more than 29,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.

####

Exploring the Role of the Medical Community in Shaping Drug Policy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                Contact: Tony Newman 646-335-5384

October 26, 2009                                                                                  Gabriel Sayegh 646-335-2264

Town Hall Forum Tuesday at Columbia Medical School: Exploring the Role of the Medical Community in Shaping Drug Policy

Topics to be Discussed: Marijuana Policy, Heroin Maintenance Programs and Other Health Strategies to Reduce the Death, Disease and Suffering Associated with both Drug Use and Drug Policies

Nationally and locally, a shift in the 40-year-old drug war is underway. President Obama has stated he wants to advance a public health approach to drug policy, and Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, has called for an end to the term “war on drugs” because it signifies a war on people. Congress is close to removing the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine and ending the federal ban on funding syringe exchanges, which reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder instructed federal agencies not to target patients who comply with state medical marijuana laws, raising new questions about federal marijuana policies. In New York, Governor Paterson enacted reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, signifying a shift away from a criminal justice-oriented approach to drug policy in favor of a health-oriented approach.

What is the role of the medical community in shaping health-oriented approaches to drug policy? This town hall-style seminar will explore the role of the medical and research community in shaping a more evidenced-based drug policy. Drs. H. Westley Clark and Ethan Nadelmann will give presentations on what components an evidenced-based drug policy should include, and discuss the role the medical community can play in their development.

Speakers:

H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H.

Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Ethan Nadelmann, Ph.D., J.D.

Founder and Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation's leading organization promoting policy alternatives to the drug war that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.

Moderated by Dr. Carl Hart, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology of Columbia University

Time:              Tuesday, October 27th 2009 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Place:              First Floor Hellman Auditorium

                        New York State Psychiatric Institute

1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032

This event is free and open to the public.

###

Press Release: Pharmacy Board ordered to appear in Polk County District court again on October 9th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 5, 2009 CONTACT: Carl Olsen at 515-343-9933 Pharmacy Board ordered to appear in Polk County District court again on October 9th The Iowa Board of Pharmacy will conduct a third in a series of four monthly public hearings on the medical value of marijuana. The hearing is scheduled to take place Wednesday, October 7, 2009, Noon to 7:00 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Auditorium of the Bowen Science Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City. Carl Olsen and George McMahon of Iowans for Medical Marijuana will attend the hearing in Iowa City and will be available to answer questions from the press and public. On April 24, Polk County District Judge Joel D. Novak ruled that the Pharmacy Board unlawfully rejected a petition by Iowans for Medical Marijuana’s Board of Directors to remove marijuana from its current classification as a substance having no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. The petition was based on the fact that marijuana has been accepted for medical use in 13 states in the United States. On July 21, the Board of Pharmacy again rejected the petition, ruling that accepted medical use in treatment in the United States means accepted medical use in all 50 states. The Iowa Board of Pharmacy insists it can determine whether marijuana has accepted medical use in the United States based on science, not on 13 state laws. Another court hearing has been scheduled for October 9 in the Polk County District Court to review the Board’s July 21st supplemental ruling. Whatever the science shows, it’s clear the Iowa Board of Pharmacy has no authority to recommend marijuana be accepted for medical use in any state other than Iowa. The authority of a state administrative agency ends at its own state’s borders. ###
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