Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
As ever more of the world warms up for cannabis legalization, life on the sidelines can at least offer a good view of the game--and this week, news broke of a diverse group of players entering the field.
One is the nation of Greece, which announced late last month it would officially be opening its doors to medicinal cannabis use. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a June 30th press conference that the country would be "turning its page" with cannabis, which Greek medical authorities have already deemed worthy of treating certain medical conditions. According to the Greek Government Gazette, Tsipras also commented, "Greece is now included in countries where the delivery of medical cannabis to patients in need is legal."
In Europe, the countries it's joined in allowing medicinal cannabis use are Finland, the Czech Republic, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. Like the latter two countries, Greece still has to work out how cannabis will be produced and distributed to patients under Tsipras' party's proposal. However, the proposed legal changes will allow Greece to import cannabis-derived medicinal products from other enterprising nations like Canada.
The prime minister also established that cannabis will be bumped down from Greece's regulatory version of our Schedule I drug list, which acknowledges no medical value (as the U.S. officially doesn't), to its equivalent Schedule II list, which acknowledges some medical value. In Greece so far, the plant has been recognized chronic and neuropathic pain, some eating disorders, and nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy as some of the medically recognized treatment areas for which it may allow legal prescriptions.
Meanwhile in Canada, where the government has (mostly, often) been heading for a version of national legalization at a good clip, cannabis business and health advocates are joining forces to close the gap between what science knows about the plant and what doctors and patients do. Yesterday, the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) announced a "first of its kind research program" that is designed to give medical and research professionals the access and tools they need to stay up-to-date on our evolving awareness of medicinal cannabis.
Funded over two years at $100,000 per year by the Ontario-based Canopy Growth Corporation, the project will also help to connect the experience of one of medicinal cannabis' most dedicated patient groups with that of experts in numerous other health fields. Led by an expert Cannabis Research Task Force, the project will further aim to "develop guidelines and recommendations regarding the medical use of cannabis for optimal wellness, quality of life and pain management."
Gary Lacasse, Executive Director of the CAS, commented in a press release, "Our goal is to leverage our existing knowledge and expertise in both HIV and the use of cannabis for medical purposes to create a better quality of life for many Canadians facing debilitating health conditions--particularly in the area of chronic pain management." He added, "This project builds on a body of existing knowledge and research developed by CAS over several years."
As of yesterday, the Task Force includes program managers from the Canadian AIDS Society, numerous medical experts and practitioners, the CEO of the Arthritis Society, the Executive Director of Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana, and community research consultants, among others. According to the CAS, an estimated 10% of Canadian physicians have written an authorization for medical cannabis.
And lastly but not least, our animal friends made news this week over a possible change in the way people are thinking about pot and pets. Veterinarians have long advised against trying to share cannabis with dogs and cats (or leaving it around for them to find) because of the confusion, raised heart rate, and other bad-trippy-to-dangerous effects it can have on them--almost inevitably because of psychoactive chemicals such as THC that are found in the plant.
As NPR reported, however, pet owners and experts have increasingly been turning to CBD, an active but not psychoactive chemical in cannabis, for treating some of the same conditions it's been found to alleviate in humans. In recent years, research on CBD, or cannabidiol, has shown largely promising results for the chemical compound's potential to treat pain, anxiety, seizure, and other conditions in human patients. In states and countries with legal cannabis options, CBD is similarly being marketed for helping animals deal with anything from hip pain to large groups and firework fears.
Tim Shu, a veterinarian and the founder of the medicinal products company VetCBD, told NPR that his pet-targeted CBD preparations have been a huge help for pets with certain ongoing conditions (and their owners). Regarding his patient Tye, a pit-bull with fireworks anxiety and arthritis, Shu commented, "I can actually walk her outside during Fourth of July fireworks. For a lot of owners, it's a night-and-day difference."
And, apparently, for lots of human users, too.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Team Cannabis' Latest Recruits Are Greece, Canadian AIDS Research, And Pets
Author: Janet Burns
Contact: Contact Information
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: {{meta.title}}
One is the nation of Greece, which announced late last month it would officially be opening its doors to medicinal cannabis use. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a June 30th press conference that the country would be "turning its page" with cannabis, which Greek medical authorities have already deemed worthy of treating certain medical conditions. According to the Greek Government Gazette, Tsipras also commented, "Greece is now included in countries where the delivery of medical cannabis to patients in need is legal."
In Europe, the countries it's joined in allowing medicinal cannabis use are Finland, the Czech Republic, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. Like the latter two countries, Greece still has to work out how cannabis will be produced and distributed to patients under Tsipras' party's proposal. However, the proposed legal changes will allow Greece to import cannabis-derived medicinal products from other enterprising nations like Canada.
The prime minister also established that cannabis will be bumped down from Greece's regulatory version of our Schedule I drug list, which acknowledges no medical value (as the U.S. officially doesn't), to its equivalent Schedule II list, which acknowledges some medical value. In Greece so far, the plant has been recognized chronic and neuropathic pain, some eating disorders, and nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy as some of the medically recognized treatment areas for which it may allow legal prescriptions.
Meanwhile in Canada, where the government has (mostly, often) been heading for a version of national legalization at a good clip, cannabis business and health advocates are joining forces to close the gap between what science knows about the plant and what doctors and patients do. Yesterday, the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) announced a "first of its kind research program" that is designed to give medical and research professionals the access and tools they need to stay up-to-date on our evolving awareness of medicinal cannabis.
Funded over two years at $100,000 per year by the Ontario-based Canopy Growth Corporation, the project will also help to connect the experience of one of medicinal cannabis' most dedicated patient groups with that of experts in numerous other health fields. Led by an expert Cannabis Research Task Force, the project will further aim to "develop guidelines and recommendations regarding the medical use of cannabis for optimal wellness, quality of life and pain management."
Gary Lacasse, Executive Director of the CAS, commented in a press release, "Our goal is to leverage our existing knowledge and expertise in both HIV and the use of cannabis for medical purposes to create a better quality of life for many Canadians facing debilitating health conditions--particularly in the area of chronic pain management." He added, "This project builds on a body of existing knowledge and research developed by CAS over several years."
As of yesterday, the Task Force includes program managers from the Canadian AIDS Society, numerous medical experts and practitioners, the CEO of the Arthritis Society, the Executive Director of Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana, and community research consultants, among others. According to the CAS, an estimated 10% of Canadian physicians have written an authorization for medical cannabis.
And lastly but not least, our animal friends made news this week over a possible change in the way people are thinking about pot and pets. Veterinarians have long advised against trying to share cannabis with dogs and cats (or leaving it around for them to find) because of the confusion, raised heart rate, and other bad-trippy-to-dangerous effects it can have on them--almost inevitably because of psychoactive chemicals such as THC that are found in the plant.
As NPR reported, however, pet owners and experts have increasingly been turning to CBD, an active but not psychoactive chemical in cannabis, for treating some of the same conditions it's been found to alleviate in humans. In recent years, research on CBD, or cannabidiol, has shown largely promising results for the chemical compound's potential to treat pain, anxiety, seizure, and other conditions in human patients. In states and countries with legal cannabis options, CBD is similarly being marketed for helping animals deal with anything from hip pain to large groups and firework fears.
Tim Shu, a veterinarian and the founder of the medicinal products company VetCBD, told NPR that his pet-targeted CBD preparations have been a huge help for pets with certain ongoing conditions (and their owners). Regarding his patient Tye, a pit-bull with fireworks anxiety and arthritis, Shu commented, "I can actually walk her outside during Fourth of July fireworks. For a lot of owners, it's a night-and-day difference."
And, apparently, for lots of human users, too.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Team Cannabis' Latest Recruits Are Greece, Canadian AIDS Research, And Pets
Author: Janet Burns
Contact: Contact Information
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: {{meta.title}}
