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alone has not been reported, there are many possible side effects. Dry mouth, drowsiness, low blood pressure when sitting or standing, difficulty standing or or walking, and dizziness do occur frequently with medical use of both natural marijuana and synthetic products. Anxiety, rapid heartbeat, agitation and confusion are also common, especially in older patients, and driving may be impaired. In 2008, an article was published in a prestigious British medical journal, The Lancet, which indicated that individuals who used marijuana on a weekly or daily basis had up to three times more risk for developing psychosis later in life compared to non-users. The authors carefully looked at dozens of previous studies and found the evidence to be strong enough to advise everyone, particularly young people, that the use of marijuana does potentially have some health risks, especially if they are using it on a regular basis. Although an individual’s lifetime risk of developing a serious psychotic illness is only about two or three percent, the use of medical marijuana may increase that risk. Since there are other drugs available to treat the problems for which medical marijuana is suggested, I see no need to add it to my prescribing choices if it becomes legal in Indiana. However, I note that Michigan is among the 14 states listed above. If someone shows up in the ER with a prescription bag of marijuana, I am not sure what I will do about it. http://www.fwdailynews.com/index.php ?option=com_content&view=article&id=7180:Marijuana-not-agood-choice-as-medicine&catid=100:terry-gaff&Itemid=136 38 Marijuana ineffective as an Alzheimer's treatment: UBC-Vancouver Coastal Health research Public release date: 8-Feb-2010 The benefits of marijuana in tempering or reversing the effects of Alzheimer's disease have been challenged in a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. The findings, published in the current issue of the journal Current Alzheimer Research, could lower expectations about the benefits of medical marijuana in combating various cognitive diseases and help redirect future research to more promising therapeutics. Previous studies using animal models showed that HU210, a synthetic form of the compounds found in marijuana, reduced the toxicity of plaques and promoted the growth of new neurons. Those studies used rats carrying amyloid protein, the toxin that forms plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's victims. The new study, led by Dr. Weihong Song, Canada Research Chair in Alzheimer's Disease and a professor of psychiatry in the UBC Faculty of Medicine, was the first to test those findings using mice carrying human genetic mutations that cause Alzheimer's disease – widely considered to be a more accurate model for the disease in humans. "As scientists, we begin every study hoping to be able to confirm beneficial effects of potential therapies, and we hoped to confirm this for the use of medical marijuana in treating Alzheimer's disease," says Song, a member of the Brain Research Centre at UBC and VCH Research Institute and Director of Townsend Family Laboratories at UBC. "But we didn't see any benefit at all. Instead, our study pointed to some detrimental effects." Over a period of several weeks, some of the Alzheimer's-afflicted mice were given varying doses of HU210 – also known as cannabinoids – which is 100 to 800 times more potent than the marijuana compounds. Their memory was then tested. The mice treated with HU210 did no better than untreated mice, with those given low doses of HU210 performing the worst. The researchers also found that HU210-treated mice had just as much plaque formation and the same density of neurons as the control group. The group given higher doses actually had fewer brain cells. "Our study shows that HU210 has no biological or behavioural effect on the established Alzheimer's disease model," says Song, the Jack Brown and Family Professor and Chair in Alzheimer's Disease. "More studies should be done before we place much hope in marijuana's benefits for Alzheimer's patients." Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration and is the most common form of dementia. The Alzheimer Society of Canada estimates that the disease affects close to 300,000 Canadians and accounts for two-thirds of all cases of dementia. Approximately $5.5 billion per year is spent caring for persons with Alzheimer's and related dementias in Canada. By 2031, about 750,000 Canadians will suffer from Alzheimer's and related dementias. The Alzheimer's Association in the U.S. estimates there are approximately 500,000 Americans younger than 65 with Alzheimer's or other dementia. The research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Jack Brown and Family Alzheimer's Research Foundation, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and a donation from the David Townsend Family. Townsend Family Laboratories was established at The University of British Columbia with a donation of $7.5 million from the David Townsend Family. The research centre is dedicated to integrating the basic and clinical research for finding the underlying mechanism and novel diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease and developing interventions to prevent and treat this devastating disease. The UBC Faculty of Medicine provides innovative programs in the health and life sciences, teaching students at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels, and generates more than $200 million in research funding each year. In 2007/08, out of the total UBC research endeavour, 53 per cent, or $247 million, came from academic and clinical teams in the Faculty of Medicine. For more information, visit www.med.ubc.ca. The Brain Research Centre comprises more than 200 investigators with multidisciplinary expertise in neuroscience research ranging from the test tube, to the bedside, to industrial spin-offs. The centre is a partnership of UBC and VCH Research Institute. For more information, visit www.brain.ubc.ca. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) is the research body of Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, which includes BC's largest academic and teaching health sciences centres: VGH, UBC Hospital, and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. In 39 academic partnership with the University of British Columbia, VCHRI brings innovation and discovery to patient care, advancing healthier lives in healthy communities across British Columbia, Canada, and beyond. www.vchri.ca. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/uobc-mia020410.php An examination of events occurring in other states provides us an opportunity to look at the depth of the problem. Not only are other states experiencing some of the same drug related issues, but also residents of California are being arrested across the nation with marijuana grown in California, no doubt under the guise of “compassionate use”. Man charged with murder, robbery in connection to medical marijuana transaction Written by: Jeffrey Wolf /01/07/2010 DENVER -Prosecutors have formally charged a man with first-degree murder after investigators say he shot and killed a man after a medical marijuana transaction. Investigators say around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, 26-year-old Peter Bellar shot Douglas Singleton while trying to rob him at a his home in the 2600 block of Leyden Street. Bellar was also wounded by gunfire and was treated and released. In addition to the murder charge, Bellar is also charged with aggravated robbery. Bellar will be in court on Monday to be formally advised of the charges. http://www.medicinalcolorado.org/node/770 Fire chiefs say some legal marijuana grow-ops are a safety hazard By Terri Theodore (CP) – 01/07/2010 VANCOUVER, B.C. — Medical marijuana may be legal, but the way some approved Canadian growers are producing their pot is not, say fire chiefs in the country's two most prolific weed-producing provinces. More than 3,400 production licences have been issued to grow medical marijuana across Canada, two-thirds of them in Ontario and British Columbia. Fire chiefs associations in those provinces say Health Canada's secretive permit process and refusal to bring in better regulations for growers put lives and health at risk. "There's no instruction manual on how to build a grow op. So they give give you this licence to produce, you know 100 plants or 75 plants, but they don't tell you how to do it safely," said Jim Jessop, the Niagara Fall's assistant fire chief who speaks for the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs on the issue. Jessop said he's walked into Health Canada-approved grow operations where the wiring was bad, volatile chemicals were improperly stored and, in one instance, a powerful hydroponic light ballast was starting to char the floor. "I've actually had to remove children from one of them. It was so unsafe," he said. Health Canada has refused to give locations of the grow operations to fire or police officials, citing privacy concerns. When the federal agency issues a licence, the grower must abide by all applicable federal, provincial, territorial and municipal legislation, such as building codes and electrical hook-ups. The issue of safety isn't probed on the Health Canada application, although a grower must give a detailed account on the form of security measures and how they will protect their crop from loss or theft. Len Garis, chief of the Surrey, B.C., fire department, said his firefighters have stumbled upon nine legal grow ops in the city through the same process used to shut down illegal operations -either the home was using three times the normal limit of power or police have been tipped to a potential grow site. "Four of the nine we disconnected anyway because they had no permit, the electrical systems were altered and (their system was) so shoddy that they weren't safe, so we shut them down," said Garis, who is also the spokesman for the Fire Chiefs Association of British Columbia on the issue of marijuana grow operations. Both the Ontario and B.C. associations say they've lobbied Health Canada asking for help in improving safety. "We sent a number of briefs to Health Canada, asking them to just do one simple thing, as a condition of permit, make sure that zoning, electrical safety, fire safety is all taken into consideration with these locations, prior to issuing the permit," Garis said. David 40 Thomas, with Health Canada, said their inspectors have the authority to conduct inspections for compliance. "To conduct these inspections, Health Canada inspectors must have the occupant's consent to enter the dwelling-place or a warrant issued by a Justice ..." Thomas said in an email response to questions. The associations argue allowing the legal operations to be inspected would be safer for the grower and those around them. Jessop said he has met with federal government ministers and staff to explain the problem and ask for help. "They've acknowledged that there's no process in place to teach people how to wire these buildings properly, how to vent them properly, how to make sure they're fire safe," Jessop said. Trevor Bain, with Ontario's Office of the Fire Marshal, said Health Canada has said keeping the locations secret will prevent legal grow operations from being raided by criminals trying to steal their marijuana. "I can understand the need to protect them in that sense," Bain said. "But at the the same time what about the first responder, what about the neighbour? Shouldn't we have a system in place that protects everyone?" Garis said Surrey firefighters have been called out to fires only to find themselves attempting to fight flames while they stumble through a maze of electrical wires in a smokefilled grow-op. He said some crew members have been shocked by faulty wiring. Those issued grow permits are either growing for themselves or for someone who needs medical marijuana to relieve the symptoms of their illness. Jessop believes a license to grow should be treated like any other license, such as a hair salon, which would need approval before it's allowed to start operation. "The federal government should not issue these licenses to produce marijuana until the local authorities have inspected the set up to make sure it complies will all municipal and provincial bylaws." Thomas said Health Canada is trying to find a balance between helping seriously ill people and providing adequate regulatory control. "The department is working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs to determine how best to address the risks that may be posed by licenses grow operations." http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5ifCEkHj9xIQdXGuczT0fcT9G5YSg Ashland schools begin dealing with medical marijuana Administrators are working on guidelines for card-holding kids By Hannah Guzik /for the Mail Tribune /January 14, 2010 ASHLAND — A handful of students at Ashland High School hold medical marijuana cards, presenting a challenge to school administrators who now must deal with pot as both an illegal drug and a legal medicine. School officials are working to create guidelines for teens who hold medical marijuana cards, Principal Jeff Schlecht said. "This is all just kind of starting to happen," Schlecht said. "It does place us in an awkward position." Students are prohibited from being under the influence of drugs on campus and from bringing pot to school, Schlecht said…..Several Ashland High School students interviewed by the Daily Tidings said they knew of about a half-dozen students with cards, and they suspected there are others they don't know of. "I'm sure there are," said senior Wesley Davis, 17. "I've known about this for four years." Some of the students obtain cards for legitimate health reasons, but others appear to be trying to "work the system," Davis said. "Some of them have it for medical reasons, but others are just trying to get free weed and sell it, turn it around," he said. The students also said they know some card holders — and noncard-holding students — who come to school under the influence of marijuana. "The teachers don't know," said senior Austin Dykstra, 18. "The students can smell it, but it usually doesn't bother them." Teachers or school administrators who notice that a student is under the influence are required to send the student to the office, Schlecht said. If the student has a marijuana card, administrators work with the student's parents, physician and teachers to create guidelines. The goal is to avoid students being high in class, Schlecht said. "You can't be under the influence and be successful in many high school classes, like biochem or algebra II," he said…..Oregon law is not clear about what rights the school or the student would have in such instances, he said. "This is really the first year we're dealing with this," he said, "but this is going to be an issue for high schools." http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100114/NEWS/1140329 41 Medical marijuana business Associated Press -January 16, 2010 2:34 PM ET BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -Medical marijuana dispensaries have cropped up so fast in Boulder that city officials say they may be reaching the saturation point. The city in November passed emergency rules requiring new shops to stay at least 500 feet away from areas with three or more dispensaries, and 500 feet away from schools and day-care centers. Marijuana businesses are also banned from residential areas, leaving little room for new dispensaries in Boulder's business corridors. A recent city memo notes the city's 82 marijuana businesses are heavily concentrated near the University of Colorado, Boulder Valley Regional Center and downtown Boulder. The city has also noted an increase in new dispensaries in industrial areas. http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=11833848 Wyoming Troopers Seizing Marijuana on Interstate By: Chad Franzen Posted at: 01/23/2010 CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers have confiscated nearly 100 pounds of marijuana worth about $265,000 in just more than a week from motorists traveling along Interstate 80. Patrol Sgt. Steve Townsend says the harvesting season for pot growers is from early October through December, and that most of the pot is then transported east. He says normally the agency has its biggest seizures in October but record snowfall and cold weather delayed trafficking that month. He says most of the marijuana is grown in California and Washington state and passes through Wyoming on Interstate 80. Townsend says troopers confiscated 936 pounds of marijuana in 2008 and 750 pounds in 2007 off the interstates. http://www.chadrad.com /newsstory.cfm?story=17013 Three "Big Fish" Caught in Drug Investigation By Hailey Higgins, Local News 8 Reporter /Jan 29, 2010 BONNEVILLE COUNTY – After a month-long investigation, Idaho Falls police said they caught a "big fish" drug team with the help of three agencies. Darrin Hogg Sr., 43, Iesha Swan, 27, and Matthew Pydlek, 22, face serious drug charges after the police team executed two search warrants Wednesday and Thursday. Each of the three suspects face counts of drug trafficking and delivery of a controlled substance charges. Hogg and Swan also are charged with manufacturing a controlled substance. Hogg and Swan were arrested at 304 Swan Valley Highway, Ririe, Wednesday. Pydlek was arrested at his Idaho Falls home, 272 W. 20th St., in Idaho Falls the following day. Idaho Falls police, Idaho State Police and the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office investigated the suspects for the past month. In the searches, police found more than two pounds of marijuana, $3,000 and five firearms. Police believe the drugs, worth about $2,400, came out of California and were being sold here. Hogg is the brother of Roosevelt Hogg, Sr., one of three suspects accused of robbing The Cash Store in Idaho Falls December. http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=11903288 2 California men arrested in Ariz. on drug charges The Associated Press /. 02/01/2010 FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—Arizona authorities say two California men have been arrested on drug possession and transportation charges. An Arizona Department of Public Safety officer pulled over the driver of a pickup truck for speeding Sunday on Interstate 40 near Williams. The officer smelled the odor of burnt marijuana and the two men admitted they had been smoking it and had medical marijuana licenses. But the officer determined the licenses were valid only in California. During a search of luggage in the back of the men's vehicle, the officer found the meth in a spare tire in the bed of the truck. The drug had an 42 estimated street value of $40,000. The DPS says 39-year-old Ignacio M. Mojica and 34-year-old Ronald E. Ford II, both of Marysville, Calif., were booked into the Coconino County Jail. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_14312054?nclick_check=1 Colo. Senate Panel Votes to Tighten Regulation of Medical Marijuana News Summary /February 3, 2010 The Colorado Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted 6-1 in favor of a bill that would require medical-marijuana patients to have a "bona-fide relationship" with a doctor in order to be able to use the drug for medical reasons, the Colorado Statesman reported Jan. 29. Doctors would be required to conduct physical exams of medical-marijuana patients and provide follow-up treatment. Ned Calogne, of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said that five doctors in the state account for half of all medical-marijuana recommendations, including one doctor who issued 700 recommendations in one month. The bill, which supporters said would bring needed needed oversight to the state's medical-marijuana law, was strongly opposed by medical-marijuana advocates who said the rules would be costly and burdensome to patients, some of whom are indigent or disabled. http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2010/colo-senate -panel-votes-to.html Couple arrested in Flagstaff after marijuana bust The Associated Press /Feb. 11, 2010, 5:20PM FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Authorities say a husband and wife have been arrested in Flagstaff after 110 pounds of high-grade marijuana was found in their recreational vehicle. An Arizona Department of Public Safety officer stopped the RV's driver late Wednesday night for making an improper lane change on Interstate 40. A search of the vehicle turned up hydroponically-grown marijuana in the cargo panels that had an estimated street value of more than $800,000. DPS investigators believe the marijuana originated from the Grass Valley area of Northern California and was headed to Dallas… http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6863038.html UN watchdog takes aim at Canada's medical marijuana program By Steven Edwards, Canwest News ServiceFebruary 24, 2010 UNITED NATIONS — Justice Minister Robert Nicholson said Wednesday the government’s medical marijuana regulations are under review after the UN’s drugs watchdog warned Canada needs to tighten up the system. The Vienna-based International Narcotics Control Board said Canada is operating outside international treaty rules aimed at minimizing the risk criminals will get hold of cannabis grown under the program. “The whole question of medical marijuana is being looked at by the minister of health with respect to the options that she has,” said Nicholson, whose ministry serves as the umbrella agency for the government’s anti-drug efforts. “There has been litigation on this that has called for new regulations in this area.” The warning in the INCB’s annual report accompanies praise for the government’s National Anti-Drug Strategy, which the board said it notes “with appreciation.” Nicholson said he took heart from that, adding it “plays very well” into the government’s efforts to push through a crime bill containing tougher drugs-offences sentencing provisions that has been held up in the Senate. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews also argued the report “provides further proof that Canada is recognized internationally as a leader in crime prevention.” Canada increased the number of cannabis cultivation licences a person can hold last year after court decisions stated patients’ earlier access had been too restricted. Currently, Health Canada has issued almost 4,900 permits allowing people to possess medical marijuana they get from more than 1,100 licensed growers, some of whom are growing it for their own use. “Canada continues to be one of the few countries in the world that allows cannabis to be prescribed by doctors to patients with certain serious illnesses,” said the INCB report. But the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotics, which Canada has signed, says the government must be the sole distributor of the otherwise illegal substance, which patients use as a pain reliever. The opportunity for 43 misuse of the system is reflected in an RCMP review identifying 40 cases in which licensed growers were also trafficking marijuana for profit. The same review found violations in a total of 70 cases….. http://www.vancouversun.com/health/watchdog+takes+Canada+medical+marijuana+program/2608747/story.html Georgia Officials Say $1.6 Million Seized in Drug Raids Across Country Associated Press /Monday, March 01, 2010 ATLANTA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says a multi-agency squad has seized more than $1.6 million in a joint narcotics investigation that spanned the country. The bureau tells WSB-TV in a story Saturday that agents arrested 12 suspects in Georgia and Louisiana in connection with the trafficking of marijuana. Agents said they seized about 100 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $500,000, 10 vehicles, about $1 million in real estate, 50 firearms, about $120,000 cash, and about $20,000 in drug assets. The arrests were made on Feb. 17. Agents determined that the marijuana was grown in Mendocino, Calif., and then transported to Douglasville through New Orleans. They said mid-level dealers then distributed the marijuana into Atlanta and the surrounding areas. More arrests and seizures are anticipated in the investigation. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,587602,00.html Traffic stop nets 60 lbs of marijuana Telegraph staff reports /Wednesday, March 3, 2010 LEXINGTON -A traffic stop for speeding on Interstate 80 west of Lexington led to the seizure of 60 pounds. of marijuana and the arrest of two California residents. Just before 3 p.m., on Monday a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol Troop D Headquarters-North Platte stopped an eastbound 2006 Chevy Uplander mini-van for speeding on I-80 near mile marker 229. Upon contacting the driver the trooper smelled the odor of marijuana. A probable cause search led to the seizure of 60 pounds of marijuana. The marijuana was concealed in two duffle bags in the backseat and cargo areas of the minivan…... http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2010/03/03/news/60005727.t xt Nebraska patrol arrests California man in pot case By The Associated Press /Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 10:59 a.m GILTNER, Neb. — State authorities say a California man was arrested after 24 pounds of marijuana was found in his car after a traffic stop in south-central Nebraska……He was identified as 61-year-old Jimmie Manerchia of Sacramento. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2 010/mar/03/nebraska-patrol-arrests-california-man-in-pot-case/Violence Prompts Debate Over Medical Marijuana By WILLIAM YARDLEY /Published: March 16, 2010 SEATTLE — A shooting and a beating death linked to medical marijuana have prompted new calls by law enforcement officials and marijuana advocates for Washington State to change how it regulates the drug and protects those who grow and use it. In the past week, a man in Orting, Wash., near Tacoma, died after he reportedly was beaten while confronting people trying to steal marijuana plants from his property. On Monday, a prominent medical-marijuana activist shot an armed man who is accused of breaking into his home in a suburban area near Seattle where he grows and distributes marijuana plants. On Tuesday, the police arrested five people on robbery charges in connection with the shooting incident. One of those arrested is in critical condition after being shot by Steve Sarich, who runs a group called CannaCare out of his house. Mr. Sarich suffered minor wounds from a shotgun blast fired by the intruder he shot. The crimes are the most violent that advocates and law enforcement officials said they could recall involving medical marijuana in Washington. In both cases, they said, the 44 victims appear to have been chosen because they were known to have relatively large amounts of marijuana in their homes. They say the crimes underscore conflicts in state policy that have become evident since Washington legalized medical marijuana in 1998. “Any person making medical marijuana is going to be a target because they have a valuable commodity,”…..Though the recent violence has drawn new attention to the issue, robberies have become more common in Washington over the years. Marijuana advocates complain that robberies are underreported because law enforcement officials focus more on confiscating marijuana from the growers than on arresting the thieves. The authorities, in turn, have noted that some growers are exceeding limits on how much of the drug they can possess, and say the circumstances of some robberies are murky…..In an interview, Ms. Kohl-Welles said she and another lawmaker would introduce legislation next year to protect access to medical marijuana and protect those who grow it….. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/us/17marijuana.html 1,000 Coloradans applying for medical marijuana cards per day The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says it's seeing a drastic increase in the number of people applying for medical marijuana licenses and its struggling to keep up with all the paperwork. Reporter: KKCO /Mar 25, 2010 GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) -The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says it's seeing a drastic increase in the number of people applying for medical marijuana licenses and its struggling to keep up with all the paperwork. The department says it receives around 1,000 patient applications for medical marijuana licenses a day. That's up from August of 2009 when it only saw around 270 a day. Mark Salley, the communications director for the department, says of the 1,000 applications sent in, only 500 are actually complete and filled out correctly. The other 200 are incomplete and sent back to the patient and 300 are usually changes and updates to to current