Cannabis Science President and CEO Dr. Robert Melamede, PhD., Files Preliminary Patent Disclosures With the University of Colora

Posted on: Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:34:36 EDT

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Jun 1, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) --

Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTCBB: CBIS | PowerRating), a pioneering US biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis products, is pleased to announces preliminary patent disclosures and major steps towards the acquisition of a private company for the development of the new patentable products that should facilitate broad acceptance of specific Cannabis Science pharmaceutical products designed for the treatment of chronic pain, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other critical illnesses addressed throughout the www.cannabisscience.com company website.

Dr. Robert Melamede, PhD., Cannabis Science President and CEO, reported, "We have been negotiating to purchase a privately held biopharmaceutical company that owns complementary patented intellectual property for specific clinical stage cannabinoid products and uses. As a faculty member at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, I have filed a preliminary patent disclosure with the University of Colorado regarding additional new technology that Cannabis Science intends to develop through the targeted private company acquisition. As a part of this process, we are hiring a distinguished patent attorney to help with the University disclosure and ultimate patent filings. We are also using our FDA consultants to advise on the technology's FDA approval pathway because we foresee several new FDA pharmaceutical products that can be derived from this deal."

Richard Cowan, Cannabis Science CFO, explained further steps the company is taking, "We are hiring a prominent Los Angeles law firm to perform the due diligence on the acquisition to confirm representations and formalize the structure of the deal. Negotiations on the over-arching technology related to the above disclosure have been ongoing for the last few months and we have now reached the point where we are prepared to move forward. The attorneys will validate the development of the proprietary intellectual property by previous licensees of the technology. They will also examine several patents already filed and or issued on the related technology. This development is further evidence of Dr. Melamede's ability to identify and bring together a variety of new technologies aimed at developing pharmaceutical cannabis products that target critical illness for worldwide distribution."

Dr. Melamede emphasized, "Yesterday was Memorial Day when we are supposed to remember those who have fought for our country, but we are still way too far behind when it comes to helping our veterans suffering with PTSD, chronic pain, and other problems for which many have found that only medical cannabis can help. We remain committed to the development of various pharmaceutical cannabis products for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related pain among our veterans to whom we owe so much. The intellectual properties mentioned above should specifically facilitate getting Cannabis Science's products to military personnel in need of our Cannabis Pharmaceutical medicines."

Cannabis Science Inc.

Cannabis Science is at the forefront of pharmaceutical medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.

Forward Looking Statements; This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as "anticipate," "seek," intend," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "project," "plan," or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: Cannabis Science, Inc.

CONTACT:  Cannabis Science Inc.

Dr. Robert J. Melamede, President & CEO

1-888-889-0888

info@cannabisscience.com

www.cannabisscience.com

Investor Relations

Mark J. Freedman

1.877.431.CBIS (2247)

info@cannabisscience.com

www.cannabisscience.com

Cannabis Works for Convulsions: Medical Marijuana Saves Epileptics

Salem News

Friday 28 May 2010

(Editor's forward: This contribution was sent to Dr. Phil Leveque, our medical writer, after a conversation with the writer, who asked for their name to be withheld. Dr. Leveque found this story to be significant and our appreciation goes out to the person who share this with us.)

I was only ten when it began. I had been healthy until that beautiful spring morning. Outside on the playground, beneath the wearing heat of the sun, I collapsed onto the ground and began violently seizing.

The incident was diagnosed as simply being a one-time event; it is common for individuals to experience a seizure at some point in their life, I was told. But then things changed two weeks later, as I fell onto my middle school cafeteria’s worn, blue, linoleum floor and again, began seizing.

It would be the beginning of a journey through thousands of convulsions, 13 anti epileptic drugs, multiple alternative treatments, and five brain surgeries. For eight years I would endure the often devastating side effects of Western medicine, until finally, when hope had begun wearing thin, I discovered the answers to my prayers and my first effective treatment: cannabis.

It was the conclusion to my senior year of high school when I inhaled my first puff of marijuana smoke. As it entered my body, my constant plaguing thoughts of seizures dissipated.

It was as if my prison had dissolved. Unfortunately, the escape was brief, and following that day, I felt as if my use of marijuana would never again occur, that I would never be able to evade my persistent memories of past convulsions.

The indefinite feeling lingered for nearly two years, until my arrival in Fort Collins, Colorado, where I would be attending Colorado State University as a sophomore.

But I was too anxious to attain a cure, too impatient to see if I would ever be able to employ marijuana as a treatment. My first surgeries had been unsuccessful, but I was optimistic that pursuing the process again would result in success—a life without the concern of collapsing onto the sidewalk on my way to class.

And so, under the supervision of my physician, I applied for a medical marijuana license just prior to reentering the operating room that summer. To my dismay, the ramifications of the procedures would not reflect my positive approach; not only would I continue seizing, but rather, this time, I would be paralyzed on my left side due to an unforeseen level of swelling in my brain.

Then left struggling to move my left hand and still continuing to seize, I turned to my last resort, the one treatment that would free me from my ailment: medicinal marijuana. It was an immediate difference. I adopted a new identity, one that incurred fewer convulsions and less paramedic encounters.

I transitioned from being reclusive to, instead, exerting an outgoing and assertive personality, as a pre-law junior at Colorado State University. In two years as a medical marijuana user, now having achieved dozens of accomplishments, I have taken advantage of the opportunity to rebuild my life anew.

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may272010/marijuana-epilepsy.php

Hemp For Fuel

From 'The Emperor Wears No Cloths' by Jack Herer ISBN0 9524560 0 1

The Emperor Wears No Clothes: The Authoritative Historical Record of the Cannabis Plant, Marijuana Prohibition & How Hemp can still Save the World BUY IT HERE

Excerpted from 'Energy Farming in America', by Lynn Osborne.

Biomass conversion to fuel has been proven economically feasible, first in laboratory tests and by continuous operation of pilot plants in field tests since 1973. When the energy crop is growing it takes CO2 from the air, so when it is burned the CO2 is released, creating a balanced system.

Biomass is the term used to describe all biologically produced matter. World production of biomass is estimated at 146 billion metric tons a year, mostly wild plant growth. . Some farm crops and trees can produce up to 20 metric tons per acre of biomass a year. Types of algae and grasses may produce 50 metric tons per year.

This biomass has a heating value of 5000-8000 BTU/lb, with virtually no ash or sulfur produced during combustion. About 6% of contiguous United States land area put into cultivation for biomass could supply all current demands for oil and gas.

The foundation upon which this is achieved is the emerging concept of "energy farming," wherein farmers grow and harvest crops for biomass conversion to fuels.

Pyrolysis is the process of applying high heat to organic matter (lignocellulosic materials) in the absence of air or in reduced air. The process can be adjusted to favor charcoal, condensable organic liquids (pyrolitic fuel oil), non-condensable gases, acetic acid, acetone, gas or methanol production with a 95.5% fuel-to-feed efficiency.

Pyrolysis has been used since the dawn of civilisation. Ancient Egyptians practices wood distillation by collecting the tars and pyroligneous acid for use in their embalming industry.

Methanol-powered automobiles and reduced emissions from coal-fired power plants can be accomplished by biomass conversion to fuel utilizing pyrolysis technology, and at the same time save the American farm while turning the American heartland into a prosperous source of clean energy production.

Pyrolysis has the advantage of using the same technology now used to process crude fossil oil and coal. Coal and oil conversion is more efficient in terms of fuel-to-feed ration, but biomass conversion by pyrolysis has many environmental and economic advantages over coal and oil.

Pyrolysis facilities will run three shifts a day. Some 65% of the energy from the raw biomass will be contained in the charcoal and fuel oils made at the facility. This charcoal has nearly the same heating value in BTU as coal, with virtually no sulfur.

Pyrolitic fuel oil has similar properties to no. 2 and no. 6 fuel oil. The charcoal can be transported economically by rail to all urban area power plants generating electricity. The fuel oil can be transported economically by trucking creating more jobs for Americans. When these plants use charcoal instead of coal, the problems of acid rain will begin to disappear.

When this energy system is on line producing a steady supply of fuel for electrical power plants, it will be more feasible to build the complex gasifying systems to produce methanol from cubed biomass, or make synthetic gasoline from the methanol by the addition of the Mobile Co. process equipment to the gasifier.

Hemp is the number one biomass producer on planet earth: 10 tons per acre in approximately four months. It is a woody plant containing 77% cellulose. Wood produces 60% cellulose.

This energy can be harvested with equipment readily available. It can be 'cubed' by modifying hay cubing equipment. This method condenses the bulk, reducing trucking costs from field to the pyrolysis reactor. And the biomass cubes are ready for conversion with no further treatment."

From 'The Report of The FCDA Europe'

by Kenn and Joanna d'Oudney, Fourth Edition, ISBN 0 9524421 1 6.

"Using the reactor in this 'gasifier' mode, by increasing heat, pressure and adding catalysts, methanol production is maximised at approximately 100 gallons per ton of biomass. Methanol (CH3OH) has always been the cheap and practical alternative to gasoline. After simple modification, the Internal Combustion Engine receives less wear from methanol. Electricity power generating stations can be run off methanol, or Cannabis Biomass Pyrolysis fuel-oil which is similar to home-heating oil, and/or use charcoal directly, in place of fossil fuels."

"The Cannabis Biomass Energy Equation (CBEE) demonstrates for the first time on record that fuel-energy sourced from the renewable, pollution-free resource of flora in the form of Cannabis Sativa, achieves uniquely economical replacement of fuels, and has always been so. There has not been this century, a single ecologically-pertinent fact, theory or postulation embodying practicable potentials as beneficial to the planet and the well-being of its people as those of the CBEE, given practical application in the CBRPF [Cannabis Biomass Resource and Pyrolysis Functions]; this formulation resolves Mankind's most crucial predicament in macro-Economics and Ecology to have arisen since the incipience of The Industrial revolution."

" Cannabis renders uranium and the dangerous fossil fuel pollutants:

A. commercially obsolete / economically redundant, and

B. achieves replacement without pollution, while

C. the Economy of the entire world thereby vastly benefits from significantly reduced energy prices."

"Consideration of the evidence of circumstances unmasks motives which explain the existence of governments' blatantly illegal ban on cannabis. This plant has not been targeted for Prohibition simply because some people like to smoke its resins and flowertops. At the time of writing, in-depth information about cannabis as the economical replacement for fossil-fuels and uranium, as food and raw material resource, remains esoteric - it has been deliberately and widely repressed."

"The Relegalisation of Cannabis today will allow a phased, gradual economic transition governed by market forces, from fossil to CBRPF-based techno-industrial civilisation."

THE CANNABIS BIOMASS ENERGY EQUATION FROM THE FCDA REPORT

Marijuana May Extend Life of Lou Gehrig’s Disease Patients

Research by NORML
(May 19, 2010) in Society / Drug Law

By Paul Armentano

Cannabis therapy may reduce symptoms and prolong survival in patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS aka Lou Gehrig’s disease), according to a scientific review published online last week by the American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine.

Investigators at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle and Temple University in Pennsylvania reviewed preclinical and anecdotal data indicating that marijuana appears to treat symptoms of ALS as well as moderate the course of the disease.

Authors wrote: “Preclinical data indicate that cannabis has powerful antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. … Cannabis also has properties applicable to symptom management of ALS, including analgesia, muscle relaxation, bronchodilation, saliva reduction, appetite stimulation, and sleep induction. … From a pharmacological perspective, cannabis is remarkably safe with realistically no possibility of overdose or frank physical addiction. There is a valid, logical, scientifically grounded rationale to support the use of cannabis in the pharmacological management of ALS.”

They added, “Based on the currently available scientific data, it is reasonable to think that cannabis might significantly slow the progression of ALS, potentially extending life expectancy and substantially reducing the overall burden of the disease.”

Investigators concluded, “There is an overwhelming amount of preclinical and clinical evidence to warrant initiating a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of cannabis as a disease-modifying compound in ALS.”

Writing in the March 2004 issue of the journal Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Other Motor Neuron Disorders, investigators at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco reported that the administration of THC both before and after the onset of ALS symptoms staved disease progression and prolonged survival in animals compared to untreated controls. To date, however, no clinical trials have assessed the use of marijuana or any of the plant’s cannabinoids on patients diagnosed with ALS.

Lou Gehrig’s Disease is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by the selective loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord, brain stem, and motor cortex. An estimated 30,000 Americans are living with ALS, which often arises spontaneously and afflicts otherwise healthy adults. An estimated 70 to 80 percent of patients with ALS die within three to five years following the onset of disease symptoms.

Latest Research On Pot and Schizophrenia Runs Contrary to Mainstream Media Hype

May 26th, 2010 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
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The mainstream media loves to spill ink hyping the allegation that marijuana causes mental illness, particularly schizophrenia. In fact, it was in March when international media outlets declared that cannabis use ‘doubled’ one’s risk of developing the disease. Yet when research appears in scientific journals rebuking just this sort of ‘reefer madness,’ it generally goes unreported.

Such is the case with a pair of just-published studies slated to appear in the journal Schizophrenia Research. The first study, conducted by a team of researchers at various New York state hospitals, the Yale University School of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Mental Health assessed whether there exists a causal association between cannabis use and the age of onset of psychosis in patients hospitalized for the first time for an episode of schizophrenia.

Despite previous media claims to the contrary, researchers concluded:
“Although the onset of cannabis use disorder preceded the onset of illness in most patients, our findings suggest that age at onset of psychosis was not associated with cannabis use disorders. Previous studies implicating cannabis use disorders in schizophrenia may need to more comprehensively assess the relationship between cannabis use disorders and schizophrenia, and take into account the additional variables that we found associated with cannabis use disorders.”

A separate study slated for publication in the same journal assessed the cognitive skills of schizophrenic patients with a history of cannabis use compared to non-users. Authors reported that patients with a history of marijuana use “demonstrated significantly better performance on measures of processing speed, verbal fluency, and verbal learning and memory” compared to abstainers. Marijuana use was also associated with better overall GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning) scores compared to those of non-users.

Authors concluded: “The results of the present analysis suggest that (cannabis use) in patients with SZ (schizophrenia) is associated with better performance on measures of processing speed and verbal skills. These data are consistent with prior reports indicating that SZ patients with a history of CUD (cannabis use disorders) have less severe cognitive deficits than SZ patients without comorbid CUD. … The present findings also suggest that CUD in patients with SZ may not differentially affect the severity of illness as measured by clinical symptomatology.”

Both study’s findings are in line with previous (though virtually unreported) research indicating that marijuana is unlikely to instigate incidences of schizophrenia in the general population, that cannabis use among patients with the disease is associated with higher cognitive function, and that at least some schizophrenics find subjective relief from symptoms of the illness by using pot. Nonetheless, odds are the nobody from the mainstream media will be champing at the bit to report on them.

Bottom line: marijuana’s complex relationship with schizophrenia is far from understood, and likely won’t be for some time. But that doesn’t give the MSM a free pass to only promote one side of the story.

Tags: cognition, hype, mainstream media, MSM, psychosis, schizphrenia, subjective benefits