Cannabis Research Pioneer, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, Makes Impassioned Call for Clinical Trials | High Times

Cannabis Research Pioneer, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, Makes Impassioned Call for Clinical Trials | High Times

Cannabis Research Pioneer, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, Makes Impassioned Call for Clinical Trials

By Sativa Von Teese · Wed Dec 16, 2015

 

On Tuesday during a live discussion at the HIGH TIMES Business Summit, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, known as the "Father of THC," made an impassioned plea for good clinical trials to study the effects of medical marijuana on cancer.
A pioneer in research on the medical uses of cannabis, Mechoulam has spent four decades studying and observing the positive effects of cannabis on many of the most pressing medical conditions of our time, including Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, cancer and pain management.
"A huge number of people use cannabis for a variety of cancers," Mechoulam explained to Summit attendees. "Some of them state that this is the only thing that helped them. Maybe? Maybe not. We don’t have a single, good clinical trial in cancers. Any cancers! This is a shame. But there we are."
"We know that cannabis, or some cannabinoids are pretty good in some types of pain, but again, we don’t have good clinical trials," he continued. "As a matter of fact, we barely have ANY clinical trials! We need clinical trials! Work in mice is fine but we have to advance."
Mechoulam, who spoke via video conferencing, was being presented with a lifetime achievement award by HIGH TIMES when he made his ardent appeal.

 

https://youtu.be/5Aj96Sk2trg

 

 

[UK] Legalising cannabis will free up time and money to fight more serious crime, says Dorking barrister. | Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser

Legalising cannabis will free up time and money to fight more serious crime, says Dorking barrister. | Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser


LEGAL CONCERNS: A lawyer believes changes to drug laws would allow more time on tougher cases Photo posed by model



RELAXING laws on minor drugs offences would allow courts to spend more time on the prosecution of higher-level crimes according to a Dorking barrister.
Rio Pahlavanpour, who lives in Dorking and prosecutes cases at Redhill Magistrates' Court, believes more progressive drugs laws would give courts the time to focus on more serious cases such as domestic violence.

Mr Pahlavanpour suggests that following the example set by many US states and has put his concerns in a letter to Mole Valley MP Sir Paul Beresford.

Recreational use of cannabis is legal in four US states and medical use in 23 states.

Mr Pahlavanpour says it is embarrassing that the UK has fallen behind on this issue.
He told the Advertiser: "Of course there are harms that this drug causes, if it is taken from a young age of course it is going to cause damage.
"But we don't allow alcohol in our schools and if a child is caught drinking in school they would be dealt with. Why would this be any different?"

He added: "As a lawyer I want to be able to say that if, for example, you have 30 grams on you, then yes, you should be prosecuted. That is too much. Or at least tell me why you have that amount."
Mr Pahlavanpour argues that changing the laws regarding recreational cannabis use would allow more focus on protecting vulnerable victims in domestic violence cases.

Any change would also free up valuable police time which could be used to ensure that big issues are dealt with more effectively in the courts.
He said: "In a lot of the domestic violence cases that I do we have issues with defendants and witnesses turning up.

"What if the officers who are no longer needed to do drug searches go and pick the victim up and bring them to court? Then we can have a proper trial and really start to address domestic violence."

Legalisation of cannabis has been a hot political issue in recent months. More than 200,000 people signed a petition arguing legalising cannabis could bring in £900 million in taxes every year to the UK, save £400 million on policing, and create more than 10,000 new jobs. But only 14 MPs attended the ensuing debate.

At the time of publication Sir Paul Beresford is yet to respond to Mr Pahlavanpour's letter but a spokesman from the Home Office told the Advertiser: "Cannabis is an illegal drug and there is clear medical evidence that it can damage people's physical and mental health.

"The Government has no plans to legalise cannabis."

Ted and Owen Smith - Medical Cannabis and the Law - Warmland Center

Ted and Owen Smith - Medical Cannabis and the Law - Warmland Center - YouTube

Drug map reveals the substances YOUR country is addicted to: Scotland is hooked on cocaine, Iceland smokes the most cannabis and opiates are rife in the US | Daily Mail Online

Drug map reveals the substances YOUR country is addicted to: Scotland is hooked on cocaine, Iceland smokes the most cannabis and opiates are rife in the US | Daily Mail Online

Sub heading ,should`ve been the title,as the rest of it looks bs imo !

"MARIJUANA: THE WORLD'S FAVOURITE DRUG "

- Judge slams liberals for claiming cannabis is harmless

What about Michael Phelps & Eddie Bravo,when it comes to sports!...Wonder if the  father & judge were at same school.Kid had to be private school,hence Cannabis getting the  blame.Probably a coke head,I don`t know any cannabis user who`d go to somebodys parents door,with a knife.Woops forgot about the media always trying to pair violence off ,with a benign plant,for hysteria.

He is a rich kid,so some poor bastard has got to get the blame.As they live in fantasy land & wouldn`t know the real world!!

- Judge slams liberals for claiming cannabis is harmless

Published date: 30 November 2015 |

Published by: Staff reporter
 

A CHESTER judge has slammed “liberals” and some media for implying cannabis is a harmless drug, dismissing their claims as “nonsense”.

Raj Shetty spoke out as he sentenced a young man who had bullied his parents into handing over £42,000 to fund his addiction.

 

Chester Crown Court heard that Samuel Thomas Richards, 23, had enjoyed a “fantastic” upbringing, went to a private school and had been tipped to compete in the triathlon event in the 2012 Olympics.

 

But he developed a serious addiction to the class B drug over six or seven years and resorted to demanding money from his heart-broken parents, Ian and Elizabeth, with abusive and threatening text messages.

 

The judge said the case was particularly sad,and stressed that cannabis was a harmful drug capable of “sucking away ambition and aspirations”.

 

He told the court: “It has been impressed upon us by liberals and in the press that cannabis is a so-called harmless drug.

 

“But over the years I have seen many cases where it has created massive problems.”

 

In a victim impact statement, read to the court, Richards’ father said he was proud of his son and all his achievements, which included a black belt in jujitsu and qualification for the Team GB triathlon team.

 

He wrote: “If he wants to, he can have a successful, healthy and happy future ahead, which is what I want for him.

 

“I will never stop loving him, but I realise that I am powerless to his addiction.”

 

Richards, formerly from the Ellesmere Port area but now of Meadowfield Close, Rock Ferry, Wirral, pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment and was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years.

 

He will undertake a drug rehabilitation programme and was also made the subject of a restraining order, banning him from contacting his parents for a period of five years.

 

Matthew Dunford, prosecuting, told the court Richards had harassed his parents for money continually between September 1, 2014 and August 16 this year.

 

One day he called his mother 77 times in four hours, and in a 10-day period in August he sent 144 text messages to her demanding cash. Richards’ father often had to work away from home, leaving his mother feeling vulnerable, and on one occasion a drug dealer with a knife had turned up on her doorstep looking for a drugs debt to be paid.

 

Mr Dunford said Richards would send abusive texts to his father when he knew he was away on business, saying things like “I’m coming to mum’s. I’m going to smash everything up” and “Give me the £240 now or I will smash up everything you own.”

 

Peter Barnett, defending said Richards had been in custody since August 17 and prison had been a “sobering experience” for a man with no previous convictions.

 

He had shown genuine remorse, apologised to his parents and was committed to tackling his drug addiction, Mr Barnett said.

 

Besides his suspended prison sentence and drug rehabilitation requirement, Richards was also given a curfew order and must carry out 250 hours’ unpaid work in the community.

 

“This really is last chance saloon,” the judge told him.