AHPA

AHPA Publishes Recommendations of Cannabis Oversight for Regulators

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The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) recently announced that it has published recommendations for regulators, providing an oversight framework that promotes best practices for cannabis production and distribution from seed to consumption.

The Association’s recommendations address issues related to the safe use and responsible commerce of products derived from cannabis species that are being legally marketed.  The recommendations, issued by AHPA’s Cannabis Committee, have been considered by many states in their development of state medical cannabis program regulations including Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada and Oregon. The recommendations are also the foundational documents for the Americans for Safe Access (ASA) Patient Focused Certification Program, a third-party certification program that helps ensure the quality and consistency of medical cannabis products and services.

Thirty-five states have laws specific to medical cannabis or cannabidiol (CBD), a marijuana derivative, according to NORML, an organization working to legalize marijuana for adults. Colorado and Washington have also legalized the drug for recreational use. However, at the federal level marijuana is still considered illegal under the Controlled Substances Act. In 2010, AHPA chartered a Cannabis Committee to address issues created by the legalization of cannabis in several states.

“AHPA encourages regulatory authorities in states and local municipalities where use of cannabis is allowed under local law to adopt these recommendations in order to promote the responsible commerce of this important botanical,” said AHPA cannabis committee chair Tim Smale, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Remedy Compassion Center in Maine. “These best practice recommendations provide a framework for the oversight of cannabis production and distribution practices from seed to consumption.”

The Association developed recommendations to address four operational stages of cannabis production and distribution including cultivation and processing operations, manufacturing and related operations, laboratory operations and dispensing operations.

Source: American Herbal Products Association

Last updated: 9/11/14; 3:35pm EST

Marijuana in Teens

Study Finds Frequent Cannabis Use Among Teens Linked to Developmental Outcomes

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Individuals under the age of seventeen who frequently use cannabis are more than 60 percent less likely to finish high school or obtain a degree compared to those who have never used cannabis, according to a new study.

The new research, published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal, was conducted by a team of researchers from Australia and New Zealand and was funded by the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council.

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug worldwide, and statistics suggest that adolescents in some countries are beginning to use the drug at a younger age and more frequently. Roughly seven percent of US high school seniors report to be daily or near-daily cannabis users. Additionally, in England, four percent of 11-15 year olds report cannabis use in the past month and in Australia around one percent of 14-19 year olds are daily users of the drug, with four percent reported to use it weekly.

Many researchers are advocating for cannabis to be used in a therapeutic capacity, as a form of pain relief or to alleviate symptoms of conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In this study, researchers combined individual-level data on up to 3,765 participants who used cannabis from three large, long-running longitudinal studies to evaluate the link between the frequency of cannabis use before the age of 17 years and seven developmental outcomes up to the age of 30 years. They recorded the frequency of cannabis use as those who never have used cannabis, who use it less than monthly, who use it monthly or more, who use it weekly or more, or who use it daily. The developmental outcomes assessed included completing high school, obtaining a university degree, cannabis dependence, use of other illicit drugs, suicide attempt, depression and welfare dependence.

The researchers found significant associations between frequency of adolescent cannabis use and all of the designated developmental outcomes. Once they adjusted for potential confounding factors, they found that five of the associations remained significant.

Individuals who used cannabis daily before the age of 17 were 60 percent less likely to complete high school or obtain a degree than those who never used cannabis. Additionally, they were 18 times more likely to become dependent on cannabis, eight times more likely to use other illicit drugs and seven times more likely to attempt suicide by the age of 25. Importantly, the authors also noted that the risks increased relative to dose, with daily cannabis users showing the strongest effects.

“Our findings are particularly timely given that several US states and countries in Latin America have made moves to decriminalize or legalize cannabis, raising the possibility that the drug might become more accessible to young people,” said Richard Mattick, study author and Professor of Drug and Alcohol Studies at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, in Australia.

The authors say that the findings from this study are consistent with the results of previous studies investigating early cannabis use with developmental outcomes. They suggest that preventing or delaying cannabis use in adolescents could have significant benefits, both socially and for health purposes.

“Our results provide strong evidence that the prevention or delay of cannabis use is likely to have broad health and social benefits. Efforts to reform cannabis legislation should be carefully assessed to ensure they reduce adolescent cannabis use and prevent potentially adverse effects on adolescent development,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Edmund Silins.

However, the authors also note that there have been no reported increase in use among young people in US states that have made cannabis available for medical use.

Last updated: 9/11/14; 12:05pm EST

CBD Molecule

Agency Approves Rules for Cannabis Oil ID Cards for Iowa Residents

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On Wednesday, the state panel voted to approve rules for issuing photo identification registration cards as a legal protection for residents of Iowa authorized to possess cannabis oil for medical use or to treat or alleviate symptoms of intractable epilepsy.

The members of Iowa’s Board of Health approved the program rules without discord. However, prior to approval, many questions came up, regarding the practicality and advisability of setting up an arrangement whereby parents of epileptic children could face criminal charges for violating federal or states’ laws for transporting an illegal product not currently grown or sold in Iowa.

Currently, the drug cannot be grown in Iowa and it is illegal to bring it in the state from other states. Based on these rules, board members questioned the card’s purpose. Public officials said that the state-issued registration card, which would be recommended by a licensed neurologist, would serve as an affirmative defense against prosecution to residents in Iowa possessing 32 ounces or less of the cannabidiol.

Last May, the legislature passed and Governor Terry Branstad signed into law a bill that granted special provisions for Iowa residents 18 years and older with a written recommendation from a neurologist to possess and/or use cannabidiol for medical purposes. The new Iowa law would give prosecutorial immunity to people who possess cannabidiol to treat seizures. The law took effect in July, but since the program rules just now passed for issuance of the registration card beginning January 30, 2015 at the earliest, there currently is no legal protection for residents in the state who possess the cannabis oil.

Health officials are working on collecting data on the number of neurologists who treat patients with epilepsy in Iowa and how many of those would choose to participate in the cannabidiol program. Officials said that there may be up to 30,000 people with epileptic conditions in Iowa, but that roughly one-third of those may have intractable epilepsy. Intractable epilepsy is a disorder for which standard medical treatment does not prevent or significantly ameliorate recurring, uncontrolled seizures or for which standard medical treatment results in harmful side effects.

A legislative study committee is expected to meet today to hear more testimony from medical experts, parents and caregivers of children with epilepsy and others about the state’s new law and potential options for improvement of the statute next session.

 

Last updated: 9/11/14; 10:55am EST