THC legislation is next week

[General Oya]

I've heard it said that THC synthesis in Cannibis is greater in strains that grow at higher elevations due to it's use as a natural UV protectorant. That some breeders have actually used this mechanism to cycle extra UV at certain growth stages. This may also have an interaction for the NCRI confirmed research that shows topical applications of THC oil on skin cancer actually shows an anti-cancer effect.

-RANT ENGAGED-
Hmmm how much money are we spending on cancer research when we compound it by hunting this beneficial resource and irridicating it. Let's hope Washington, Colorado,  and Oregon pass their initiatives to stop incarcerating their tax paying populace that choose to utilize this nature's bounty. It can be used for so many things from fuel to medicine, clothing, textiles and food. I hope my fellow DIYBIO affiliates support legislation within their locales to allow for the widespread access and use of this extremely valuable ally. - end rant
On Oct 22, 2012 7:41 AM, "Andreas Sturm" <masters...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Incidentally, I have a student

Incidentally, I have a student looking for genes responsible for UV sunscreen synthesis in cyanobacteria collected from extreme hypersaline and desert environments. His progress and experimental set up may be of interest.

Wow, that sounds great! 

Additionally they're Cyanobacteria, so they do photosynthesis (which will probably be THE (abundant) energy source of Mars) 

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[GeneralOya]

New PubMed Data published last week on Anti-cancer efficacy of Cannibinoids.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23103355

Get out there and vote to Legalize!!!

[Nathan McCorkle]

How do you tell if the laws go through or not?

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[General Oya]

Good question. Here in DC, our nation's capital the voter result was held from the public at first due to congressional interference and has yet to be implemented. Although it has been said that medical marijuana will be rolled out within the year through the liquor stores. In Maryland we've been cowed under due to our reliance on federal monies. However, Dr. Ben Cardin, the Democratic senatorial candidate has been the front runner in attempting to implement medical cannabis for years now. We have a system now, that says you can get a note from a doctor that can be produced at trial to reduce a charge to $100 fine, but you still have to go through the hassle of being arrested and detained and the court battle, while there is nowhere for citizens to legally acquire their medicines without resorting to the black market. Prohibition has truly failed and is costing the country dearly.

Scientists, Doctors, Accountants, Police (L.E.A.P.), Educators, and even some politicians have become more and more vocal in their support for legalization/decriminalization.

I would like to think that the states that have legalization on the ballot would have enough transparency to assure that the populace's votes are actually counted and the actual results released. However if one watched the Fort Collins debate that was shown on National Geographic's American Weed, you would see that apparently without any increase in turnout the number's shifted at the last moment in repeal of medical legislation in a very suspect way.

In Colorado there is a lab called "Full Spectrum" responsible for testing the states medicinal strains for THC content and contaminants. I'd love to bring something like that to Maryland as well.

Take Care,
Ryan

[Jeswin]

How come there's no test to see if someone if impaired by any drug
(similar to alcohol test like breathalyzer or count the alphabet
backwards)? If you are impaired while driving any vehicle or while in
the public, then you should be arrested for possible injury to others
or to self. If found carrying, one should be charged with intent to
sell if the amount on person is above a certain limit.

I oppose drug use and believe drug abuse/addiction is a
medical/psychological condition that needs to be treated by a doctor
or related professional.

[Josiah Zayner]

I don't think this forum is for posting about Marijuana legalization...

[John Griessen]

On 10/31/2012 09:38 AM, Jeswin wrote:
> I oppose drug use and believe drug abuse/addiction is a
> medical/psychological condition that needs to be treated by a doctor
> or related professional.

Sure. All the more reason to legalize the sales channel, so treatment
is considered and more available for driving under the influence,
and any addiction, rather than putting smokers in jail.

[Cathal Garvey]

While I personally agree with your position that drug use is foolish,
I'm in favour of decriminalisation (I don't say "legalisation") for a
variety of reasons, both economic and ethical.

Firstly, nonviolent or non-threatening crimes should generally never
result in jail time. Fines perhaps, community service or psychological
help, but why incarcerate a person who doesn't pose a threat to anyone
else? Especially as the research shows that rates of re-offense are
generally unaffected by jail time.

Secondly that criminalising the drugs provides an avenue for vibrant,
violence-inspiring drug markets. States should medicalise, not
criminalise, drug addiction. By "decriminalising" drugs without
explicitly permitting them for official sale, states can offer free,
high-purity drug therapy programs to remove any profit margins from drug
dealers and help remove stigma for addicts.

Thirdly that criminalisation prevents research by forcing would-be
researchers to undergo expensive and timewasting vetting and control
paperwork, so research showing what is and isn't dangerous is hard to find.

When it comes to Marijuana, there has actually been some research
showing that people are *safer* drivers after smoking some. Presumably
in moderation, of course. I'd be more concerned that, according to some
admittedly contentious results, THC can trigger conditions in some
users. Most famously, Parkinson's disease. But to a lesser or more
anecdotal extent, more frightening conditions such as schizophrenia.

It would seem, and would make sense to me as a geneticist, that one's
genetic makeup can determine the safety of recreational psychotropics;
THC is widely known to trigger long-term changes in neural makeup, and
has even been suggested to trigger nerve regrowth. Well and good in a
medical context, but nerve regeneration or new neural growth is not
necessarily a good thing. Your brain spends the first fifth of your
lifespan pruning neurons *out*, why interfere?

So yea; decriminalise, yes. But I feel it's foolish to fully legalise
while doubts remain about long-term safety. Decriminalising first would
allow more real research about safety before taking the step of
legalising for sale OTC.
Oddly, this means I'm just as much in favour of decriminalising LSD than
THC, given the widely known lack of toxicity of the former drug,
although *obviously* one is far more dangerous to others while tripping
on LSD than on THC; bad trips, attempting to drive, wandering into
traffic, etc..

--
www.indiebiotech.com
twitter.com/onetruecathal
joindiaspora.com/u/cathalgarvey
PGP Public Key: http://bit.ly/CathalGKey

[Nathan McCorkle]

On Wed, Oct 31, 2012 at 7:38 AM, Jeswin <phill...@gmail.com> wrote:
> How come there's no test to see if someone if impaired by any drug
> (similar to alcohol test like breathalyzer or count the alphabet
> backwards)?

I'm sure we'll get to this point in 10 years if we want to (or if it
means more arrests). I could see offset raman spectroscopy possibly
doing it, looking into an eye capillary at the blood in your
head/brain. Urine tests can already do this, and there is research
into MEMS mass spectrometers, but an eye picture is quicker than
asking someone to pee... 'hey I just relieved myself, you'll have to
wait a while'

[Nathan McCorkle]

It's strange that the DEA drug schedule wording uses 'drug or other
substance'. If we take the first defintion for each 'drug' and
'substance':

drug - A substance that has a physiological effect when ingested or
otherwise introduced into the body, in particular.
substance - A particular kind of matter with uniform properties: "a
waxy substance".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Schedule_I_drugs_(US)

If a drug is a substance, and a substance has uniform properties then
I definitely don't think Marijuana is a substance, and therefore not a
drug.

If we look at the definition of medicine:
1- The science or practice of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
of disease (in technical use often taken to exclude surgery).
2- A drug or other preparation used for the treatment or prevention of disease.

then I would consider it a medicine since that 'other preparation' is there.

Marijuana is a plant that could very well be evolving without us
knowing. Sure the growers or their boss selectively drives this
evolution based on the 'strength' of the resulting product, but
they're definitely not at the end of the line with a GCMS making sure
THC not some new cannabinoid is the reason.

Is this good or bad, I don't know. But as a scientist I know that
natural products can change and vary. They all might get you 'high'
but maybe they don't all affect cancer the same, or neuroprotection or
heavy machinery safety.

Let's not debate safety and health issues though, I've never heard
much good medical research about ethanol other than it being an energy
source/sink and concentrated as a disinfectant.

People like to relax, and not everyone is the same, so I think it's
natural that different neuronal pathways help different people be
comforted or 'in the mood'.

Even using the word 'recreation' in this context is not telling the
whole story, as that word is defined as:
recreation- Activity done for enjoyment when one is not working.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who aren't 'sick' or abusers that
consume medicines to prevent disease.

Disease-
1- A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant,
esp. one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a...
2- A particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely
affecting a person or group of people.

So if I know I have to go work on my automobile in the garage, and I
know I will scrape my skin, tear some flesh, get nasty greasy... sure
I'm gonna be drinking beer while I'm at it because beer suppresses
some part of my CNS that responds to pain or the discomfort thereof. I
definitely don't enjoy garage work, so it's not recreation. I guess
that's medical?

-Nathan

[General Oya]

Hmmm not on topic of DIYBio huh. Well it's a proven effective cancer medicine, which folks can grow in their home/yard. What more do you want?

You can also make fuel from it.
You can also make textiles from it.
The seeds are effective in reducing cholesterol.
It gives immediate relief to individuals suffering from a number of conditions.

So believe the lies from an era of prohibition fueled racial profiling, or do the research. It's a fabulous plant. I'm glad to see a few folks chiming in regardless of where they stand.

Ryan

[Josiah Zayner]

Taxol has proven way more effective against cancer and can be grown in your backyard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paclitaxel
You can make textiles from Grass.
Omega-3 fatty acids are more effective at reducing cholesterol.
Salicylic acid aka aspirin is a plant horomone and gives relief to individuals suffering from a number of conditions.

Really, believe the lies fueled by racial profiling? LOL

I never said anything for or against legalization of marijuana. All I said was that a discussion about the legalization of marijuana has no place in DIY Bio forum. No one is discussing the scientific efficacy of marijuana and no one plans on using it in any scientific way. I _personally_ just think it is sad that the number one topic of the day has nothing to do with science or DIY Bio but drug legalization.

[Nathan McCorkle]

As was mentioned, the legal status has large implications for
scientific study. We commonly discuss open source laws here, gene
patents, microcontrollers. I think laws about gene patenting or laws
about gene outlawing (which this pretty much is) is relevant here. If
the plant itself is really the problem, let's start a thread about
reproducing some of the THC tobacco hairy root culture work that's
been done. I'm pretty sure we're talking about a legitimate scientific
roadblock here.

Oil is much better at making textiles than hemp is (at least in terms
of strength I think, and probably mass in to clothes out), maybe if we
don't have a decent biofuel/bio-oil replacement soon we'll see an
upturn in hemp fiber utility, but I am not counting on that.

Maybe the seeds just contain omega-3s?

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[Nathan McCorkle]

On Wed, Oct 31, 2012 at 2:48 PM, Josiah Zayner <josiah...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Taxol has proven way more effective against cancer and can be grown in your
> backyard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paclitaxel

The problem with anti-cancer claims is that cancer is a broad term for
many specific cellular malfunctions. We need to study all the options
for treatment.

[John Griessen]

On 10/31/2012 05:04 PM, Nathan McCorkle wrote:
> We commonly discuss open source laws here, gene
> patents, microcontrollers. I think laws about gene patenting or laws
> about gene outlawing (which this pretty much is) is relevant here.

Yep.

[General Oya]

Would you say Marijuana is more dangerous than chemotherapy? Seems immoral and illogical.

[Cathal Garvey]

> Would you say Marijuana is more dangerous than chemotherapy?

I didn't see him say that anywhere.

> Seems immoral

What?

> and illogical.

What? With the poor state of research on THC, let alone Marijuana as
whole plant, it's *entirely* logical to suggest sticking with better
understood therapies.

Everyone likes to roll out their hobby horse on marijuana whenever this
comes up, but the fact is that in-vitro studies proving anticarcinogenic
properties mean *nothing*. Table salt would be considered
anticarcinogenic based on in-vitro studies. Alcohol would be considered
anti-carcinogenic: "Amazing in-vitro results; virtually all cancer cell
lines tested were rapidly and completely inactivated by Ethanol at
modest concentrations tested.".

Marijuana produces all sorts of wonderful compounds, sure. Some of them
work as sunscreens, perhaps. Others are CNS depressants and make great
painkillers (THC). But people *are* abusing these preliminary results to
call for blanket legalisation of an inhomogenous product that could be
damaging to some subsets of the population; those who are apparently
prone to addiction to an otherwise non-addictive drug, those who may be
prone to mental health conditions that *could* (I'm not saying they are,
because research is so slim etc.) be triggered by psychotropics.

*That* is immoral. The ethical route to legalisation is to do it in
stages with high-quality research to back up claims and suppositions. If
the research shows that THC *isn't* a threat to people prone to
schizophrenia, or parkinson's, then I for one would shrug and suggest
full decriminalisation with a campaign to encourage ingestion rather
than smoking, etc. etc.: evidence-based health advice based on good science.

[Nathan McCorkle]

On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 5:07 AM, Cathal Garvey <cathal...@gmail.com> wrote:
> What? With the poor state of research on THC, let alone Marijuana as
> whole plant, it's *entirely* logical to suggest sticking with better
> understood therapies.

I think that as a plant Marijuana is pretty harmless, apples and
sugarcane are inhomogenous products, but people can become just as
addicted to eating as they can with smoking, or drinking tea, or beer.
Of course these different products produce different effects, duh. You
don't use a hammer to drive a screw.

>
> Everyone likes to roll out their hobby horse on marijuana whenever this
> comes up, but the fact is that in-vitro studies proving anticarcinogenic
> properties mean *nothing*. Table salt would be considered
> anticarcinogenic based on in-vitro studies. Alcohol would be considered
> anti-carcinogenic: "Amazing in-vitro results; virtually all cancer cell
> lines tested were rapidly and completely inactivated by Ethanol at
> modest concentrations tested.".
>
> Marijuana produces all sorts of wonderful compounds, sure. Some of them
> work as sunscreens, perhaps. Others are CNS depressants and make great
> painkillers (THC). But people *are* abusing these preliminary results to
> call for blanket legalisation of an inhomogenous product that could be
> damaging to some subsets of the population; those who are apparently
> prone to addiction to an otherwise non-addictive drug, those who may be
> prone to mental health conditions that *could* (I'm not saying they are,
> because research is so slim etc.) be triggered by psychotropics.

There are plenty of legal things that are horrible for humanity in
addictive doses, gambling for instance, the folks that feel like hell
if they don't have even one cup of coffee per day.

If we all reacted exactly the same to all the world's compounds, we
wouldn't be evolving. I know some people who can't drink more than 1
beer, I know others who could drink a whole keg full and keep going.
I'm going to say that the beer guzzler definitely has an advantage if
water quality goes to hell because fermented beverages have been used
for drinking water purification historically.

I don't drink corn syrup soda hourly or daily or weekly as many people
do, I don't think it should be out lawed, but I know that because I am
less prone to that addiction my genes are more likely to be longer
lived and (genetic) fitness is potentially increased. Salt is the same
way, at least here in America, packaged food that contains 200
kcalories or less has 25% daily value of salt, so if you eat just 800
kcalories of food you should stop with the salt for the day... but
most people don't do this, and they are /unknowningly/ or /ignorantly/
consuming more salt than might be ideal. But we don't limit these
things and meter them, even though people may be prone overconsume.

> *That* is immoral. The ethical route to legalisation is to do it in
> stages with high-quality research to back up claims and suppositions. If
> the research shows that THC *isn't* a threat to people prone to
> schizophrenia, or parkinson's, then I for one would shrug and suggest
> full decriminalisation with a campaign to encourage ingestion rather
> than smoking, etc. etc.: evidence-based health advice based on good science.

Hasn't this been just as tested as apples and tomatoes though? Do you
avoid tomatoes and potatoes because they're in the nightshade family?
How do we know all cultivated plants aren't susceptible to evolve and
produce some toxin. Hell, forget about evolve, what about engineered
by some government or corporation or terrorist?

Some people can't eat citrus because they have heart problems, but we
haven't pulled that off the market. I don't know what the answer is
for 'my son smoked pot and got schizophrenia' if he truly wouldn't
have got schizophrenia if he never used marijuana, but there are lots
things in life that could end in tragedy/grief/loss. Maybe with the
right research we could learn more about the whole process.


From a purely scientific standpoint, I do think these laws prevent
scientific progress from being made on the whole breadth of chemicals
found in this plant. We certainly have the mind power to gain a lot of
new medical tools from the molecules produced therein. Maybe the
neural growth stimulation chems could be tweaked to help regain brain
plasticity following severe head trauma or nerve damage. Maybe these
can be separated from the narcotic or psychedelic chems... who knows,
progress is hindered by red tape so what could take us 10 or 15 years
with current gen tech will take 125.

[Josiah Zayner]

It is great that you want to study this plant scientifically apart from the millions of others that can be studied legally. The benefit is that we have the Cannabis genome/transcriptome, what genes are you interested in studying? Have you tried to clone them recombinantly?

What do you think about using synthetic cannibinoids? Why not just use that for treatment?

You say marijuana could perhaps be used to help brain plasticity, what signalling pathway/mechanism do you suggest this works by and how would you suggest one plan on testing it?

[Nathan McCorkle]

On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 11:57 AM, Josiah Zayner <josiah...@gmail.com> wrote:
> It is great that you want to study this plant scientifically apart from the
> millions of others that can be studied legally. The benefit is that we have
> the Cannabis genome/transcriptome, what genes are you interested in
> studying? Have you tried to clone them recombinantly?

I never said I wanted to study it, but I do think there are people out
there that would... well established neuroscientists who could
theorize more than me. I'm primarily interested in DNA as a
chemical/molecule, rather than the much higher level neuroscience
field.

> What do you think about using synthetic cannibinoids? Why not just use that
> for treatment?

Sure, but I think I read a while ago that we have signatures for more
than 80 biosynthetic active molecules in marijuana, and probably about
the same number or more in a synthetic library that the JWH guy came
up. So if the whole political atmosphere changed from 'hippies' to '1
of a million things that has some effect on your brain' I think
progress would be less hindered for sure.

>
> You say marijuana could perhaps be used to help brain plasticity, what
> signalling pathway/mechanism do you suggest this works by and how would you
> suggest one plan on testing it?

There are tons of results if you type marijuana plasticity into google
or google scholar, lots this year even. To cherry pick an open one:
Allele-specific Differences in Activity of a Novel Cannabinoid
Receptor 1 (CNR1) Gene Intronic Enhancer in Hypothalamus, Dorsal Root
Ganglia, and Hippocampus*
http://www.jbc.org/content/287/16/12828.short

Polymorphisms within intron 2 of the CNR1 gene, which encodes
cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), have been associated with addiction,
obesity, and brain volume deficits. We used comparative genomics to
identify a polymorphic (rs9444584-C/T) sequence (ECR1) in intron 2 of
the CNR1 gene that had been conserved for 310 million years. The
C-allele of ECR1 (ECR1(C)) acted as an enhancer in hypothalamic and
dorsal root ganglia cells and responded to MAPK activation through the
MEKK pathway but not in hippocampal cells. However, ECR1(T) was
significantly more active in hypothalamic and dorsal root ganglia
cells but, significantly, and in contrast to ECR1(C), was highly
active in hippocampal cells where it also responded strongly to
activation of MAPK. Intriguingly, rs9444584 is in strong linkage
disequilibrium with two other SNPs (rs9450898 (r2 = 0.841) and
rs2023239 (r2 = 0.920)) that have been associated with addiction,
obesity (rs2023239), and reduced fronto-temporal white matter volumes
in schizophrenia patients as a result of cannabis misuse (rs9450898).
Considering their high linkage disequilibrium and the increased
response of ECR1(T) to MAPK signaling when compared with ECR1(C), it
is possible that the functional effects of the different alleles of
rs9444584 may play a role in the conditions associated with rs9450898
and rs2023239. Further analysis of the different alleles of ECR1 may
lead to a greater understanding of the role of CNR1 gene misregulation
in these conditions as well as chronic inflammatory pain.

-----

I guess I would suggest testing it on those people who don't seem to
have any reliable or clear cut options in the existing repertoire of
medicine, or on mice or monkeys. If the political and social taboo was
removed, some decent survey association studies could be done, but as
it stands I doubt self-reporting is complete and true.

[Nathan McCorkle]

This paper also looks pretty good, but I can't get it:
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.neuro.29.051605.112834

ENDOCANNABINOID-MEDIATED SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY IN THE CNS
Annual Review of Neuroscience
Vol. 29: 37-76 (Volume publication date July 2006)
First published online as a Review in Advance on March 15, 2006
DOI: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.29.051605.112834
Vivien Chevaleyre, Kanji A. Takahashi, and Pablo E. Castillo
Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, New York 10461; email: pcas...@aecom.yu.edu

Changes in synaptic efficacy are thought to be crucial to
experience-dependent modifications of neural function. The diversity
of mechanisms underlying these changes is far greater than previously
expected. In the last five years, a new class of use-dependent
synaptic plasticity that requires retrograde signaling by
endocannabinoids (eCB) and presynaptic CB1 receptor activation has
been identified in several brain structures. eCB-mediated plasticity
encompasses many forms of transient and long-lasting synaptic
depression and is found at both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. In
addition, eCBs can modify the inducibility of non-eCB-mediated forms
of plasticity. Thus, the eCB system is emerging as a major player in
synaptic plasticity. Given the wide distribution of CB1 receptors in
the CNS, the list of brain structures and synapses expressing
eCB-mediated plasticity is likely to expand.

--
-Nathan

[Nathan McCorkle]

This is by the at least one of the same authors as the last paper I
posted, but is open and published within the past month:

http://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273(12)00855-0

Endocannabinoid Signaling and Synaptic Function

Neuron, Volume 76, Issue 1, 70-81, 4 October 2012
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
10.1016/j.neuron.2012.09.020

Authors
Pablo E. Castillo, Thomas J. Younts, Andrés E. Chávez, Yuki Hashimotodani

Endocannabinoids are key modulators of synaptic function. By
activating cannabinoid receptors expressed in the central nervous
system, these lipid messengers can regulate several neural functions
and behaviors. As experimental tools advance, the repertoire of known
endocannabinoid-mediated effects at the synapse, and their underlying
mechanism, continues to expand. Retrograde signaling is the principal
mode by which endocannabinoids mediate short- and long-term forms of
plasticity at both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. However,
growing evidence suggests that endocannabinoids can also signal in a
nonretrograde manner. In addition to mediating synaptic plasticity,
the endocannabinoid system is itself subject to plastic changes.
Multiple points of interaction with other neuromodulatory and
signaling systems have now been identified. In this Review, we focus
on new advances in synaptic endocannabinoid signaling in the mammalian
brain. The emerging picture not only reinforces endocannabinoids as
potent regulators of synaptic function but also reveals that
endocannabinoid signaling is mechanistically more complex and diverse
than originally thought.

--
-Nathan

[Cathal Garvey]

> Maybe with the
> right research we could learn more about the whole process.
>
>
> From a purely scientific standpoint, I do think these laws prevent
> scientific progress from being made on the whole breadth of chemicals
> found in this plant.

That's more or less all I'm saying. Shouting "it's totally safe, it's
immoral to ban it!!" is just as nonsense as shouting "it's killing our
kids we've got to win the war on druuugggs!", in the absence of good
evidence.

We have good evidence that outright prohibition, accompanied by jail
terms for consumers, doesn't work and fuels ridiculously bad,
militarised, drug cartels. We also have evidence that decriminalisation
and government provision of clean product can help reduce harm and
provide a route "out" of drug use for drugs of all classes of harm, from
usually-harmless like THC to pretty-fucking-harmful like heroine.

So, the evidence right now says decriminalise. I only object to making
"swing" statements that actually these drugs are really good for you
etc., because there's no reliable evidence to back any of that up, and
giving people the wrong idea can be pretty harmful when it comes to
brain-altering psychotropics.

[Cathal Garvey]

> You say marijuana could perhaps be used to help brain plasticity, what
> signalling pathway/mechanism do you suggest this works by and how
would you
> suggest one plan on testing it?

This. "helps brain plasticity" is the sort of terminology that's all too
common in discussions about psychotropic drugs, and it reveals an
assumption that neural plasticity is always desirable and beneficial.

If it were beneficial for our brains to be constantly remodelling
themselves, it would be more commonplace. The brain spends a great deal
of time modelling during childhood and pubescence before maturing. While
it's true that plasticity is valuable after damage, or with increasing
age, etc., really the "flexibility" of the brain is not in the topology
so much as the usage. A mature, non-plastic brain is just as capable of
forming good ideas etc.: that's down to neural communication more than
topology.

So, as I think you intimate, it's not always helpful to say that
something is beneficial because it triggers brain plasticity. There's a
time and a place for plasticity! :)

On 01/11/12 18:57, Josiah Zayner wrote:
> It is great that you want to study this plant scientifically apart from the
> millions of others that can be studied legally. The benefit is that we have
> the Cannabis genome/transcriptome, what genes are you interested in
> studying? Have you tried to clone them recombinantly?
>
> What do you think about using synthetic cannibinoids? Why not just use that
> for treatment?
>
> You say marijuana could perhaps be used to help brain plasticity, what
> signalling pathway/mechanism do you suggest this works by and how would you
> suggest one plan on testing it?
>
> On Thursday, November 1, 2012 1:49:09 PM UTC-5, Nathan McCorkle wrote:
>>

>> On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 5:07 AM, Cathal Garvey <cathal...@gmail.com<javascript:>>

[Josiah Zayner]

Nice responses Cathal. I agree. If you actually look at what they mean by plasticity they are usually referring to the remodeling of the brain's reward system and usually refer to drug addiction directly. I don't think this is the type of plasticity people want.

[Nathan McCorkle]

On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 2:57 PM, Josiah Zayner <josiah...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Nice responses Cathal. I agree. If you actually look at what they mean by
> plasticity they are usually referring to the remodeling of the brain's
> reward system and usually refer to drug addiction directly.

I think people are broadly interested in plasticity as I just saw in
my googlings people doing head scans of hearing words and seeing them,
research into alternative avenues for vision data, motor control,
hearing, etc...

>I don't think
> this is the type of plasticity people want.

Sure it is, if you want to reprogram an addict. The
'Anonymous'/12-step self-help groups are about the only long-term
solution that is current accepted in the USA, and it's quite a
horrible solution.

[General Oya]

Six States To Decide On Marijuana Measures On Election Day

Historic Propositions to Legalize Personal Use Amounts of Cannabis For All Adults Hold Double Digit Leads In Colorado and Washington

Washington, DC: Millions of voters will decide on Election Day in favor of ballot measures to legalize and regulate the use of cannabis by adults. Voters in three states - Colorado, Oregon, and Washington - will decide on statewide ballot measures to legalize the possession and distribution of cannabis for those over 21 years of age. Voters in three additional states - Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Montana - will decide on measures to allow for the therapeutic use of cannabis by patients with qualifying ailments. In Michigan, voters in four cities - totaling over a million people - will decide on municipal measures to legalize or depenalize the adult use of cannabis.

Ballot measures in Colorado, Massachusetts, and Washington hold double digit leads, according to the latest statewide polls.

Since 1996, 17 states have enacted legislation to allow for the limited possession of cannabis when a physician authorizes such use. In ten of those states, voters enacted medical cannabis legislation via the statewide initiative process. To date, no statewide proposal to remove criminal and civil penalties for the broader, personal possession and use of marijuana by adults has succeeded at the ballot box.

"Cannabis prohibition financially burdens taxpayers, encroaches upon civil liberties, engenders disrespect for the law, impedes upon legitimate scientific research into the plant's medicinal properties, and disproportionately impacts communities of color," said Paul Armentano, NORML's Deputy Director. "For these reasons, a majority of Americans are now in favor ending marijuana prohibition and replacing it with a legal, pragmatic regulatory framework. We expect that in several states, a majority of voters will express this preference at the ballot box on Election Day."

A summary of this year's more prominent statewide and local ballot measures appears below.

ARKANSAS: Voters will decide on Measure 5, The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act of 2012, which allows authorized patients to possess up to two and one-half ounces of cannabis for various qualifying medical conditions, including cancer, Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The measure also allows state regulators to establish not-for-profit facilities to produce and dispense cannabis to approved patients. Individual patients will also be permitted to privately cultivate limited amounts of cannabis (up to six flowering plants) if they reside further than five miles from a state-authorized dispensary.

COLORADO: Voters will decide on Amendment 64, which allows for the legal possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and/or the cultivation of up to six cannabis plants by those persons age 21 and over. Longer-term, the measure seeks to establish regulations governing the commercial production and distribution of marijuana by licensed retailers. Voters in the state approve of the measure by a margin of 53 percent to 43 percent, according to the latest Public Policy Polling survey.

MASSACHUSETTS: Voters will decide on Question 3, which eliminates statewide criminal and civil penalties related to the possession and use of up to a 60-day supply of cannabis by qualified patients. It would also require the state to create and regulate up to 35 facilities to produce and dispense cannabis to approved patients. Individual patients will also be permitted to privately cultivate limited amounts of cannabis if they are unable to access a state-authorized dispensary. Voters in the state approve the measure by a margin of 55 percent to 36 percent, according to the latest Suffolk University poll.

MICHIGAN: Voters in four cities - totaling over a million people - will also decide on Tuesday whether to legalize or depenalize the adult use of cannabis. Voters in Detroit will decide on Proposal M, which removes criminal penalties pertaining to the possession on private property of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults over age 21. In Flint, voters will decide on a citizens' initiative to amend the city code so that the possession on private property of up to one ounce of marijuana or cannabis paraphernalia by those age 19 or older is no longer a criminal offense. Grand Rapids voters will act on Proposal 2, which seeks to allow local law enforcement the discretion to ticket first-time marijuana offenders with a civil citation, punishable by a $25 fine and no criminal record. In Ypsilanti, voters will decide on a proposal to make the local enforcement of marijuana possession offenses the city's lowest law enforcement priority.

MONTANA: Voters will decide on Initiative Referendum 124. A 'no' vote on IR-124 would repeal newly enacted restrictions to the state's 2004 voter-approved medical marijuana law.

OREGON: Voters will decide on Measure 80, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, which provides for the state-licensed production and retail sale of cannabis to adults. The measure does not impose state-licensing or taxation requirements upon those who wish to cultivate cannabis for non-commercial purposes.

WASHINGTON: Voters will decide on I-502, which regulates the production and sale of limited amounts of marijuana for adults. The measure also removes criminal penalties specific to the adult possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for personal use. Voters in the state back the measure by a margin of 56 percent to 37 percent, according to the latest KING 5 poll.

[General Oya]

Although not reflected in auto-update, I withdrew the Immorality argument minutes after publish, upon reflecting that it was un-useful. I think it would be far more useful to outlaw Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac, myself, if we're going to run around spending state and federal dollars attempting to eridicate a plant that is a danger to society. At least if you smoke that it might kill ya.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/30/opinion/granderson-legalize-pot/index.html

[General Oya]

Another study showing lung cancer suppression in cannabis smokers.

http://www.thefix.com/content/media-ignores-marijuana-study90815

[Cathal Garvey]

Also, y'know, careful with the Yew family. Outside their berries, most
of those plants are pretty highly toxic, right? At least the Irish Yew
is infamously poisonous, our neo-pagans even claim it's a traditional
suicide herb.. although by all accounts, it's a pretty awful way to go..

Still, yes; if you can find a way to purify or safely render the
paclitaxel, then it is indeed a proven cancer therapy. Also a toxin, so
y'know, don't use unless you really know what you're doing!

[General Oya]

Colorado and Washington state have just legalized Marijuana. Not medicinal use. All USE!!!

Cheers!!
Ryan

Whatever the dangers of brain plasticity from long term exposure, it's nothing to the physical and emotional damage of exposure to the penal system. 49 States to go!!!

[Nathan McCorkle]

Don't you mean 48 states to go, or did I miss the 51st state being added ?

--

[Cathal Garvey]

Well, any degree of decriminalisation is still better than criminal
prohibition, so I'm chalking it up as a victory. I just hope there isn't
a public health epidemic as a result of this. At the very least, people
often become addicted to nicotine after smoking Marijuana in tobacco
rollies or with nicotine-doped roll-paper. At worst, fears about
psychological impacts will be realised.

But, at least we'll finally have strong research to back up or debunk
such fears, too! :)

Best case scenario; the US starts to see a more moderate culture emerge
like Amsterdam, where smoking Marijuana is no longer "forbidden" enough
to entice teenagers for its own sake.