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http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august212009/mpp_alcohol_8-21-09.php

The study suggests that not only is marijuana safer than alcohol, it may actually protect against some of the damage that booze causes.

( WASHINGTON, D.C.) - A study just published online by the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology suggests that marijuana may protect the brain from some of the damage caused by binge drinking.

The study, by researchers at the University of California San Diego, used a type of high-tech scan called diffusion tensor imaging to compare microscopic changes in brain white matter.

The subjects were students aged 16-to-19, divided into three groups: binge drinkers (defined as having five or more drinks at one sitting for boys or four or more for girls), binge drinkers who also smoked marijuana, and a control group who had very little or no experience with either alcohol or drugs.

As expected, the binge-drinking-only group showed evidence of white matter damage in eight regions examined, as demonstrated by lower fractional anisotropy (FA) scores. But in a finding the researchers describe as "unexpected," the binge-drinking/marijuana group had lower FA scores than the controls in only three of eight regions, and in seven regions the binge-drinking/marijuana group had higher scores -- indicating less damage -- than the binge drinkers who did not use marijuana.



Brain white matter tracts were "more coherent in adolescents who binge drink and use marijuana than in adolescents who report only binge drinking," the researchers wrote.

"It is possible that marijuana may have some neuroprotective properties in mitigating alcohol-related oxidative stress or excitotoxic cell death," as has already been shown in lab and animal studies.

"This study suggests that not only is marijuana safer than alcohol, it may actually protect against some of the damage that booze causes," said Steve Fox, Marijuana Policy Project director of state campaigns and co-author of the new book, "Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?" (which hit number 14 on the Amazon.com bestseller list). "It's far better for teens not to drink or smoke marijuana, but our nation's leaders send a dangerous message by defending laws that encourage the use of alcohol over marijuana."

REFERENCE: Jacobus, J. et al. "White matter integrity in adolescents with histories of marijuana use and binge drinking." Neurotoxicology and Teratology. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2009.07.006

Source: MarijuanaPolicy.org, the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.

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State panel debates pot oversight


AUGUSTA -- A Portland lawmaker said Tuesday she will introduce an amendment to the state's medical marijuana law that would allow large greenhouses to bid on growing rights and put the state in charge of overseeing the quality.
Rep. Anne Haskell, a Democrat, is a longtime supporter of medical marijuana, but as a member of a task force charged with implementing the voter-approved law that allows dispensaries to open, she worries about who will ensure the marijuana is safe.

"As long as dispensaries are growing it, the quality will vary widely," she said. "There ought to be some oversight."

Her proposal would put the state Department of Agriculture in charge of monitoring the quality of the marijuana.

Supporters of the law passed by voters in November were surprised -- and angered -- by that proposal.

"The idea of putting this in control of agribusiness instead of small farmers is an offense to everyone who is a small farmer," said Jonathan Leavitt, who ran the campaign for Question 5.

Haskell said she realized it was a major change from what voters approved, and said that's why she wanted to offer it separately from the task force report.

Members of the task force appeared split on the issue, with several people saying they, too, are concerned that growing standards are followed to ensure quality.

That's especially important because patients with a recommendation from a doctor to use medical marijuana are often seriously ill, said Anne Jordan, commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety.

Dan Walker, an attorney for medical marijuana supporters, said Haskell's proposal runs counter to the intent of the citizen initiative.

"To make this a large-scale production takes away from the small business side of it," he said.

However, Ken Altshuler, an attorney who represents the public's interest, said his primary concern is for the patients.

"I don't see this bill as a vehicle for helping the economy of Maine," he said. "I don't like the idea of dispensaries all over growing marijuana."

Haskell said her proposal would continue to allow individuals with permission to grow their own marijuana if they choose to do so.

Voters in 1999 first approved the use of medical marijuana in Maine, but the law required patients to grow it themselves or appoint a caregiver to grow it for them. Supporters then brought forward a citizen initiative this year to allow nonprofit dispensaries to operate in Maine.

When voters approved it with 59 percent of the vote, Maine became the fifth state to permit medical marijuana dispensaries. The campaign to pass the expansion of the law spent only $54,132 on the issue, according to campaign finance reports.

The task force agreed to meet again in early January to review final language before sending recommendations to the Legislature.

Advocates don't expect dispensaries to open in Maine before the end of next summer, given the timelines outlined in the law.

The task force also heard from Becky DeKeuster of the Berkeley Patients Group, which has run a dispensary in California for 10 years.

She said her dispensary, which serves an estimated 8,500 people, follows careful guidelines for people who come to get marijuana. They always check with a physician to make sure a recommendation for use is valid, they make sure the physician is in good standing, and they maintain a database to ensure that patients aren't coming in too often.

They also have security in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"It's like operating a jewelry store or a grocery store," she said.


Susan Cover -- 620-7015

scover@centralmaine.com

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