• Drug Policy - Question of the Week

    What are clinical trials?

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 5-28-11

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 5-28-11. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3403

    Question of the Week: What are Clinical Trials?

    Wikipedia defines clinical trials as,

    “a set of procedures in medical research conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions such as drugs, diagnostics, devices, and therapy protocols.”

    Clinical trials in the United States begin with the Food and Drug Administration or FDA that

    “regulates both the safety and effectiveness of prescription pharmaceuticals and certain medical devices.”

    The National Bureau of Economic Research overviews this process that,

    “begins when a firm files an Investigational New Drug [IND] application, which requests permission from the FDA to conduct clinical trials on humans … Once the FDA gives its approval, the firm may begin conducting clinical trials for the drug, which proceed in three phases.”

    “The goal of Phase I is to evaluate the drug’s safety and to obtain data on its pharmacologic properties. Typically, phase I trials enroll small numbers of healthy volunteers. Phase II trials then enroll slightly larger numbers of sick volunteers. The goal of these trials is to begin investigating a drug’s efficacy and optimal dosage, and to monitor the drug’s safety in diseased patents. Finally, Phase III testing typically involves larger numbers of sick patients and is the most costly stage of the approval process. Phase III testing seeks to establish more definitively the efficacy of a drug, as well as to discover any rare side effects. Upon the completion of Phase III testing, the firm submits a New Drug Application to the FDA, which is accompanied by the results of the clinical trials. The FDA may then reject the application, require further clinical testing, or approve the drug outright.”

    These facts and others like them can be found Regulation of Prescription Drugs section of the United States Chapter of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.

     

  • Letter of the Week

    Letter Of The Week

    GRIEVING PARENTS: LEGALIZE ALL DRUGS

    Re: Heroin That Goes Far Beyond Junk, Joe O’Connor, May 13.

    As grieving parents of a son who died at age 19 in 1993 after
    ingesting some street heroin, may we offer our comments? When America
    prohibited alcohol, thousands were poisoned by adulterated market
    booze. When alcohol was legalized again, those incidents were
    drastically reduced.

    Today, our children are dying because of adulterated black market
    drugs. The carnage will end only when we come to our senses and allow
    users once again to purchase clean, cheap, quality-tested drugs at
    the corner store just as tobacco users now do.

    Let’s finish the job we started when we ended alcohol prohibition,
    follow the principles enshrined in the Charter and legalize all drugs.

    Eleanor and Alan Randell, Victoria.

    Pubdate: Tue, 17 May 2011

    Source: National Post (Canada)

    Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n304/a02.html

  • What You Can Do

    Petition to End the War on Drugs

    We call on you to end the war on drugs and the prohibition regime, and move towards a system based on decriminalisation, regulation, public health and education. This 50 year old policy has failed, fuels violent organised crime, devastates lives and is costing billions. It is time for a humane and effective approach.

  • Letter of the Week

    Letter Of The Week

    HOW TO FIGHT DRUG CARTELS

    Two days ago, during a political discussion about border problems
    toward the end of a Sierra Club outing to look for Taylor’s
    checkerspot butterflies at the Beazell Memorial Forest in Oregon, I
    mentioned that the Mexican drug cartels have won. There is
    insufficient political and financial will to launch an effective
    fight against those gangs.

    I first heard this opinion from Charles Bowden in his book titled
    “Dreamland: The Way Out of Juarez.” Bowden wrote that the society in
    that city has gone through a metamorphosis and is now governed by drug cartels.

    Today’s Arizona Daily Star online has an article titled: “Mexican
    drug gangs assuming government roles.” If you want to read it, click
    this link:
    http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_6f4c5a30-e69b-5626-8471-9b20caa59c25.html

    The solution: legalize drugs and tax them, just like cigarettes and alcohol.

    When the prohibition of alcohol was repealed, organized crime lost a
    major source of income and the number of violent crimes plummeted. It
    is obvious that present U.S. drug prohibition is not working.
    Continuing ineffective action is costly and does not solve the
    problem. It actually creates problems of overcrowded jails and
    courts. The drug cartels’ domination spills over into the U.S.’s
    southwestern communities and includes law enforcement corruption.

    Living in the Southwest became much more risky during the past
    decade. Oregon is way less dangerous than Arizona, only due to the
    distance from Mexico.

    Ricardo Small, Albany

    Pubdate: Tue, 10 May 2011

    Source: Albany Democrat-Herald (OR)

  • Cannabis & Hemp - Hot Off The 'Net

    Snitch Site For Marijuana Informers Backfires In Utah

    The state made it easy with a website with helpful links to assist its deputized citizenry in identifying marijuana and signs of grow operations, reports Greg Campbell at dscriber.

    “Did you know marijuana is being illegally grown in Utah?” the site, with a keen grasp of the obvious, ominously warns. “Have you ever been hiking or camping and seen what looks like an illegal marijuana growing operation? We have created this website to make it easier for people to report this illegal activity, so we can crack down and keep these illegal drugs out of our state and off our streets.”

    Yeah, it seemed like a great idea. That is, until NORML posted a story about Utah’s misguided efforts. Within 24 hours, pot-friendly visitors flooded the site with fake tips.

  • Focus Alerts

    ALERT: 468 Now There Are 16 States

    NOW THERE ARE 16 STATES

    **********************************************************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #468 – Saturday, May 14th, 2011

    Today the front page of The News Journal, Delaware’s major newspaper,
    printed the article below. Will this, the most restrictive law any
    state has, ever actually help patients? Will the federal government
    allow the state to have three not-for-profit dispensaries?

    You may read the law at
    http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS146.nsf/vwLegislation/SB+17

    If you have been following the news at http://www.mapinc.org/find?253
    you know that the feds are continuing to attack medicinal marijuana
    providers in various ways. Until Congress passes a law supporting
    medical cannabis that is not likely to change.

    Please consider House vote tallies for the Hinchey/Rohrabacher
    medical marijuana amendment at http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll733.xml

    You will notice which party tends to give medical marijuana the most
    support. The vote also shows that much needs to be done before
    federal laws will be changed.

    Please contact your Members of Congress. Please write letters to the
    editor of newspapers. It Is Not What Others Do, It Is What You Do.

    If you need medicinal cannabis facts please visit
    http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/node/54

    **********************************************************************

    DELAWARE GOV. JACK MARKELL SIGNS LAW ALLOWING MEDICAL MARIJUANA

    Regulatory, Licensing Process Begins for Three Dispensaries

    Gov. Jack Markell signed legislation Friday legalizing marijuana
    growing, distribution and use in Delaware for limited medical purposes.

    The General Assembly sent Markell the medical-marijuana legislation
    on Wednesday.

    The governor signed the bill Friday morning without the usual
    ceremony in order to initiate a one-year regulatory and licensing
    process for three not-for-profit dispensaries that will be authorized
    to sell marijuana to qualified patients, according to his office.

    Under Senate Bill 17, physicians could recommend marijuana for
    patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis,
    amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease and
    post-traumatic stress disorder.

    People with other chronic disease or debilitating medical conditions
    could qualify if other medicines or surgical procedures have failed
    to relieve their pain or caused seizures, severe or persistent muscle
    spasms and intractable nausea.

    Physicians and patients would have to have a “bona fide
    physician-patient relationship” and other medical treatments would
    have to be exhausted before marijuana is recommended, according to
    the bill and its legislative sponsors.

    Qualified patients who get a doctor’s recommendation and a
    state-issued identification card will be able to purchase up to six
    ounces of marijuana at one of the dispensaries.

    Marijuana growing and purchases will be limited to the dispensaries.
    Patients will not be allowed to grow their own cannabis.

    “We made clear that this would need to be very limited in scope and
    actively targeted to only Delawareans with profound and chronic
    illness like cancer and ALS. It is. This bill needed to be about
    giving targeted help to the most sick in a way that made medical
    sense, and it is,” Markell said in a written statement.

    **********************************************************************

    Prepared by: Richard Lake, Focus Alert Specialist www.mapinc.org

    ===
    .
    DrugSense provides many services at no charge, but they are not
    free to produce. Your contributions make DrugSense and its Media
    Awareness Project (MAP) happen. Please donate today. Our secure Web
    server at http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm accepts credit cards
    and Paypal. Or, mail your check or money order to:
    .
    DrugSense
    14252 Culver Drive #328
    Irvine, CA 92604-0326.
    (800) 266 5759
    .
    DrugSense is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising
    awareness about the expensive, ineffective, and destructive “War on
    Drugs.” Donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

  • Drug Policy

    Insite’s Fate And A History Of Safe Injection Sites

    This explainer provides an overview and background information about Insite, North America’s only supervised injection site for drug users. It is the subject of a May 2011 Supreme Court of Canada hearing that will determine the future of the operation. This post will be updated as new information becomes available.