|
 Royaume-Uni
: Essai clinique
avec le cannabis approuvé par la MCA / Demande de recherche
pour un nouveau médicament (IND) pour le CT-3, dérivé
synthétique du principal métabolite non psychoactif
du THC / Les scientifiques britanniques sont plus près que
jamais du développement de médicaments basés sur le cannabis
et qui enlèveront la douleur - mais enlèveront aussi les effets
(le "high").
(pour
rester informé, cliquez
ici )
Le
chanvre primé à un concours floral Les
fleurs primées étaient des plants de cannabis Londres, 4 juin
(AFP). Rob Christopher, propriétaire d'un magasin dans un
village du Somerset (ouest de l'Angleterre), s'était fait
connaître pour avoir gagné le concours de "Glastonbury en
fleur" grâce à sa devanture fleurie qui avait particulièrement
impressionné les élus locaux. Malheureusement, ces magnifiques
fleurs étaient des plants de cannabis, ce qui lui a valu jeudi
une condamnation à 12 mois de prison avec sursis, lepot aux
roses ayant été découvert par des policiers. Le propriétaire
du magasin "Harmonie de la Nature" a plaidé pour sa défense
qu'il n'avait fait qu'arroser les plants en question, le cannabis
ayantété, selon lui, planté mystérieusement dans ses pots
ainsi que dans ceux d'autres devantures du village. Il a ajouté
que "l'arrosage de fleurs d'une devanture ne pouvait pas être
considéré comme un acte criminel". Le jury n'a pas été sensible
à son argument et l'a condamné pour avoir "cultivé" du cannabis.
Tiré de la liste Legalize.
Cannabis
et conduite
A
Le saviez-vous ?
S'il
est interdit de consommer du cannabis, il semble bien que
le législateur aie pris conscience de son impact social
et de son existence de fait. Le code ROusseau indique ainsi
qu'un test de consommation de stupéfiants est réalisé
sur les conducteurs dés qu'il y a accident mortel.
Il précise aussi (p 196) que 2 joints correspondent
à 0.5 mg d'alcool dans le sang.
B
Etudes
d'impact du cannabis sur les accidents de voiture
.John
Lucasjlucas@reninet.com------------------A newly released
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration studyindicates
that alcohol is by far the leading cause of drug-related trafficfatalities,
while marijuana poses negligible danger except when combined
withalcohol. The study, the most comprehensive drug accident
survey to date, is datedOctober1992, but is only now being
released. A researcher familiar with the projectsaysthis is
because it contradicts the government's official anti-drug
line that illicit drugs are a major public safety hazard.
The study investigated blood samples from 1882 drivers killed
in car, truck andmotorcycle accidents in seven states during
1990 - 91. Alcohol was found in51.5%of the specimens. Just
17.8% showed traces of other drugs; marijuana was adistant
second to alcohol at 6.7%, followed by cocaine (5.3%), benzodiazepinetranquillizers
(2.9%) and amphetamine (1.9%). Two-thirds of marijuana- andother-drug-using
drivers were also positive for alcohol. The report concluded
that alcohol was by far the "dominant problem" indrug-related
accidents. A responsibility analysis showed that alcohol-usingdrivers
were conspicuously culpable in fatal accidents, especially
at high bloodconcentrations or in combination with other drugs,
including marijuana. However,those who used marijuana alone
were found to be if anything less culpable than non-drug-users.
The report concluded, "there was no indication that marijuana
by itself was a cause of fatal accidents." Although California
NORML's "Health Tips for Marijuana Smokers," by CaliforniaNORML
coordinator Dale Gieringer, lists accidents and respiratory
disease due tosmoking as the two leading health hazards of
marijuana, these findings are consistent with other studies,
which have generally found that marijuana is rarely involved
in driving accidents except when combined with alcohol. The
NHTSA report, "The Incidence and Role of Drugs in Fatally
Injured Drivers,"by K.W. Terhune, et al. of the Calspan Corp.
Accident Research Group in Buffalo,NY (Report # DOT-HS-808-065)
is available from the National TechnicalInformationService,
Springfield VA 22161. ---------------------------------
March
1994The second recently released NHTSA report, "Marijuana
and Actual DrivingPerformance" (Robbe & O'Hanlon, November
1993), was conducted in TheNetherlands,where the government
actually promulgates harm reduction-based drug policies.This
report was comprised of the results of three controlled experiments
inwhichsubjects consumed various dosages of marijuana and
then drove in freeway- andcity-driving conditions. The performances
of marijuana consumers were thencompared with the performances
of subjects under the influence of alcohol.The report concluded:
"... marijuana, when taken alone, produces a moderate degree
of driving impairment which is related to the consumed THC
dose. The impairment manifests itself mainly in the ability
to maintain a steady lateral position on the road, but its
magnitude is not exceptional in comparison with changes produced
by many medicinal drugs and alcohol. Drivers under the influence
of marijuana retain insight in their performance and will
compensate where they can, for example, by slowing down or
increasing effort. As a consequence, THC's adverse effects
on driving performance appear relatively small." (abstract
page) Moreover, the authors summarized, "... both direct and
indirect evidenceconverge on the conclusion that THC's effects
after doses up to [the maximumlevel used in the study, which
had been determined to be the maximum dosagemarijuana consumers
typically ingest to get "high"] never exceed alcohol's at[blood
alcohol concentrations of .08%]." (This concentration is less
than orequal to the legal limit for driving in most states.)
(p. 105)Cyrus McCandless wrote: > I had heard a couple of
years ago that two major insurance companies did a > very
large study to determine whether marijuana users were an>
insurance risk. They used records of blood samples taken from
people> involved in accidents, and found that people with
THC in their blood were> actually less likely to be the *cause*
of an accident, although it says> nothing about whether they
would be more likely to be involved in one.>> Maps.org
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