MAPTalk-Digest Tuesday, December 28 2004 Volume 04 : Number 226
001 Clemson chemist looks to reproduce medical benefits of pot
From: Herb <>
002 The Border War - The War Few Discuss In Washington
From: Herb <>
003 TX: Proposal Would End Jail for Some Marijuana Possession Cases
From: Herb <>
004 Re: MAP: TX: Proposal Would End Jail for Some Marijuana Possession Case
From: Rick Steeb <>
005 Re: DPFWI: FDA approves new drug for severe pain
From: "D.H. Michon" <>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subj: 001 Clemson chemist looks to reproduce medical benefits of pot
From: Herb <>
Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 12:07:07 -0800
Clemson chemist looks to reproduce medical benefits of pot
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/10507391.htm
------------------------------
Subj: 002 The Border War - The War Few Discuss In Washington
From: Herb <>
Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 10:06:56 -0800
The Border War - The War Few Discuss In Washington
http://press.arrivenet.com/gov/article.php/547453.html
------------------------------
Subj: 003 TX: Proposal Would End Jail for Some Marijuana Possession Cases
From: Herb <>
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 08:15:03 -0800
Proposal Would End Jail for Some Marijuana Possession Cases
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=659DEDC6-F16C-4A6
------------------------------
Subj: 004 Re: MAP: TX: Proposal Would End Jail for Some Marijuana Possession Cases
From: Rick Steeb <>
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 09:36:45 -0800 (PST)
Should jail time for possession of small amounts of marijuana be
eliminated? [related story]
Yes...
67.7%
No...
32.3%
- --- Herb <> wrote:
> Proposal Would End Jail for Some Marijuana Possession Cases
>
>
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=659DEDC6-F16C-4A6
>
>
------------------------------
Subj: 005 Re: DPFWI: FDA approves new drug for severe pain
From: "D.H. Michon" <>
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 21:21:38 -0600
I think this derives from the "anything but opioids" thinking the WOD has
infused govermental creatures with for a long time. Witness the Vioxx,
Celebrex, etc. revelations. Those drugs were pushed not because they are
great pain relievers but because they are "non-narcotic." The same holds
with this new class of drugs: they claim there are people who are not helped
by morphine but ignore the fact that heroin would definitely do the job
(and, if it didn't, there are plenty of choices in "The Bentley Compounds"
famous for fentanyl and etorphine). Not only do they ignore this obvious
fact but they appear willing to let the patient accrue severe risk from
this new drug despite what happened with the Cox2 inhibitors like Vioxx. Oh,
and ya can't just increase the dose, that's too sensible, that's what Dr
Hurwitz did. It's crazy and it's fueled by the Drug War.
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "G F Storck" <>
To: "DPFWI" <>
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 4:40 PM
Subject: DPFWI: FDA approves new drug for severe pain
> Typical FDA double standard. The same logic has been applied to cannabis,
> but I guess that patient population isn't important enough for federal
> bureaucrats. -- GS
>
>
>
> There are side effects, and the FDA was including a "black box" warning --
> the government's strongest warning short of a ban. Side effects may
> include dizziness, drowsiness and altered mental status, with patients
> confused at times.
>
> Despite the side effects, the drug was approved because there are no other
> options for these patients and the benefits outweighed the risks, said Dr.
> Robert Meyer, director of the FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation II.
>
> "Because this is such an important patient population where they have such
> pain and they have so few options we felt this drug does offer some real
> gains," he said.
>
>
> ----------------
> FDA approves new drug for severe pain
> - LAURA MECKLER, Associated Press Writer
> Tuesday, December 28, 2004
>
> (12-28) 13:42 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --
>
> The government approved a drug Tuesday that offers a new way of fighting
> severe pain -- an option for patients who no longer benefit from morphine
> and other traditional pain medications.
>
> It's the first in a new class of drugs that selectively blocks the nerve
> channels responsible for transmitting pain signals. It will be marketed as
> Prialt and should be available by the end of January.
>
> "When you've taken all the kinds of pain medication that there is and you
> still have pain, that is a very frightening situation," said Dr. Lars
> Ekman, president of research and development for the drug's Ireland-based
> manufacturer, Elan. "When you have that kind of pain, there is nowhere to
> go."
>
> The drug is part of a new class known as N-type calcium channel blockers.
> It is known chemically as ziconotide.
>
> Morphine is the standard treatment for severe pain from cancer, AIDS,
> amputations and other significant illnesses, but its effects eventually
> wear off and the dosage must be increased. At some point, many patients
> switch from taking medication by mouth or by injection to a microinfusion
> pump implanted under the skin that delivers drugs directly into the fluid
> surrounding the spinal cord.
>
> Ekman said about 35,000 to 50,000 Americans have these pumps now. The Food
> and Drug Administration approved Prialt for patients who are already using
> these pumps but not getting effective relief from them or who cannot
> tolerate the available treatments.
>
> This is the first new drug in 20 years to treat pain using such a pump.
>
> Prialt has been studied in patients with cancer, AIDS and other chronic
> pain, such as back pain. More than 1,200 patients took part in three
> clinical trials.
>
> There are side effects, and the FDA was including a "black box" warning --
> the government's strongest warning short of a ban. Side effects may
> include dizziness, drowsiness and altered mental status, with patients
> confused at times.
>
> Despite the side effects, the drug was approved because there are no other
> options for these patients and the benefits outweighed the risks, said Dr.
> Robert Meyer, director of the FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation II.
>
> "Because this is such an important patient population where they have such
> pain and they have so few options we felt this drug does offer some real
> gains," he said.
>
> Patients with a history of psychoses should not receive it, and all others
> should be monitored for signs of cognitive impairment, he said.
>
> The idea for the drug came from a snail called the Conus magus that lives
> in the South Pacific, which paralyzes its victims with venom after
> capturing them, the company said. Researchers set out learning how to
> develop a drug based on this venom and eventually copied the amino acid
> sequence.
>
> Elan would not say how much it plans to charge for the drug. On the Net:
>
> FDA: www.fda.gov
>
> Elan: www.elan.com
>
> URL:
> http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/12/28/na
> ©2004 Associated Press
------------------------------
End of MAPTalk-Digest V04 #226
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