Does Jersey's medical marijuana program violate federal law?

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Daily Blotter

Does Jersey's medical marijuana program violates federal law?

AP Photo, file

(CBS/AP) TRENTON, N.J. - Though many pot smokers were celebrating their unofficial 420 holiday on Wednesday, New Jersey wants to know if its medical marijuana program violates federal law.

The Star-Ledger of Newark reports state Attorney General Paula Dow's office sent a letter Tuesday to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Dow asked whether those licensed to sell or grow marijuana and the state workers who will administer the program would face arrest.

The request comes after Washington State's governor last week threatened to veto legislation that requires state employees to implement a marijuana licensing system. The Justice Department had warned that state employees could be liable for breaking federal law.

New Jersey Democrats and Republican Governor Chris Christie have been at odds over how to implement the medical marijuana program.

Christie has imposed regulations that would tighten access.

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by ajjr1234 April 21, 2011 4:39 PM EDT: Better question is Does federal law violate the constitution?; Reply to this comment


by malcolmkyle April 21, 2011 11:56 AM EDT: The following text is taken directly from the US government's National Cancer Institute website: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page4

* ANTI-TUMOR EFFECTS -Sadly, the first three paragraphs were removed on March 28th 2011 shortly after media attention:
http://www.americanindependent.com/176139/first-federal-agency-to-acknowledge-medical-marijuana-removes-anti-tumor-information-from-database

Here's an image of the original entry: http://images.americanindependent.com/NCI_Cannabis.png

One study in mice and rats suggested that cannabinoids may have a protective effect against the development of certain types of tumors. During this 2-year study, groups of mice and rats were given various doses of THC by gavage. A dose-related decrease in the incidence of hepatic adenoma tumors and hepatocellular carcinoma was observed in the mice. Decreased incidences of benign tumors (polyps and adenomas) in other organs (mammary gland, uterus, pituitary, testis, and pancreas) were also noted in the rats. In another study, delta-9-THC, delta-8-THC, and cannabinol were found to inhibit the growth of Lewis lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. In addition, other tumors have been shown to be sensitive to cannabinoid-induced growth inhibition.

Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. Cannabinoids appear to kill tumor cells but do not affect their nontransformed counterparts and may even protect them from cell death. These compounds have been shown to induce apoptosis in glioma cells in culture and induce regression of glioma tumors in mice and rats. Cannabinoids protect normal glial cells of astroglial and oligodendroglial lineages from apoptosis mediated by the CB1 receptor.

In an in vivo model using severe combined immunodeficient mice, subcutaneous tumors were generated by inoculating the animals with cells from human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines. Tumor growth was inhibited by 60% in THC-treated mice compared with vehicle-treated control mice. Tumor specimens revealed that THC had antiangiogenic and antiproliferative effects.

* ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS

In addition, both plant-derived and endogenous cannabinoids have been studied for anti- inflammatory effects. A mouse study demonstrated that endogenous cannabinoid system signaling is likely to provide intrinsic protection against colonic inflammation. As a result, a hypothesis that phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids may be useful in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer has been developed.

* ANTIVIRAL PROPERTIES

Another study has shown delta-9-THC is a potent and selective antiviral agent against Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus 8. The researchers concluded that additional studies on cannabinoids and herpesviruses are warranted, as they may lead to the development of drugs that inhibit the reactivation of these oncogenic viruses. Subsequently, another group of investigators reported increased efficiency of KSHV infection of human dermal microvascular epithelial cells in the presence of low doses of delta-9-THC.
Appetite Stimulation

* APPETITE STIMULATOR

Many animal studies have previously demonstrated that delta-9-THC and other cannabinoids have a stimulatory effect on appetite and increase food intake. It is believed that the endogenous cannabinoid system may serve as a regulator of feeding behavior. The endogenous cannabinoid anandamide potently enhances appetite in mice. Moreover, CB1 receptors in the hypothalamus may be involved in the motivational or reward aspects of eating.
Analgesia

* AS A PAIN KILLER

Understanding the mechanism of cannabinoid-induced analgesia has been increased through the study of cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids, and synthetic agonists and antagonists. The CB1 receptor is found in both the central nervous system (CNS) and in peripheral nerve terminals. Similar to opioid receptors, increased levels of the CB1 receptor are found in sections of the brain that regulate nociceptive processing. CB2 receptors, located predominantly in peripheral tissue, exist at very low levels in the CNS. With the development of receptor-specific antagonists, additional information about the roles of the receptors and endogenous cannabinoids in the modulation of pain has been obtained.

Cannabinoids may also contribute to pain modulation through an anti-inflammatory mechanism; a CB2 effect with cannabinoids acting on mast cell receptors to attenuate the release of inflammatory agents, such as histamine and serotonin, and on keratinocytes to enhance the release of analgesic opioids has been described.; Reply to this comment


by pubsrtoast April 21, 2011 10:29 AM EDT: Christie has imposed regulations that would tighten access.

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Oh i see, only banks and oil companies don't need to be regulated.; Reply to this comment