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A classic report from the front lines of the War on Drugs

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posted by LoZo 3:23 PM

 

'Ecstasy' Linked To Survival Of Key Movement-related Cells In Brain
(Science Daily, October 19, 2006)
New research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) suggests that the widely abused club drug "ecstasy," or MDMA, can increase the survival of dopamine cells in the brain during fetal development. . . . Because these cells are critical in the regulation of voluntary movement, the findings, the researchers say, may lead to better therapies for neurological diseases like Parkinson's. . . . Led by Jack Lipton, PhD, professor of psychiatry, the study was presented today as an abstract at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Atlanta. . . . "It's exciting to learn that an abused drug may have potential use for developing new therapeutics," he added. "It really makes you rethink your own preconceptions." . . . Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that has been found to regulate movement, balance, emotion and motivation, and it also affects pleasurable feelings in the brain. Researchers know that a loss of dopamine cells in the brain leads to the development of Parkinson's disease and possibly other movement disorders. Preventing dopamine cells from dying or aiding in the replacement of those cells is key to finding lasting therapies. . . . The findings, Lipton says, aren't consistent with what is known about adult brains, where MDMA has been shown to cause depletion of neurotransmitters--like dopamine--and has been linked to decreased brain activity. [THE RESEARCH WAS BOGUS! See Research On Ecstasy Is Clouded By Errors and Possible Fraud . . . MDMA, chemically known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine and sold and used illegally as "ecstasy," is a synthetic stimulant that prompts the secretion of large amounts of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. This secretion can lead to prolonged periods of activity, hallucinations and euphoria. Before the United States banned it in 1985, MDMA was tested as a possible adjunct in psychotherapy. In 2001, the FDA agreed to allow MDMA to be tested as a possible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. . . . Coauthors include Nicholas Campbell, Timothy Collier, PhD, Katrina Paumier, Caryl Sortwell, PhD, and Emeline Tolod. . . . The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

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posted by LoZo 7:05 PM

 

U.S. Surrenders In Colombia Drug War, Cuts $4 Billion In Funding
(Associated Press, 12 October 2006)
A $4 billion effort to wean Colombian farmers off the cocaine trade through military might and U.S. aid is quietly being cut back in a region where cocaine production is surging. . . . In an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, the U.S. Agency for International Development blames unacceptable security risks for its workers and a lack of private investment partners for its pullout from the Caqueta region, a former rebel stronghold in impoverished southern Colombia. . . . After six years and the expenditure of more than $4 billion, Plan Colombia, which began in Caqueta, Colombia's army is still fighting rebels in the region and coca, the raw ingredient of cocaine, is still the region's main cash crop. . . . Development programs meant to provide farmers with profitable alternatives to growing coca are vanishing in Caqueta, a symptom, critics say, of Plan Colombia's failure to persuade enough coca growers to switch to legal crops. Meanwhile, coca production is higher than it has been in years. . . . "It's a complete contradiction of Plan Colombia," said Luis Fernando Almario, a congressman from Caqueta who supports President Alvaro Uribe's aerial eradication drive. "Instead of investing generously to eliminate dependency on the illegal drug trade, we're being shunned." . . . An Agency for International Development official at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota said resources from Caqueta would be channeled to other areas with a greater likelihood of sustaining long-term development. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment publicly on the issue. . . . Critics say that by writing off southern Colombia, the U.S. and Colombian governments are leaving the region with few alternatives to coca. . . . About 400 coca farmers gathered here recently for a conference. In sweltering heat, typically tight-lipped peasants railed for hours against the lack of government aid while a U.S.-supplied crop duster dumped clouds of the herbicide glyphosate on nearby fields. . . . Since June, when the latest round of spraying began, six peasants in the area have been arrested on charges of having coca on their land. . . . "All the government ever does is fumigate and fumigate. It's their own fault we grow coca because they never show their face to offer alternatives," said Juan Carlos Mazabel, one of the organizers. . . . Instead of more spraying, Caqueta's 450,000 residents want financial support, their representatives say.

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posted by LoZo 7:58 PM

 

Marijuana may stave off Alzheimer's
(The Scrips Research Institute, August 9, 2006)
Press Release . . . Marijuana's Active Ingredient Shown to Inhibit Primary Marker of Alzheimer's Disease . . . Discovery Could Lead to More Effective Treatments

LA JOLLA, CA, August 9, 2006 - Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that the active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, inhibits the formation of amyloid plaque, the primary pathological marker for Alzheimer's disease. In fact, the study said, THC is "a considerably superior inhibitor of [amyloid plaque] aggregation" to several currently approved drugs for treating the disease. . . . The study was published online August 9 in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, a publication of the American Chemical Society. . . . According to the new Scripps Research study, which used both computer modeling and biochemical assays, THC inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which acts as a "molecular chaperone" to accelerate the formation of amyloid plaque in the brains of Alzheimer victims. Although experts disagree on whether the presence of beta-amyloid plaques in those areas critical to memory and cognition is a symptom or cause, it remains a significant hallmark of the disease. With its strong inhibitory abilities, the study said, THC "may provide an improved therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease" that would treat "both the symptoms and progression" of the disease. . . . "While we are certainly not advocating the use of illegal drugs, these findings offer convincing evidence that THC possesses remarkable inhibitory qualities, especially when compared to AChE inhibitors currently available to patients," said Kim Janda, Ph.D., who is Ely R. Callaway, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at Scripps Research, a member of The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, and director of the Worm Institute of Research and Medicine. "In a test against propidium, one of the most effective inhibitors reported to date, THC blocked AChE-induced aggregation completely, while the propidium did not. Although our study is far from final, it does show that there is a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which THC may directly affect the progression of Alzheimer's disease." . . . As the new study points out, any new treatment that could halt or even slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease would have a major impact on the quality of life for patients, as well as reducing the staggering health care costs associated with the disease. . . . In addition to propidium, we also found that THC was considerably more effective than two of the approved drugs for Alzheimer's disease treatment, donepezil (Aricept ®) and tacrine (Cognex ®), which reduced amyloid aggregation by only 22 percent and 7 percent, respectively, at twice the concentration used in our studies. Our results are conclusive enough to warrant further investigation."

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posted by LoZo 10:26 AM