Arizona study disputes benefits of medical iijuana

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A new University of Arizona study shows little or no evidence that medical marijuana is an effective treatment for anxiety, migraines, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, a finding that could hinder efforts to expand the allowable uses for the drug in the state, The Arizona Republic reports.

 The researchers, working on behalf of the state Department of Health Services that oversees the state's medical-marijuana program, reviewed dozens of scientific studies related to marijuana use for the four medical conditions and determined that most of the research was of little value in weighing the medicinal risks and benefits. Arizona health officials and medical-marijuana advocates agree the lack of scientific research is in large part because of restrictions on research of some controlled substances, the newspaper reports.

The study could affect efforts by medical-marijuana supporters to expand the state's program to include the treatment of anxiety, migraines, depression and PTSD. "The key question for us is: Do the benefits outweigh the risks?" says Will Humble, state health director. "And there's just not that much research in this area to help form our policy decisions." Humble will decide this month whether to expand the list of conditions eligible for medical-marijuana therapy.

He has also listened to personal testimony and reviewed documents submitted by people who want to expand the medical-marijuana program. More than 31,000 Arizonans currently participate in the medical-marijuana program, citing conditions ranging from chronic pain to cancer and hepatitis C, according to the newspaper. Humble said the program would expand by as many as 15,000 if post-traumatic stress alone was added as a qualifying condition.

What's the etiquette with electronic cigarettes?

An e-cigarette led to confusion on the M6. But what are the rules of smoking fake fags? A misunderstanding over an electronic cigarette caused a major terrorist alert on the M6 yesterday. The incident showed what a novelty e-cigarettes are to many people and how easily confusion can develop. But the "fake cigarette" also raises questions of etiquette.

Even before the smoking ban, a restaurant-goer lighting up would annoy fellow diners. Since the ban, such behaviour would cause consternation among customers and lead the owner to fear legal action. Smoking an e-cigarette, however, is legal in public places. Although it contains nicotine, there is no burning and only odourless steam is produced. The health advantages of e-cigarettes over tobacco smoking have attracted celebrities including Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Moss.

OPSU Goes Tobacco Free

Oklahoma Panhandle State Univ. has banned all tobacco use throughout the campus and all auxiliary property, such as the school farm and the Guymon Classroom. Outdoor signs have already been installed at all campus entrances. In addition to the signs, the campus community will be educated about Gov.
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Mary Fallin's Executive Order 2012-01 through announcements at student, faculty, and staff meetings and everyone will also be provided with printed material. No smoking or any other tobacco use will be allowed on any OPSU property. During the fall semester, only warnings will be issued. Beginning with the spring semester in January, tickets, similar to campus parking citations, will be issued for flagrant violations. OPSU's human resources staff will offer resources to those who wish to quit using tobacco.

Tobacco production lower than estimated

THE Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) has warned that the amount of tobacco produced by the country this year is likely to be lower than earlier projected. Initial estimates showed that Malawi had this year produced 165 million kilogrammes of all types of tobacco, a figure that was a sharp drop from the 210 million kilogramme of the leaf realised in the previous year.

 However, TCC C h i e f Executive Bruce Munthali told The Daily Times in Lilongwe that following observation on the market, indications are now clear that production figures are likely to be lower than projected. "We thought we still had a lot of tobacco from the farmers but there seems to be less than we anticipated," said Munthali. "We wil l come up with actual figures very shortly after quantifying the tobacco remaining in the field," he said. Munthali said, however, the market has so far stabilized in terms of prices.

 He o b s e r v e d t h a t t h e devaluation of kwacha in April has helped to curb tobacco smuggling to cross border markers as few cases are being reported now Last year's all year market average price was US$0.97 per kilogramme although the buyers were exporting at an average price of US$3.39 per kilogram, according to the TCC figures. This year the market started with poor prices but improved tremendously following the devaluation of the kwacha, with figures for last week showing that buyers were off e r i n g an average of US$2.13 per kilogrammes for all times of tobacco. Last year, tobacco farmers sold on the auction floors about 210 mi l l ion kilogrammes , earning the country US$258 million.

‘One marijuana joint a day is as bad as 20 cigarettes’

Maybe you’ve heard that smoking marijuana is not as bad for your health as smoking tobacco cigarettes. Nevertheless, experts warn that smoking marijuana increases the chances of developing lung cancer by as much as an entire packet of 20 tobacco cigarettes, reports Sade Oguntola. While new research continues to reveal the multiple health consequences of smoking cannabis, marijuana or hemp, it is alarming that there is still lack of public awareness on how harmful this drug can be.

Many people, particularly the young ones who smoke marijuana are unaware that each wrap of marijuana they smoke increases their chances of developing lung cancer by as much as an entire packet of 20 tobacco cigarettes. Marijuana smoking involves inhaling vapours released by heating the flowers and subtending leaves of the cannabis plants, known as marijuana. It is one of the most widely-used recreational drugs in the world. A sizeable number of people have tried it, thinking that smoking marijuana is somehow a safe pastime.

 In Lagos, for instance, a study reported in the European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that between 4.0 and 4.8 per cent of Lagosians use addictive substances such as, marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. Moreover, the use of marijuana cuts across all social sectors, as evidenced by a survey of Psychoactive substance use/abuse among students in Igbinedion University, Okada which found that about 2.8 per cent of the students smoke marijuana. This was reported in the 2011 edition of the Nigerian Journal of General Practice. The increasing use of marijuana is not restricted to developing countries like Nigeria alone. In fact, in the United Kingdom, marijuana is used by more than a third of people under 24, but 88 per cent believe it is less dangerous than tobacco.

 However, according to the British Lung Foundation (BLF), smoking one marijuana a day for a year increases the risk of lung cancer by eight per cent. By comparison, smoking 20 tobacco cigarettes a day for a year increases the risk of lung cancer by seven per cent. Why is marijuana more dangerous than tobacco? BLF argued that the way marijuana is smoked compared to tobacco (such as the tendency not to use filters; and deeper, longer inhaling) makes the risk of developing lung cancer from smoking a single marijuana daily a day despite similar carbon monoxide concentrations in the smoke”.

Also, the reports stated that people often mix marijuana with tobacco. There is strong evidence that smoking tobacco causes lung cancer and chronic lung disease. This makes it difficult to isolate whether health problems are specifically caused by marijuana or tobacco. The report highlighted that many of the same cancer-causing compounds in cigarettes are also present in marijuana, and that the way marijuana is smoked may mean that the body retains more of these harmful products than when smoking a similar quantity of tobacco. The average puff on a marijuana is two-thirds larger and is held four times longer than the average puff on a tobacco cigarette. As a result, someone smoking a marijuana inhales four times as much tar as from a tobacco cigarette, and five times as much carbon monoxide.

 Although, the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2009 indicated that smoking both tobacco and marijuana increase the risk of respiratory symptoms and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), BLF said that a single joint is equal to 10 cigarettes in terms of lung damage and 20 cigarettes in terms of lung cancer risk. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the two disorders that constitute COPD, often occur in long-time tobacco smokers. Symptoms — mainly coughing and shortness of breath — don’t usually develop till people are in their 50s or 60s. In chronic bronchitis, inflammation damages the bronchi, or air passages, over time. In emphysema, the damage occurs in the walls of the alveoli (tiny sacs in which gases are exchanged), reducing the lung’s capacity to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Anti Tobacco Crusaders Want Tobacco Manufacture Banned

Anti Tobacco crusaders have asked government to ban the manufacture of tobacco in Uganda. The group under the Center for Tobacco Control in Africa while meeting in Kampala said that tobacco benefits only the tobacco companies and its money does not help the people.

The administrator of the Center for Tobacco Control in Africa, Dr. Prosy Mugyenyi said that all the money got from tobacco companies end up treating people who get cancer caused by tobacco. He said that tobacco farmers should be encouraged to grow other alternative crops and abandon tobacco growing because it affects their lives.

Women are New targets of Tobacco Firms

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Reports are confirming a big risk to women from the Cigarette companies as they found them the most sensitive target of the tobacco firms to increase their sales. Officials have cleared in their statements that an alarming hike has been noticed in the number of female smokers recently, which they believe is an important target today of the tobacco companies to keep their market equally strong.

 They said that the women and girls are being lured into this habit with the `superslim' branding images. In order to discuss the serious issue, a conference was arranged by the Irish Cancer Society in Dublin yesterday in which the concerned authority cleared its fears and said that one in three Irish women is today a smoker. Concerns in the conference rose higher when the authority cleared the fact that how tobacco companies are targeting more women.

They said that the tobacco industry is primarily attracting more women with their brands that appeal specifically ladies. Superslim cigarettes are one in the list. Some other strategies that are being followed by such companies are: lighted packaging, feminine colors and names etc. Ms. Kathleen O'Meara of the ICS said: "Big tobacco firms are misleading women with products which link smoking to femininity and sophistication".