Analysis by Richard Cowan

Even though California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined the calls for a debate on marijuana prohibition itself, there is still a lot of confusion about the legal status of the supposedly less controversial topic of “medical marijuana”.

On April 2nd the Associated Press reported that Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton “called on the City Council to speed up the drafting of stricter regulations on medical marijuana clinics, calling current state law ‘Looney Tunes’.” (Oddly, the story was reported on the San Jose Mercury-News website, but the LA Times only covered it in a blog.)

Bratton was right, but for the wrong reasons. He claimed, “They pass a law, then they have no regulations as to how to enforce the darn thing and, as a result, we have hundreds of these locations selling drugs to every Tom, Dick and Harry.”

First, if the dispensaries are selling any “drug” other than cannabis, the police do not need any action by the LA City Counsel to raid them. Find any of them selling hard drugs, and the medical cannabis community will support closing down the offenders.

That is not a rhetorical point. It is important to note that one justification for the dispensary system is that it keeps medical cannabis users from having to go to “street dealers” in order to get their medicine. However, in the broader context of cannabis prohibition in general, the California medical marijuana dispensary system does the same thing that the Dutch cannabis “coffee shop” system has been doing for decades. The Dutch call it the “separation of the markets for soft and hard drugs.” One consequence of this “separation of the markets” is that the Dutch have a much lower use of hard drugs, especially heroin, among young people than does the US.

Inasmuch as marijuana has always been much more readily available to young people than to sick and dying older people, would Chief Bratton really prefer that young people get their marijuana from “street dealers” – who may also sell hard drugs? See T’was Another Great Victory. Teen Marijuana Use Down; Oxy Use Up. Teen Cigarette Use Went Down More Than Teen Marijuana Use.

Second, the dispensaries are not selling to just anyone. They require a special form of identification that establishes the fact that a doctor has approved of the patient’s use of cannabis. (That is all that is required by state law, and – critically – all that is allowed by Federal law.)

“Street dealers” do not require any identification, and most teens say it is easier to get marijuana (on the street) than it is to get alcohol from licensed stores.

The AP went on to do its duty to the Fatherland to support marijuana prohibition by saying, “In 2003, the state set up a system for issuing ID cards to those with ‘prescriptions’ for medicinal marijuana, but many claim the system has been abused and is out of control.” (emphasis added)

“Out of control” is bad, and so there have been a number of stories that have “exposed” how easy it is to get a card.

A few points about that:

First, any “control” system devised by humans will almost certainly be either “too tight” or “too loose.” If it is too tight, then some sick and dying people will not be able to get the medical marijuana that they need. That is actually the problem in most of the state where law enforcement simply refuses to obey state law, and/or lobbies officials to ban dispensaries. That problem is even worse in other “medical marijuana” states, like Washington.

See Prohibitionists to Patients: “Drop Dead!” Police, Politicians, and Quacks Put Cannabis Prohibition Ahead of the Sick, Dying and Disabled. “To Jail In An Ambulance.”

Second, healthy young people can always find “weed” on the “streets.”

Third, over-the-counter drugs, including aspirin and acetaminophen (Tylenol), kill thousands of people every year. (There is no lethal dose of marijuana.) Consequently, there is ample precedent for having truly “dangerous drugs” easily available.

Finally, the “prescription” drug control system is proving to be very leaky. Does L. A. need tighter controls on pharmacies?

On June 14 , 2008, The New York Times reported that the “Florida Medical Examiners Commission found that the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined.”

See Florida Governor Demonstrates Absurdity of War on Cannabis. Prescription Drugs Kill; Cannabis Does Not – So The Killers Are “Just As Detrimental” As Cannabis.

It also said that the Drug Enforcement Administration found that “roughly seven million Americans are abusing prescription drugs.  If accurate, that would be an increase of 80 percent in six years and more than the total abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy and inhalants.”

But here are the hard facts:

“The Florida report analyzed 168,900 deaths statewide.  Cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines caused 989 deaths, it found, while legal opioids — strong painkillers in brand-name drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin — caused 2,328.

Drugs with benzodiazepine, mainly depressants (sic) like Valium and Xanax, led to 743 deaths.  Alcohol was the most commonly occurring drug, appearing in the bodies of 4,179 of the dead and judged the cause of death of 466 — fewer than cocaine ( 843 ) but more than methamphetamine ( 25 ) and marijuana ( 0 ).” (emphasis added)
See Guess Who Said , “The decrease in the abuse of cannabis among youth in the United States may be offset by an increase in the abuse of prescription drugs.” Iron Law Of Prohibition” &. Czar’s Strategy 3.”

In fairness to Chief Bratton, he went on to say, “I fully support its (marijuana’s) use for medicinal purposes.” That sets him apart from many police chiefs who follow the prohibitionist party line that medical marijuana is either a “scam” or unnecessary, and I salute him for having the courage to say that.

However, he also asked, “(W)hy don’t we regulate it like we do Lipitor or Viagra. You can’t buy those two without getting it through a legitimate pharmacy. If this drug is so important and so helpful, why is it not regulated like every other drug?” (emphasis added)

Well, never mind the fact that there are lots of websites offering to sell Lipitor and Viagra, it is disturbing that Bratton does not know the answer to that question.

There are two basic reasons why marijuana is not available “through a legitimate pharmacy” and is not “regulated like every other drug.”

First, the federal government has blocked research on the medical use of cannabis for decades, while NORML sued unsuccessfully to get it rescheduled, so it might be prescribed. It is not the supporters of medical marijuana who are responsible for keeping cannabis out of the FDA “system”

Second, it can cost huge sums to try to get any “drug” through the FDA process which was not set up to analyze a complex plant. In 1993, when I was National Director of NORML, we were told by the Clinton Administration that it would cost $1.5 million to get the FDA to review marijuana and move it from Schedule I to Schedule II. We did not have the $1.5 million, and the Clinton Administration did not have the courage to do even what it had promised patients that it would do, and reopen the so-called “Compassionate IND” program, so it came to nothing.

(However, in 1998, after a number of states passed medical marijuana laws, Marinol, synthetic THC, was quickly moved from Schedule II to Schedule III  with the full support of the DEA, while marijuana remains absurdly in Schedule I.)

It is also worth noting that 1996 Proposition 215 that began California’s move to allow medical marijuana, said in Section (A) “To ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit from the use of marijuana in the treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief.” (emphasis added)

Moreover, under FDA rules, any pharmaceutical which has been approved for use for one disease can be prescribed (“off-label”) by doctors for “any other illness for which” the doctor thinks it “provides relief.” In that key regard California does treat medical marijuana “like every other drug.”

However, Bratton’s question raises another important point. If it were sold in pharmacies, would they be allowed to make a profit on it the way they make profits on Lipitor and Viagra? And would their suppliers be allowed to make a profit on it the way American business does on everything else?

If so, and if Bratton wants medical marijuana to be treated like “every other drug”, then why are medical marijuana growers and dispensaries supposed to be non-profit?

Of course, “socialized medical cannabis” will work as badly as socialized anything else. But that really is the idea. Protecting marijuana prohibition takes precedent over everything else, the needs of patients, economic common sense, and logical consistency.

So, yes, Chief Bratton, the California medical marijuana situation is “Looney Tunes”, but it is not because of those of us who believe in freedom and oppose state  violence against marijuana users, growers and sellers, medical or otherwise.

Richard Cowan is a former National Director of NORML, a member of the NORML Advisory Board, publisher of MarijuanaNews.com and Senior Advisor to Weedmaps.com

Post from the original Marijuana blog: MarijuanaNews.com | Cannabis & Marijuana News

California’s Medical Marijuana Dispensary System – A Question for Chief Bratton: What Is More Important? The Patients Or Marijuana Prohibition? What Is Really ‘Looney Tunes’?

Even though California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined the calls for a debate on marijuana prohibition itself, there is still a lot of confusion about the legal status of the supposedly less controversial topic of “medical marijuana”. 

On April 2nd the Associated Press reported that Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton “called on the City Council to speed up the drafting of stricter regulations on medical marijuana clinics, calling current state law ‘Looney Tunes’.” (Oddly, the story was reported on the San Jose Mercury-News website, but the LA Times only covered it in a blog.)

Bratton was right, but for the wrong reasons. He claimed, “They pass a law, then they have no regulations as to how to enforce the darn thing and, as a result, we have hundreds of these locations selling drugs to every Tom, Dick and Harry.”

First, if the dispensaries are selling any “drug” other than cannabis, the police do not need any action by the LA City Counsel to raid them. Find any of them selling hard drugs, and the medical cannabis community will support closing down the offenders.

That is not a rhetorical point. It is important to note that one justification for the dispensary system is that it keeps medical cannabis users from having to go to “street dealers” in order to get their medicine. However, in the broader context of cannabis prohibition in general, the California medical marijuana dispensary system does the same thing that the Dutch cannabis “coffee shop” system has been doing for decades. The Dutch call it the “separation of the markets for soft and hard drugs.” One consequence of this “separation of the markets” is that the Dutch have a much lower use of hard drugs, especially heroin, among young people than does the US.

Inasmuch as marijuana has always been much more readily available to young people than to sick and dying older people, would Chief Bratton really prefer that young people get their marijuana from “street dealers” – who may also sell hard drugs? See T’was Another Great Victory. Teen Marijuana Use Down; Oxy Use Up. Teen Cigarette Use Went Down More Than Teen Marijuana Use.

Second, the dispensaries are not selling to just anyone. They require a special form of identification that establishes the fact that a doctor has approved of the patient’s use of cannabis. (That is all that is required by state law, and – critically – all that is allowed by Federal law.)

“Street dealers” do not require any identification, and most teens say it is easier to get marijuana (on the street) than it is to get alcohol from licensed stores.

The AP went on to do its duty to the Fatherland to support marijuana prohibition by saying, “In 2003, the state set up a system for issuing ID cards to those with ‘prescriptions’ for medicinal marijuana, but many claim the system has been abused and is out of control.” (emphasis added)

“Out of control” is bad, and so there have been a number of stories that have “exposed” how easy it is to get a card.

A few points about that:

First, any “control” system devised by humans will almost certainly be either “too tight” or “too loose.” If it is too tight, then some sick and dying people will not be able to get the medical marijuana that they need. That is actually the problem in most of the state where law enforcement simply refuses to obey state law, and/or lobbies officials to ban dispensaries. That problem is even worse in other “medical marijuana” states, like Washington.

See Prohibitionists to Patients: “Drop Dead!” Police, Politicians, and Quacks Put Cannabis Prohibition Ahead of the Sick, Dying and Disabled. “To Jail In An Ambulance.”

Second, healthy young people can always find “weed” on the “streets.”

Third, over-the-counter drugs, including aspirin and acetaminophen (Tylenol), kill thousands of people every year. (There is no lethal dose of marijuana.) Consequently, there is ample precedent for having truly “dangerous drugs” easily available.

Finally, the “prescription” drug control system is proving to be very leaky. Does L. A. need tighter controls on pharmacies?

On June 14 , 2008, The New York Times reported that the “Florida Medical Examiners Commission found that the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined.”

See Florida Governor Demonstrates Absurdity of War on Cannabis. Prescription Drugs Kill; Cannabis Does Not – So The Killers Are “Just As Detrimental” As Cannabis.

It also said that the Drug Enforcement Administration found that “roughly seven million Americans are abusing prescription drugs.  If accurate, that would be an increase of 80 percent in six years and more than the total abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy and inhalants.”

But here are the hard facts:

“The Florida report analyzed 168,900 deaths statewide.  Cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines caused 989 deaths, it found, while legal opioids — strong painkillers in brand-name drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin — caused 2,328.

Drugs with benzodiazepine, mainly depressants (sic) like Valium and Xanax, led to 743 deaths.  Alcohol was the most commonly occurring drug, appearing in the bodies of 4,179 of the dead and judged the cause of death of 466 — fewer than cocaine ( 843 ) but more than methamphetamine ( 25 ) and marijuana ( 0 ).” (emphasis added)
See Guess Who Said , “The decrease in the abuse of cannabis among youth in the United States may be offset by an increase in the abuse of prescription drugs.” Iron Law Of Prohibition” &. Czar’s Strategy 3.”

In fairness to Chief Bratton, he went on to say, “I fully support its (marijuana’s) use for medicinal purposes.” That sets him apart from many police chiefs who follow the prohibitionist party line that medical marijuana is either a “scam” or unnecessary, and I salute him for having the courage to say that.

However, he also asked, “(W)hy don’t we regulate it like we do Lipitor or Viagra. You can’t buy those two without getting it through a legitimate pharmacy. If this drug is so important and so helpful, why is it not regulated like every other drug?” (emphasis added)

Well, never mind the fact that there are lots of websites offering to sell Lipitor and Viagra, it is disturbing that Bratton does not know the answer to that question.

There are two basic reasons why marijuana is not available “through a legitimate pharmacy” and is not “regulated like every other drug.”

First, the federal government has blocked research on the medical use of cannabis for decades, while NORML sued unsuccessfully to get it rescheduled, so it might be prescribed. It is not the supporters of medical marijuana who are responsible for keeping cannabis out of the FDA “system”

Second, it can cost huge sums to try to get any “drug” through the FDA process which was not set up to analyze a complex plant. In 1993, when I was National Director of NORML, we were told by the Clinton Administration that it would cost $1.5 million to get the FDA to review marijuana and move it from Schedule I to Schedule II. We did not have the $1.5 million, and the Clinton Administration did not have the courage to do even what it had promised patients that it would do, and reopen the so-called “Compassionate IND” program, so it came to nothing.

(However, in 1998, after a number of states passed medical marijuana laws, Marinol, synthetic THC, was quickly moved from Schedule II to Schedule III  with the full support of the DEA, while marijuana remains absurdly in Schedule I.)

It is also worth noting that 1996 Proposition 215 that began California’s move to allow medical marijuana, said in Section (A) “To ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit from the use of marijuana in the treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief.” (emphasis added)

Moreover, under FDA rules, any pharmaceutical which has been approved for use for one disease can be prescribed (“off-label”) by doctors for “any other illness for which” the doctor thinks it “provides relief.” In that key regard California does treat medical marijuana “like every other drug.”

However, Bratton’s question raises another important point. If it were sold in pharmacies, would they be allowed to make a profit on it the way they make profits on Lipitor and Viagra? And would their suppliers be allowed to make a profit on it the way American business does on everything else?

If so, and if Bratton wants medical marijuana to be treated like “every other drug”, then why are medical marijuana growers and dispensaries supposed to be non-profit?

Of course, “socialized medical cannabis” will work as badly as socialized anything else. But that really is the idea. Protecting marijuana prohibition takes precedent over everything else, the needs of patients, economic common sense, and logical consistency.

So, yes, Chief Bratton, the California medical marijuana situation is “Looney Tunes”, but it is not because of those of us who believe in freedom and oppose state  violence against marijuana users, growers and sellers, medical or otherwise.

Richard Cowan is a former National Director of NORML, a member of the NORML Advisory Board, publisher of MarijuanaNews.com and Senior Advisor to Weedmaps.com

Post from the original Marijuana blog: MarijuanaNews.com | Cannabis & Marijuana News

California’s Medical Marijuana Dispensary System – A Question for Chief Bratton: What Is More Important? The Patients Or Marijuana Prohibition? What Is Really ‘Looney Tunes’?

1.      If you can possibly make it out to Pomona this Friday morning - then please do it. The protest starts at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Pomona Police Dept. and will continue all morning until 12 noon - if you can get there anytime during the morning, please come. The Pomona Police Dept. is located at 490 W. Mission Blvd. Pomona, Ca. 91766. For more information on the protest, contact Kara by phone at 562-810-4867 or by email kreyes_hill@yahoo.com

2. Send an email and make phone calls to Pomona City Officials. Contact Pomona Mayor Elliot Rothman at Elliott_Rothman@ci.pomona.ca.us and by calling (909) 620-2042. Emails can be sent to the following Pomona City Council members - yes there are seven of them Danielle_Soto@ci.pomona.ca.us, freddie_rodriguez@ci.pomona.ca.us, Cristina_Carrizosa@ci.pomona.ca.us, paula_lantz@ci.pomona.ca.us, Tim_Saunders@ci.pomona.ca.us, Stephen_Atchley@ci.pomona.ca.us, Erica_Ambriz@ci.pomona.ca.us  Contact the following Pomona City officials: City Manager: Linda Lowry (909) 620-2051 City Attorney (909) 620-2311

Thanks for taking the time to do this - they need to be told that this is just totally over the top.

Post from the original Marijuana blog: MarijuanaNews.com | Cannabis & Marijuana News

Grotesque Pomona collective raid ends in million dollar bail

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cannabis Science Inc. (OTCBB: GFON - News), an emerging pharmaceutical cannabis company, reported today on the current state of development of its whole-cannabis lozenge in response to Homeland Security Administration Secretary Janet Napolitano’s declaration of a public health emergency to deal with the emerging Swine Flu pandemic. The Company’s non-toxic lozenge has properties that could alleviate many of the symptoms and harmful effects of the H5N1 bird flu and H1N1 swine flu viruses, and has offered its assistance to HSA today in a letter to Secretary Napolitano. The Company has offered to produce up to 1 million doses of its whole-cannabis lozenge, and provide them to HSA for distribution at cost.

Cannabis Science Inc., President & CEO, Steven W. Kubby said, “We have the science and preliminary anecdotal results confirming the anti-inflammatory properties of our new lozenges and indicating they may present an effective and non-toxic treatment for minimizing the symptoms and harm from influenza infections. Our lozenges appear to down-regulate the body’s excessive inflammatory response to the influenza virus, which could reduce the deadly consequences of an infection into something that is more like a common cold. Because of my cancer and diminished auto-immune functions, even common influenza is a deadly threat, and I’ve had incredible symptomatic relief with the lozenge.”

Dr. Robert J. Melamede, Director and Chief Science Officer, stated, “The influenza virus has a unique genetic make up that, in combination with its replicative machinery, has an extraordinary capacity to mutate. As a result, the high lethality of some strains can be attributed to the resulting adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is caused by an excessive immune inflammatory response driven by Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) that leads to the death of respiratory epithelial cells and resulting organ failure. Endocannabinoids are nature’s way of controlling TNF activity. Existing peer reviewed publications have shown that phytocannabinoids can prevent this cell death by mimicking the endocannabinoids that nature has selected to prevent excessive inflammatory immune responses.”

Dr. Melamede, who is also a researcher and past Chairman of the Biology Department at the University of Colorado Springs (UCCS), cautioned, “Smoked marijuana will not effectively prevent the excessive inflammatory response, despite delivering the beneficial pharmacological agents, due to the irritating, pro-inflammatory nature of smoke. In fact, I believe it will make things worse and should be avoided by infected individuals.”

Mr. Kubby added, “If a swine or bird flu pandemic emerges — and everyone seems to think that it is just a matter of when, not if –, there is simply no time for the usual bureaucratic process. With emergency government approval, we can legally access the huge supply of medical cannabis available in California to produce millions of life saving doses within a relatively short period of time.”

Dr. Melamede furthermore stated, “Based upon recent discoveries regarding the role that endocannabinoid system plays in maintaining human health, we have a unique solution to the looming threat posed by deadly influenza strains that we believe, if implemented, could save millions of lives. We will strive for an emergency review of our cannabis extract-based lozenge because we believe its availability will prevent many of the deaths associated with the hyper-inflammatory response associated with known lethal strains of the influenza virus. Current anti-influenza medications have a demonstrated decreased effectiveness against some of these lethal variants. Mankind cannot wait for the emergency situation to materialize. We must be proactive in gaining the necessary governmental approvals to test, and pending the outcome of our studies, produce our lozenge.”

Mr. Richard Cowan, Director and CFO, who recently spoke in Mexico City to a conference sponsored by the Mexican Congress, stated, “I believe the Mexican Congress recognizes that doctors should be able to prescribe medical cannabis. We are prepared to work with the government of Mexico to produce similar medical cannabis products to help fight the outbreak there. We look forward to working with Government officials, including Homeland Security, to help advance our treatments for these outbreaks in Mexico, Canada, the USA, and around the world.”

About the H5N1 Bird Flu and H1N1 Swine Flu Strains

The H5N1 bird flu currently has 63% lethality. A swine-derived H1N1 strain was responsible for 20,000,000 influenza associated deaths in 1918 (more than killed by World War I). The current lethal outbreak of swine flu (H1N1) in Mexico has killed over 80 people and infected more than 1,400 others. There are 20 confirmed cases in the United States, with reports of infections in Texas, New York, Ohio, California and Kansas. Additional reports identify possible cases in New Zealand, Canada, Spain, France and Israel. The H1N1 Swine flu is a porcine respiratory disease caused by type A flu viruses. Human cases occur in people who are around pigs, but an infected person can transmit the disease to another person. Symptoms include a high fever, body aches, coughing, sore throat and respiratory congestion.

About Cannabis Science, Inc.

Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as “anticipate,” “seek,” intend,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” or similar phrases may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company’s reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Cannabis Science Inc.
Steven W. Kubby, President & CEO, 888-889-0888
info@cannabisscience.com
www.cannabisscience.com

Post from the original Marijuana blog: MarijuanaNews.com | Cannabis & Marijuana News

Cannabis Science Inc. Reports on Prospective Life Saving Treatments for H1N1 Swine Flu and H5N1 Bird Flu in View of the Current Global Threat

Post from the original Marijuana blog: MarijuanaNews.com | Cannabis & Marijuana News

How to Get Your Medical Marijuana Prescription

Mexican Congress Begins “The Debate On The Regulation of the Cannabis Plant in Mexico.” Richard Cowan A Guest Speaker.

Cannabis is going to be taken out of the contraband markets, so will Mexico lead the way or follow too late?

Posted April 20, 2009

Report by Richard Cowan

I should begin by explaining that – having grown up in Texas – I fell in love with Mexico when I first visited there as a child – with my parents, a very long time ago.

Consequently, I was very pleased when I was invited to represent NORML at a conference in Mexico City on “The Debate On The Regulation of the Cannabis Plant in Mexico.”

The conference – from Monday the 13^th to Wednesday the 15^th – was paid for by the Mexican Congress and held in the spectacular Mexican Congress building, designed by the same architect who did the Anthropological Museum where President Obama met with the leaders of Mexico last week. (He waited until I left town.)

It is important to note that Mexico has a substantial educated class which is very sophisticated politically, and has a much broader knowledge of the world than the typically very provincial American politicians. The people who organized this conference – mostly women, by the way – would be a credit to any legislature in any democracy. And, sad to say, the quality of the debate was far superior to what I would expect to hear in the US Congress.

As it happened, I had the advantage of being the last speaker so I could respond to what I considered the major points raised by both opponents and supporters of legalization.

I began by quoting a brief excerpt from article in the New York Times that reported that Mexico had “prohibited the cultivation of marihuana” – and then I explained that the article was published in 1925!

Then, I pointed out that this September will be the 40^th anniversary of “Operation Intercept” under which President Nixon closed down our border with Mexico, specifically targeting marijuana smuggling. It is amusing to note that the official in charge of that fiasco was none other than G. Gordon Liddy, who eventually brought down Nixon, having led the burglary at the Watergate.

There is a great article about it on line in English at http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB86/
and in Spanish at http://www.proceso.com.mx/ Here is an excerpt:

“Another dissenting agency was the Bureau of the Budget - predecessor to the Office of Management and Budget, which assists in the preparation of the federal budget and monitors government spending. On September 29, as Week Two of the border crackdown was underway, the agency sent a scathing critique to the White House of the June report that had served as the catalyst for Operation Intercept, calling it a “grossly inadequate basis for Presidential decision” and warning that its recommendations were based on faulty or unproven assertions.

• The report asked the President to focus his policy on the fight against marihuana rather than hard drugs such as heroin or LSD, despite studies showing that resources aimed at hard drugs were “about 100 times as effective as equal resources used against marihuana.”
• The report sought to punish Mexico for growing a crop - marihuana - that represented some 9 percent of its total exports, and offered individual farmers up to 40 times the income that any legitimate crop might provide.
• The Government of Mexico may be most reluctant to commit itself to a program with such a potential for social unrest.”
• The report did not address the potential political backlash from U.S. border communities.
• The policy had a “high risk of making the Administration appear inept by playing into the hands of organized crime and creating more hard drug addicts.” (Emphasis in original.) As marihuana becomes scare, the Budget Bureau argued, harder drugs would be used as substitutes. “Even more seriously, the hard drugs lend themselves to manufacture and/or distribution by organized crime syndicates. It seems probable that the Mafia would be a strong supporter of a diversion of Federal resources to marihuana as opposed to hard drugs.”

Despite a public relations campaign designed by Nixon aides to promote the operation, press coverage on both sides of the border was derisive. Statistics on the amount of drugs seized and smugglers captured were far lower than expected. But as Liddy pointed out in his autobiography, the goal of Operation Intercept was not, in fact, to freeze the flow of drugs. “For diplomatic reasons the true purpose of the exercise was never revealed. Operation Intercept, with its massive economic and social disruption, could be sustained far longer by the United States than by Mexico. It was an exercise in international extortion, pure, simple, and effective, designed to bend Mexico to our will.” (185-6)” (emphasis added)

The Obama Administration is still doing the wrong thing, but it is doing it with the enthusiastic support of Mexican President Filipe Calderon, who is even more prohibitionist than former President Bush (and he speaks better English, too.)

Unfortunately, when he assumed office in 2006, Calderon really had no choice but to fight back against the narcotraficantes who had escalated their violence to a point that it was challenging the authority of the Mexican government.

Mexico is far from being a “failed state” – and it was understandably offended by being labeled as such – but it was losing control of many areas, most critically the border cities.

Calderon’s counterattack using the Mexican Army has generally been very popular, but now there are serious questions being raised about its long-term viability. The US will be providing Mexico with more weapons, but that does not mean that any military is suited for law enforcement, and there have already been serious allegations of civil rights violations in areas where the Army has taken over.

Moreover, in so far as the Mexican Army succeeds in reducing the flow of contraband, it is much more likely to reduce the quantity of marijuana than of hard drugs. That is what I have called the “Iron Law of Prohibition”, the harder the enforcement, the harder the drugs.

The excerpt from above is worth repeating: “The policy had a “high risk of making the Administration appear inept by playing into the hands of organized crime and creating more hard drug addicts.” (Emphasis in original.) As marihuana becomes scare, the Budget Bureau argued, harder drugs would be used as substitutes. “Even more seriously, the hard drugs lend themselves to manufacture and/or distribution by organized crime syndicates. It seems probable that the Mafia would be a strong supporter of a diversion of Federal resources to marihuana as opposed to hard drugs.”

The Drug War, especially the War on Cannabis, is a counterproductive fraud, and that fact cannot be laughed off by President Obama, or wished away by President Calderon.

As I have said before, prohibitionism is an international ideology, and that was very much in evidence as Mexican prohibitionists cited arguments that clearly originated with the US prohibitionist propaganda machine.

For example, one government official, Adriana Rodríguez Vizcarra, President of the Commission on the Economy in the Mexican House of Representatives argued against allowing the cultivation of industrial hemp in Mexico because marijuana could be hidden in hemp fields. Of course, that is straight from the US Drug Czar’s play book, and is even more absurd in the Mexican context than it is in the US. But, why should a Mexican official doubt the “science” of the US government?

Although it seems obvious that Mexico should encourage industrial hemp cultivation, I did not address that point, because it is the least of Mexico’s problems. People are not being killed over “hemp”. (Perhaps hemp fields could be hidden amongst the vast marijuana plantations!)

Understandably, it is the appalling level of violence that has forced the issue of cannabis “regulation” and that problem has led to what seems to be the latest straw-man argument in the prohibitionist propaganda chorus: “Legalizing Marijuana Will Not Solve All the World’s Problems.” (Whereas outlawing marijuana has been a great success?)

In fact, it would appear that taking marijuana out of the black markets would deprive the so-called “cartels” – they are just gangs – of more than half of the many billions of dollars in total revenues they get, and eliminate even more of the physical bulk and manpower used (and thus occasions for conflict) in the interior of Mexico.

(By the way, the other part of the prohibitionist party line says that marijuana users are responsible for the violence in Mexico, not the prohibition that initiates the violence that does not exist in trading legal substances.)

Of course, prohibitionists everywhere argue that prohibition is necessary to reduce consumption and “protect children” –so I pointed out that – according to the latest Monitoring the Future survey – more American 10th-graders now smoke marijuana than smoke cigarettes. Since 1991, the rate of current marijuana use has almost doubled among eighth-graders, from 3.2 percent to 5.8 percent. Large increases also occurred among 10th- and 12th-graders. During that same period, current cigarette use declined sharply, from 14.3 percent to 6.8 percent among eighth-graders.

There is a long term decline in tobacco use generally, without a single adult having been arrested for tobacco use. So much for protecting the children!

Naturally, I also cited the fact that The Netherlands has a much lower rate of marijuana than the US, the UK, France, and many other countries with harsh prohibitionist policies, even though cannabis has been sold over-the-counter there in “coffee shops” for more than 30 years.

It was amusing when one of the prohibitionists on my panel reported that the Dutch Justice Minister – who is a prohibitionist – had told them on his recent visit to Mexico that most of the municipalities in The Netherlands have refused to allow coffee shops, and that Amsterdam has the most coffee shops and the highest rate of cannabis use – implying cause and effect.

I pointed out that the municipalities that had rejected “coffee shops” are all very small towns, and that all of the major cities in The Netherlands have coffee shops and a majority of the mayors of these cities, including the mayors of Amsterdam, Maastricht, Haarlem and Hilversum, have said they are in favor of legalizing the entire cannabis supply chain.

And Amsterdam has the most coffee shops because it is the major Dutch tourist destination, and it has the highest rate of cannabis use because it is the major Dutch academic center, its Hollywood, San Francisco and Manhattan.

In other words, the prohibitionist Dutch Justice Minister put the prohibitionist ideology ahead of his own country’s interest. He did not exactly lie, but he deliberately misrepresented the facts about his country to make it look bad. One can hardly blame a Mexican prohibitionist for being deceived by a Dutch politician who told him what he wanted to hear.

The key point about the conference is simply that Mexico and the US are finally beginning a real debate on marijuana prohibition for a number of reasons.

• An overwhelming majority of Americans favor allowing the medical use of cannabis, and police opposition to it has undermined the credibility of law enforcement, which is almost the only lobby for the status quo.
• The violence in Mexico has become too serious for even Americans to ignore.
• The serious problems in the global economy have forced politicians to look at the real costs of cannabis prohibition, and it is clearly in the tens of billions of dollars, which neither country can afford.
• Finally, it is embarrassing that the US has only 5% of the world population, but has 25% of the prisoners, and has arrested more than 20 million Americans on marijuana charges, but Mexican prisons are also full beyond capacity, and the Mexican law enforcement system cannot withstand the combined violence and corruption that prohibition imposes on it.

Consequently, I think that it is inevitable that the US will gradually abandon marijuana prohibition over the next few years. So where will that leave Mexico?

Should Mexico continue to sacrifice its social peace, public health, economic development, and its national sovereignty in a war on its own people until the US gives it permission to stop the violence?

If it continues this war to the bitter end, the end will be very bitter indeed. Mexico will lose what should be its rightful place as a leader in cannabis science, building new industries around the medical and industrial uses of cannabis.

It will also endanger its tourism industry, as the violence of prohibition frightens visitors away. Instead, it should study the success of cannabis cafes in The Netherlands, which cause virtually no social problems (unlike bars), and bring tourists from all over the world.

Unlike its predecessors, the Obama Administration recognizes that threatening Mexico (and other countries) is not the basis of a sound foreign policy. Moreover, NAFTA – and the American need for Mexican oil – would inhibit any retaliatory actions.

I concluded by saying that I would not presume to tell Mexico how it should govern itself, but it should learn from our mistakes, and I strongly urged them not to sacrifice their national interests to an American policy that cannot be sustained.

Cannabis is going to be taken out of the contraband markets, so will Mexico lead the way or follow too late?

Post from the original Marijuana blog: MarijuanaNews.com | Cannabis & Marijuana News

Mexican Congress Begins “The Debate On The Regulation of the Cannabis Plant in Mexico.” Richard Cowan A Guest Speaker

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April 20 is the New Years Day of cannabis culture. Activists, recreational users and other socially conscious members of the world-wide community stop their work or play at 4:20 p.m. and share in an herbal communion. In recognition of the importance and relevance of this day to our Company’s mission, we’ve launched our 420 Commemorative Certificate Program. Shareholders who own the Company’s common stock on April 20, 2009, are eligible to purchase a limited edition Commemorative Certificate from our transfer agent, Routh Stock Transfer, Inc., properly framed and righteously dated. A specimen sample certificate and instructions to obtain your Commemorative Certificate will be posted to our website at www.cannabisscience.com in the next few days after final approval of the artwork. The 420 Commemorative Certificate Program will be limited to 500 certificates this year, each hand signed by President Steven W. Kubby.

Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Richard Cowan stated, “During my tenure as National Director of NORML, we looked forward to April 20 each year to re-commit the activist community and re-connect with the recreational user and others who shared the national organization’s goals. For the last 30 years, 420 has been an integral part of cannabis culture, and I know that NORML still emphasizes its observance for lots of reasons and in lots of venues. Here at Cannabis Science, Inc., our commercial goal is to develop and market FDA-approved and OTC cannabis-based medicines employing our proprietary lozenge delivery system. This goal stands on the foundation that our President, Steve Kubby, NORML and other cannabis activist organizations have built on a state-by-state basis, a large part of which has been based on the recognition and advancement of the clinical use of medical marijuana for a broad range of illnesses and for general health maintenance. We want to approach these issues from a commercial, profit-driven objective. That said, 420 is an important reminder for all of us to keep the faith and build bridges to those that don’t yet see things the way we do, and we think the 420 Commemorative Certificate is a great reminder that our shareholders will appreciate all year long.”

CST’s work will be predominantly oriented toward social networking with financial professionals and medical cannabis activists. The firm has extensive follows, friends, streams and fans in Twitter, MySpace, Plurk and Facebook, as well as competence in establishing and maintaining groups in Digg, Stumbleupon and others.

About Cannabis Science, Inc.

Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.

About Capital Structure Today, Inc.

Capital Structure Today is a multimedia marketing and advertising firm that offers various corporate services and specializes in bringing small and micro-cap companies to the attention of the general public. Our focus is primarily on small, privately held corporations as well as micro-cap publicly traded corporations that have a need for cost effective, creative, innovative marketing and advertising strategies. CST has a team of seasoned professionals that has developed an extensive presence in the various social media forums and as such we offer various services designed to increase brand and name recognition of the companies we represent.

Forward Looking Statements

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as “anticipate,” “seek,” intend,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” or similar phrases may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company’s reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Cannabis Science, Inc.
Steven W. Kubby, 888-866-0888
President & CEO
info@phytiva.com
www.phytiva.com

Post from the original Marijuana blog: MarijuanaNews.com | Cannabis & Marijuana News

Cannabis Science, Inc. Announces 420 Commemorative Certificate Program

* Thursday April 9, 2009, 9:50 am EDT

ADDISON, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Gulf Onshore Inc (OTCBB: GFON - News) has changed its name to Cannabis Science, Inc., reflecting its new business mission, and has requested a new stock trading symbol, which will be will be assigned by NASDAQ OMX in the near future. Cannabis Science Inc. has also launched its new website www.cannabisscience.com reflecting its new name.

The Company’s first pharmaceutical cannabis product for DHHS- and FDA-qualified testing will be a whole-cannabis extract in the form of a lozenge. The Company has applied for its DEA handling license and is interviewing researchers to complete and sponsor its IND (Investigational New Drug) test protocols.

The lozenge is a part of the assets and know-how developed by Steven W. Kubby and Dr. Robert J. Melamede and acquired by the Company from Cannex Therapeutics of California.

Initial findings from informal human trials using the whole-cannabis extract demonstrate the lozenge has the capacity to enhance rapid onset through oromucosal absorption. Last year, an early version of the lozenge was tested at Vancouver Island Compassion Society (VICS) (www.thevics.com), a non-profit medical cannabis organization located in Victoria, B.C, which is at the forefront of this patient-centered approach to cannabis research.

Cannabis Science, Inc. President & CEO Steven W. Kubby, himself a cancer patient, stated, “As our proof of concept, the study saw seven VICS staff members initially receive 15 lozenges each for a 48 hour period during which they did not use or ingest any other cannabis products. Participants then gave detailed feedback on their experiences by answering a ten-item questionnaire in detail. The study conducted by VICS found that cannabis-based medicine would fill the gap in the market that exists between the fast-acting but short-effect methods of ingestion like smoking, and the long-lasting but slow acting methods like oils and edibles. As well, the VICS Study showed that this type of product would be useful for people suffering from chronic pain or other conditions that appear to benefit from orally-ingested cannabinoid medicines, as well as for those who will not or cannot smoke or vaporize cannabis or who wish to use cannabis-based medicines in an easy and discrete manner. Six of the participants (87.5%) reported feelings of relaxation and/or pain relief. One subject reported “pain relief in my knees with no lethargy or cloudy head,” while another “felt really relaxed” and noticed “relief to my muscle aches within 15-20 minutes.” The lozenge as a method of delivery is simple and elegant, and the time of onset and length of effect suggests at least modest oromucosal absorption. Naive or elderly patients would respond well to the familiar packaging of a lozenge and to the slower method of delivery and onset of effect compared to smoking or vaporization. It is very important to note that we are not re-inventing the wheel, as another company already has an alcohol-based whole-cannabis extract in FDA Phase 3 human trials in the US so there is ample precedent for such a product. However, we believe patients will be more receptive to our products, which contains no alcohol.”

Dr. Robert Melamede, Chief Science Officer for Cannabis Science, Inc., added, “We have determined that the lozenge should be the first modality we use to bring to pharmaceutical cannabis products to market because it brings relatively fast relief to patients in a way that allows them to control their own dosage and does not involve inhalation. It also has the ability to rapidly deliver a wide variety of cannabis pharmaceutical formulations for a broad range of medical needs. The advanced stages of development that Cannex Therapeutics of California has achieved on its lozenge, and the positive informal human testing results it has attained, can speed our process and serve as a guide for formal human testing stages, which all FDA approved drugs must secure before they are released to market in the US.”

The Company looks forward to formal human testing to bring various products to market targeting Cancer, Pain relief, Asthma, and Sleep disorders.

About Cannabis Science, Inc.

Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance. Please visit www.cannabisscience.com for more information.

Forward Looking Statements

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as “anticipate,” “seek,” intend,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” or similar phrases may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company’s reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Cannabis Science, Inc.
Steven W. Kubby, 888-889-0888
President & CEO
info@cannabisscience.com
www.cannabisscience.com

Copyright © 2008 Business Wire.

Post from the original Marijuana blog: MarijuanaNews.com | Cannabis & Marijuana News

Gulf Onshore Announces Name Change to Cannabis Science, Inc. and Selection of Its First Pharmaceutical Cannabis Product for FDA Testing

(MarijuanaNews note from Richard Cowan: The second time is “the charm.” Last year, we tried to do a similar deal, but it fell through as a result of the market crash. I am really looking forward to working with Steve Kubby and Dr. Robert Melamede in building a patient-oriented medical cannabis research company. There will be more announcements soon.

As one might guess, working on this merger has taken up so much of my time that I have not been able to write about the issues and opportunities confronting the cannabis reform movements. I hope that I can get back to writing soon.)

From: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/GULF-Acquires-Assets-of-bw-14778413.html

GULF Acquires Assets of Cannex Therapeutics LLC
Will Develop Medical Cannabis Pharmaceutical Products

Monday March 30, 2009, 3:10 am EDT

ADDISON, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Gulf Onshore Inc (OTCBB: GFON.OB - News) announced today that it has acquired the assets of Cannex Therapeutics and will continue development of its medical cannabis-based pharmaceutical products. Cannex Therapeutics is a privately owned California group founded and operated by Medical Cannabis pioneer and entrepreneur Steven W. Kubby (www.kubby.com). The asset purchase agreement includes all intellectual property rights, formulas, patents, trademarks, client base, hardware and software pertaining to Cannex’s pharmaceutical cannabis research & development business.

Along with the Cannex asset purchase the Company has appointed Steve W. Kubby as President & CEO, Richard Cowan as Director & CFO, and Robert Melamede Ph. D., as Director & Chief Science Officer. The Company believes that the combination of this team and the assets purchased positions the Company at the top of the Medical Cannabis Industry. World renowned individually in the medical cannabis community, this management team brings real-world experience to the research & development of medical cannabis-based pharmaceutical products.

About Steven W. Kubby, President & CEO

Mr. Kubby, the founder of Cannex, is an entrepreneur with a wide range of experience and success in businesses ranging from property management to publishing to political fundraising. He received his BA in Psychobiology from California State University and holds a lifetime teaching credential. Mr. Kubby is a long-term survivor, for more than three decades, of a rare form of adrenal cancer with a mortality prognosis of 6-12 months. Leading specialists in the US and Canada have confirmed that his survival is due to medical cannabis. Mr. Kubby is the executive director of the American Medical Marijuana Association, an internationally recognized organization comprised of doctors, lawyers, nurses and patients working for the rights of medical cannabis patients primarily in the United States and Canada. Mr. Kubby played a key role in the drafting and passing of California’s historic medical cannabis initiative (Proposition 215) in 1996. He has also authored two books on drug policy reform. As a widely recognized medical marijuana pioneer and political leader, Mr. Kubby is intimately familiar with the legal and regulatory problems involved in developing and marketing cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals.

About Dr. Robert J. Melamede, Director & Chief Science Officer

World-renowned Medical Cannabis Research expert Dr. Robert Melamede has a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the City University of New York. Dr. Melamede is a retired Chairman of the Biology Department at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in 2005, where he continues to teach and research cannabinoids, cancer, and DNA repair. Dr. Melamede is recognized as a leading authority on the therapeutic uses of cannabis, and has authored or co-authored dozens of papers on a wide variety of scientific subjects. Dr. Melamede’s current focus is on integrating far from equilibrium thermodynamic physics with the biology of life and health and the unique evolutionary role played by the endocannabinoid system in these processes. Dr. Melamede also serves on the Editorial Board of The Journal of the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine, the Scientific Advisory Board of Americans for Safe Access, Sensible Colorado, Scientific Advisor for Cannabis Therapeutics as well as a variety other of state dispensaries and marijuana patient advocacy groups. Dr. Melamede frequently serves as an expert witness in cannabis-related trials. Dr. Melamede’s testimony was critical in the recent trial of growers for the Vancouver Island Compassion Society that resulted Canadian Court’s ruling that their current medical marijuana laws were unconstitutional. Please visit www.phytiva.com andwww.youtube.com to view speeches by Dr. Robert Melamede speaking on the effectiveness of Medical Cannabinoids on for a number of different medical applications.

About Richard Cowan, Director & CFO

Mr. Richard Cowan has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Yale University. He has served on the board of several public companies as a specialist in mergers and acquisitions with a focus on corporate finance. Mr. Cowan is a former CEO of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) Mr. Cowan has had national media coverage for several topics including writings on National Review Cover Article “Why Conservatives Should Support the Legalization of Marijuana”. In his book Smoke and Mirrors, Dan Baum said that this article “opened a second front in the War on Drugs”. Mr. Cowan has written for a variety of newspapers and other publications, and has appeared on numerous news programs, such as CNN, and talk shows, including Posner/Donahue. Mr. Cowan’s broad knowledge of the medical cannabis world in USA, Canada, and Europe prompted him to create archives and current information for public information about medical cannabis through his www.marijuananews.com website.

About Cannex Therapeutics LLC

Over the past 15 years it has become increasingly clear that humans produce cannabis like compounds known as endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids are all pervasive in our bodies where they function to maintain biochemical balance (homeostasis). Illnesses are the result of biochemical imbalances. As a result of the widespread endocannabinoid activity, there is a growing list of illnesses and conditions that are best described as endocannabinoid deficiencies. The cannabis plant is the only plant on the planet that effectively mimics the activating substances of the endocannabinoids system, be they psychoactive or not. Cannabis-based whole plant extracts interact with numerous biochemical pathways providing the possibility for single treatment modalities to effectively help restore biochemical for a number of illnesses. Our mission is to provide a number government certified solutions to counter the illnesses and conditions running rampant in our society today. The CANNEX goal is to be a bio-pharmaceutical research and development, production and marketing company that will produce and commercialize a variety of whole plant cannabinoid compounds using certified organic ingredients and patentable production methods.

Cannex will pioneer methods for developing, producing and commercializing a variety of effective whole plant cannabinoid based pharmaceutical products using certified organic production methods to ultimately produce certified organic products. The target markets for our pharmaceutical product line-up include a lozenge with some capacity for enhancing rapid onset through oromucosal absorption, topical applications, such as lotions and salves, and various products for internal use. Some products will have specific uses, while others may treat a range of problems. In keeping with both the historic medical uses of cannabis and the new scientific understanding of how cannabinoids work, our cannabinoid pharmaceuticals will be targeting a wide-variety of serious needs such as:

1. Neuro-muscular disorders, such as MS.

2. Neuropathic pain, related to spinal cord injuries, as well as conditions such as AIDS/HIV and the side-effects of its medications, etc. for which opiates are not very effective.

3. Chronic pain, to reduce or eliminate patients’ dependence on opiates.

4. Respiratory inflammation, related to both infections such as influenza and to autoimmune diseases such as asthma.

5. Cancer, including pain management, control of nausea resulting from chemotherapy as well as loss of appetite related to the disease itself.

6. Also control of cancer in conditions such as Pheochromocytoma.

7. Digestive illnesses, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERDS), Crohn’s Disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

8. Dermatological infections, such as MRSA (flesh eating disease).

9. Sleep disorders.

In each of these areas, cannabis has been proven to work, so we will have targeted formulations, which the Company plans to release via one or more of the four types of pharmaceutical product categories targeted:

1. Possible over-the-counter Pharmaceutical Products:

a) Non-Prescription Drugs (With disease specific claims)

b) Nutraceuticals (No disease specific claims)

2. Possible Prescription Pharmaceutical Medications:

a) Psychoactive Medications

b) Non-Psychoactive Medications

Newly appointed Gulf Onshore President and CEO, Steven W. Kubby was quoted as saying, “This is a landmark transaction for the medical cannabis industry, because we are now in an exceptional position to move swiftly to develop our medical cannabis-based pharmaceutical products for mainstream world markets. The merger with Gulf Onshore will provide us with the vehicle to take medical cannabis medicines all the way. As a result, patients and medical professionals will finally have a safe, effective, and legal medicine they can use without fear. We will even have a new name for our company, to be announced soon. Until then, we invite folks to visit www.phytiva.com to review our current information.”

You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this press release. This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Words such as “will”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “plans”, “goal”, “expects”, “future”, “intends” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements for many reasons, including the risks we face as described in this press release.

Contact:
Gulf Onshore Inc. Steven W. Kubby
888-889-0888
President & CEO
info@phytiva.com

Post from the original Marijuana blog: MarijuanaNews.com | Cannabis & Marijuana News

Kubby, Melamede and Cowan Take Medical Cannabis Research Company Public Via “Reverse Merger