A few of the stories from this week's C&EN:
- This week's cover story on phthalates is by Michael McCoy. Interesting stuff.
- I sense that the replacement of phthalates is mostly about capitulating to the public's fears - am I crazy?
- Pretty exciting antimalarials news from a team at the University of Dundee, written up by Judith Lavelle.
- As a fan of doughnuts, I'm actually sorta kinda sad that trans fats are on their way out. Probably all to the better. (article by Britt Erickson)
- Fascinating article about the chemistry of hookah smoke by Sarah Everts.
- Yet another letter to the editor on cannabis chemistry.
- Does anyone actually think NIH will begin research on cannabis compounds anytime soon? If so, when?
I predict that marijuana will not be de-scheduled before January 2019, therefore NIH will not begin research before then. Anyone else?
ReplyDeleteDescheduling cannabis will make doing research easier, but even now there is quite a bit of work going on - you see CB1 and CB2 agonists and antagonists published quite regularly in the literature. Those synthetic cannabinoids came from somewhere after all. So perhaps I am confused by the question?
DeleteFrom the letter: "The pharmacokinetics/bioavailability of CBD in patients will require the validation of LC/MS/MS methodology. NIH can evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of these formulations in small, controlled patient studies to validate their approval."
DeleteI dunno (and maybe I am completely ignorant) but for NIH to work on this stuff, needs to be legal?
Nah, this goes on all the time - they just keep a tight lid on the controlled substances. So to speak.
DeleteI'm sure they're already involved in cannabis research. They've been funding research on the effects of the disco lifestyle on Japanese quail for several years.
ReplyDelete"...cocaine and the sex lives of Japanese quail - this research has been funded by NIH for YEARS extending back well beyond the two years of grants that got my attention (Univ. of Kentucky, 2010, 2011 for a grand total of $356,933.14).
See:
Levens, N.; Akins C.K. "Chronic cocaine pretreatment facilitates Pavlovian sexual conditioning in male Japanese quail." Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 2004 Nov. 79(3):451-457.
Akins C.K.; Geary, E.H. "Cocaine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization and Conditioning in Male Japanese Quail"
Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 2008 Nov. 88(4): 432-437.
There are abstracts in PubMed for the curious.
It is certainly true that less worthwhile research "attracts high-level funding." "
Isn't it odd to see the government deregulate cannabis and yet ban transfats? I guess they're more worried about our waistline than our brains.Just what we need more people walking around or driving stupid.
ReplyDeleteDeregulating cannabis is going to be driven by the prospect of enhanced tax revenues. The Bureaucrat Class even now is salivating at the prospect, especially since they've so effectively trashed the other parts of the tax base. I used to think that dumbing down the voters was the goal, but since these people all vote for the [redacted] Party anyway, I'm now more inclined to believe they think of this as a minor side benefit.
DeleteYou should try and not regurgitate old rhetoric like a jaded senior, and start to consider the potential benefits of marijuana. There is no harm to brains, and no stupidity from smoking. More stupidity in having it banned for all these years to absolutely no ones benefit.
DeleteOh, stupid me! And I thought that high quality clinical studies of cannabis were hard to find. Now everything is clear...
Deletehttp://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2015/01/man_arrested_on_suspicion_of_d.html
Deletehttp://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/08/if_oregon_legalizes_marijuana.html
I understand the concerns about phthalates in PVC but the recent (quieter) push to remove phthalates from polypropylene seems absurd. Phthalates are used as electron donors in Gen. 4 Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Considering 1 g of catalyst can make upwards of 40,000 g of PP, there is at most 5 ppm phthalate in the final polymer. In fact, there is much less as a result of extraction and downstream processing steps. Personally, I'm comfortable eating from a yogurt container with that much residual phthalate.
ReplyDeleteBut now companies are pursuing novel, non-phthalate electron donors due to pressure from REACH and similar legislation. Their toxicology profiles are unknown. While they're likely to be present at similarly marginal levels as phthalate donors in the final product, there isn't the same body of knowledge about their fate during polymerization as there is on phthalate donors. So who knows? It seems like we're just replacing the devil we know with the devil we don't.
Regardless of one's opinion about legalization of recreational marijuana, I am puzzled by the lack of concern about the effects of inhaling pyrolysed organic matter on one's lungs. In case of either tobacco or marijuana, this creates PAHs, which are obviously known to be carcinogenic.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the only recommendation would be to consume either hash brownies or THC oil, instead of smoking a joint.
Salinas, CA is already pursuing this market... gives a whole new meaning to the word BAKE-ry...
Delete...wonder how the Girl Scouts are going to compete there...
DeleteThe use of vaporizers is widespread in cannabis communities. Simply a device that heats plant material to a temperature hot enough to liberate volatile components (cannabinoids) without combustion, circumventing the need to worry about PAHs.
DeleteI tried hookah once and it burnt the hell out of my throat, probably because I had never been exposed to nicotine until then. The experience only cemented my resolve to not ever expose myself to nicotine.
ReplyDeleteA self-styled "Gary Ganja" has bought a Denver-area radio station, on which he intends to broadcast marijuana-friendly programming, including playing 420 hits in a row.
ReplyDeletehttp://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/06/25/dj-gary-ganja-hopes-to-hit-new-high-with-music-for-stoners/
http://www.smokin941.com/